what happened to the new IB magnet rumor?
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Anonymous
| There was a thread from April that MCPS was going to announce a new IB magnet high school, or put it in an existing high school. What is the truth/news to this since the poster said there would be a decision in May? |
Anonymous
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Here's the presentation from last week's BOE meeting, where they talked about new regional IB programs at Watkins Mill, Springbrook, and Kennedy:
https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/BCTNFN56E29F/$file/Choice%20Update%20HS%20Prog%20Options%20190530%20PPT.pdf |
Anonymous
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IB program is intensive and the quality of RMIB is driven by super involved and informed, well-off parents who provide enrichment to their children so that they can excel in the IB path.
It is foolish to think that a regular student will excel at RMIB without all this support outside of the school day. IB is not a panacea for achievement gap. The biggest mistake is to put in in low performing schools thinking that students will excel in it. It is much better to provide AP classes in the school so that interested and able kids can take it. IB model is a sucky model for low performing schools like Watkins Mills. |
Anonymous
| Watkins Mill would do better to have the APPS program (AP scholar program) like Clarksburg. IB is a waste of resources in this school and a burden on everyone. |
Anonymous
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Wow, PPs have very little understanding of the underpinning philosophy of IB and low expectations of our students.
From the IB website: "International Baccalaureate® (IB) programmes aim to do more than other curricula by developing inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who are motivated to succeed. We strive to develop students who will build a better world through intercultural understanding and respect." Sounds like perfect goals for students at Watkins Mill (and everywhere!) https://www.ibo.org/benefits/why-the-ib-is-different/ |
Anonymous
| To be clear, Watkins Mill, Springbrook, and Kennedy all already have IB programs at their schools. What's new is that they would become regional centers, available to other students from nearby schools which don't have IB programs. |
Anonymous
Sadly, in US, kids are not prepared for IB rigor. RMIB kids do well because, well, these kids are "special". Remember IB was originally developed to teach kids of diplomats who often are highly educated themselves. |
Anonymous
| MCPS is hoping that having magnet IB programs in these schools will bring in more non-farms families. Could work. I would have chosen a stem magnet program, but since these schools already had IB, I guess it makes sense to build on the initial investment. |
Anonymous
It also will presumably limit the RM IB to a regional catchment area and not be county-wide. So some students who might have gone to RM IB will have the option to go to WM, Kennedy, or Springbrook instead. Right? |
Anonymous
That's the plan. At the meeting they stressed the application requirements and plan to attract highly capable kids in the region. They hope to attract 300 students of the 1000 that apply to RMIB for only 100 seats. |
Anonymous
Yes, that is the longterm plan. RMIB will be countywide for at least Phase 1 of the new program rollout. After that it will become a regional program. |
Anonymous
| Will the regional programs be test-in or lottery? |
Anonymous
| I would prefer a STEM/STEAM magnet program rather than another IB program. |
Anonymous
It won't be an option, as I understand it. Instead of RMIB being a county-wide program, there will now be 4 programs, with eligibility for the specific program depending on where you live in the county. I think this is a positive step. And DCUM should too, since DCUM has been yelling for years about the need to expand the number of seats. So my kid who was going to apply to RMIB next year, will instead apply to WMIB. And hey, if my kid gets in and chooses to go, my kid will be in an application IB program IN A W SCHOOL! 
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