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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]If I knew my kid, who scored 99% on quantitative and 99% on nonverbal CogAT, would get high-level math instruction at his home middle school, I would be fine sending him there.[/b]  However, I've been reading that even the enriched class instruction level varies by school, and that our home school is particularly low, and is pretty much the same as previous "regular" math classes there, with the "regular" math classes being that much lower now.  Last year's class couldn't actually make up a real "cohort" of advanced students.  Either the central office lied and just put the "top" kids together, or so many moved away (I know of 2 who were at CES for 5th grade, got rejected form magnets, and moved) that they no longer had 20 qualified students.  Regardless, the teacher has been working to keep the lowest students at minimum levels, while the higher-level students are bored and worried about their chances at Blair SMAC in 2 years.  From what I've heard about the world studies class, they throw a few extra facts at them, but it's not significantly different, either.

One mom currently at that school, whose child is in the enriched math class, said she's planning on moving her family after this school year because she's compared what her child is learning to friends' kids at other 6th grade enriched math and it's not even close.  She wants to move to the Sligo MS area.

I feel really sorry for anyone moving to MoCo in the summer after the decisions have been made for spots, or changing schools between middle school grades, as their options are severely limited.[/quote]
So ... back to the thread topic about three pages ago ...

Newsflash - even in the MSCS magnets the math classes are still following MCPS curriculum. Algebra 1 is still Algebra 1 and Magnet Geometry is actually still just Honors Geometry. Yes they go through concepts quickly because it is a strong cohort, but they don't cover more material, they just do extensions for each topic - projects and critical thinking about challenge problems. My kid in the middle school humanities program was also math/science smart and did just fine taking Algebra 1 and Honors Geometry with the general population (yes, horribly bored). They are still just flying through MVC in high school. And my kid in the MSCS magnet didn't get some special leg up - they are on track to just fly through MVC at the same grade the humanities kid did. My point is, by the time you hit IM and Algebra 1, your pathway is pretty much set, and if you have a strong math student, they will be just fine no matter the exact program.

The actual curriculum is not as huge of a factor as the cohort of kids is. The curriculum has a set pace. Slower kids don't "slow down" the curriculum, they just take the entire designated time to cover the topic. A mixed class of slow kids and fast kids just means that some are done and waiting, while others are still working. A good teacher can manage that and provide enrichment. Many teachers unfortunately don't. A full class of fast kids means that at the end of each unit there is extra time, which can be filled with enrichment. The magnet curriculum includes that enrichment and teachers teach it. The new enriched classes are supposed to have that enrichment.

If the teachers are not teaching the enrichment in the new courses, that is the fault of the teachers, department head, and principal, and parents need to demand that they do. This is the very first year of implementation, and it isn't like it was rolled out with full understanding of everyone involved. If it isn't effective yet, parents need to make a stink at their middle school until it is effective. If you were identified for a home-school cohort and don't think your kid was placed in a cohort, they go ask RIGHT NOW how they are scheduling 7th grade classes. Call an emergency PTA meeting. Start a local school GT-Parent Advisory Committee to monitor and ask questions. Schools are doing course placement right now for next year. Ask what the course code it for the enriched classes and make sure that is the course code your child is scheduled for.

In the long run, a home-school test in (by MCPS COGAT %) criteria is more sustainable and will serve more students. If it can be effective for two classes, there's better argument to stretch it to the four core classes. If your school has at least 20 kids, you get the classes. Otherwise the outliers go to a central magnet. (And hopefully the county figures out how to program for all kids that meet the criteria one way or another.)[/quote]

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