Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poor leadership, mismanagement of funds, lack of oversight, changing demographics, decline in employee morale, etc.

All of which has led to a decline in MCPS over the past 15 years. Anyone who has been around long enough can see that.

What does changing demographics mean?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You may also want to understand that these rankings aren't a reflection of the school but their SES/demographics, which are very different today than in years past. As some poster has said, the same kid will get the same education at any of these schools. This is as true today as ever in fact there are many incredible opportunities for kids who are interested in learning, and these simple minded rankings sponsored by the real estate industry to boost home prices don't reflect that.

Huh?

Watkins Mill is over 80% FARMS and still had 48% college ready. Kennedy is 80% FARMS as well, but had 23% college ready. That's a huge difference and doesn't line up with your comment.

Why is Seneca Valley 70% FARMS and only 38% college ready and Blair is 63% FARMS but 63% college ready? Walter Johnson up the street from Blair has 19.9% FARMS and 69% college ready - so about the same as Blair. If all kids are getting the same education, why is that? What accounts for the difference? There are several other examples that don't line up, if you really want them all listed.

Your comments are a nice storyline, but it's fiction if you say "the same kid will get the same education at any of these schools". Go fish.

Where did you get those numbers from?

Watkins Mill: 68% FARMs/78% ever-FARMs
Kennedy: 69% FARMs/80% ever-FARMs
Seneca Valley: 49% FARMs/62% ever-FARMs
Blair: 42% FARMs/51% ever-FARMs
Walter Johnson: 13% FARMs/19% ever-FARMs

Also, "Walter Johnson up the street from Blair" lol

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You may also want to understand that these rankings aren't a reflection of the school but their SES/demographics, which are very different today than in years past. As some poster has said, the same kid will get the same education at any of these schools. This is as true today as ever in fact there are many incredible opportunities for kids who are interested in learning, and these simple minded rankings sponsored by the real estate industry to boost home prices don't reflect that.

Huh?

Watkins Mill is over 80% FARMS and still had 48% college ready. Kennedy is 80% FARMS as well, but had 23% college ready. That's a huge difference and doesn't line up with your comment.

Why is Seneca Valley 70% FARMS and only 38% college ready and Blair is 63% FARMS but 63% college ready? Walter Johnson up the street from Blair has 19.9% FARMS and 69% college ready - so about the same as Blair. If all kids are getting the same education, why is that? What accounts for the difference? There are several other examples that don't line up, if you really want them all listed.

Your comments are a nice storyline, but it's fiction if you say "the same kid will get the same education at any of these schools". Go fish.

I never understood why people make a big deal about these ratings. The education and curriculum are the same regardless of which MCPS HS your child attends. If my kid goes to Seneca and she's doing brilliantly there, why would I care about anything else? Why should I care about the other kids who attend the same school but don't test well? Chances are that the same students (for a number of reasons beyond MCPS) are going to test terribly at Churchill too. Seriously, why would I give AF and why should you? Is your kid not able to do well unless a certain percentage of students test well?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You may also want to understand that these rankings aren't a reflection of the school but their SES/demographics, which are very different today than in years past. As some poster has said, the same kid will get the same education at any of these schools. This is as true today as ever in fact there are many incredible opportunities for kids who are interested in learning, and these simple minded rankings sponsored by the real estate industry to boost home prices don't reflect that.

Huh?

Watkins Mill is over 80% FARMS and still had 48% college ready. Kennedy is 80% FARMS as well, but had 23% college ready. That's a huge difference and doesn't line up with your comment.

Why is Seneca Valley 70% FARMS and only 38% college ready and Blair is 63% FARMS but 63% college ready? Walter Johnson up the street from Blair has 19.9% FARMS and 69% college ready - so about the same as Blair. If all kids are getting the same education, why is that? What accounts for the difference? There are several other examples that don't line up, if you really want them all listed.

Your comments are a nice storyline, but it's fiction if you say "the same kid will get the same education at any of these schools". Go fish.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where these HS stand with US News has absolutely no bearing on kids getting into college. Colleges just look at the course rigor and student performance.

In fact, coming from a competitive HS can hurt kids as they stand out less among their classmates.

"colleges just look at the course rigor"?
You seriously believe that a college admissions board, with thousands of candidates every year, will look up each candidate HS "course rigor?" lol.

"coming from a competitive HS can hurt kids"?
Everyone knows TJ (even a college admissions board). Besides, you just contradicted yourself? You just said "course rigor" mattered, but now you're arguing that it hurts kids?

It's pretty clear you're making stuff up.

No, PP has a point. And, you seem somewhat ignorant on this.

Admissions officers know rigor from school profile, being in MCPS (which top colleges know well, and from counselor survey/rec.

What's more relevant is if there is a history of some kids from the school getting in to the college. That would suggest the school is a known entity to the AO.

She is also correct about competitive high schools. Top colleges don't offer admission to lots of kids from one school. It's why some private school counselors steer students away from some schools because they know there they will likely get passed over. You bring up TJ, and it is especially true there. The kids don't stand out like they would at tgeir home schools because the entire school is magnet, and colleges don't want to take a large amount from one school.

Students really need it all in this admissions climate-- rigor, grades, and some means of standing out in a way that suggests they would bring additional skills/talents the college wants.

The school ranking thing may be a bummer for status reasons, but I don't think it will seriously affect college admissions.

The Imperial Hubris of these statements are deafening. so I decided to test your theory. Although MCPS doesn't publish the official stats for where graduates end up, Bethesda Magazine publishes a mini-version. You're free to make up your own opinions (just say, "I can't prove it, but I think..."), but I hope you can back up your statements with facts and citations please?

According to the data, both statements you made are not accurate. A quick glance at the data shows that there are anomalies where a certain college does show a preference for MCPS students (ex. Boston College seems to love BCC students?), but it's on a school-by-school basis whether or not the admissions rates are higher or lower than the school's overall acceptance rate.

I used the "top-4" as examples.

2020: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2020/10/05/college-bound-5/
CalTech 6 of 65 (9.2%)
Harvard 12 of 227 (5.3%)
MIT 14 of 182 (7.7%)
Yale 16 of 260 (6.1%)

2021: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2021/09/06/college-bound-6/
CalTech 10 of 75 (13.3%)
Harvard 7 of 246 (2.8%)
MIT 6 of 170 (3.5%)
Yale 12 of 259 (4.6%)

2022: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2022/09/13/here-are-the-colleges-where-bethesda-area-high-school-grads-applied-got-accepted-and-enrolled/
CalTech 6 of 78 (7.7%)
Harvard 10 of 293 (3.4%)
MIT 11 of 195 (5.6%)
Yale 9 of 280 (3.2%)

The acceptance rates of these schools are:
CalTech: 3.9%
Harvard: 4%
MIT: 4.1%
Yale: 5.3%

What the numbers tell us is that CalTech admissions officers may love MCPS, and MIT might have an extra candidate or two accepted; that's about all that you can say is good about the numbers. Even CalTech dropped the percentage of MCPS applicants admitted by a significant amount (equivalent to a 40% drop from the prior year), so hopefully that trend won't continue.

PP here. Wow, you are passionate about wanting to somehow sound superior, but you didn't really grasp what I was saying and went off the deep end to Lord-knows-where. I never said anything about colleges "loving" or "favoring" MCPS, just that it was a known entity. I also suggested checking your school for previous admissions to see if the AO is familiar with the school. Then, you have to consider how many competitive candidates from that school will be applying and if your kid will have the means to stand out (eg are there a lot of legacies or kids with same ECs that have same or higher merits or does your kid fit same stats/ECs profile as several others?). That's where being at a top HS can be a disadvantage. Yes, more students typically get in, but far more apply.

I based my statements on Naviance data, Jeff Selingo, CDSs for several Ivies/top LACs, BBs, and anecdotes from CC and college forum here. Did all this last year to help kid figure out how to approach reach/target apps.

But, nothing you said really addresses anything I said. Maybe you should craft your own statement or pick a fight with someone your rant actually addresses. Either way, hope you enjoyed pouring over the years of BBs!

Full endorse all the college app tips here. It all comes down to the AO and your kid's ability to stand out relative to the local and national pool that year.

FWIW, I think the concept of "rigor" being debated here pertains to within a school rather than between schools. AOs care that your kid has maxed out APs etc. relative to their peers and parental socioeconomic status not whether your kid is at a higher ranked school according to US News. Your kid is more likely to attend a school that an AO is familiar with if they're at a "rigorous" school with a history of sending kids to a top school but that's about the only benefit. Very few public schools at MoCo's level of counselor-to-student ratio have the resources to actually write a decent counselor recommendation so standing out within a school is even more important.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where these HS stand with US News has absolutely no bearing on kids getting into college. Colleges just look at the course rigor and student performance.

In fact, coming from a competitive HS can hurt kids as they stand out less among their classmates.

"colleges just look at the course rigor"?
You seriously believe that a college admissions board, with thousands of candidates every year, will look up each candidate HS "course rigor?" lol.

"coming from a competitive HS can hurt kids"?
Everyone knows TJ (even a college admissions board). Besides, you just contradicted yourself? You just said "course rigor" mattered, but now you're arguing that it hurts kids?

It's pretty clear you're making stuff up.

No, PP has a point. And, you seem somewhat ignorant on this.

Admissions officers know rigor from school profile, being in MCPS (which top colleges know well, and from counselor survey/rec.

What's more relevant is if there is a history of some kids from the school getting in to the college. That would suggest the school is a known entity to the AO.

She is also correct about competitive high schools. Top colleges don't offer admission to lots of kids from one school. It's why some private school counselors steer students away from some schools because they know there they will likely get passed over. You bring up TJ, and it is especially true there. The kids don't stand out like they would at tgeir home schools because the entire school is magnet, and colleges don't want to take a large amount from one school.

Students really need it all in this admissions climate-- rigor, grades, and some means of standing out in a way that suggests they would bring additional skills/talents the college wants.

The school ranking thing may be a bummer for status reasons, but I don't think it will seriously affect college admissions.

The Imperial Hubris of these statements are deafening. so I decided to test your theory. Although MCPS doesn't publish the official stats for where graduates end up, Bethesda Magazine publishes a mini-version. You're free to make up your own opinions (just say, "I can't prove it, but I think..."), but I hope you can back up your statements with facts and citations please?

According to the data, both statements you made are not accurate. A quick glance at the data shows that there are anomalies where a certain college does show a preference for MCPS students (ex. Boston College seems to love BCC students?), but it's on a school-by-school basis whether or not the admissions rates are higher or lower than the school's overall acceptance rate.

I used the "top-4" as examples.

2020: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2020/10/05/college-bound-5/
CalTech 6 of 65 (9.2%)
Harvard 12 of 227 (5.3%)
MIT 14 of 182 (7.7%)
Yale 16 of 260 (6.1%)

2021: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2021/09/06/college-bound-6/
CalTech 10 of 75 (13.3%)
Harvard 7 of 246 (2.8%)
MIT 6 of 170 (3.5%)
Yale 12 of 259 (4.6%)

2022: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2022/09/13/here-are-the-colleges-where-bethesda-area-high-school-grads-applied-got-accepted-and-enrolled/
CalTech 6 of 78 (7.7%)
Harvard 10 of 293 (3.4%)
MIT 11 of 195 (5.6%)
Yale 9 of 280 (3.2%)

The acceptance rates of these schools are:
CalTech: 3.9%
Harvard: 4%
MIT: 4.1%
Yale: 5.3%

What the numbers tell us is that CalTech admissions officers may love MCPS, and MIT might have an extra candidate or two accepted; that's about all that you can say is good about the numbers. Even CalTech dropped the percentage of MCPS applicants admitted by a significant amount (equivalent to a 40% drop from the prior year), so hopefully that trend won't continue.

PP here. Wow, you are passionate about wanting to somehow sound superior, but you didn't really grasp what I was saying and went off the deep end to Lord-knows-where. I never said anything about colleges "loving" or "favoring" MCPS, just that it was a known entity. I also suggested checking your school for previous admissions to see if the AO is familiar with the school. Then, you have to consider how many competitive candidates from that school will be applying and if your kid will have the means to stand out (eg are there a lot of legacies or kids with same ECs that have same or higher merits or does your kid fit same stats/ECs profile as several others?). That's where being at a top HS can be a disadvantage. Yes, more students typically get in, but far more apply.

I based my statements on Naviance data, Jeff Selingo, CDSs for several Ivies/top LACs, BBs, and anecdotes from CC and college forum here. Did all this last year to help kid figure out how to approach reach/target apps.

But, nothing you said really addresses anything I said. Maybe you should craft your own statement or pick a fight with someone your rant actually addresses. Either way, hope you enjoyed pouring over the years of BBs!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where these HS stand with US News has absolutely no bearing on kids getting into college. Colleges just look at the course rigor and student performance.

In fact, coming from a competitive HS can hurt kids as they stand out less among their classmates.

"colleges just look at the course rigor"?
You seriously believe that a college admissions board, with thousands of candidates every year, will look up each candidate HS "course rigor?" lol.

"coming from a competitive HS can hurt kids"?
Everyone knows TJ (even a college admissions board). Besides, you just contradicted yourself? You just said "course rigor" mattered, but now you're arguing that it hurts kids?

It's pretty clear you're making stuff up.

No, PP has a point. And, you seem somewhat ignorant on this.

Admissions officers know rigor from school profile, being in MCPS (which top colleges know well, and from counselor survey/rec.

What's more relevant is if there is a history of some kids from the school getting in to the college. That would suggest the school is a known entity to the AO.

She is also correct about competitive high schools. Top colleges don't offer admission to lots of kids from one school. It's why some private school counselors steer students away from some schools because they know there they will likely get passed over. You bring up TJ, and it is especially true there. The kids don't stand out like they would at tgeir home schools because the entire school is magnet, and colleges don't want to take a large amount from one school.

Students really need it all in this admissions climate-- rigor, grades, and some means of standing out in a way that suggests they would bring additional skills/talents the college wants.

The school ranking thing may be a bummer for status reasons, but I don't think it will seriously affect college admissions.

The Imperial Hubris of these statements are deafening. so I decided to test your theory. Although MCPS doesn't publish the official stats for where graduates end up, Bethesda Magazine publishes a mini-version. You're free to make up your own opinions (just say, "I can't prove it, but I think..."), but I hope you can back up your statements with facts and citations please?

According to the data, both statements you made are not accurate. A quick glance at the data shows that there are anomalies where a certain college does show a preference for MCPS students (ex. Boston College seems to love BCC students?), but it's on a school-by-school basis whether or not the admissions rates are higher or lower than the school's overall acceptance rate.

I used the "top-4" as examples.

2020: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2020/10/05/college-bound-5/
CalTech 6 of 65 (9.2%)
Harvard 12 of 227 (5.3%)
MIT 14 of 182 (7.7%)
Yale 16 of 260 (6.1%)

2021: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2021/09/06/college-bound-6/
CalTech 10 of 75 (13.3%)
Harvard 7 of 246 (2.8%)
MIT 6 of 170 (3.5%)
Yale 12 of 259 (4.6%)

2022: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2022/09/13/here-are-the-colleges-where-bethesda-area-high-school-grads-applied-got-accepted-and-enrolled/
CalTech 6 of 78 (7.7%)
Harvard 10 of 293 (3.4%)
MIT 11 of 195 (5.6%)
Yale 9 of 280 (3.2%)

The acceptance rates of these schools are:
CalTech: 3.9%
Harvard: 4%
MIT: 4.1%
Yale: 5.3%

What the numbers tell us is that CalTech admissions officers may love MCPS, and MIT might have an extra candidate or two accepted; that's about all that you can say is good about the numbers. Even CalTech dropped the percentage of MCPS applicants admitted by a significant amount (equivalent to a 40% drop from the prior year), so hopefully that trend won't continue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where these HS stand with US News has absolutely no bearing on kids getting into college. Colleges just look at the course rigor and student performance.

In fact, coming from a competitive HS can hurt kids as they stand out less among their classmates.

"colleges just look at the course rigor"?
You seriously believe that a college admissions board, with thousands of candidates every year, will look up each candidate HS "course rigor?" lol.

"coming from a competitive HS can hurt kids"?
Everyone knows TJ (even a college admissions board). Besides, you just contradicted yourself? You just said "course rigor" mattered, but now you're arguing that it hurts kids?

It's pretty clear you're making stuff up.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where these HS stand with US News has absolutely no bearing on kids getting into college. Colleges just look at the course rigor and student performance.

In fact, coming from a competitive HS can hurt kids as they stand out less among their classmates.

"colleges just look at the course rigor"?
You seriously believe that a college admissions board, with thousands of candidates every year, will look up each candidate HS "course rigor?" lol.

"coming from a competitive HS can hurt kids"?
Everyone knows TJ (even a college admissions board). Besides, you just contradicted yourself? You just said "course rigor" mattered, but now you're arguing that it hurts kids?

It's pretty clear you're making stuff up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You may also want to understand that these rankings aren't a reflection of the school but their SES/demographics, which are very different today than in years past. As some poster has said, the same kid will get the same education at any of these schools. This is as true today as ever in fact there are many incredible opportunities for kids who are interested in learning, and these simple minded rankings sponsored by the real estate industry to boost home prices don't reflect that.

Huh?

Watkins Mill is over 80% FARMS and still had 48% college ready. Kennedy is 80% FARMS as well, but had 23% college ready. That's a huge difference and doesn't line up with your comment.

Why is Seneca Valley 70% FARMS and only 38% college ready and Blair is 63% FARMS but 63% college ready? Walter Johnson up the street from Blair has 19.9% FARMS and 69% college ready - so about the same as Blair. If all kids are getting the same education, why is that? What accounts for the difference? There are several other examples that don't line up, if you really want them all listed.

Your comments are a nice storyline, but it's fiction if you say "the same kid will get the same education at any of these schools". Go fish.

Anonymous wrote:
You may also want to understand that these rankings aren't a reflection of the school but their SES/demographics, which are very different today than in years past. As some poster has said, the same kid will get the same education at any of these schools. This is as true today as ever in fact there are many incredible opportunities for kids who are interested in learning, and these simple minded rankings sponsored by the real estate industry to boost home prices don't reflect that.

Anonymous wrote:Publics are trash everywhere

I moved to MOCO for access to all the best privates and country clubs. Covid woke me up to the disaster of public schools.