Reply to Please be aware of what is about to go away:

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]According to the program analysis plan, here is what will be going away:

-Downcounty Consortium
-Northeast Consortium
-Any current countywide program that selects from the whole county such as: the Science, Math and Computer Science programs at Blair and Poolesville, the IM program at Richard Montgomery, the Visual Arts Program at Einstein, and Global Ecology at Poolesville.

People need to understand that these are now slated to go away. Current 8th graders can apply, and after that they’re over. You may agree or disagree with this change, but you need to know. See the link below for FAQs.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/academic-programs-analysis/faqs/[/quote]

Can we try to keep our terminology clear so everyone is on the same page?

DCC and NEC would go away.

SMCS, RMIB, and VAC would still exist but as regional programs accepting kids from a smaller number of schools.  That is absolutely a big change and should be acknowledged and talked about as such, but it is confusing and inaccurate to say they're "going away" in the same sense that DCC and NEC will go away.

Global Ecology is TBD.  They will have something called "Global Ecology" within the Poolesville SMCS, but it's unclear whether it will be anything like Global Ecology as we know it or not.[/quote]

I'd also add that while DCC and NEC are going away, they are being replaced by other consortia. The application/lottery process will not be identical to the DCC/NEC model, but that model always worked better in theory than in practice anyway. Under the new model, there will be either interest-based or criteria based models within six different consortia, and kids will have the option to apply/lottery into those. [/quote]

+1  Since MCPS has said they will add slots to these programs, it's misleading to characterize them as "going away."  They have said there will be more slots at closer options, which is a good thing as currently only 60ish kids go to Blair SMCS each year.  What is about to "go away" is currently available for very students in MCPS, all of whom are chosen based upon a single MAP test data point and some grades.[/quote]

I applaud the idea of creating more opportunity, but I’m afraid what this will create is less equitable opportunity, not more.

Take a countywide program like the VAC. Say it can somehow remain at its current level for the 1/6 of MCPS kid who are eligible.

Now take the visual arts kids at the other 5/6 of MCPS high schools. They have lost the opportunity to gain admission to a nationally-recognized program with 50 years of success. In exchange, they can trade 2 periods a day for 4 years (and thus the opportunity to take all 5 core classes all 4 years) for the chance at an unknown, untested program with no history of results. How is that fair to them?[/quote]

There are other strong teachers so it would probably be ok, but the question to me is will Northwood have the academics to support some of the higher level students if its preformance based.  You can easily get in two periods, come sophomore year, if you do health education in the summer and drop forign language after two years.[/quote]

Yes, of course you can graduate. The options are:
No summer school and lose three core academic classes
One summer school course (health or tech) and lose two core academic classes
Two summer school courses (health and tech) and lose one core academic class.

All of which is fine if you want to go to art school, but if you’re not 100% sure (or not sure you’ll get in), it’s not ideal for a good student to drop a core academic course. [/quote]

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