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]Blair's SMCS magnet can't exist in its current form without a 9th period, so the students have 8 classes a semester.  This requires extra funding to pay teachers for an extra period, which is a big factor in the limit on the number of students in the program.  (The same applies to the Blair CAP magnet, but they are not required to have a 9th period in grades 11-12.)

My older kid is a rising senior in Blair SMCS, and my younger kid is a rising freshman at Blair, but not in the SMCS magnet. The younger one is trying to do as close to a DIY SMCS magnet as he can, but, aside from the accelerated math (4 semesters of Algebra 2 and Precalc being compressed into 3 semesters or 2 for Functions), and the accelerated CS path (which is not done by all SMCS students), he cannot possibly fit the equivalent classes into his schedule because of the lack of a 9th period.  That's 4 full extra class periods over the 4 years that the magnet students get that are typically rigorous classes in interesting STEM subjects with a weighted GPA boost.

Unless other schools offer an extra class period, they cannot replicate the SMCS magnet, even aside from the actual course content.[/quote]

Wait, how does it even work for some students at the same school to have more periods than others?  I'm so confused...[/quote]

The afternoon school bus for magnet also takes TPMS and Eastern kids. The extra period gives SMACS students one more course to take and same afternoon bus time. [/quote]

Wait, I assumed it was something to do with block scheduling or how long each period is for the different programs. You're not actually saying that the Blair magnet kids get a whole extra period of school every day, are you?  Like, that Blair magnet kids actually get *more* education time-wise than all the rest of the kids in the county?  Because if so, that would be truly nuts and one of the most unfair things I have ever heard of...[/quote]

Yes, they do need to take an extra course, and keeping GPA high. Rather than thinking this as an "equity", ask your kids whether they'd like to take one more course, and self-study for all STEM AP tests. Rest assure that they are not considered the same peer group with your kids for college admission.  [/quote]

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