Reply to MCPS to end areawide Blair Magnet and countywide Richard Montgomery's IB program

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Reply to "MCPS to end areawide Blair Magnet and countywide Richard Montgomery's IB program"

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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]make sure you're looking at the most recent region groupings. The link on the MCPS message to region maps was an old version. Not all regions are east-to-west anymore. [/quote]

Do you have a link to the new maps?[/quote]

Starting on slide 23: https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DJVQ4P6782A9/$file/Sec%20Prog%20Analysis%20Boundary%20Studies%20Engaga%20Plan%20Update%20250724%20PPT.pdf[/quote]
So, they are going with option #5? - pg 26.[/quote]
DP. Yes. I think these boundaries balance higher and lower SES, and harmony of communities as much as possible. You cannot ignore harmony. I know a student from a very different community who was bussed into a program due to its opportunity at the insistence of their parent. That student was miserable and was elated at switching to a school community they could better resonate with at the first opportunity.[/quote]

No one wants forced bussing.  The best option is to put more money in the schools that don’t have much and make them equal.  The disparities are significant.  [b]A smart kid at a w school can get all their classes and academics met.  A smart kid dcc is forced to another school, Mc or go without. [/b] They don’t allow homeschooling or independent study or virtual classes outside Mcps.   Or, at least being back virtual so it aligns with MCPS schedules.

The demographics are changing in mcps in the dcc due to crazy housing prices.

Blair is a great program but not for all kids.  Not all kids want a magnet and prefer to choose their own classes and those kids should get the same opportunities.  One reason why dcc kids try for Blair is the other schools don’t have the academics and they leave which causes the low scores.  [/quote]

I think this is part of what MCPS is trying to figure out, and I credit Taylor with at least tackling it. My understanding is that they are going to make sure every school has a baseline number of advanced classes, and that they are currently auditing what is available where.

But we also need to be realistic and aim for what is possible. I think making sure every HS has AP Calculus BC is sufficient, and then bringing back virtual for MVC for some kids.

What other courses do you think every school should be offering? 
[/quote]
Does MCPS have enough good math teachers to teach AP BC calc in every HS?   There's a shortage of STEM teachers.  I don't think MCPS can find enough good teachers for math.

My kid wanted to take AB Calc but the teacher was so bad that they downgraded to Applied Calc.     A bad math teacher can make the class awful, and the kid to hate math.[/quote]

Then fix that part. But saying that there shouldn't be an advanced math class in every HS is terrible. And yes some schools may only offer one AP calc class and have 10 kids. That's ok. But someone will complain that too many resources are used on the 10 kids in that school while a W school has to have 3 sections of 30 kids in calculus and won't get funding for a 4th. [/quote]

A HS doesn’t need to have THE most advanced math offerings.  It has to have a path to deliver those to students who need them even if it means said student(s) attend virtually or on a college campus.  And given the level of tutoring that goes on at some of these schools, some of these kids would do well to slow down instead of rushing to MV or Linear Algebra.

People are going to complain no matter what. So let’s acknowledge that, accept it, and move on.  Kids in all parts of the county should be able to get a well rounded education that sets them up to be competitive post HS regardless if they choose college or career.  That’s the base. All kids should have access to enriching and challenging opportunities (field trips, clubs/organizations, capstones with supporting classes, etc).

Until that is worked out I care zero about offering classes like Linear Algebra or Organic Chemistry.  And frankly, I haven’t spoken with anyone on the collegiate level who is seeking or requiring students to have tackled such in order to be competitive.  Yes I want gifted and advanced students to be challenged, but that doesn’t mean that every option is going to be available at the HS level.[/quote]

Agreed. No one needs to take MV Calc in high school.

And, yes, both my kids took BC Calc in 11th. One had access to MV in 12th and one didn’t. It’s fine.[/quote]

So, by your logic no one should get advanced classes or Mv.  No, it should be offered at all schools.  Mcps has an obligation to provide four years of math as a graduation requirement.

And, yes, it’s needed for the better stem colleges.  [/quote]

Take those classes through dual enrollment at Montgomery College. Paid for by MCPS.[/quote]

How do they get there?   How does that work as if you take 6 Mcps classes that only leaves evenings and kids have activities, sports and homework.  The school day does not align.  Mcps still has to pay for those classes.  [/quote]

Paying for the class vs having to offer it everywhere are two entirely different things. Especially when it’s a class that a small percentage of students need or want and more likely better services at the collegiate level.[/quote]

Great.  So every school can go that way.  /sarcasm

The system should not be creating and perpetuating inequity by supporting a paradigm where some kids get to take an advanced class at their local school, unencumbered by transportation/time, impact on abulity to participate in extracurriculars, etc., while other kids do not, especially as that divide falls most readily along economic lines favoring wealthy communities.  Every capable student should have truly equivalent access, either by equitably attainable magnet or by equivalently available local programming.[/quote]

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