"Enrichment" in local MS after 6th grade

[Anonymous]

Ok - there was lots of buzz last year regarding MCPS's decision to have "enriched" math and world studies for the kids who were magnet-level and did not attend the magnet schools. Fast forward to this year - are you seeing any continuum in your MS between these 6th grade Advanced classes and the 7th grade classes?

[Anonymous]

There are many posts on this already. It seems to be very school dependent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are many posts on this already. It seems to be very school dependent.

I am looking specifically at 7th grade - which should be new and not a prior post since registration is ONLY beginning right now. I am not looking for what the schools said last year, but what they are continuing to do this year for the 6th graders going into 7th grade that were in the 6th grade enriched classes.

[Anonymous]

Our school is doing: Nada. Bupkis. Given the joke that 6th grade "enrichment" for the highly able group was, did we expect any differently? This was pure lip service. They know parents invested in their highly able kids' education will continue to enrich, which of course we will. But screw MCPS. I am sorry I paid a premium to be in a so-called "great" school system. Enormous classes, virtually no homework, little to no challenge. What a disappointment.

[Anonymous]

My kid's DCC MS is offering the Humanities class for 7th grade and keeping the cohort together for Algebra I. However, I don't think the math content differs from the regular Algebra class for 7th/8th graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school is doing: Nada. Bupkis. Given the joke that 6th grade "enrichment" for the highly able group was, did we expect any differently? This was pure lip service. They know parents invested in their highly able kids' education will continue to enrich, which of course we will. But screw MCPS. I am sorry I paid a premium to be in a so-called "great" school system. Enormous classes, virtually no homework, little to no challenge. What a disappointment.

I kinda feel sorry for you. But I also kinda don’t. If you are enriching at home it doesn’t seem fair to fault the school for your child being unchallenged. This isn’t a problem unique to MCPS. The vast majority of kids across the country are not challenged at school when they receive extra curricular enrichment. MCPS is still one of the stronger public school districts. But it is still a public school. Paying a premium was your mistake. The truth is a great public school experience is teacher dependent and has very little to do with “a great school system”. Your odd of receiving appropriate challenge go up when you enter the private system. This whole magnet and AAP hoopla has always been lip service. So nothing much has actually changed. The only difference is your dd wasn’t invited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school is doing: Nada. Bupkis. Given the joke that 6th grade "enrichment" for the highly able group was, did we expect any differently? This was pure lip service. They know parents invested in their highly able kids' education will continue to enrich, which of course we will. But screw MCPS. I am sorry I paid a premium to be in a so-called "great" school system. Enormous classes, virtually no homework, little to no challenge. What a disappointment.

I kinda feel sorry for you. But I also kinda don’t. If you are enriching at home it doesn’t seem fair to fault the school for your child being unchallenged. This isn’t a problem unique to MCPS. The vast majority of kids across the country are not challenged at school when they receive extra curricular enrichment. MCPS is still one of the stronger public school districts. But it is still a public school. Paying a premium was your mistake. The truth is a great public school experience is teacher dependent and has very little to do with “a great school system”. Your odd of receiving appropriate challenge go up when you enter the private system. This whole magnet and AAP hoopla has always been lip service. So nothing much has actually changed. The only difference is your dd wasn’t invited.

Not PP, but that's kinda unfair, as there are a few families that made the decision to not go to magnet based, in part, on the promise to enrich at home school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school is doing: Nada. Bupkis. Given the joke that 6th grade "enrichment" for the highly able group was, did we expect any differently? This was pure lip service. They know parents invested in their highly able kids' education will continue to enrich, which of course we will. But screw MCPS. I am sorry I paid a premium to be in a so-called "great" school system. Enormous classes, virtually no homework, little to no challenge. What a disappointment.

I kinda feel sorry for you. But I also kinda don’t. If you are enriching at home it doesn’t seem fair to fault the school for your child being unchallenged. This isn’t a problem unique to MCPS. The vast majority of kids across the country are not challenged at school when they receive extra curricular enrichment. MCPS is still one of the stronger public school districts. But it is still a public school. Paying a premium was your mistake. The truth is a great public school experience is teacher dependent and has very little to do with “a great school system”. Your odd of receiving appropriate challenge go up when you enter the private system. This whole magnet and AAP hoopla has always been lip service. So nothing much has actually changed. The only difference is your dd wasn’t invited.

Not PP, but that's kinda unfair, as there are a few families that made the decision to not go to magnet based, in part, on the promise to enrich at home school.

It's also unfair that the very highest scoring kids, and ones who earned straight As at the most competitive CESs in the county, were not invited because "peer cohort." The promises to support those kids the home MS proved altogether hollow, didn't they?

[Anonymous]

What are parents of kids who earn straight As while barely lifting a finger at the home MS, and who beg you to home school them because they're so bored all day, supposed to do? Find enrichment for them of course. Otherwise they become completely uninterested and slack. My kid will work to test out of Algebra in order to move up to Honors Geometry in 7th. That will help a little. But it's ridiculous that MCPS can't do SOMETHING for those kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school is doing: Nada. Bupkis. Given the joke that 6th grade "enrichment" for the highly able group was, did we expect any differently? This was pure lip service. They know parents invested in their highly able kids' education will continue to enrich, which of course we will. But screw MCPS. I am sorry I paid a premium to be in a so-called "great" school system. Enormous classes, virtually no homework, little to no challenge. What a disappointment.

I kinda feel sorry for you. But I also kinda don’t. If you are enriching at home it doesn’t seem fair to fault the school for your child being unchallenged. This isn’t a problem unique to MCPS. The vast majority of kids across the country are not challenged at school when they receive extra curricular enrichment. MCPS is still one of the stronger public school districts. But it is still a public school. Paying a premium was your mistake. The truth is a great public school experience is teacher dependent and has very little to do with “a great school system”. Your odd of receiving appropriate challenge go up when you enter the private system. This whole magnet and AAP hoopla has always been lip service. So nothing much has actually changed. The only difference is your dd wasn’t invited.

Not PP, but that's kinda unfair, as there are a few families that made the decision to not go to magnet based, in part, on the promise to enrich at home school.

It's also unfair that the very highest scoring kids, and ones who earned straight As at the most competitive CESs in the county, were not invited because "peer cohort." The promises to support those kids the home MS proved altogether hollow, didn't they?

You are talking about 4th and 5th graders? Where does this mindset come from? Seriously?

The difference between academic instruction at the magnets and the home school magnet classes is very little. For years it’s only been a hundred or so kids tested for the magnet school. It was a strong program. But it wasn’t amazing. It’s great for kids without a peer cohort. But it’s not much different from your home school enriched classes. It’s a weird thing to gripe about. CES wasn’t much more advanced than your home school either. You just stopped complaining because you perceived your child receiving the most she could get. Now you feel like she’s missing out unfairly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school is doing: Nada. Bupkis. Given the joke that 6th grade "enrichment" for the highly able group was, did we expect any differently? This was pure lip service. They know parents invested in their highly able kids' education will continue to enrich, which of course we will. But screw MCPS. I am sorry I paid a premium to be in a so-called "great" school system. Enormous classes, virtually no homework, little to no challenge. What a disappointment.

Yet MCPS will point to your child's successes as further proof that they are "one of the best school systems in the nation". I've long believed that the high success rates that MCPS likes to boast about are largely due to educated parents compensating at home for school ahortfalls, rather than because of MCPS.

MCPS does offer some amazing opportunities (magnets, immersion, etc.), however these are offered to a tiny percentage of students. They need to shore up their basic curriculum for everyone (hopefully the new curriculum will do this) and they need to dramatically expand their magnets/immersion programs to serve all the qualified students who need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are parents of kids who earn straight As while barely lifting a finger at the home MS, and who beg you to home school them because they're so bored all day, supposed to do? Find enrichment for them of course. Otherwise they become completely uninterested and slack. My kid will work to test out of Algebra in order to move up to Honors Geometry in 7th. That will help a little. But it's ridiculous that MCPS can't do SOMETHING for those kids.

Try to find enrichment that doesn’t have involve acceleration. Enrich with rigorous prealgebra. I can guarantee there are prealgebra problems your kid hasn’t seen. Read the calculus trap by Richard Rusczyk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school is doing: Nada. Bupkis. Given the joke that 6th grade "enrichment" for the highly able group was, did we expect any differently? This was pure lip service. They know parents invested in their highly able kids' education will continue to enrich, which of course we will. But screw MCPS. I am sorry I paid a premium to be in a so-called "great" school system. Enormous classes, virtually no homework, little to no challenge. What a disappointment.

I kinda feel sorry for you. But I also kinda don’t. If you are enriching at home it doesn’t seem fair to fault the school for your child being unchallenged. This isn’t a problem unique to MCPS. The vast majority of kids across the country are not challenged at school when they receive extra curricular enrichment. MCPS is still one of the stronger public school districts. But it is still a public school. Paying a premium was your mistake. The truth is a great public school experience is teacher dependent and has very little to do with “a great school system”. Your odd of receiving appropriate challenge go up when you enter the private system. This whole magnet and AAP hoopla has always been lip service. So nothing much has actually changed. The only difference is your dd wasn’t invited.

Not PP, but that's kinda unfair, as there are a few families that made the decision to not go to magnet based, in part, on the promise to enrich at home school.

It's also unfair that the very highest scoring kids, and ones who earned straight As at the most competitive CESs in the county, were not invited because "peer cohort." The promises to support those kids the home MS proved altogether hollow, didn't they?

I would hesitate to call CES programs competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school is doing: Nada. Bupkis. Given the joke that 6th grade "enrichment" for the highly able group was, did we expect any differently? This was pure lip service. They know parents invested in their highly able kids' education will continue to enrich, which of course we will. But screw MCPS. I am sorry I paid a premium to be in a so-called "great" school system. Enormous classes, virtually no homework, little to no challenge. What a disappointment.

I kinda feel sorry for you. But I also kinda don’t. If you are enriching at home it doesn’t seem fair to fault the school for your child being unchallenged. This isn’t a problem unique to MCPS. The vast majority of kids across the country are not challenged at school when they receive extra curricular enrichment. MCPS is still one of the stronger public school districts. But it is still a public school. Paying a premium was your mistake. The truth is a great public school experience is teacher dependent and has very little to do with “a great school system”. Your odd of receiving appropriate challenge go up when you enter the private system. This whole magnet and AAP hoopla has always been lip service. So nothing much has actually changed. The only difference is your dd wasn’t invited.

Not PP, but that's kinda unfair, as there are a few families that made the decision to not go to magnet based, in part, on the promise to enrich at home school.

It's also unfair that the very highest scoring kids, and ones who earned straight As at the most competitive CESs in the county, were not invited because "peer cohort." The promises to support those kids the home MS proved altogether hollow, didn't they?

You are talking about 4th and 5th graders? Where does this mindset come from? Seriously?

The difference between academic instruction at the magnets and the home school magnet classes is very little. For years it’s only been a hundred or so kids tested for the magnet school. It was a strong program. But it wasn’t amazing. It’s great for kids without a peer cohort. But it’s not much different from your home school enriched classes. It’s a weird thing to gripe about. CES wasn’t much more advanced than your home school either. You just stopped complaining because you perceived your child receiving the most she could get. Now you feel like she’s missing out unfairly.

You really don't know what you're talking about. When my current Eastern 8th grader tested for magnet MS, around 600 students applied. And her educational experience has been head and shoulders above that my older kid had at our home W-feeder MS. It's not just about peer cohort -- although it is great for her to be with very smart and hard-working fellow students -- it's that the curriculum and teachers are far better than those at the home MS. I've also had two kids go through CES, and the difference in curriculum between CES and the home ES is also night and day. My kids came from a well-regarded ES that we actually really like, had great teachers, and were still bored out of their minds by 3rd grade because the materials were too easy and because the teachers had to spend all their time with the kids who needed more help. Even if they'd been in fully tracked classrooms, though, the curriculum is still bad.

Peer cohorts don't teach smart kids -- smart kids need, and deserve, to have their needs met with excellent curricular materials, well-trained teachers, and enough tracking that they aren't just getting on with it because the teacher has to devote his/her time to the kids who aren't getting it.

So it is a sham and a travesty that MCPS has not truly expanded the magnet programs to meet the needs of all the students who are capable of succeeding and thriving, whether they are "outliers" or whether they have a "peer cohort." And the fact that they don't have a plan for meeting the needs of these students at the home MS beyond 7th grade demonstrates that their promise was and is hollow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid's DCC MS is offering the Humanities class for 7th grade and keeping the cohort together for Algebra I. However, I don't think the math content differs from the regular Algebra class for 7th/8th graders.

My child's MS is also offering enriched global studies again and keeping the cohort together for Algebra. It's unclear right now what the curriculum differences are. The cohort has been very helpful for my child's 6th grade enriched classes. The student population for each class seems to be the top 15%-20% of total.