How are the 6th grade enrichment classes for cohort kids who were not accepted to magnet programs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think I'm behind here. My DD was accepted to the AIMS class but not the World History class cohort. But I didn't even know it existed! Where is the transparency of what classes are offered? Or did I miss it?

Also, what was the criteria used? Was it the magnet test? Because our elementary school discouraged taking the test unless we thought we really wanted our child to attend the magnet school so I didn't have my DS sit for the test. The school said that the test was awful and kids cry while taking it so why subject your children to it if you don't intend to send them to a different school anyway which we weren't considering anyway.

Is it possible to get recommended to move up to the cohort class in 7th grade if you didn't get in 6th grade?

Our school counselor is useless and is not being transparent about offering information so I'm trying to figure this out on my own. If you have any other resources for information, please share.

Have you confirmed that your middle school is offering the enriched social studies class? Do not waste time talking to anyone at your elementary school. They can’t help you and they don’t have your child’s best interest in mind if they advised you to opt out of the test because other children have cried in the past. Unless your child is particularly anxious, that was inappropriate.

Does your child have A’s in reading, writing and social studies? Was your child proficient (4 or 5) on the ELA section on PARCC? Does your child have a high (90+ %) MAP-R score? Would your child benefit from enrichment rather than finding it too taxing and stressful? If yes to all of these questions, go straight to your middle school’s guidance counselor for next year’s sixth graders and advocate for your child. Children can still be placed in these classes even if they haven’t received a letter. Escalate to the middle school principal if you get pushback. Principals have discretion to place students in these classes even if MCPS central office didn’t recommend the placement. No MCPS employee is tasked with making sure your dd reaches her full potential. This is where your role as a parent comes into play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I'm behind here. My DD was accepted to the AIMS class but not the World History class cohort. But I didn't even know it existed! Where is the transparency of what classes are offered? Or did I miss it?

Also, what was the criteria used? Was it the magnet test? Because our elementary school discouraged taking the test unless we thought we really wanted our child to attend the magnet school so I didn't have my DS sit for the test. The school said that the test was awful and kids cry while taking it so why subject your children to it if you don't intend to send them to a different school anyway which we weren't considering anyway.

Is it possible to get recommended to move up to the cohort class in 7th grade if you didn't get in 6th grade?

Our school counselor is useless and is not being transparent about offering information so I'm trying to figure this out on my own. If you have any other resources for information, please share.

Have you confirmed that your middle school is offering the enriched social studies class? Do not waste time talking to anyone at your elementary school. They can’t help you and they don’t have your child’s best interest in mind if they advised you to opt out of the test because other children have cried in the past. Unless your child is particularly anxious, that was inappropriate.

Does your child have A’s in reading, writing and social studies? Was your child proficient (4 or 5) on the ELA section on PARCC? Does your child have a high (90+ %) MAP-R score? Would your child benefit from enrichment rather than finding it too taxing and stressful? If yes to all of these questions, go straight to your middle school’s guidance counselor for next year’s sixth graders and advocate for your child. Children can still be placed in these classes even if they haven’t received a letter. Escalate to the middle school principal if you get pushback. Principals have discretion to place students in these classes even if MCPS central office didn’t recommend the placement. No MCPS employee is tasked with making sure your dd reaches her full potential. This is where your role as a parent comes into play.

+1 But first make sure your MS is offering the class. Some are only offering one of the two.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know where we can find the list of the 20 MS offering the new 7th social studies class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I'm behind here. My DD was accepted to the AIMS class but not the World History class cohort. But I didn't even know it existed! Where is the transparency of what classes are offered? Or did I miss it?

Also, what was the criteria used? Was it the magnet test? Because our elementary school discouraged taking the test unless we thought we really wanted our child to attend the magnet school so I didn't have my DS sit for the test. The school said that the test was awful and kids cry while taking it so why subject your children to it if you don't intend to send them to a different school anyway which we weren't considering anyway.

Is it possible to get recommended to move up to the cohort class in 7th grade if you didn't get in 6th grade?

Our school counselor is useless and is not being transparent about offering information so I'm trying to figure this out on my own. If you have any other resources for information, please share.

Have you confirmed that your middle school is offering the enriched social studies class? Do not waste time talking to anyone at your elementary school. They can’t help you and they don’t have your child’s best interest in mind if they advised you to opt out of the test because other children have cried in the past. Unless your child is particularly anxious, that was inappropriate.

Does your child have A’s in reading, writing and social studies? Was your child proficient (4 or 5) on the ELA section on PARCC? Does your child have a high (90+ %) MAP-R score? Would your child benefit from enrichment rather than finding it too taxing and stressful? If yes to all of these questions, go straight to your middle school’s guidance counselor for next year’s sixth graders and advocate for your child. Children can still be placed in these classes even if they haven’t received a letter. Escalate to the middle school principal if you get pushback. Principals have discretion to place students in these classes even if MCPS central office didn’t recommend the placement. No MCPS employee is tasked with making sure your dd reaches her full potential. This is where your role as a parent comes into play.

Please don't. Parents like this will cause MS principals to admit everyone into these classes. For my kid in Grade 6, much of it has to do with the cohort. They really are not doing too much more than the other classes. There's only space for x number of kids without opening up another whole classroom.

[Anonymous]

Wow, 13:42. So your snowflake got in and the PP above's kid doesn't deserve a spot? Given that there are so few opportunities for accelerated and enriched instruction to meet the needs of smart and capable kids, the schools need to open up more classrooms if necessary rather than limit the opportunity to the chosen few. I'm not saying "let everyone in! everyone gets a trophy!" But the system is not going to identify all children who would benefit from acceleration and enrichment, and parents absolutely do have to advocate for their kids when they know their kids can handle the work.

Just as an example, my oldest started 6th grade when we moved here from out of state. He had always been excellent in math and we came from a very strong public school system in which he was in the most advanced math class available. Yet the placement test his middle school administered ID'd him for Math 6, which bored him to tears for a month until I went and requested that he be moved to IM. Even that was boring, and he hasn't had to work hard in math until this year in AP Calc BC. Moral of the story -- placement tests, teachers, and the school system are not infallible, and as a PP said no one else is tasked with advocating for your kid besides you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know where we can find the list of the 20 MS offering the new 7th social studies class?

Not official, but my guess is it's the same 20 schools that initially started the enriched classes this year. From the first mailing that introduced these classes, those are: Benjamin Banneker, Briggs Chaney, William H. Farquhar, Robert Frost, Herbert Hoover, Cabin John, Francis Scott Key, Col. E. Brooke Lee, Newport Mill, Rosa M. Parks, North Bethesda, Thomas W. Pyle, Silver Creek, Silver Spring International, Sligo, Tilden, Julius West, Westland, Earle B. Wood, and White Oak middle schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I'm behind here. My DD was accepted to the AIMS class but not the World History class cohort. But I didn't even know it existed! Where is the transparency of what classes are offered? Or did I miss it?

Also, what was the criteria used? Was it the magnet test? Because our elementary school discouraged taking the test unless we thought we really wanted our child to attend the magnet school so I didn't have my DS sit for the test. The school said that the test was awful and kids cry while taking it so why subject your children to it if you don't intend to send them to a different school anyway which we weren't considering anyway.

Is it possible to get recommended to move up to the cohort class in 7th grade if you didn't get in 6th grade?

Our school counselor is useless and is not being transparent about offering information so I'm trying to figure this out on my own. If you have any other resources for information, please share.

Have you confirmed that your middle school is offering the enriched social studies class? Do not waste time talking to anyone at your elementary school. They can’t help you and they don’t have your child’s best interest in mind if they advised you to opt out of the test because other children have cried in the past. Unless your child is particularly anxious, that was inappropriate.

Does your child have A’s in reading, writing and social studies? Was your child proficient (4 or 5) on the ELA section on PARCC? Does your child have a high (90+ %) MAP-R score? Would your child benefit from enrichment rather than finding it too taxing and stressful? If yes to all of these questions, go straight to your middle school’s guidance counselor for next year’s sixth graders and advocate for your child. Children can still be placed in these classes even if they haven’t received a letter. Escalate to the middle school principal if you get pushback. Principals have discretion to place students in these classes even if MCPS central office didn’t recommend the placement. No MCPS employee is tasked with making sure your dd reaches her full potential. This is where your role as a parent comes into play.

Please don't. Parents like this will cause MS principals to admit everyone into these classes. For my kid in Grade 6, much of it has to do with the cohort. They really are not doing too much more than the other classes. There's only space for x number of kids without opening up another whole classroom.

^ That’s a parent advocating for what she believes is in her child’s best interest. 12:54, who asked about her dd: Your child is just as worthy of this type of advocacy. It’s not your job to worry about other children having an optimal experience. It IS your job to advocate for your dd having the placement that is most appropriate for her.

[Anonymous]

A friend who works in MCPS admin told me the middle school portable magnet classes vary across the county, and are better implemented in the downcounty consortium - kids in the portable magnets at those schools (for example SSIMS and Sligo) are getting an enriched experience closer to Eastern and Takoma.

In contrast, parents in wealthier parts of the county all insist their kids be in the portable magnets. More kids end up in those portable magnet classes and the curriculum gets watered down in order to meet the needs of the average students in those classes. As a result, the truly advanced kids in certain parts of the county don't get the challenge they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know where we can find the list of the 20 MS offering the new 7th social studies class?

Not official, but my guess is it's the same 20 schools that initially started the enriched classes this year. From the first mailing that introduced these classes, those are: Benjamin Banneker, Briggs Chaney, William H. Farquhar, Robert Frost, Herbert Hoover, Cabin John, Francis Scott Key, Col. E. Brooke Lee, Newport Mill, Rosa M. Parks, North Bethesda, Thomas W. Pyle, Silver Creek, Silver Spring International, Sligo, Tilden, Julius West, Westland, Earle B. Wood, and White Oak middle schools

Makes sense, thank you! I am at one of those schools and asked the guidance counselor directly, but she responded with a non-answer. This is a down county school and I think this class offers the most rigor compared to the CES classes. The teacher already had a reputation for being tough and having high standards, which helps. Hoping the 7th grade enriched class will be more of the same!

[Anonymous]

^^after my e-mail she did pull DC out and ask for more elective options, which led me to believe it is happening.

If it's true the students are being identified by the central office rather than the school this time, and this hasn't happened yet, could be why she didn't tell me more directly. The change in identification process could be an effort to tamp down the diluting of the curriculum happening at some schools this year, which would be a good thing.