Anonymous
Post 03/01/2025 10:53     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Online make-up courses are easy to click through, Google answers, or use AI to breeze through. Graduation rates are a joke but no one wants to do anything about improving learning requirements or accountability for attendance.

Shocking to see my students fail classes over and over and still walk graduation in time.


HS teacher here and I agree. Are some kids doing better? Sure. Are school staff working really hard to graduate as many kids as possible- yes. But there’s also pressure from Admin to bring up Ds and Es. Principals face immense pressure to improve their MSDE stat rating, and that pressure trickles down to everyone.

The online classes are a joke. I’ve seen some students in danger of not graduating have someone else complete the work for them so they can pass.


There absolutely should be pressure on teachers to help kids get their grades to a passing level so they can graduate. Without a HS diploma, it is virtually impossible to find a job that pays a living wage and provides health insurance and paid sick leave. Kids who do well benefit far less from your efforts than kids on the border of pass and fail. And it is the job of our schools to prepare kids to be successful after HS and that responsibility belongs primarily to teachers. To complain about pressure to do your job is one of the most disappointing things I’ve heard from a teacher.

And as for the huge awakening in college, kids who barely make it out of HS are not going to college in droves. Lack of preparation for college is a problem for a completely different group of kids - not those tho D’d out of HS.


Thanks for the lecture. How do you suggest teachers help kids pass when they don’t come to school??? Or what should they do about the kids who are in school, but choose to walk the halls and hang out in bathrooms. Or maybe they do come to class but they watch tik tok the entire time with AirPods in and turn in nothing.

You clearly haven’t been in a HS in quite a long time.


I am very familiar with HS and the problems you face. I still have kids in HS and I have a kid who D’d out due to significant parental effort to hold teachers and case managers accountable for providing the services, accommodations and instruction mandated by the IEP. I also have a kid who was in a non mainstream MCPS program.

It doesn’t fall solely on teachers to solve the problem of getting kids through. Administration is responsible for dealing with much of what you raised. But teachers also need to be accountable for their part - such as ensuring IEPs and 504s are followed.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2025 09:50     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Online make-up courses are easy to click through, Google answers, or use AI to breeze through. Graduation rates are a joke but no one wants to do anything about improving learning requirements or accountability for attendance.

Shocking to see my students fail classes over and over and still walk graduation in time.


HS teacher here and I agree. Are some kids doing better? Sure. Are school staff working really hard to graduate as many kids as possible- yes. But there’s also pressure from Admin to bring up Ds and Es. Principals face immense pressure to improve their MSDE stat rating, and that pressure trickles down to everyone.

The online classes are a joke. I’ve seen some students in danger of not graduating have someone else complete the work for them so they can pass.


There absolutely should be pressure on teachers to help kids get their grades to a passing level so they can graduate. Without a HS diploma, it is virtually impossible to find a job that pays a living wage and provides health insurance and paid sick leave. Kids who do well benefit far less from your efforts than kids on the border of pass and fail. And it is the job of our schools to prepare kids to be successful after HS and that responsibility belongs primarily to teachers. To complain about pressure to do your job is one of the most disappointing things I’ve heard from a teacher.

And as for the huge awakening in college, kids who barely make it out of HS are not going to college in droves. Lack of preparation for college is a problem for a completely different group of kids - not those tho D’d out of HS.


Thanks for the lecture. How do you suggest teachers help kids pass when they don’t come to school??? Or what should they do about the kids who are in school, but choose to walk the halls and hang out in bathrooms. Or maybe they do come to class but they watch tik tok the entire time with AirPods in and turn in nothing.

You clearly haven’t been in a HS in quite a long time.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2025 09:40     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Online make-up courses are easy to click through, Google answers, or use AI to breeze through. Graduation rates are a joke but no one wants to do anything about improving learning requirements or accountability for attendance.

Shocking to see my students fail classes over and over and still walk graduation in time.


HS teacher here and I agree. Are some kids doing better? Sure. Are school staff working really hard to graduate as many kids as possible- yes. But there’s also pressure from Admin to bring up Ds and Es. Principals face immense pressure to improve their MSDE stat rating, and that pressure trickles down to everyone.

The online classes are a joke. I’ve seen some students in danger of not graduating have someone else complete the work for them so they can pass.


There absolutely should be pressure on teachers to help kids get their grades to a passing level so they can graduate. Without a HS diploma, it is virtually impossible to find a job that pays a living wage and provides health insurance and paid sick leave. Kids who do well benefit far less from your efforts than kids on the border of pass and fail. And it is the job of our schools to prepare kids to be successful after HS and that responsibility belongs primarily to teachers. To complain about pressure to do your job is one of the most disappointing things I’ve heard from a teacher.

And as for the huge awakening in college, kids who barely make it out of HS are not going to college in droves. Lack of preparation for college is a problem for a completely different group of kids - not those tho D’d out of HS.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2025 08:58     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Teacher here and very skeptical of the 91% number. Admin can graduate pretty much anyone, it doesn't mean the students are actually learning more or are better prepared to join the real world. Ask college professors that teach freshmen and they'll probably tell you that the kids are not alright.


This is exactly what happened at Northwood. The numbers are meaningless. Lots of pressure put on teachers by administrators to pass students.


This is happening at many schools. EML kids are being passed regardless of whether they are learning the material. Kids are being passed even if they miss more than 90 days of school. Attendance counts for nothing these days
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2025 06:05     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Watkins Mill being at 92 percent really confuses me so much. They are doing it too easy for the students there.
Anonymous
Post 02/28/2025 16:36     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Anonymous wrote:Teacher here and very skeptical of the 91% number. Admin can graduate pretty much anyone, it doesn't mean the students are actually learning more or are better prepared to join the real world. Ask college professors that teach freshmen and they'll probably tell you that the kids are not alright.


This is exactly what happened at Northwood. The numbers are meaningless. Lots of pressure put on teachers by administrators to pass students.
Anonymous
Post 02/28/2025 11:45     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Teacher here and very skeptical of the 91% number. Admin can graduate pretty much anyone, it doesn't mean the students are actually learning more or are better prepared to join the real world. Ask college professors that teach freshmen and they'll probably tell you that the kids are not alright.


Yep profs are in disbelief. Rude awakening when students get to college.


Exactly, 2024 HS graduates need a wake up call so badly LMAO
Anonymous
Post 02/28/2025 11:44     Subject: Re:Graduation rates 2024
If anyone wants to know the list of graduation rates for the C/O 2024, then here it is for each school.

Albert Einstein - 89.51%
Bethesda-Chevy Chase - >95%
Clarksburg - 94.15%
Col. Zadok Magruder - 90.3%
Damascus - 93.53%
Gaithersburg - 83.36%
James Hubert Blake - 90.8%
John F. Kennedy - 79.02%
Montgomery Blair - 93.75%
Northwest - >95%
Northwood - 91.07%
Paint Branch - 90.35%
Poolesville - >95%
Quince Orchard - 92.06%
Richard Montgomery - >95%
Rockville - 87.43%
Seneca Valley - 88.33%
Sherwood - >95%
Springbrook - 88.6%
Thomas S. Wootton - >95%
Walt Whitman - >95%
Walter Johnson - 94%
Watkins Mill - 92.15%
Wheaton - 86.64%
Winston Churchill - >95%
Anonymous
Post 02/28/2025 11:41     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Graduation rate goes down: MCPS is terrible
Graduation rate goes up: MCPS is terrible.

That's why no one with common sense takes DCUM seriously.
Anonymous
Post 02/28/2025 11:33     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Anonymous wrote:There are some really interesting data points if you take the time to explore the msde report cards.

Northwood had a huge increase and got to over 91%, which is impressive but when you look at the disaggregated data they really improved on EML and IEP numbers. They need to have that principal mentor other principals.

Watkins Mill had a huge increase as well and has one of the smallest gender gaps in grad rates in highly impacted schools. What is their principal doing to support Black and brown boys that other principals could learn from?


Same with Gaithersburg, they went with a 5 percent increase and somehow Kennedy (one of the lower performing high schools in the county) only went up by 2 percent.
Anonymous
Post 02/28/2025 10:13     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Anonymous wrote:Online make-up courses are easy to click through, Google answers, or use AI to breeze through. Graduation rates are a joke but no one wants to do anything about improving learning requirements or accountability for attendance.

Shocking to see my students fail classes over and over and still walk graduation in time.


HS teacher here and I agree. Are some kids doing better? Sure. Are school staff working really hard to graduate as many kids as possible- yes. But there’s also pressure from Admin to bring up Ds and Es. Principals face immense pressure to improve their MSDE stat rating, and that pressure trickles down to everyone.

The online classes are a joke. I’ve seen some students in danger of not graduating have someone else complete the work for them so they can pass.
Anonymous
Post 02/28/2025 09:34     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Teacher here and very skeptical of the 91% number. Admin can graduate pretty much anyone, it doesn't mean the students are actually learning more or are better prepared to join the real world. Ask college professors that teach freshmen and they'll probably tell you that the kids are not alright.



Not everyone goes to college. This is an incredibly classist comment.


It is not classist to point out the graduation rates are based on highly inflated grades. I agree many students should go to trade schools or alternative programs, but it does not help anyone to celebrate students on fake data.


If you are that miserable in your chosen profession that you have to find conspiracies in what little success students are having, perhaps you need to find another line of work.

This is from another teacher.


If you are passing students that have not shown any mastery of the material, then you are the ineffective teacher. You may think you are supporting your students, but in reality you are lowering the standards for ALL students.
Anonymous
Post 02/28/2025 09:32     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Teacher here and very skeptical of the 91% number. Admin can graduate pretty much anyone, it doesn't mean the students are actually learning more or are better prepared to join the real world. Ask college professors that teach freshmen and they'll probably tell you that the kids are not alright.



Not everyone goes to college. This is an incredibly classist comment.


It is not classist to point out the graduation rates are based on highly inflated grades. I agree many students should go to trade schools or alternative programs, but it does not help anyone to celebrate students on fake data.


If you are that miserable in your chosen profession that you have to find conspiracies in what little success students are having, perhaps you need to find another line of work.

This is from another teacher.
Anonymous
Post 02/28/2025 09:27     Subject: Graduation rates 2024
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Teacher here and very skeptical of the 91% number. Admin can graduate pretty much anyone, it doesn't mean the students are actually learning more or are better prepared to join the real world. Ask college professors that teach freshmen and they'll probably tell you that the kids are not alright.



Not everyone goes to college. This is an incredibly classist comment.


It is not classist to point out the graduation rates are based on highly inflated grades. I agree many students should go to trade schools or alternative programs, but it does not help anyone to celebrate students on fake data.
Anonymous
Post 02/28/2025 08:21     Subject: Re:Graduation rates 2024
I believe Teacher. MCPS has been shunting our students through year-over-year, regardless of actual learning or competence.

Not just about college preparation. We're talking basic reading, writing, and math skills. For general life skills, no matter what post-MCPS plans look like.