Reply to Two paths to magnet program at Richard Montgomery High School

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]"The integrity of the magnet cohort" must be a fragile thing, if it can be destroyed by having non-magnet students in their classes.[/quote]

Do you have a magnet student? Do you understand what a magnet cohort means? Are you suggesting we should abolish magnet programs in MCPS? Snide remarks prohibits us from having an educated discussions. [/quote]

Yes, I have a kid in a magnet program. Yes, I understand what a magnet cohort means. The kids in my kid's magnet program take academic classes with kids in the comprehensive program. Nothing bad has happened yet.

You are suggesting that Richard Montgomery have separate IB classes for kids in the comprehensive program and in the magnet program. That's absurd.[/quote]

NP, here.  I also have a DC in a magnet program (not RM) but she has two friends at RM in 11th grade.  One has expressed frustration at the fairness of letting non-magnet students join the program junior year.  And I can understand that from the applicant's perspective.  But she also said the regular students who join are highly motivated and capable and in no way change the character of the classes.  I don't think the PP's comment is snide, it gets at the crux of the issue.  It isn't fair that there's a back door to the program, but it is just.  Surely the students who entered in 9th grade receive something in those two years that reward their effort and it would be wrong if local students who've also worked hard are locked out of the advanced classes at their own school.  As a parent I'd like to believe I have a broader perspective than a HS student.  I'll praise the student who gets into the magnet but I don't want anyone's fate sealed in 8th grade.  And this isn't the last time our kids will see this, plenty of students don't step up until college or grad school and that doesn't say anything about their worth.

Anyway, what do you hope to accomplish with this anonymous screed a couple days before the open house?  Hopefully DCUM posts don't really sway anyone, but if they do, the likely outcome is you just scare off some desirable out-of-boundary applicants leaving more room for local kids to go in the front door.

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OP Here. I am supportive of all qualified students (RM and non-Rm cluster) to get support to advance academically. I also support a path for "qualified" students at RM to enter the magnet IB program in 11th grade. I am opposed to the following:

1. Letting RM students enter the magnet IB program without any "qualification" vetting (this is a recent change) and hence lowering the cohort academic level
2. Keeping the 2nd path to the magnet program secretive from non-RM parents/students and hence prohibiting them from making informed choice
3. Not letting non-RM student access to this 2nd chance that RM-student get and hence excluding them from a county owned program unfairly
4. Overcrowding the magnet program without renegotiating magnet resource for increased class sizes and hence lowering the support distribution for the special need magnet students

What I want to achieve to bring this out before the open house:

1. Inform the interested non-RM parents to ask questions and challenge the decision to lower the magnet academic level in 11th and 12th garde
2. Encourage non-RM parents to demand MCPS to oversee a program they own so that principal does not gut it on his whim
3. Inform the parents to help students make decision to join RM knowing what they get vs. what they lose
4. Preserve integrity of a magnet program in MCPS so that the HG students do not flee the public education system
5. Encourage all parents to demand MCPS to open more magnet programs to accommodate all Highly Gifted students and not refuse any qualified student a spot

None of these affect my children specifically. They will be out of the MCPS system in a year. I am deeply committed to highly gifted public education and am very sad that MCPS treats this set of special need student population with contempt. I do not limit my participation to anonymous forum only. I am fairly vocal in my school communities. This is just an extension of my small effort to leave something intact and if not better. [/quote]

Look, I don't think this is the secret you make it out to be, I certainly knew about it three years ago when my DC could have applied (wasn't a factor in our decision), others have said the same.  I know families who bought houses in the RM cluster partly for this reason. A formal application process is for accessing unknown students.  Why should the school need to do this when the students have already been studying at RM for two years and meet prerequisites?  I can understand why a teen might find this unfair, but I think an adult should be able to make peace with it.  Having students take the courses they are capable of taking is in everyone's best interest and should be the benefit of housing a magnet program.  You admit this is your axe to grind on the way out the door, so essentially spite.  You're accusing every one of being un-adult, yet you're the arrested one.  This is your child's school, not yours, chill.[/quote]

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