Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 11:32     Subject: Most Overrated High School Cluster

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The county released SAT averages by HS and demographic cohort a few years ago. By using race as a proxy for SES differences you could get a more nuanced sense of how these schools stack up. For example, the SAT average for the largest cohort common to these schools was,

Blair 1326
Walter Johnson 1275
Wooton 1262
Churchill 1257
Wheaton 1173

It’s so eye-opening to realize things aren't always as they seem. The info is on page 8 at this link.
https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2017/1771102HS%20Princ_SAT%20Partic_Perf%20Class%20of%202017.pdf



I've seen you post this repeatedly on various threads over the years. Why should we be so interested in how the white students scored seven years ago?


Income impacts performance on standardized test scores. By using race as a proxy for SES we can get a better sense of how these schools stack up using an apples to apples comparison of students with similar SES. This report created by the county shows exactly that and it's clear that Blair with its 35% FARMS does as well as many of these wealthy schools with <5% FARMS when you factor for these demographic differences. Proving the same student can do as well (or better) at non-W schools.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 10:32     Subject: Most Overrated High School Cluster

Anonymous wrote:The county released SAT averages by HS and demographic cohort a few years ago. By using race as a proxy for SES differences you could get a more nuanced sense of how these schools stack up. For example, the SAT average for the largest cohort common to these schools was,

Blair 1326
Walter Johnson 1275
Wooton 1262
Churchill 1257
Wheaton 1173

It’s so eye-opening to realize things aren't always as they seem. The info is on page 8 at this link.
https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2017/1771102HS%20Princ_SAT%20Partic_Perf%20Class%20of%202017.pdf



I've seen you post this repeatedly on various threads over the years. Why should we be so interested in how the white students scored seven years ago?
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 09:50     Subject: Most Overrated High School Cluster

The county released SAT averages by HS and demographic cohort a few years ago. By using race as a proxy for SES differences you could get a more nuanced sense of how these schools stack up. For example, the SAT average for the largest cohort common to these schools was,

Blair 1326
Walter Johnson 1275
Wooton 1262
Churchill 1257
Wheaton 1173

It’s so eye-opening to realize things aren't always as they seem. The info is on page 8 at this link.
https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2017/1771102HS%20Princ_SAT%20Partic_Perf%20Class%20of%202017.pdf

Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 08:57     Subject: Re:Most Overrated High School Cluster

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Blair


Blair take way too much pride in a few hundred kids who are mostly bused in and don't reflect the majority of the school be it demographically, scholastically or geographically. They don't put magnet programs in schools without problems. That is fine, just don't pretend you don't have a problem.

Poolesville was about to close due to lack of kids. Blair has the most kids in the county, I wonder what their problem was?

Your Blair envy is showing.


When the county accidentally released the SAT averages by racial cohort for each HS, Blair had the highest SAT average for my kid's cohort and I don't think the magnet had any impact since we're not Asian.


Note all the caveats?

Poolesville, Whitman, and Wootton have excellent SAT scores. Blair Magnet is the predominant reason why Blair has high SATs at all, however Poolesville still beat Blair in terms of "highest SAT scores".

All they have is high SAT scores.
OVERRATED!

those schools have a lot of UMC/wealthy families, and lower FARMS rate than the average MCPS HS. As such, their scores will be higher.

But, they don't have a better curriculum; any better teachers; better programs. However, they do have a bigger high achieving cohort.

I wouldn't live in a cluster with too high FARMs rate. The little resources that the school has mostly gets funneled into the lowest performing cohort, which means the rest gets lost in the crowd.

-RM parent
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 08:49     Subject: Re:Most Overrated High School Cluster

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Blair


Blair take way too much pride in a few hundred kids who are mostly bused in and don't reflect the majority of the school be it demographically, scholastically or geographically. They don't put magnet programs in schools without problems. That is fine, just don't pretend you don't have a problem.

Poolesville was about to close due to lack of kids. Blair has the most kids in the county, I wonder what their problem was?

Your Blair envy is showing.


When the county accidentally released the SAT averages by racial cohort for each HS, Blair had the highest SAT average for my kid's cohort and I don't think the magnet had any impact since we're not Asian.


Note all the caveats?

Poolesville, Whitman, and Wootton have excellent SAT scores. Blair Magnet is the predominant reason why Blair has high SATs at all, however Poolesville still beat Blair in terms of "highest SAT scores".

All they have is high SAT scores.
OVERRATED!
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 08:47     Subject: Most Overrated High School Cluster

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The W schools are predominantly White schools except for Wootton. W schools’ average test scores are higher compared to other schools due to the higher concentration of affluent students (or lower number of underprivileged/FARM students).

RM, with it’s IB program, has smarter students, but their entire school average test scores are lower than W schools since they have much less concentration to affluent (higher underprivileged/FARM students).

Keep in mind that affluent parents spend a lot more money hiring tutors, SAT prep courses, C2 Education, etc.


Not true. Churchill is 47% white.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04602.pdf

For comparison's sake, Wootton is 42% white. https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04234.pdf

Just a reminder to do your own research and not trust what people say on this board.


Data came from here:

CHURCHILL:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/winston-churchill-high-9153/student-body

WOOTTON:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/thomas-s-wootton-high-9149/student-body


These are the W's which are synonymous with segregation. They have almost <5% (read 0) Hispanic or black students. They have no FARMs students even though the county is 35% FARMS. Their boundaries are gerrymandered to achieve this end. They claim they're the good schools, but reality is the test score by demographic group >5% is about the same as every other MCPS school. This is why they're overrated.


Um. You're correct that Wootton's boundaries are gerrymandered, but not sure how Churchill is? It's in the corner of the county boundary along the Potomac so which part are you talking about? Be specific.

The "no FARMS students" is a lie. Wootton is 12 (current) to 16% (past) and Churchill is 10 (current) to 12% (past). Why are there less FARMS now than then? Two reasons. First, parents who care about academics move into the boundary. Second, parents tend to become more affluent over time (e.g. earn more the longer they work).

It's also a lie that "reality is the test score by demographic group >5% is about the same as every other MCPS school". It's not.
Look at the school profiles for college readiness, well into the 80%'s; drop outs and suspensions nearly non-existent and attendance solid in the 90's.

Now compare those stats to just about any other school in MCPS and you'll get the picture why MCPS has a lot of crappy schools, to include Blair (the nothing-to-envy-about) school. It's downright an embarrassment. Don't believe? Read it for yourself. Dropout rate 8.6%, 88.6% attendance, 88.5% graduate, 14.3% mobility rate, but only 74.8% are college ready? And look at how many programs it has. With all the money pumped into the place you'd think it would be better than it is.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04757.pdf


Blair envy is strong with this one
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 00:50     Subject: Re:Most Overrated High School Cluster

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Blair


Blair take way too much pride in a few hundred kids who are mostly bused in and don't reflect the majority of the school be it demographically, scholastically or geographically. They don't put magnet programs in schools without problems. That is fine, just don't pretend you don't have a problem.

Poolesville was about to close due to lack of kids. Blair has the most kids in the county, I wonder what their problem was?

Your Blair envy is showing.


When the county accidentally released the SAT averages by racial cohort for each HS, Blair had the highest SAT average for my kid's cohort and I don't think the magnet had any impact since we're not Asian.


Note all the caveats?

Poolesville, Whitman, and Wootton have excellent SAT scores. Blair Magnet is the predominant reason why Blair has high SATs at all, however Poolesville still beat Blair in terms of "highest SAT scores".
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 00:37     Subject: Most Overrated High School Cluster

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The W schools are predominantly White schools except for Wootton. W schools’ average test scores are higher compared to other schools due to the higher concentration of affluent students (or lower number of underprivileged/FARM students).

RM, with it’s IB program, has smarter students, but their entire school average test scores are lower than W schools since they have much less concentration to affluent (higher underprivileged/FARM students).

Keep in mind that affluent parents spend a lot more money hiring tutors, SAT prep courses, C2 Education, etc.


Not true. Churchill is 47% white.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04602.pdf

For comparison's sake, Wootton is 42% white. https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04234.pdf

Just a reminder to do your own research and not trust what people say on this board.


Data came from here:

CHURCHILL:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/winston-churchill-high-9153/student-body

WOOTTON:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/thomas-s-wootton-high-9149/student-body


These are the W's which are synonymous with segregation. They have almost <5% (read 0) Hispanic or black students. They have no FARMs students even though the county is 35% FARMS. Their boundaries are gerrymandered to achieve this end. They claim they're the good schools, but reality is the test score by demographic group >5% is about the same as every other MCPS school. This is why they're overrated.


Um. You're correct that Wootton's boundaries are gerrymandered, but not sure how Churchill is? It's in the corner of the county boundary along the Potomac so which part are you talking about? Be specific.

The "no FARMS students" is a lie. Wootton is 12 (current) to 16% (past) and Churchill is 10 (current) to 12% (past). Why are there less FARMS now than then? Two reasons. First, parents who care about academics move into the boundary. Second, parents tend to become more affluent over time (e.g. earn more the longer they work).

It's also a lie that "reality is the test score by demographic group >5% is about the same as every other MCPS school". It's not.
Look at the school profiles for college readiness, well into the 80%'s; drop outs and suspensions nearly non-existent and attendance solid in the 90's.

Now compare those stats to just about any other school in MCPS and you'll get the picture why MCPS has a lot of crappy schools, to include Blair (the nothing-to-envy-about) school. It's downright an embarrassment. Don't believe? Read it for yourself. Dropout rate 8.6%, 88.6% attendance, 88.5% graduate, 14.3% mobility rate, but only 74.8% are college ready? And look at how many programs it has. With all the money pumped into the place you'd think it would be better than it is.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04757.pdf

Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 00:18     Subject: Most Overrated High School Cluster

Noticed that this thread turned into a race and FARMS thread pretty quickly. And a lot of apologists pushing Blair, even though the school is terrible except for the handful of magnet kids cherry-picked from the W's?

Give it a rest. No one cares about your social agendas. MCPS needs to just focus on academics.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 20:11     Subject: Most Overrated High School Cluster

Anonymous wrote:NP. I think the w's are the most overrated. When I read about why people like them so much, it seems to be that there are fewer farms kids to "distract" the affluent kids. But, these schools seem to have bigger problems with drugs and suicide.

Meanwhile, out in the real world, black women are the most educated demographic in our country and yet they are among the least likely to be promoted. Something doesn't add up here. I don't think people of color (more likely to be farms) is what's holding your kids back.


Yes, with fewer low-income students it makes their test averages look better but their high-achievers are typically pretty average.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 14:06     Subject: Re:Most Overrated High School Cluster

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Blair


Blair take way too much pride in a few hundred kids who are mostly bused in and don't reflect the majority of the school be it demographically, scholastically or geographically. They don't put magnet programs in schools without problems. That is fine, just don't pretend you don't have a problem.

Poolesville was about to close due to lack of kids. Blair has the most kids in the county, I wonder what their problem was?

Your Blair envy is showing.


When the county accidentally released the SAT averages by racial cohort for each HS, Blair had the highest SAT average for my kid's cohort and I don't think the magnet had any impact since we're not Asian.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 13:27     Subject: Most Overrated High School Cluster

All of the 25 clusters are not the clusters of the 90s! Yet people still moving to the county and the county now wants single family homes to turn into duplexes?!
Anonymous
Post 07/17/2024 17:30     Subject: Most Overrated High School Cluster

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:NP. I think the w's are the most overrated. When I read about why people like them so much, it seems to be that there are fewer farms kids to "distract" the affluent kids. But, these schools seem to have bigger problems with drugs and suicide.

Meanwhile, out in the real world, black women are the most educated demographic in our country and yet they are among the least likely to be promoted. Something doesn't add up here. I don't think people of color (more likely to be farms) is what's holding your kids back.


Really? What a pleasant surprise. Seriously had no idea. Do you have a link?


DCUM PROTOCOL:

It didn’t happen, it’s not true, it’s a lie and/or it’s made up unless a link to a source is provided.


Why are you being defensive? This is good news especially since it completely debunks the notion that Asian Americans are the most educated group in the US. If there's a study that shows otherwise, great.


I figured people here knew how to use Google, but here: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/black-women-become-most-educated-group-in-us-a7063361.html%3famp

If you don't like this sourcing, google it yourself and find another.
Lol. That shows that black women are the most educated among black people.
Anonymous
Post 07/17/2024 17:19     Subject: Most Overrated High School Cluster

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Which school cluster do people think is overrated.

I'll start. I wouldn't send my kids to Wootton. Too much academic pressure.


Which cluster is overrated post pandemic?


All of them??
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2024 21:16     Subject: Re:Most Overrated High School Cluster

Zombie thread alert! Trolling alert!