What needs to change for MS for gifted/advanced students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More support for high performing kids.

+1. Get rid of lottery. Make admission performance based. Forget the equity/equality bullsh*t and recognize some kids have high ceiling than others and those kids need specialized teaching.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:As someone who taught at a non-magnet middle school here in the county I would like to see them create accelerated or challenging classes at all the middle schools. There are plenty of students at are not being challenged or are having their learning disrupted by integrated classes. I understand you can argue that those students should apply to Magnet programs but sometimes those don't work logistically for all families.

At my school there was an accelerated math class but that was pretty much the only option for kids who wanted a challenge. There were no accelerated science, history, or english classes. There was a medical based science elective but more often than not it was used as a dumping ground by counseling to make schedules work.

Was there no HIGH or are you saying you don't consider HIGH challenging?

Anonymous wrote:
I have no idea what HIGH stands for but there were no honors or on level differentiation in any classes other than this advanced Math course. Everyone was placed in the same classes together.

HIGH is the accelerated social studies class. In my kid's middle school, there's differentiation only for Math and social studies. Maybe all schools don't have HIGH or PP's kid didn't wasn't selected (not sure what the selection criteria are-my kid was assigned to it).

Historical Inquiry in Global Humanities. Several schools just assign all students to this social studies class in 6th and 7th, even though it was originally intended to be an "enriched" class for students identified by central office as magnet-eligible but who weren't able to get a spot.

As long as this keeps happening, we still need the magnets. If we could have actual advanced classes in every school for kids who want to do the work, I’d be happy to say goodbye to the magnets.

Yeah, I feel like there are two questions here:

1) What's the best thing to push for in theory?
2). What's the best thing to push for given the actual MCPS we have, that is least likely to be executed poorly or taken away?

It's totally possible to have two different answers to this. I think I agree that having strong advanced, cohorted classes in all middle schools is better and more important in theory, if MCPS could be trusted to deliver on and keep them. But if any principal can make those classes honors for all and Central Office can snap their fingers and take them away at any time, maybe it's better to push for a bunch more magnet middle schools which are harder to get rid of once they've been launched?

If anyone would be willing to share their/their kids' race and/or info on the demographics/income levels at their home middle school when weighing in on the questions in this thread, I think that could potentially be helpful. I am curious if opinions differ based on these factors regarding whether better home school classes are more important than more magnets or vice versa.

Also could be helpful to know how gifted or high-scoring your kid is-- I imagine that a parent of a 90th percentile kid versus a 99th percentile kid might have different preferences.

Why would that matter? They lottery the magnet spots now.

You don't think that it's useful to know whether someone's kid is a top 1-2% kid or a top 10-15% kid in interpreting their answer to the question "is it more important to focus on advanced classes in all subjects in all middle schools, or expanding middle school magnets?"

Why would that matter when both are in the pool for the lottery? What I’m saying is MCPS has erased the distinction you’re talking about. Or is your question based on a hypothetical world where the MCPS magnet lottery doesn’t exist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More support for high performing kids.

+1. Get rid of lottery. Make admission performance based. Forget the equity/equality bullsh*t and recognize some kids have high ceiling than others and those kids need specialized teaching.

There will be no lotteries in the future. MCPS is moving to a regional program system with no magnet programs at the MS and HS levels for the highly able. I expect that works for most people. Probably no more CES programs at the ES levels. Give MCPS a year or two before they cancel accelerated learning throughout the system for the highly able.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More support for high performing kids.

+1. Get rid of lottery. Make admission performance based. Forget the equity/equality bullsh*t and recognize some kids have high ceiling than others and those kids need specialized teaching.

There will be no lotteries in the future. MCPS is moving to a regional program system with no magnet programs at the MS and HS levels for the highly able. I expect that works for most people. Probably no more CES programs at the ES levels. Give MCPS a year or two before they cancel accelerated learning throughout the system for the highly able.

Please stop spreading misinformation. You can critique the shift from countywide to regional magnets without lying about the magnets going away entirely. There have also been no announcements at all about MS magnets or CES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More support for high performing kids.

+1. Get rid of lottery. Make admission performance based. Forget the equity/equality bullsh*t and recognize some kids have high ceiling than others and those kids need specialized teaching.

There will be no lotteries in the future. MCPS is moving to a regional program system with no magnet programs at the MS and HS levels for the highly able. I expect that works for most people. Probably no more CES programs at the ES levels. Give MCPS a year or two before they cancel accelerated learning throughout the system for the highly able.

The regional model is a regional magnet system. Like a PP alluded to, no decisions have been made re: ES/MS magnets. Instead of making stuff up, you should listen to the board meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More support for high performing kids.

+1. Get rid of lottery. Make admission performance based. Forget the equity/equality bullsh*t and recognize some kids have high ceiling than others and those kids need specialized teaching.

There will be no lotteries in the future. MCPS is moving to a regional program system with no magnet programs at the MS and HS levels for the highly able. I expect that works for most people. Probably no more CES programs at the ES levels. Give MCPS a year or two before they cancel accelerated learning throughout the system for the highly able.

Please stop spreading misinformation. You can critique the shift from countywide to regional magnets without lying about the magnets going away entirely. There have also been no announcements at all about MS magnets or CES.

You can't support magnet programs with insufficient cohort numbers, which requires areawide and countywide enrollment areas. The middle schools' magnets will be regionalized into something less than they are now beginning next year, after the HS programs are regionalized into something less than they are now. And you don't think the ES programs aren't going to be left alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More support for high performing kids.

+1. Get rid of lottery. Make admission performance based. Forget the equity/equality bullsh*t and recognize some kids have high ceiling than others and those kids need specialized teaching.

There will be no lotteries in the future. MCPS is moving to a regional program system with no magnet programs at the MS and HS levels for the highly able. I expect that works for most people. Probably no more CES programs at the ES levels. Give MCPS a year or two before they cancel accelerated learning throughout the system for the highly able.

Please stop spreading misinformation. You can critique the shift from countywide to regional magnets without lying about the magnets going away entirely. There have also been no announcements at all about MS magnets or CES.

water downed fake magnets

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More support for high performing kids.

+1. Get rid of lottery. Make admission performance based. Forget the equity/equality bullsh*t and recognize some kids have high ceiling than others and those kids need specialized teaching.

There will be no lotteries in the future. MCPS is moving to a regional program system with no magnet programs at the MS and HS levels for the highly able. I expect that works for most people. Probably no more CES programs at the ES levels. Give MCPS a year or two before they cancel accelerated learning throughout the system for the highly able.

Please stop spreading misinformation. You can critique the shift from countywide to regional magnets without lying about the magnets going away entirely. There have also been no announcements at all about MS magnets or CES.

You can't support magnet programs with insufficient cohort numbers, which requires areawide and countywide enrollment areas. The middle schools' magnets will be regionalized into something less than they are now beginning next year, after the HS programs are regionalized into something less than they are now. And you don't think the ES programs aren't going to be left alone.

If they do to the MS magnets what they're planning on doing to the HS magnets it would be a huge improvement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid totally tuned out the teachers so I had to fill the void with tutoring on AI, 3-D printing, Oculus headset programming - all hidden from MCPS. I'm not talking about just sitting in the class, but hands-on python machine learning and C# before taking MCPS JAVA.

The teachers have no clue at all, and I just say to let the teachers think what they want and you take what you want. One programming teacher gave a C - but got a 5 on the AP, where "A" peers only got a 4 or less. I shook my head when I read one teacher's email about trying harder. That's when I realized just how bad MCPS programs and selection process is.

Create a school to compete with TJ. Make a program in the CENTER of the county to cut down on the bus rides - not at the two extreme edges of it.

For admission, ignore ALL teacher recommendations -or- have an evaluation board of top academic teachers. Base admissions ONLY on the best standardized scores and indicators of excellence and talent.

If someone says "equity", I say "equality". No one helped my grandmother when she was born in a shack without running water or an indoor bathroom. If you want respect, earn it. Make resources available to those who will use it.

If this hurts anyone's feelings, that's fine. I'm sick and tired of MCPS wasting my taxpayer dollars anyway. I want the best academic and support programs for my kids (not the subject of social experiments by a handful of crackpots).

Cool story bro.

C in course, but 5 on AP exam sounds like the student didn’t turn in work despite being capable.

However, MCPS doesn’t use +/- so the C- makes me think troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More support for high performing kids.

+1. Get rid of lottery. Make admission performance based. Forget the equity/equality bullsh*t and recognize some kids have high ceiling than others and those kids need specialized teaching.

There will be no lotteries in the future. MCPS is moving to a regional program system with no magnet programs at the MS and HS levels for the highly able. I expect that works for most people. Probably no more CES programs at the ES levels. Give MCPS a year or two before they cancel accelerated learning throughout the system for the highly able.

Please stop spreading misinformation. You can critique the shift from countywide to regional magnets without lying about the magnets going away entirely. There have also been no announcements at all about MS magnets or CES.

You can't support magnet programs with insufficient cohort numbers, which requires areawide and countywide enrollment areas. The middle schools' magnets will be regionalized into something less than they are now beginning next year, after the HS programs are regionalized into something less than they are now. And you don't think the ES programs aren't going to be left alone.

If they do to the MS magnets what they're planning on doing to the HS magnets it would be a huge improvement.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More support for high performing kids.

+1. Get rid of lottery. Make admission performance based. Forget the equity/equality bullsh*t and recognize some kids have high ceiling than others and those kids need specialized teaching.

Make admission based on student ability. Identify that ability well -- the ceilings will be higher.

Performance-based admission for public primary/secondary programs is far too easy to game with private resources, and the benefit accrues poorly to society vs. ability-based admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More support for high performing kids.

+1. Get rid of lottery. Make admission performance based. Forget the equity/equality bullsh*t and recognize some kids have high ceiling than others and those kids need specialized teaching.

There will be no lotteries in the future. MCPS is moving to a regional program system with no magnet programs at the MS and HS levels for the highly able. I expect that works for most people. Probably no more CES programs at the ES levels. Give MCPS a year or two before they cancel accelerated learning throughout the system for the highly able.

The regional model is a regional magnet system. Like a PP alluded to, no decisions have been made re: ES/MS magnets. Instead of making stuff up, you should listen to the board meetings.

Sure, folks should watch the meetings, but just listening to them is like drinking the kool-aid. Presentations that dance around or don't even address the obvious questions that the public would have. BOE questions off the mark and with little in the way of follow-up. Month(s)-later responses from MCPS that, again, avoid as much as possible providing data that might undercut a narrative or give the public certainty.

[Anonymous]

Is MS magnet selection all based on MAP like in HS? If so, change that too. Too many ways to game that test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is MS magnet selection all based on MAP like in HS? If so, change that too. Too many ways to game that test.

Not just that, but it’s so variable. It’s one test on one day, it measures what a kid has been taught not aptitude (right?), and I don’t know about anyone else, but I know my kid’s scores bounce around so it’s not a good gauge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More support for high performing kids.

+1. Get rid of lottery. Make admission performance based. Forget the equity/equality bullsh*t and recognize some kids have high ceiling than others and those kids need specialized teaching.

Why not just get rid of the gifted/ advanced program altogether? It isn’t fair not to do it.