Experiences with Early College at MC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We can't pay for everything. Right now we have a limited virtual program for students with medical needs that preclude them from attending school. Some former MVA parents that have kids without such needs would lime to defund programs allowing MCPS to take college courses in order to create an expanded program for children that otherwise could go to school. If you want the college programs to remain, remain vigulent against their lobbying. It's a very small group, but a few of them have been lobbying the new board members very hard.

You realize about 1/3 the MVA families left MCPS so that's a funding loss for MCPS so now that takes away from your kids needs. The limited virtual program is a joke. They don't have enough teachers, some of the teachers are not licensed teachers and just low-paid tutors/para's, and its basically two hours a week per class and not a full real curriculum. It just started so kids missed 2.5 months of school. These kids deserve a proper education. Its far cheaper to educate kids virtually. Yes, we can pay for everything. We are one of the highest per pupil school system.

There's no evidence to support the claim that a significant number of students left. Regardless, only a small portion of MCPS funding comes from sources that allocate it on a per-student basis. Those that do look at enrollment over several years. Closing MVA has not led to a loss of funding, although covid closures did.

And no, it isn't cheaper to educate kids virtually unless you actually get rid of schools/classrooms. MVA did not provide cost savings, only additional costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go away anti-MVA trolls.

MVA does not have a meaningful cost. It is cheaper than supporting students in MCPS school buildings. Same for MC.

And regardless, no one is moving funding between MVA and MC, which serve different populations.

MVA supporters want to end college programs to fund MVA. That was made clear a few posts ago.

And no, MVA isn't cheaper. It's an entirely additional set of costs without any associated savings in schools.

Of course its cheaper and it gets kids out of overcrowded schools. Less staff, no physical school, no bussing, larger class sizes, and no activities. The money should follow the student so the homeschools should not be getting money for kids they don't serve.

MC is only there because it was failing and the BOE president heavily funded it through MCPS to make up for the shortfall.

But MVA didn't allow MCPS to have fewer schools, buses, or staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you do early college are you still technically a student at your local school? As in, can you play on the HS athletic teams?

Yes. You are still enrolled at your local HS and can play sports, go to events (home coming, prom) and still participate in your HS graduation ceremony. You still also go back to your HS for testing (PSAT, SAT), yearbook photos, and other stray things like that. It requires some communication with your counselor and grade level administration - I just paid close attention to the weekly principal's message and reached out if it seemed like something needed attention.

+1 High school counselor here. I've had several kids do EC and absolutely love it. However, a common complaint I hear from my students is that they feel disconnected from events happening in our school building (e.g. social events, graduation required state testing, post-secondary planning lessons and meetings, etc.) I reach out to my EC students about essentials, like required testing dates, but there is only so much I'm able to follow up with kids who aren't on campus and aren't checking their emails. My students who stay engaged with school announcements have a much better experience and often come back to the building for events. They are also more likely to remain enrolled in EC and feel satisfied with the program.

[Anonymous]

How much free time does your EC student have each week compared to high school students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can start as almost a junior at UMD off of AP credits too. So not seeing the advantage of MC credits over AP?

This. AP classes are generally considered more challenging than equivalent MC classes

[Anonymous]

Is the environment in EC more conducive to learning than what kids would experience at an mcps high school?

Would you child do okay if they were a high average kid but not necessarily AP material.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much free time does your EC student have each week compared to high school students?

Like other college students they spend far less time in class. My kid’s EC classes required more time outside class than her HS classes, but different classes at MC and different classes in HS have different workload so it is hard to compare. Probably relatively comparable overall time commitment but less in the classroom and more time spent studying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can start as almost a junior at UMD off of AP credits too. So not seeing the advantage of MC credits over AP?

This. AP classes are generally considered more challenging than equivalent MC classes

You can maybe enroll in college with credits as a junior if you take all the AP classes, but you can’t focus on areas of interest. In EC you can go much further in your area of interest than at the HS.

Are the EC writing and the AP writing class similar in credit outcomes? Maybe. But in EC you can get several semesters (the equivalent of several full year in the HS) further in STEM fields, even beyond the most advanced courses offered at the magnets. That is great for kids that want that challenge and opportunity.

I think a lot of the EC kids aren’t trying to compete with AP. Instead they have decided AP in the constraints of the HS setting doesn’t meet their interests and needs as well as the pathways offered via EC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can start as almost a junior at UMD off of AP credits too. So not seeing the advantage of MC credits over AP?

This. AP classes are generally considered more challenging than equivalent MC classes

You can maybe enroll in college with credits as a junior if you take all the AP classes, but you can’t focus on areas of interest. In EC you can go much further in your area of interest than at the HS.

Are the EC writing and the AP writing class similar in credit outcomes? Maybe. But in EC you can get several semesters (the equivalent of several full year in the HS) further in STEM fields, even beyond the most advanced courses offered at the magnets. That is great for kids that want that challenge and opportunity.

I think a lot of the EC kids aren’t trying to compete with AP. Instead they have decided AP in the constraints of the HS setting doesn’t meet their interests and needs as well as the pathways offered via EC.

For some specific "T", yes, and some specific non-foundational sciences (example: marine biology) but not for the rest of S, E and M.

The EC/MC path is good for specific niche preprofessional majors (think "Criminal Justice", "Nursing", "Kinesiology") available at big state universities, not so much for "liberal arts" / "core academics" majors that lead to advanced degrees or advanced university study at top colleges (like taking grad-level classes in undergrad, not using credits to graduate earlier).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can start as almost a junior at UMD off of AP credits too. So not seeing the advantage of MC credits over AP?

This. AP classes are generally considered more challenging than equivalent MC classes

You can maybe enroll in college with credits as a junior if you take all the AP classes, but you can’t focus on areas of interest. In EC you can go much further in your area of interest than at the HS.

Are the EC writing and the AP writing class similar in credit outcomes? Maybe. But in EC you can get several semesters (the equivalent of several full year in the HS) further in STEM fields, even beyond the most advanced courses offered at the magnets. That is great for kids that want that challenge and opportunity.

I think a lot of the EC kids aren’t trying to compete with AP. Instead they have decided AP in the constraints of the HS setting doesn’t meet their interests and needs as well as the pathways offered via EC.

For some specific "T", yes, and some specific non-foundational sciences (example: marine biology) but not for the rest of S, E and M.

The EC/MC path is good for specific niche preprofessional majors (think "Criminal Justice", "Nursing", "Kinesiology") available at big state universities, not so much for "liberal arts" / "core academics" majors that lead to advanced degrees or advanced university study at top colleges (like taking grad-level classes in undergrad, not using credits to graduate earlier).

I sense you are not very familiar with the early college curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can start as almost a junior at UMD off of AP credits too. So not seeing the advantage of MC credits over AP?

This. AP classes are generally considered more challenging than equivalent MC classes

You can maybe enroll in college with credits as a junior if you take all the AP classes, but you can’t focus on areas of interest. In EC you can go much further in your area of interest than at the HS.

Are the EC writing and the AP writing class similar in credit outcomes? Maybe. But in EC you can get several semesters (the equivalent of several full year in the HS) further in STEM fields, even beyond the most advanced courses offered at the magnets. That is great for kids that want that challenge and opportunity.

I think a lot of the EC kids aren’t trying to compete with AP. Instead they have decided AP in the constraints of the HS setting doesn’t meet their interests and needs as well as the pathways offered via EC.

For some specific "T", yes, and some specific non-foundational sciences (example: marine biology) but not for the rest of S, E and M.

The EC/MC path is good for specific niche preprofessional majors (think "Criminal Justice", "Nursing", "Kinesiology") available at big state universities, not so much for "liberal arts" / "core academics" majors that lead to advanced degrees or advanced university study at top colleges (like taking grad-level classes in undergrad, not using credits to graduate earlier).

Wrong program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can start as almost a junior at UMD off of AP credits too. So not seeing the advantage of MC credits over AP?

This. AP classes are generally considered more challenging than equivalent MC classes

You can maybe enroll in college with credits as a junior if you take all the AP classes, but you can’t focus on areas of interest. In EC you can go much further in your area of interest than at the HS.

Are the EC writing and the AP writing class similar in credit outcomes? Maybe. But in EC you can get several semesters (the equivalent of several full year in the HS) further in STEM fields, even beyond the most advanced courses offered at the magnets. That is great for kids that want that challenge and opportunity.

I think a lot of the EC kids aren’t trying to compete with AP. Instead they have decided AP in the constraints of the HS setting doesn’t meet their interests and needs as well as the pathways offered via EC.

For some specific "T", yes, and some specific non-foundational sciences (example: marine biology) but not for the rest of S, E and M.

The EC/MC path is good for specific niche preprofessional majors (think "Criminal Justice", "Nursing", "Kinesiology") available at big state universities, not so much for "liberal arts" / "core academics" majors that lead to advanced degrees or advanced university study at top colleges (like taking grad-level classes in undergrad, not using credits to graduate earlier).

I sense you are not very familiar with the early college curriculum.

+1. Previous poster is clueless. Those are not the EC pathways.

DCUM posters are only focused on EC vs AP. There are tons of kids who are doing EC because they can’t afford to pay for college. These kids save a ton of money.

Personally, I prefer my kids to remain in HS. They don’t need to start college so soon and miss out on their HS experience. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can start as almost a junior at UMD off of AP credits too. So not seeing the advantage of MC credits over AP?

This. AP classes are generally considered more challenging than equivalent MC classes

You can maybe enroll in college with credits as a junior if you take all the AP classes, but you can’t focus on areas of interest. In EC you can go much further in your area of interest than at the HS.

Are the EC writing and the AP writing class similar in credit outcomes? Maybe. But in EC you can get several semesters (the equivalent of several full year in the HS) further in STEM fields, even beyond the most advanced courses offered at the magnets. That is great for kids that want that challenge and opportunity.

I think a lot of the EC kids aren’t trying to compete with AP. Instead they have decided AP in the constraints of the HS setting doesn’t meet their interests and needs as well as the pathways offered via EC.

For some specific "T", yes, and some specific non-foundational sciences (example: marine biology) but not for the rest of S, E and M.

The EC/MC path is good for specific niche preprofessional majors (think "Criminal Justice", "Nursing", "Kinesiology") available at big state universities, not so much for "liberal arts" / "core academics" majors that lead to advanced degrees or advanced university study at top colleges (like taking grad-level classes in undergrad, not using credits to graduate earlier).

I sense you are not very familiar with the early college curriculum.

+1. Previous poster is clueless. Those are not the EC pathways.

DCUM posters are only focused on EC vs AP. There are tons of kids who are doing EC because they can’t afford to pay for college. These kids save a ton of money.

Personally, I prefer my kids to remain in HS. They don’t need to start college so soon and miss out on their HS experience. YMMV.

There are also kids doing EC because they aren’t really interested in “the HS experience” and would prefer to focus on academics - fewer classes, faster pace for content, more spare time for outside interests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can start as almost a junior at UMD off of AP credits too. So not seeing the advantage of MC credits over AP?

This. AP classes are generally considered more challenging than equivalent MC classes

You can maybe enroll in college with credits as a junior if you take all the AP classes, but you can’t focus on areas of interest. In EC you can go much further in your area of interest than at the HS.

Are the EC writing and the AP writing class similar in credit outcomes? Maybe. But in EC you can get several semesters (the equivalent of several full year in the HS) further in STEM fields, even beyond the most advanced courses offered at the magnets. That is great for kids that want that challenge and opportunity.

I think a lot of the EC kids aren’t trying to compete with AP. Instead they have decided AP in the constraints of the HS setting doesn’t meet their interests and needs as well as the pathways offered via EC.

For some specific "T", yes, and some specific non-foundational sciences (example: marine biology) but not for the rest of S, E and M.

The EC/MC path is good for specific niche preprofessional majors (think "Criminal Justice", "Nursing", "Kinesiology") available at big state universities, not so much for "liberal arts" / "core academics" majors that lead to advanced degrees or advanced university study at top colleges (like taking grad-level classes in undergrad, not using credits to graduate earlier).

I sense you are not very familiar with the early college curriculum.

+1. Previous poster is clueless. Those are not the EC pathways.

DCUM posters are only focused on EC vs AP. There are tons of kids who are doing EC because they can’t afford to pay for college. These kids save a ton of money.

Personally, I prefer my kids to remain in HS. They don’t need to start college so soon and miss out on their HS experience. YMMV.

There are also kids doing EC because they aren’t really interested in “the HS experience” and would prefer to focus on academics - fewer classes, faster pace for content, more spare time for outside interests.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can start as almost a junior at UMD off of AP credits too. So not seeing the advantage of MC credits over AP?

This. AP classes are generally considered more challenging than equivalent MC classes

You can maybe enroll in college with credits as a junior if you take all the AP classes, but you can’t focus on areas of interest. In EC you can go much further in your area of interest than at the HS.

Are the EC writing and the AP writing class similar in credit outcomes? Maybe. But in EC you can get several semesters (the equivalent of several full year in the HS) further in STEM fields, even beyond the most advanced courses offered at the magnets. That is great for kids that want that challenge and opportunity.

I think a lot of the EC kids aren’t trying to compete with AP. Instead they have decided AP in the constraints of the HS setting doesn’t meet their interests and needs as well as the pathways offered via EC.

For some specific "T", yes, and some specific non-foundational sciences (example: marine biology) but not for the rest of S, E and M.

The EC/MC path is good for specific niche preprofessional majors (think "Criminal Justice", "Nursing", "Kinesiology") available at big state universities, not so much for "liberal arts" / "core academics" majors that lead to advanced degrees or advanced university study at top colleges (like taking grad-level classes in undergrad, not using credits to graduate earlier).

I sense you are not very familiar with the early college curriculum.

+1. Previous poster is clueless. Those are not the EC pathways.

DCUM posters are only focused on EC vs AP. There are tons of kids who are doing EC because they can’t afford to pay for college. These kids save a ton of money.

Personally, I prefer my kids to remain in HS. They don’t need to start college so soon and miss out on their HS experience. YMMV.

I agree with this poster. EC is not for every kid, particularly those who are really into the HS experience. I have one kid that loves it and one that would never do EC. Both are smart kids and will have fine educations that best meet their needs and interests.