Reply to County-wide magnet/IB/GE/Humanity programs will become regional programs if the secondary program plan is passed

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Reply to "County-wide magnet/IB/GE/Humanity programs will become regional programs if the secondary program plan is passed"

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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][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Okay here's a compromise idea.  What about getting on board with the regional plan, but also advocating for a small set-aside of a certain number of seats per year (25? 40? not sure the number needed) at a couple of the key regional magnets like Blair and RMIB for out-of-bounds kids who have extremely high qualifications/are profoundly gifted?

That way more kids could get into magnets overall and have them closer to their homes, the very brightest kids would still have a cohort of similar kids concentrated in one place to be able to take very high level courses (probably not 100% of the ones they get now, but many of them), and rather than having to sell MCPS on the extra cost of keeping all the countywide programs *and* adding 6 new regional programs, a few schools would essentially have a hybrid regional/countywide program which would make it more affordable. [/quote]

This seems like the most win-win solution and also the most likely to actually succeed. MCPS gets its shift to a regional model, Blair and RMIB get to keep most of what keeps them special while becoming regional/countywide hybrids, the tiny sliver of kids who really need to be centralized countywide still can be, and the supporters of the regional model and of the flagship countywide programs can work together rather than fight each other.[/quote]

We need to first understand the current student makeup of the Blair Magnet program. If 80% of the students are currently from outside the region, shifting that to just 20% won’t be enough to preserve the program. 
[/quote]

The school district should release data on the number of students applying to Blair magnet who have the likely capacity to succeed in the program, as well as zip code information on where they live. They should do this for RMIB, Einstein's VAC, and Wheaton's Academy of Engineering as well.

My student wasn't in TMPS' magnet nor Blair's magnet, but he benefitted from attending schools with these programs. He completed geometry in 8th grade and took higher level math at Blair because of the magnet' presence at the schools.

If I get sick with cancer, my child won't treat me, but it could be that I will live longer because a Blair magnet alumni helped develop effective treatments or even a cure. That is the type of thing that happens when you have students with high ability provided access to very rigorous curriculum in a specialized program. It's unlikely that a truly rigorous magnet will have a sufficient cohort in any one region; none will be the type of flagship program that Blair is.

[/quote]

How dramatic. Or they could attend excellent colleges and grad schools that train them to do that sort of life-saving work. [/quote]

Why are you against having an outstanding program for highly able students? [/quote]

Absolutely no one is against this.  Some people do not think that the needs of 20 kids per year exceed the needs of the many who would benefit from regional programming.[/quote]

+1 Not to mention that the number of kids who "need" Linear Algebra to graduate, AND who are not in one of the STEM magnets already in existence or coming into existence, is going to be very small. Why not just guarantee every kid on that path a spot at "regular" Wheaton if they don't make the cut for one of the STEM magnets. All five of those kids will be served, and the problem will be resolved. Much better than rolling out Linear and MV for one kid per school across the county. [/quote]

Lots of kids.  [i]Lots[/i]:

6th PreAlgebra (a significant percentage are placed here; a very few are placed higher)

7th Integrated Algebra 1 (look it up -- this is coming for all students in MD beginning in 27-28)

8th Integrated Algebra 2 (ditto -- note these two take the year-placement-progression of [i]three[/i] prior courses: Algebra, Geometry and Algebra 2)

9th PreCalculus (for those continuing on the more academic of the 4 prescribed MD pathways, which will be the significant majority of those taking PreAlgebra in 6th)

10th Calc (AP Calc BC for most of those)

11th [b]Multivariable Calculus[/b] (see explanatory post beginning with "Yep" on page 11 of the BOE meeting thread as to why this continuity is important)

12th would be nice to have Differential Equations and Linear Algebra, but this is the point where a break from the progression to take AP Stats might make sense (and be both easier to staff and allow combination with cohorts accessing AP Stats on a non-Calc BC pathway)

And some of those starting Integrated Algebra in 8th (together with the above likely making a majority of MCPS students) who find a mathematics stride a bit later than their peers may well also desire the path of Calc BC followed by MVC (only in 11th and 12th, respectively, instead of 10th & 11th).  There will be some who opt for a slower 2-year progression of Calc AB and Calc BC, of course, or one of the Calcs and then AP Stats, as above, but these shouldn't be the only in-school option, and really can't be, given the needs of those above.  This is all outside of any math-oriented magnet, which may have even more rigorous courses/pathways.

Bottom line -- with the state shift to the 2-year Integrated Algebra, MVC should be part of the set of classes offered in person at all MCPS high schools.[/quote]

What would be wrong with starting pre-algebra in grade 7?[/quote]

That 2-year integrated Algebra is going to be interested as most curriculum is setup for 3-year integrated algebra.  And most people think kids need more time for Algebra/Geometry/Trig integration and application, not less.[/quote]

Mscps has done math poorly for years.  This sounds terrible condensing it.  [/quote]

It's an MSDE (state) thing, though MCPS has to make it happen.  A lot of Trig and some other stuff will be trimmed.  The idea is that those concepts aren't truly necessary to 3 of the 4 post-Integrated Algebra pathways they defined, and that school systems can work that content back in for the Calc pathway (that may be difficult, of course).[/quote]

It can be trimmed for non stem majors and unnecessary but there is no room to fit it in ap calc.  Bad idea.  [/quote]

The idea that has been floated is to work it in to PreCalc, not Calc.

Another idea might be to offer an MCPS-specific flavor of Honors Integrated Algebra 1 & 2 that continues the more accelerated pace that those students tend to enjoy, allowing the trimmed content back in for those aiming at the Calc path (or who just like the pace/challenge).  Not sure if that would run afoul of the MSDE requirement.  Implementation is left to local education agencies ("LEAs," not to be confused with other, better known LEAs in this land of acronyms; this one is a set-up for certain snyde comedy), but I'm sure there is some prescribed structure.  Disclaimer: this idea is pure conjecture, not sourced from MSDE or MCPS material or conversations with them.[/quote]

Trimming the content makes no sense. Precal is very hard class as it’s a big transition.   Again, bad idea.  I don’t get why they keep reinventing math when every time they do they make it worse.  [/quote]

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