Reply to I have a freshman at Poolesville smacs program AMA

Forum Index » Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Reply to "I have a freshman at Poolesville smacs program AMA"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Sorry OP.  I think the magnet ES and MS has been watered down over the years.  Even the selection criteria has been watered down for the incoming students.  My kid (2022) was the last batch before selection criteria started to go down and RCMS (Roberto) and admin really screwed the program up. Horrible Principal and horrible magnet coordinator last I heard, Also so many experienced magnet teachers left and the selection criteria was such that it was picking up bright but not brilliant kids.  So sorry.

Yes, my kids found PHS SMCS quite manageable because they had learned to organize their work and time very well and were doing a lot more challenging work from their time in HGC (later CES) days. Even the entrance exams were extremely hard and kids really had to be brilliant to be selected.

The previous batches also found college quite manageable because this kind of rigor has become a habit since before 3rd grade.

I think asking alums about the workload is very misleading because our children had their education in a very different MCPS.

The good thing is that the rigor and the difficulty they will endure in PHS (even watered down) will probably help them a lot in college.  You do have to pay the piper sometime in life.  Better in HS than in college.  [/quote]

I disagree that the reason your child is finding the workload heavier than expected is because he is “bright but not brilliant”.

I’m sure the COVID disruption left some weak areas, but I’m not convinced the new selection criteria weakened the overall performance level of the selected students.  I was very concerned when they changed the criteria for the middle school magnets, but from what I’ve been able to glean from DCUM, the student quality remains high.  MCPS needs to expand the number of slots.  I’ve thought for years that once they narrowed the pool to the top students, it basically came down to chance as to which magnet caliber students were admitted and which were denied. It’s hard to tell with the process being so opaque, but it may well be that they’re still picking top students, but weighing the chance of admission for and against certain groups.

I think the difference is more likely to be attributable to individual student variables. I had 2 kids go through the Blair magnet (before the admission process changed.  One student was a type A personality - very organized, very efficient, very driven. The other was less efficient and struggled with perfectionist tendencies.  The former had a lot of homework, but managed to maintain extracurriculars, spend time with family and friends, and still get some sleep, even if I’d have preferred they got more. The latter was just as smart, but practically drowned in homework and ended up burning out.  Both kids had been in magnet programs since the HGC in 4th grade, which provided excellent preparation for advanced work. They experienced minimal rigor before that.

Course choice has a lot to do with it as well. I don’t know if the Poolesville magnet has a Functions class, but it’s an insane arrangement that condenses the first three semesters into two.  It was a burden, even for the first student I described. These kids want to learn so much that they seek out the most intensive classes. If they take the harder magnet classes, AP core classes and AP electives, it’s going to add up. If you can talk them into taking a fun, low pressure elective, or even a study hall, it can make a significant difference.

I don’t know about the Poolesville schedule, but Blaire magnet students take 8 courses a semester.  Depending on their choices, this can mean 8 college level courses when a full college load is usually about five. In fact, many magnet alumni will tell you how much easier college is than high school.

FWIW, although their bus ride wasn’t as long as your child’s, it was still significant. I told them when they were first considering the middle school magnet that they would need to schedule it as part of their day. One made friends on the bus and used it as their time for socializing. The other either did homework or slept.  It wasn’t just bus time, it was social time, study hall, and nap. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics