Reply to What needs to change for MS for gifted/advanced students?

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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]As someone who taught at a non-magnet middle school here in the county I would like to see them create accelerated or challenging classes at all the middle schools.  There are plenty of students at are not being challenged or are having their learning disrupted by integrated classes.  I understand you can argue that those students should apply to Magnet programs but sometimes those don't work logistically for all families.

At my school there was an accelerated math class but that was pretty much the only option for kids who wanted a challenge.  There were no accelerated science, history, or english classes.  There was a medical based science elective but more often than not it was used as a dumping ground by counseling to make schedules work.[/quote]

Was there no HIGH or are you saying you don't consider HIGH challenging?[/quote]

I have no idea what HIGH stands for but there were no honors or on level differentiation in any classes other than this advanced Math course.  Everyone was placed in the same classes together.[/quote]

HIGH is the accelerated social studies class. In my kid's middle school, there's differentiation only for Math and social studies.  Maybe all schools don't have HIGH or PP's kid didn't wasn't selected (not sure what the selection criteria are-my kid was assigned to it).[/quote]

Historical Inquiry in Global Humanities. [b]Several schools just assign all students to this social studies class in 6th and 7th, even though it was originally intended to be an "enriched" class for students identified by central office as magnet-eligible but who weren't able to get a spot.[/b][/quote]

As long as this keeps happening, we still need the magnets. If we could have actual advanced classes in every school for kids who want to do the work, I’d be happy to say goodbye to the magnets. [/quote]

Yeah, I feel like there are two questions here:

1) What's the best thing to push for in theory?
2). What's the best thing to push for given the actual MCPS we have, that is least likely to be executed poorly or taken away?

It's totally possible to have two different answers to this.  I think I agree that having strong advanced, cohorted classes in all middle schools is better and more important in theory, if MCPS could be trusted to deliver on and keep them.  But if any principal can make those classes honors for all and Central Office can snap their fingers and take them away at any time, maybe it's better to push for a bunch more magnet middle schools which are harder to get rid of once they've been launched?[/quote]

Funny thing to say in the year that [b]MCPS announced plans to kill both the magnet middle school and magnet high school program. [/b]
[/quote]

Where is this announcement?[/quote]

They are going to regionalize these programs and duplicate them. Nice in theory, but [b]cohorts of highly able students are not lurking in every area of the county[/b]. See the July 24 BOE meeting for reference. Or, read the Bethesda Magazine announcement:

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/07/25/mcps-end-countywide-program-consortia/
[/quote]

How would you know that?[/quote]

They can’t know it because it isn’t true.

I teach magnet and there are capable students all over the County.[/quote]

Thank you magnet teacher. What is the size of the cohort of highly capable students, per your estimation? Are there enough teachers capable of teaching magnet courses all over the county? [/quote]

I think there are easily three, possibly four times as many highly capable students as we are currently capable of seating. That doesn’t mean all would want a magnet program. Some are put off by the commutes and separation from neighborhood peers. Some have outlets for excellence and competition other than school such as chess, music, robotics, and sports.

We do not have enough teachers who are both qualified and interested. My school struggled to hire teachers for two magnet courses this year. [/quote]

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