what happened to the new IB magnet rumor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It's not about poor scores. It's about poor teachers. I've spent years in MCPS and can tell you that the best teachers are in wealthy areas, and sometimes Focus elementaries. It stands to reason, no one wants to have a harder job of it. The IB program needs special training that even good teachers sometimes lack, so imagine what happens in lower-performing schools.

I'm not saying it's not worth a try! But I highly, highly doubt the graduating students will have good scores on their IB exams. I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.

I really don't know how any MCPS teacher can have any informed basis for saying this. You know the teachers you know (a very small fraction of the teachers in MCPS), you don't know the teachers you don't know (a very large fraction of the teachers in MCPS), and unless you have personally worked with them, there's really no good way to know anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So students from Churchill, Whitman and WJ could go to Kenndy if they dont make it at RM next year. Since the “cohort” method will be used for Blair, RM, and Poolsville magnet program, this new selection method will reduce the number of students from Wooton, Churchill, WJ and Whitman to be admitted into RM and Blair. Currently, more than 60% of magnet students in RM and Blair magnets are from the four HS catchment area. The cohort methode could reduce the number of students from the four hs to less than 20% for RM and less than 30% for blair. Will the students whose access to RM and Blair magnet is denied due to the “cohort” admission method go to the regional IB megnet? The new centers are further away from RM and blair for these students.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Churchilll, Wooton, and Whitman students who go to Kennedy IB will have to put up with Kennedy orchestra, band, and chorus. I don't know any particulars, but I don't think that these extracurriculars are going to be at the same level as RM or W home schools.

So do the Kennedy students, of course...

But good news, just think how much better the Kennedy orchestra, band, and chorus will be once the Churchill and Whitman students have graced them with their presence!

And in further good news - you can stop worrying about the effect of cohorts on high school magnet admissions programs, because there is no indication that MCPS will use cohorts as a factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It's not about poor scores. It's about poor teachers. I've spent years in MCPS and can tell you that the best teachers are in wealthy areas, and sometimes Focus elementaries. It stands to reason, no one wants to have a harder job of it. The IB program needs special training that even good teachers sometimes lack, so imagine what happens in lower-performing schools.

I'm not saying it's not worth a try! But I highly, highly doubt the graduating students will have good scores on their IB exams. I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.

That's a load of uninformed BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It's not about poor scores. It's about poor teachers. I've spent years in MCPS and can tell you that the best teachers are in wealthy areas, and sometimes Focus elementaries. It stands to reason, no one wants to have a harder job of it. The IB program needs special training that even good teachers sometimes lack, so imagine what happens in lower-performing schools.

I'm not saying it's not worth a try! But I highly, highly doubt the graduating students will have good scores on their IB exams. I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.

I really don't know how any MCPS teacher can have any informed basis for saying this. You know the teachers you know (a very small fraction of the teachers in MCPS), you don't know the teachers you don't know (a very large fraction of the teachers in MCPS), and unless you have personally worked with them, there's really no good way to know anyway.

Actually, the people who know the quality of the teachers in all of the schools are the consulting teachers. They visit all of the schools while supporting new teachers, and in the process get some interesting insight into the quality of the different departments and of other teachers in the building. I've known former secondary CTs in English, Science, and World Languages, and all of them have been under-impressed with teachers at some of our wealthy schools. They aren't terrible, but they aren't great either. They have no need to have the best skills, because their students come in with a ton of knowledge already and are highly motivated to get good grades, regardless of what the teacher does.

-HS teacher