MCPS to end areawide Blair Magnet and countywide Richard Montgomery's IB program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pushback on the viability of recreating magnet programs on regional basis:

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/08/13/mcps-program-changes-concerns/

Good, and we need a lot more of this. It was strategic that they introduced this proposal during the summer, when fewer parents and teachers are paying attention. They sought no input, and they thought they could build momentum for it before there the pushback.

The best comment is the final line: “Because we can have all these wonderful regions … but if we still have a disparity in the outcomes, are we really putting the equity lens on that?” This is what I keep coming back to regarding the proposal: what does it actually fix? What's the point of destroying these great programs? There's no logic or rationale to it.

They are not destroying the programs. They are expanding access to the programs for the great many who are able to handle the rigor but did not have application luck.

They ARE dismantling the magnet programs. There are insufficient teachers who can teach advanced programs. From the article: Taylor said the district’s recommendation includes areas of certification the district offers, but he doesn’t know if there’s interest from faculty to “dive in and hyper-specialize.”

He doesn't know. That means he is making decisions with insufficient information. You can't expand programs without trained, hyper-specialized teachers for those programs.

The actual number of highly able students are insufficient to form regional magnets. We aren't provided information on these numbers because it likely would show that the number of highly able students cab't support rigorous magnets in all regions.

+1 The regional IB programs IBDP pass rate is much lower than RMIB's. That tells you that even the 4 regional programs they created a few years ago aren't as successful. Those programs don't offer some of the HL classes that RMIB does. Why? Because there is not enough interest and probably the teachers don't want to teach it/aren't certified to teach it.

And now MCPS wants to expand it to 6 regionals? Makes zero sense to do that.

It’s not the same thing. The current regional IB programs don’t have qualification requirements, you just sign up for the classes.

Huh? I thought that the Kennedy HS IB Program was criteria-based. Unlike the IB programs at BCC or Einstein, which anyone can do. I think PP was referring to Kennedy and similar programs.

You need to look at how many are graduating with IB degrees, at Einstei its very few.

Einstein is open to all students, not criteria based.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did not find the parents arguments for keeping the system as is in the Bethesda magazine article convincing at all. One parent mentioned how her kid got to take quantum mechanics at Blair. No one needs to take quantum mechanics in HS and if that is indeed your jam, you can take a college class for it.
Also, parents of a 4th grader expressing concern that their kid is on track to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade and what will the kid do then. Almost no students are ready to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade. And if they are, then take the next class at MC or UMD or virtual. Public school systems are not designed to serve the tiniest of tiny percentage of outliers. There is a case for regional magnets

There is no virtual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pushback on the viability of recreating magnet programs on regional basis:

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/08/13/mcps-program-changes-concerns/

Good, and we need a lot more of this. It was strategic that they introduced this proposal during the summer, when fewer parents and teachers are paying attention. They sought no input, and they thought they could build momentum for it before there the pushback.

The best comment is the final line: “Because we can have all these wonderful regions … but if we still have a disparity in the outcomes, are we really putting the equity lens on that?” This is what I keep coming back to regarding the proposal: what does it actually fix? What's the point of destroying these great programs? There's no logic or rationale to it.

They are not destroying the programs. They are expanding access to the programs for the great many who are able to handle the rigor but did not have application luck.

They ARE dismantling the magnet programs. There are insufficient teachers who can teach advanced programs. From the article: Taylor said the district’s recommendation includes areas of certification the district offers, but he doesn’t know if there’s interest from faculty to “dive in and hyper-specialize.”

He doesn't know. That means he is making decisions with insufficient information. You can't expand programs without trained, hyper-specialized teachers for those programs.

The actual number of highly able students are insufficient to form regional magnets. We aren't provided information on these numbers because it likely would show that the number of highly able students cab't support rigorous magnets in all regions.

+1 The regional IB programs IBDP pass rate is much lower than RMIB's. That tells you that even the 4 regional programs they created a few years ago aren't as successful. Those programs don't offer some of the HL classes that RMIB does. Why? Because there is not enough interest and probably the teachers don't want to teach it/aren't certified to teach it.

And now MCPS wants to expand it to 6 regionals? Makes zero sense to do that.

Why would Taylor want to break something that is highly successful? I listen to staff, and it seems like they have already made up their minds, but don't really have the data to back up their actions. getting rid of the magnet programming will have negative consequences for the school district.

Who says it's highly successful? A few parents who don't want to change? I don't see it--there's just a few school clusters benefitting from the most selective programs (which points to the issue that the programs are too far away or too inaccessible for some parts of the county).

Any programs that produces more NMSF winners than all other county high schools COMBINED, I would consider them highly successful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did not find the parents arguments for keeping the system as is in the Bethesda magazine article convincing at all. One parent mentioned how her kid got to take quantum mechanics at Blair. No one needs to take quantum mechanics in HS and if that is indeed your jam, you can take a college class for it.
Also, parents of a 4th grader expressing concern that their kid is on track to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade and what will the kid do then. Almost no students are ready to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade. And if they are, then take the next class at MC or UMD or virtual. Public school systems are not designed to serve the tiniest of tiny percentage of outliers. There is a case for regional magnets

Public schools can differentiate to meet the needs of a variety of student cohorts. If magnet schooling isn't something you see happening for your student, MCPS has plenty of other choices. The school district doesn't need to stop the current magnets to provide additional programming. Why is this an either/or situation?

As with most things, it’s fundamentally a fairness issue. If most highly performing kids are shut out for one reason or another, and the only people who want to keep the program as-is are those who are currently in it or have been in it, or are in the tiniest of tiny outliers, then you have a fairness issue.

[Anonymous]

Here is what I would like to see made public by the school district: the number of HS IB students from all IB programs that pass the tests to receive an IB diploma.

Anybody know where that data is available?

https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/what-it-means-to-be-an-ib-student/recognizing-student-achievement/about-assessment/dp-passing-criteria/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did not find the parents arguments for keeping the system as is in the Bethesda magazine article convincing at all. One parent mentioned how her kid got to take quantum mechanics at Blair. No one needs to take quantum mechanics in HS and if that is indeed your jam, you can take a college class for it.
Also, parents of a 4th grader expressing concern that their kid is on track to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade and what will the kid do then. Almost no students are ready to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade. And if they are, then take the next class at MC or UMD or virtual. Public school systems are not designed to serve the tiniest of tiny percentage of outliers. There is a case for regional magnets

Public schools can differentiate to meet the needs of a variety of student cohorts. If magnet schooling isn't something you see happening for your student, MCPS has plenty of other choices. The school district doesn't need to stop the current magnets to provide additional programming. Why is this an either/or situation?

As with most things, it’s fundamentally a fairness issue. If most highly performing kids are shut out for one reason or another, and the only people who want to keep the program as-is are those who are currently in it or have been in it, or are in the tiniest of tiny outliers, then you have a fairness issue.

So your solution is to just ignore them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did not find the parents arguments for keeping the system as is in the Bethesda magazine article convincing at all. One parent mentioned how her kid got to take quantum mechanics at Blair. No one needs to take quantum mechanics in HS and if that is indeed your jam, you can take a college class for it.
Also, parents of a 4th grader expressing concern that their kid is on track to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade and what will the kid do then. Almost no students are ready to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade. And if they are, then take the next class at MC or UMD or virtual. Public school systems are not designed to serve the tiniest of tiny percentage of outliers. There is a case for regional magnets

Public schools can differentiate to meet the needs of a variety of student cohorts. If magnet schooling isn't something you see happening for your student, MCPS has plenty of other choices. The school district doesn't need to stop the current magnets to provide additional programming. Why is this an either/or situation?

As with most things, it’s fundamentally a fairness issue. If most highly performing kids are shut out for one reason or another, and the only people who want to keep the program as-is are those who are currently in it or have been in it, or are in the tiniest of tiny outliers, then you have a fairness issue.

So your solution is to just ignore them?

Well no one is asking me, but my solution isn’t to ignore them (if “them” is the young Sheldons). Public school should provide equal programming across high schools so that top performers can access the same classes wherever they are in the county. There’s no need to ration it if you have enough kids who can handle the classes. You can accommodate the young Sheldons within that, or they can take classes at MCC or wherever, but you shouldn’t shut kids out to cater to people who want things to stay exactly the same because they think the program won’t be as good if more (equally eligible) people can take the classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did not find the parents arguments for keeping the system as is in the Bethesda magazine article convincing at all. One parent mentioned how her kid got to take quantum mechanics at Blair. No one needs to take quantum mechanics in HS and if that is indeed your jam, you can take a college class for it.
Also, parents of a 4th grader expressing concern that their kid is on track to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade and what will the kid do then. Almost no students are ready to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade. And if they are, then take the next class at MC or UMD or virtual. Public school systems are not designed to serve the tiniest of tiny percentage of outliers. There is a case for regional magnets

Public schools can differentiate to meet the needs of a variety of student cohorts. If magnet schooling isn't something you see happening for your student, MCPS has plenty of other choices. The school district doesn't need to stop the current magnets to provide additional programming. Why is this an either/or situation?

As with most things, it’s fundamentally a fairness issue. If most highly performing kids are shut out for one reason or another, and the only people who want to keep the program as-is are those who are currently in it or have been in it, or are in the tiniest of tiny outliers, then you have a fairness issue.

Here is what we know: a lot of students apply for the magnets. But MCPS hasn't released data on the number of highly able students who have the scores that demonstrate they can succeed in the programs, but who are shut out because there are too few seats in the programs. If the data showed the number of qualified students, versus the number of students who applied, we could gain a better understanding of the issues. But I suspect the data doesn't prove MCPS' case.

So your solution is to just ignore them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is what I would like to see made public by the school district: the number of HS IB students from all IB programs that pass the tests to receive an IB diploma.

Anybody know where that data is available?

https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/what-it-means-to-be-an-ib-student/recognizing-student-achievement/about-assessment/dp-passing-criteria/

MCPS won't publish that data to the public, but you can try to guestimate by using this

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-PP-%20for-Test-Takers.html

and

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

To pass the full IB Diploma, students must achieve a total of at least 24 points out of 45, with a minimum of 12 points from HL subjects and 9 points from SL subjects

Unfortunately, MCPS doesn't publish which subjects those students took HL classes in. They aren't very transparent with the numbers, and usually that means that they want to hide it.

[Anonymous]

^ also, usually a 4 is considered "passing".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pushback on the viability of recreating magnet programs on regional basis:

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/08/13/mcps-program-changes-concerns/

Good, and we need a lot more of this. It was strategic that they introduced this proposal during the summer, when fewer parents and teachers are paying attention. They sought no input, and they thought they could build momentum for it before there the pushback.

The best comment is the final line: “Because we can have all these wonderful regions … but if we still have a disparity in the outcomes, are we really putting the equity lens on that?” This is what I keep coming back to regarding the proposal: what does it actually fix? What's the point of destroying these great programs? There's no logic or rationale to it.

They are not destroying the programs. They are expanding access to the programs for the great many who are able to handle the rigor but did not have application luck.

They ARE dismantling the magnet programs. There are insufficient teachers who can teach advanced programs. From the article: Taylor said the district’s recommendation includes areas of certification the district offers, but he doesn’t know if there’s interest from faculty to “dive in and hyper-specialize.”

He doesn't know. That means he is making decisions with insufficient information. You can't expand programs without trained, hyper-specialized teachers for those programs.

The actual number of highly able students are insufficient to form regional magnets. We aren't provided information on these numbers because it likely would show that the number of highly able students cab't support rigorous magnets in all regions.

+1 The regional IB programs IBDP pass rate is much lower than RMIB's. That tells you that even the 4 regional programs they created a few years ago aren't as successful. Those programs don't offer some of the HL classes that RMIB does. Why? Because there is not enough interest and probably the teachers don't want to teach it/aren't certified to teach it.

And now MCPS wants to expand it to 6 regionals? Makes zero sense to do that.

Why would Taylor want to break something that is highly successful? I listen to staff, and it seems like they have already made up their minds, but don't really have the data to back up their actions. getting rid of the magnet programming will have negative consequences for the school district.

Who says it's highly successful? A few parents who don't want to change? I don't see it--there's just a few school clusters benefitting from the most selective programs (which points to the issue that the programs are too far away or too inaccessible for some parts of the county).

Any programs that produces more NMSF winners than all other county high schools COMBINED, I would consider them highly successful.

Unfortunately, no program in the county does that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did not find the parents arguments for keeping the system as is in the Bethesda magazine article convincing at all. One parent mentioned how her kid got to take quantum mechanics at Blair. No one needs to take quantum mechanics in HS and if that is indeed your jam, you can take a college class for it.
Also, parents of a 4th grader expressing concern that their kid is on track to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade and what will the kid do then. Almost no students are ready to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade. And if they are, then take the next class at MC or UMD or virtual. Public school systems are not designed to serve the tiniest of tiny percentage of outliers. There is a case for regional magnets

Public schools can differentiate to meet the needs of a variety of student cohorts. If magnet schooling isn't something you see happening for your student, MCPS has plenty of other choices. The school district doesn't need to stop the current magnets to provide additional programming. Why is this an either/or situation?

As with most things, it’s fundamentally a fairness issue. If most highly performing kids are shut out for one reason or another, and the only people who want to keep the program as-is are those who are currently in it or have been in it, or are in the tiniest of tiny outliers, then you have a fairness issue.

So your solution is to just ignore them?

Well no one is asking me, but my solution isn’t to ignore them (if “them” is the young Sheldons). Public school should provide equal programming across high schools so that top performers can access the same classes wherever they are in the county. There’s no need to ration it if you have enough kids who can handle the classes. You can accommodate the young Sheldons within that, or they can take classes at MCC or wherever, but you shouldn’t shut kids out to cater to people who want things to stay exactly the same because they think the program won’t be as good if more (equally eligible) people can take the classes.

I don’t think we have enough seats in the magnets and I support expanding the number of students admitted. I also think it would be good to add some mid-county magnets that are the equivalent of the current downcounty/upcounty STEM and humanities programs so kids don’t have such long commutes.

However, there’s a big difference in cohort between the top students in one half or one third of the county versus the top students in this or that sixth of the county. Having this many magnet programs shrinks the pools from which you draw students dramatically, and requires significantly more teachers who are up to the challenge of teaching these courses. In the name of increasing access to rigorous programs, we’re abandoning the things that enabled them to be so rigorous. Instead of 1% of students being in top notch programs, we’ll have x% in pretty good programs. That sounds good to people whose children have been denied entry to these programs, but it’s sounds like a misstep to people whose children have benefited from these programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pushback on the viability of recreating magnet programs on regional basis:

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/08/13/mcps-program-changes-concerns/

Good, and we need a lot more of this. It was strategic that they introduced this proposal during the summer, when fewer parents and teachers are paying attention. They sought no input, and they thought they could build momentum for it before there the pushback.

The best comment is the final line: “Because we can have all these wonderful regions … but if we still have a disparity in the outcomes, are we really putting the equity lens on that?” This is what I keep coming back to regarding the proposal: what does it actually fix? What's the point of destroying these great programs? There's no logic or rationale to it.

They are not destroying the programs. They are expanding access to the programs for the great many who are able to handle the rigor but did not have application luck.

They ARE dismantling the magnet programs. There are insufficient teachers who can teach advanced programs. From the article: Taylor said the district’s recommendation includes areas of certification the district offers, but he doesn’t know if there’s interest from faculty to “dive in and hyper-specialize.”

He doesn't know. That means he is making decisions with insufficient information. You can't expand programs without trained, hyper-specialized teachers for those programs.

The actual number of highly able students are insufficient to form regional magnets. We aren't provided information on these numbers because it likely would show that the number of highly able students cab't support rigorous magnets in all regions.

+1 The regional IB programs IBDP pass rate is much lower than RMIB's. That tells you that even the 4 regional programs they created a few years ago aren't as successful. Those programs don't offer some of the HL classes that RMIB does. Why? Because there is not enough interest and probably the teachers don't want to teach it/aren't certified to teach it.

And now MCPS wants to expand it to 6 regionals? Makes zero sense to do that.

Why would Taylor want to break something that is highly successful? I listen to staff, and it seems like they have already made up their minds, but don't really have the data to back up their actions. getting rid of the magnet programming will have negative consequences for the school district.

Who says it's highly successful? A few parents who don't want to change? I don't see it--there's just a few school clusters benefitting from the most selective programs (which points to the issue that the programs are too far away or too inaccessible for some parts of the county).

Any programs that produces more NMSF winners than all other county high schools COMBINED, I would consider them highly successful.

That's your opinion. Perhaps if they expanded their numbers to other sites and to more kids they would produce more NMSF winners. For example, Whitman which produces a strong number of NMSF winners sends few kids to the magnets, because they're so far away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did not find the parents arguments for keeping the system as is in the Bethesda magazine article convincing at all. One parent mentioned how her kid got to take quantum mechanics at Blair. No one needs to take quantum mechanics in HS and if that is indeed your jam, you can take a college class for it.
Also, parents of a 4th grader expressing concern that their kid is on track to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade and what will the kid do then. Almost no students are ready to take multivariable calculus in 9th grade. And if they are, then take the next class at MC or UMD or virtual. Public school systems are not designed to serve the tiniest of tiny percentage of outliers. There is a case for regional magnets

Public schools can differentiate to meet the needs of a variety of student cohorts. If magnet schooling isn't something you see happening for your student, MCPS has plenty of other choices. The school district doesn't need to stop the current magnets to provide additional programming. Why is this an either/or situation?

As with most things, it’s fundamentally a fairness issue. If most highly performing kids are shut out for one reason or another, and the only people who want to keep the program as-is are those who are currently in it or have been in it, or are in the tiniest of tiny outliers, then you have a fairness issue.

Here is what we know: a lot of students apply for the magnets. But MCPS hasn't released data on the number of highly able students who have the scores that demonstrate they can succeed in the programs, but who are shut out because there are too few seats in the programs. If the data showed the number of qualified students, versus the number of students who applied, we could gain a better understanding of the issues. But I suspect the data doesn't prove MCPS' case.

So your solution is to just ignore them?

If students are being selected only on the base of their MAP scores, how do you know they're highly able? It's not even a test of cognitive ability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pushback on the viability of recreating magnet programs on regional basis:

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/08/13/mcps-program-changes-concerns/

Good, and we need a lot more of this. It was strategic that they introduced this proposal during the summer, when fewer parents and teachers are paying attention. They sought no input, and they thought they could build momentum for it before there the pushback.

The best comment is the final line: “Because we can have all these wonderful regions … but if we still have a disparity in the outcomes, are we really putting the equity lens on that?” This is what I keep coming back to regarding the proposal: what does it actually fix? What's the point of destroying these great programs? There's no logic or rationale to it.

They are not destroying the programs. They are expanding access to the programs for the great many who are able to handle the rigor but did not have application luck.

They ARE dismantling the magnet programs. There are insufficient teachers who can teach advanced programs. From the article: Taylor said the district’s recommendation includes areas of certification the district offers, but he doesn’t know if there’s interest from faculty to “dive in and hyper-specialize.”

He doesn't know. That means he is making decisions with insufficient information. You can't expand programs without trained, hyper-specialized teachers for those programs.

The actual number of highly able students are insufficient to form regional magnets. We aren't provided information on these numbers because it likely would show that the number of highly able students cab't support rigorous magnets in all regions.

+1 The regional IB programs IBDP pass rate is much lower than RMIB's. That tells you that even the 4 regional programs they created a few years ago aren't as successful. Those programs don't offer some of the HL classes that RMIB does. Why? Because there is not enough interest and probably the teachers don't want to teach it/aren't certified to teach it.

And now MCPS wants to expand it to 6 regionals? Makes zero sense to do that.

Why would Taylor want to break something that is highly successful? I listen to staff, and it seems like they have already made up their minds, but don't really have the data to back up their actions. getting rid of the magnet programming will have negative consequences for the school district.

Who says it's highly successful? A few parents who don't want to change? I don't see it--there's just a few school clusters benefitting from the most selective programs (which points to the issue that the programs are too far away or too inaccessible for some parts of the county).

Any programs that produces more NMSF winners than all other county high schools COMBINED, I would consider them highly successful.

That's your opinion. Perhaps if they expanded their numbers to other sites and to more kids they would produce more NMSF winners. For example, Whitman which produces a strong number of NMSF winners sends few kids to the magnets, because they're so far away.

Most Whitman parent I know have no desire for their kids to attend a different school. Whitman is their first choice.