Anonymous
09/07/2017 09:19
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not sure why people seem to be being willfully obtuse about your question. I suspect that the magnets developed as they did so that the magnet kids would necessarily have a significant number of classes with the home school kids. People think that is beneficial academically at least for the home school kids, and socially perhaps for everyone. It might have been a political compromise to get magnets at all. In high school, kids who are good all around can go to the Richard Montgomery IB magnet.
RMIB is a great program, but does not address the needs of a highly-able math student. So, it doesn't really cover kids who are truly "good all around."
Just curious, what do you think the best public school option is for that type of kid? Blair SMAC leaves the kid in history and English classes with everyone else (with many of the top English/history kids in the home school siphoned off to the CAP program), while RMIB has all the magnet kids together for all the major classes, albeit with not the same level of STEM classes offered as at Blair SMAC. Do you have some advice you can share?
If your kid is highly able in math, then really, Blair is the only appropriate place. AP History, AP Literature, AP language, and the like are all available to the magnet students.
Your comments suggest that the only other highly able students at the high school are the CAP students, but this is not really the case. A student who is highly able in lots of different areas can get excellent history and English instruction at Blair.
My son was admitted to CAP, the Blair magnet, and RMIB. He chose the Blair magnet because it is not possible to get the Blair magnet math curriculum at any other school in the county. He really loves the magnet, and is having a great experience there. He has a lot of friends in CAP, and commented to me recently then it would have been more fun to be in CAP, but that he thinks he is getting a better education by having chosen the math/science magnet.
PP, I've heard of some kids enrolling in CAP (since only CAP kids can take CAP classes), but then taking at least some of the magnet STEM classes. What do you think of that option? Do you know kids who have done that? Is there something about taking all the magnet classes as a group that makes it difficult for someone to take all the magnet math classes, for example? Or are such kids not allowed to take some of the classes, maybe it depends on enrollment that year?
I don't think that all of the high-performing students are siphoned off to CAP - not at all. There are a lot of reasons that a qualified student would not want to enroll in CAP. I know several kids who were accepted but chose to follow the regular program.
I have heard of non-SMAC magnet students taking magnet classes, but I don't know whether that is very common. I don't know anyone who has done it.
Anonymous
09/07/2017 09:05
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:^ maybe but they can't write sh*t. lol
I don't know how you can make that statement about 400 students you don't know, but if it makes you feel better for whatever reason, then I guess that's good.
Anonymous
09/07/2017 08:58
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not sure why people seem to be being willfully obtuse about your question. I suspect that the magnets developed as they did so that the magnet kids would necessarily have a significant number of classes with the home school kids. People think that is beneficial academically at least for the home school kids, and socially perhaps for everyone. It might have been a political compromise to get magnets at all. In high school, kids who are good all around can go to the Richard Montgomery IB magnet.
RMIB is a great program, but does not address the needs of a highly-able math student. So, it doesn't really cover kids who are truly "good all around."
Just curious, what do you think the best public school option is for that type of kid? Blair SMAC leaves the kid in history and English classes with everyone else (with many of the top English/history kids in the home school siphoned off to the CAP program), while RMIB has all the magnet kids together for all the major classes, albeit with not the same level of STEM classes offered as at Blair SMAC. Do you have some advice you can share?
If your kid is highly able in math, then really, Blair is the only appropriate place. AP History, AP Literature, AP language, and the like are all available to the magnet students.
Your comments suggest that the only other highly able students at the high school are the CAP students, but this is not really the case. A student who is highly able in lots of different areas can get excellent history and English instruction at Blair.
My son was admitted to CAP, the Blair magnet, and RMIB. He chose the Blair magnet because it is not possible to get the Blair magnet math curriculum at any other school in the county. He really loves the magnet, and is having a great experience there. He has a lot of friends in CAP, and commented to me recently then it would have been more fun to be in CAP, but that he thinks he is getting a better education by having chosen the math/science magnet.
PP, I've heard of some kids enrolling in CAP (since only CAP kids can take CAP classes), but then taking at least some of the magnet STEM classes. What do you think of that option? Do you know kids who have done that? Is there something about taking all the magnet classes as a group that makes it difficult for someone to take all the magnet math classes, for example? Or are such kids not allowed to take some of the classes, maybe it depends on enrollment that year?
Anonymous
09/07/2017 08:58
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
^ maybe but they can't write sh*t. lol
Anonymous
09/07/2017 08:36
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not sure why people seem to be being willfully obtuse about your question. I suspect that the magnets developed as they did so that the magnet kids would necessarily have a significant number of classes with the home school kids. People think that is beneficial academically at least for the home school kids, and socially perhaps for everyone. It might have been a political compromise to get magnets at all. In high school, kids who are good all around can go to the Richard Montgomery IB magnet.
RMIB is a great program, but does not address the needs of a highly-able math student. So, it doesn't really cover kids who are truly "good all around."
For typical Blair SMAC kids, when do they take AP Calc BC? Many at RMIB take it as 11th (some in 10th and 12th but mostly 11th) followed by HL Math or Multi-variable Calc in 12th. Is Blair that much ahead of IB curriculum in math?
Yes, Blair SMAC is that much ahead of IB curriculum in math. The Blair SMAC curriculum doesn't track the MCPS curriculum, AP or otherwise. So there is no "AP Calc BC"; there is "Analysis." My DC took Analysis as a sophomore, which is sort of but not really comparable to AP Calc BC in that it covers AP Calc BC in the first semester, then goes beyond AP Calc BC. And it is not an AP class (although everyone takes the AP Calc BC exam at the end, and everyone scores a 5.)
https://mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses_math.php
This year, DC (a junior) is taking Linear Algebra, Analysis 1A/B, and Applied Statistics, as well as Organic Chemistry.
This is the curriculum at the magnet:
https://mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php
Anonymous
09/06/2017 21:42
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not sure why people seem to be being willfully obtuse about your question. I suspect that the magnets developed as they did so that the magnet kids would necessarily have a significant number of classes with the home school kids. People think that is beneficial academically at least for the home school kids, and socially perhaps for everyone. It might have been a political compromise to get magnets at all. In high school, kids who are good all around can go to the Richard Montgomery IB magnet.
RMIB is a great program, but does not address the needs of a highly-able math student. So, it doesn't really cover kids who are truly "good all around."
For typical Blair SMAC kids, when do they take AP Calc BC? Many at RMIB take it as 11th (some in 10th and 12th but mostly 11th) followed by HL Math or Multi-variable Calc in 12th. Is Blair that much ahead of IB curriculum in math?
Anonymous
09/06/2017 21:40
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not sure why people seem to be being willfully obtuse about your question. I suspect that the magnets developed as they did so that the magnet kids would necessarily have a significant number of classes with the home school kids. People think that is beneficial academically at least for the home school kids, and socially perhaps for everyone. It might have been a political compromise to get magnets at all. In high school, kids who are good all around can go to the Richard Montgomery IB magnet.
RMIB is a great program, but does not address the needs of a highly-able math student. So, it doesn't really cover kids who are truly "good all around."
Just curious, what do you think the best public school option is for that type of kid? Blair SMAC leaves the kid in history and English classes with everyone else (with many of the top English/history kids in the home school siphoned off to the CAP program), while RMIB has all the magnet kids together for all the major classes, albeit with not the same level of STEM classes offered as at Blair SMAC. Do you have some advice you can share?
If your kid is highly able in math, then really, Blair is the only appropriate place. AP History, AP Literature, AP language, and the like are all available to the magnet students.
Your comments suggest that the only other highly able students at the high school are the CAP students, but this is not really the case. A student who is highly able in lots of different areas can get excellent history and English instruction at Blair.
My son was admitted to CAP, the Blair magnet, and RMIB. He chose the Blair magnet because it is not possible to get the Blair magnet math curriculum at any other school in the county. He really loves the magnet, and is having a great experience there. He has a lot of friends in CAP, and commented to me recently then it would have been more fun to be in CAP, but that he thinks he is getting a better education by having chosen the math/science magnet.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
Anonymous
09/06/2017 21:37
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not sure why people seem to be being willfully obtuse about your question. I suspect that the magnets developed as they did so that the magnet kids would necessarily have a significant number of classes with the home school kids. People think that is beneficial academically at least for the home school kids, and socially perhaps for everyone. It might have been a political compromise to get magnets at all. In high school, kids who are good all around can go to the Richard Montgomery IB magnet.
Thanks.. I appreciated your explanation --OP--
Anonymous
09/06/2017 21:33
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not sure why people seem to be being willfully obtuse about your question. I suspect that the magnets developed as they did so that the magnet kids would necessarily have a significant number of classes with the home school kids. People think that is beneficial academically at least for the home school kids, and socially perhaps for everyone. It might have been a political compromise to get magnets at all. In high school, kids who are good all around can go to the Richard Montgomery IB magnet.
RMIB is a great program, but does not address the needs of a highly-able math student. So, it doesn't really cover kids who are truly "good all around."
Just curious, what do you think the best public school option is for that type of kid? Blair SMAC leaves the kid in history and English classes with everyone else (with many of the top English/history kids in the home school siphoned off to the CAP program), while RMIB has all the magnet kids together for all the major classes, albeit with not the same level of STEM classes offered as at Blair SMAC. Do you have some advice you can share?
If your kid is highly able in math, then really, Blair is the only appropriate place. AP History, AP Literature, AP language, and the like are all available to the magnet students.
Your comments suggest that the only other highly able students at the high school are the CAP students, but this is not really the case. A student who is highly able in lots of different areas can get excellent history and English instruction at Blair.
My son was admitted to CAP, the Blair magnet, and RMIB. He chose the Blair magnet because it is not possible to get the Blair magnet math curriculum at any other school in the county. He really loves the magnet, and is having a great experience there. He has a lot of friends in CAP, and commented to me recently then it would have been more fun to be in CAP, but that he thinks he is getting a better education by having chosen the math/science magnet.
Anonymous
09/06/2017 21:08
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not sure why people seem to be being willfully obtuse about your question. I suspect that the magnets developed as they did so that the magnet kids would necessarily have a significant number of classes with the home school kids. People think that is beneficial academically at least for the home school kids, and socially perhaps for everyone. It might have been a political compromise to get magnets at all. In high school, kids who are good all around can go to the Richard Montgomery IB magnet.
RMIB is a great program, but does not address the needs of a highly-able math student. So, it doesn't really cover kids who are truly "good all around."
Just curious, what do you think the best public school option is for that type of kid? Blair SMAC leaves the kid in history and English classes with everyone else (with many of the top English/history kids in the home school siphoned off to the CAP program), while RMIB has all the magnet kids together for all the major classes, albeit with not the same level of STEM classes offered as at Blair SMAC. Do you have some advice you can share?
Anonymous
09/06/2017 16:41
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not sure why people seem to be being willfully obtuse about your question. I suspect that the magnets developed as they did so that the magnet kids would necessarily have a significant number of classes with the home school kids. People think that is beneficial academically at least for the home school kids, and socially perhaps for everyone. It might have been a political compromise to get magnets at all. In high school, kids who are good all around can go to the Richard Montgomery IB magnet.
RMIB is a great program, but does not address the needs of a highly-able math student. So, it doesn't really cover kids who are truly "good all around."
Anonymous
09/06/2017 16:28
Subject: Middle School Magnet Math
OP, I am not sure why people seem to be being willfully obtuse about your question. I suspect that the magnets developed as they did so that the magnet kids would necessarily have a significant number of classes with the home school kids. People think that is beneficial academically at least for the home school kids, and socially perhaps for everyone. It might have been a political compromise to get magnets at all. In high school, kids who are good all around can go to the Richard Montgomery IB magnet.
Anonymous
09/06/2017 11:02
Subject: Re:Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
There must be some kids that good at both. Some applicants did both tests and got accepted by both. Why not offer them complete magnet ?
Why offer it?
Offer to those who are capable of doing both magnets. The same question would be asked "why offer magnet why offer HGC in the first place ?" There are smart kids, and there are supersmart kids.
Nobody is capable of doing both magnets, because nobody can be in two places at once without a time machine.
Anonymous
09/06/2017 10:51
Subject: Re:Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
There must be some kids that good at both. Some applicants did both tests and got accepted by both. Why not offer them complete magnet ?
Why offer it?
Offer to those who are capable of doing both magnets. The same question would be asked "why offer magnet why offer HGC in the first place ?" There are smart kids, and there are supersmart kids.
Anonymous
09/06/2017 10:50
Subject: Re:Middle School Magnet Math
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
There must be some kids that good at both. Some applicants did both tests and got accepted by both. Why not offer them complete magnet ?
Why offer it?
Offer to those who are capable of doing both magnets. The same question would be asked "why offer magnet why offer HGC in the first place ?" There are smart kids, and there are supersmart kids.