Reply to Do unmotivated kids get into HGC?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

I agree with this PP.  That's what MCPS seems to be doing.  And, I also agree that it would be more beneficial to the URM population to offer more resources such as smaller class sizes, and additional support versus pushing those students into the HGCs or pushing them into Compacted Math (as is being done at some schools, where every student ends up in CM). [/quote]

You know what's beneficial to bright kids who are Hispanic/poor/black? Having the same access to MCPS special programs as bright kids who aren't.[/quote]
[b]And how did they not have access a couple of years ago?  
[/b]
I agree with PPs that the best way to close the achievement gap is not to water down the curriculum and artificially increase magnet numbers. That doesn't help any student.  Provide more after school enrichment activities and tutoring for free, maybe even add more para-educators in those schools.[/quote]

Here is some reading for you: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/i...dyReport-Version2-20160307.pdf

Tutoring can help kids who are behind. Kids who are ahead have different needs. Not all black, Hispanic, and poor kids are behind.[/quote]
If you are referring to the METIS report, here's what it says on pg 79 - your link doesn't work.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/info/choice/ChoiceStudyReport-Version2-20160307.pdf

-  Work to address barriers to equitable access in the elementary center program by[b] revising Board Policy IOA to broaden the definition of giftedness to focus on identifying students who are highly able from all backgrounds and implementing modifications to the identification process[/b] that have been developed in other districts and at the secondary and postsecondary levels, as discussed in the section on middle and high school magnets below.

"Broaden the definition of giftedness" IMO just means "lower the entrance bar".  I'd like to know what how MCPS has defined "broaden the definition of giftedness".

No one cares if there are more URM in HGC as long as the standards are the same for everyone. Setting the standards artificially low to "broaden the definition of giftedness" does a disservice to all students.

How was the previous standards eliminating URM from HGC other than the lower income parents may not have been aware of the program?  In such a case, it would've better just to test ALL kids, and let parents opt out of the testing if they choose.  Why do they need to  "broaden the definition of giftedness" to increase URM participation?  The answer is obvious. It is because many of them don't score well on standardized tests. I'm not saying that should be the ONLY thing they look at. Clearly, there are some kids who don't do well on such tests but are really smart.   Then the other factor should be how they do in class, and if you are not participating and showing in your work that you are "gifted" then how else do you determine that a child is "gifted"?  They really should look at both.

And I have no dog in this fight. I had one DC go through HGC and another who didn't make it, which is fine. I don't need them to lower the standards just so that my DC could've gotten in.
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