Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So there are enriched classes? AIM is enriched, right?

How do you know these classes will be watered down?

Is it not unlikely that there is a large cohort of kids that have been identified as high achieving? So does it not make sense to have many kids in the enriched class?

We are talking about all 6th graders will be in the magnet social studies class. And all in compact math will be in AIM. I don't know why they keep renaming stuff when it's literally just name changing. MCPS should call it what it is and stop toying with the parents to make them think that high abled kids (cohorts) are being offered an alternative if they were deny admission to Takoma/Eastern due to cohort.

So, to be clear, you have no idea if the new class will be challenging. Your gripe is that you think too many kids are going to be in the class. You think the class should be more exclusive.

My understanding is that all these kids were tested and found to have a large peer cohort at their home middle school. There are a lot of bright kids st your school! You should be happy about this. A peer cohort means your child will not be an outlier and the class will not be dumbed down.

No wonder applications are up significantly at our Bethesda private. This is unfortunate; MCPS continues to deempathize the needs of gifted learners.

Anonymous wrote:What massive redistricting? How so?

Right now W schools contribute very few kids to the far away magnets. Very very few, mainly due to terrible logistics and bussing schedules.

No, mainly due to the "cohort" policy.

Anonymous wrote:It appears that our MS (a W-feeder) has decided to offer only AIM or Math 6, essentially taking the cohort rule that central office "promised" where there is an IM, Math 6, and AIM courses available. As a matter of fact, we don't even have a differentiated enriched social studies program. From the presentation, it was clear that all 6th grade kids will be invited .

Honestly, Central Office must think we are fools. They tell us that they will offer these "manget-lite" classes but has no real plan to really keep a cohort. I do not consider the entire 6th grade class the "cohort" that was spoken of.

Here is my suggestion to OP. Talk with the MS principal. Show him/her the table central office released last year, where the numbers are listed showing how many kids in each category (MAP-M, MAP-R, PARCC, CoGAT-V, CoGAT-Q, CoGAT-NV) have been identified. I remember the number is around 70 or 80 for Hoover MS and Robert Frost MS, where MAP-M/CoGAT-Q/CoGAT-NV, the three categories of which are presumably to be used to determine who can get in the AIM course. Show the principal that only these number of kids should be considered "cohort" for the math.

Then, if MS principal is reluctant, talk with the central office. You should rebuttal upward, until the central office can hear you.

When Compact math is directed at the beginning, our home ES put every 4th grader in the compact math (we were in a W-feeder ES by the way). Then one parent rebuttal to the principal, then PTA, then central office eventually. Central office administrated our school principal to change her way, and now half of the students go the compact math way. I know some other ESs still put every 4th grader in compact math pathway. So if you really care, fight for your child.

Anonymous wrote:What massive redistricting? How so?

Right now W schools contribute very few kids to the far away magnets. Very very few, mainly due to terrible logistics and bussing schedules.

All those schools are full (for sake of argument Pyle, Westland, Silver Creek, North Bethesa, Cabin John, Frost). How do you envision making space for a magnet brining in out of boundary students without moving local kids who inhabit one of those schools off to a different school(s)?

Anonymous wrote:So there are enriched classes? AIM is enriched, right?

How do you know these classes will be watered down?

Is it not unlikely that there is a large cohort of kids that have been identified as high achieving? So does it not make sense to have many kids in the enriched class?

We are talking about all 6th graders will be in the magnet social studies class. And all in compact math will be in AIM. I don't know why they keep renaming stuff when it's literally just name changing. MCPS should call it what it is and stop toying with the parents to make them think that high abled kids (cohorts) are being offered an alternative if they were deny admission to Takoma/Eastern due to cohort.

What massive redistricting? How so?

Right now W schools contribute very few kids to the far away magnets. Very very few, mainly due to terrible logistics and bussing schedules.

So there are enriched classes? AIM is enriched, right?

How do you know these classes will be watered down?

Is it not unlikely that there is a large cohort of kids that have been identified as high achieving? So does it not make sense to have many kids in the enriched class?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My point is that kids who did not get admitted into Takoma or Eastern were told there is an "enriched" program at their home middle school for the highly abled cohort. Yes, our middle school is the one that made the decision. It is a Middle School issue because central office made certain decisions but did not provide the proper curriculum for the highly abled kids. The fact that this is the second year into this supposedly "enriched magnet" program, and we are already seeing the MS admitting EVERYTHING student into the "magnet social studies" class underscores the lack of tailoring it to the cohort. For math, all they did is took away the IM and replaced it with the name AIM and then offered Math 6.

MCPS can't speak out both side of their mouths. If they want to bring an enriched program and differentiated it for the highly cohort like they said they would, then do it properly!

OTOH as one poster keeps telling us, at least your child does not have to ride a bus to the magnet program /s
Seriously though, I am sorry.
I think the only solution if MCPS is determined to continue with the cohort criteria is to open a set of middle school magnets in the Western part of the county. Perhaps in North Bethesda.

I think a middle school magnet at N Bethesda would be great as they already have a GT/LD program. Those GT/LD kids are NOT getting any advanced education - just what the school offers all students. They would really benefit from an opportunity to be in advanced class with other GT cohort.

Making space at any of the Western Downcounty middle schools would require some massive redistricting to make space. Are you up for that?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's OK. Central office is just banking on the W parents to crank up the ACT prep in a couple years and get those AP study guides, tutors, and $20k private college counselors. Oh and make sure you have a travel sport or artsy passion to differentiate yourself.

In the meantime, just shut up so they can keep shoveling resources at ESOL and FARMS and try to get ELA and math proficiency scores over the 50% mark for AA and Hispanics.

Except the Asian-American parents will keep teaching their kids at home because they at the very least know HS level Math. So the achievement gap will become the Grand Canyon...a majestic, awe-inspiring, example of Asian-American superior brain power that will crush the puny ambitions of lowly central office administrator to educate those who do not want to be educated.

I really hope that you are just trolling and don't actually sincerely think that way.

Anonymous wrote:That's OK. Central office is just banking on the W parents to crank up the ACT prep in a couple years and get those AP study guides, tutors, and $20k private college counselors. Oh and make sure you have a travel sport or artsy passion to differentiate yourself.

In the meantime, just shut up so they can keep shoveling resources at ESOL and FARMS and try to get ELA and math proficiency scores over the 50% mark for AA and Hispanics.

Except the Asian-American parents will keep teaching their kids at home because they at the very least know HS level Math. So the achievement gap will become the Grand Canyon...a majestic, awe-inspiring, example of Asian-American superior brain power that will crush the puny ambitions of lowly central office administrator to educate those who do not want to be educated.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It appears that our MS (a W-feeder) has decided to offer only AIM or Math 6, essentially taking the cohort rule that central office "promised" where there is an IM, Math 6, and AIM courses available. As a matter of fact, we don't even have a differentiated enriched social studies program. From the presentation, it was clear that all 6th grade kids will be invited .

Honestly, Central Office must think we are fools. They tell us that they will offer these "manget-lite" classes but has no real plan to really keep a cohort. I do not consider the entire 6th grade class the "cohort" that was spoken of.

That's what happens when you live in an area where all of the children are above average.

Only due to parents teaching, tutors, and test prep.

The classes are still the same

Anonymous wrote:It’s obvious, over and over, that MCPS does not want to go anything more than the absolute bear minimum for its higher performing, higher SES MS students.

Not much parents can do, and those parents will continue to ensure that their kids do well. No incentive for MCPS to do much do these kids.

That always makes me smile. A minimum of bears.

Anonymous wrote:It’s obvious, over and over, that MCPS does not want to go anything more than the absolute bear minimum for its higher performing, higher SES MS students.

Not much parents can do, and those parents will continue to ensure that their kids do well. No incentive for MCPS to do much do these kids.

I'm always reading on DCUM that everybody in the Bethesda/Potomac so-called W schools is high-performing. In which case it makes perfect sense for the middle schools there to offer the enriched classes to everybody.

It’s obvious, over and over, that MCPS does not want to go anything more than the absolute bear minimum for its higher performing, higher SES MS students.

Not much parents can do, and those parents will continue to ensure that their kids do well. No incentive for MCPS to do much do these kids.