Reply to WSJ - To Increase Equity, School Districts Eliminate Honors Classes

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Article from WSJ today. Too bad for the schools doing this, it's much better to have all honors so all can have inflated grades.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/to-increase-equity-school-districts-eliminate-honors-classes-d5985dee[/quote]
American education is getting systematically dismantled. If you care, fight.[/quote]

At least that's what Fox News and its associated properties would have us believe.[/quote]

I'm also skeptical because the quality of education available to my children at MCPS is vastly better than the education available at MCPS 30 years ago when I graduated from a W. Sure, the county's demographics are different today. Still, there are amazing opportunities for anyone interested. [/quote]

+1000[/quote]

What opportunities does my kid have if she wants to be prepared for IB English in 11th and is a strong writer? There is only one English course offered in 9th and 10th at her school unless you are an ELL student. Why can't there be more options like there are for math? [/quote]

What gets me is that your daughter will be prepared for IB English because you will ensure is. The kid with a FT working single mom will not be prepared because her only option is “honors for all.” But if she had been placed in reals honors classes in MS she could have been prepared. I honestly cannot wrap my head around what these “progressives” theories are for how disadvantaged kids can achieve academic excellence. They are making it harder. [/quote]

100% this. Teacher here. MCPS is driving all the HS teachers crazy with their soft bigotry of low expectations.
We are not helping low income kids get prepared for the real world by reducing rigor, 50% grades for no work turned in, no attendance policies, honors for all, no discipline, etc. Most teachers are beyond frustrated but we have no voice in MCPS 
[/quote]

I think this highlights one of the reasons why genuine progressives are so frustrated right now. Not only does MCPS seem to be going far beyond any evidece-based interventions, but they are doing so in a way that ignores the opinions of all of the relevant stakeholders - parents, students, teachers, and administrators.

If this were a functioning system, Central Office would introduce changes and then give opportunity for public comment. They would consult with administrators, and teachers, and parents. Then the School Board would ask hard questions, and there would be some discussion of the anticipated and unanticipated impact of these pretty significant changes.

Instead, we get no public discussion, no School Board oversight, and changes are are foisted on administrators and teachers by Central Office folks just looking for their next job. So they get to tell their next employer that they widened access to Honors classes and closed the racial achievement gap.

It's all a scam, and fundamentally undemocratic because there is no transparency and no oversight. [/quote]

The better question is WHY is there no public discussion??? There are PTAs and other groups that parents and community can get involved with. There are organizations that represent teachers, principals, counselors. There is opportunity at BOE meetings for public testimony)either in person or by video/letter.  There are district representatives who can be emailed. There is opportunity to provide public feedback on policy.  There are County council meetings.  I find there are lots of complaints here, but little active civic engagement

I bet if MCEA started hearing from 90% percent of its members(not just reps) on issues that really matter to teachers, those would be communicated loudly.  I bet if parents started showing up to PTA meetings and actually doing the advocacy work at all schools, that would be heard loudly.[/quote]

In this case, the problem is that no one knew these changes were afoot until they were already consolidated. There was no announcement, no discussion. Just a bunch of high school registration forms that suddenly included fewer choices than there had been before.

That's the problem - unless you had a rising 9th grader and were paying very close attention to the courses offered, you would have absolutely no idea that schools had been instructed to get rid of on-level classes and replace them with Honors For All.

You had individual adminstrators and teachers pushing back, but they don't have the ability to push back in public because their literal jobs depend on not publicizing the district's various failures.

This is fundamentally undemocratic because there is no opportunity for public discussion, and the people best situated to opine on the consequences of these decisions are employed by the folks making the decisions. It's a real problem. [/quote]

Have to agree. I'm not even critical of MCPS and don't feel the district is failing. However, this is just a bad decision and how they've handled it is even worse. It's the kind of thing someone needs to get fired for because it shows a complete lack of judgement.[/quote]

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