Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is highly regarded in the country and "W" cluster schools are highest performing schools within MCPS. This is a fact.

Many people in DMV area are highly educated. Many more are are from other countries where curriculum, rigor, expectations in top-notch schools are far above and beyond the "W" cluster schools in MCPS. People from other countries (including me) expected that school education will be far more superior in the US than in our own home countries. When we have found that it is not so - we have deemed MCPS to be a big fail.

The truth is that school education in the US is a big fail with a few spots of excellence here and there. This excellence has also come about with private tutoring and coaching and not with what the schools have taught.

MCPS is doing ok as compared to the rest of the nation. Private schools in US are also no better. Any student who is excelling - it is because of enrichment and tutoring outside of school.

And I think the point has been made that given the level of college readiness among MoCo grads, your child is on a track to attend a highly competitive or Ivy League. Great! Nothing will ever satisfy your child's needs in MoCo. So saves some money, get some tutors or go private. That is how the game is played.

Yes, that's what my mother told me in the 70s and what her mother told her in the 40s. What you teach at home matters much more than you think. You cannot depend on a school to do all the instruction.

Absolutely. And enrichment doesn't always take the form of summers in Costa Rica or involvement in the Math club. What really makes a difference is taking ordinary stuff that comes home and enriching it. Every teacher in the county will tell you that's what they would LOVE for every parent to do. There's no way they can do that by themselves. It has to be a partnership. Along the way, you develop your child's quest for knowledge, and when they are old enough, they'll seek enrichment on their own. That is when real learning occurs.

Of course. But there is a huge difference between this and having to fill in large gaps in the curriculum wholesale at home in the children's limited free time. That takes away from the enrichment you are talking about, and from what precious little time children have for physical fitness, practicing an instrument, chilling out.

Thank you for saying that. My kids are in magnet programs and have always exposed them to enrichment outside of school. However, since 2.0 I have actually had to fill in the gaps in the curriculum. This has required considerable time, effort, energy and money on the part of my family. How many MCPS families can afford to do this?

My kids are not preparing to compete against a person from Alabama. They are competing against students from other countries who are far ahead of the game.

Great! If being college-ready is not enough for your child, MoCo may not be the best fit. Best to play the game like other elitists. Get a tutor, go private and save A LOT of money for college tuition.

Isn't SAT score of 1650/ACT 24 considered "college ready"? PP - are you saying that's good enough for your child? No wonder you want to compare your kid to kids from Mississippi or whatever.

Once again, exactly the point. If what you are defining as college-ready is not good enough for your child, supplement with tutoring, private or whatever. There's really no argument here. I have a lot of friends who have done all sorts of things as it relates to education. Public, private, tutoring, no tutoring, enrichment, no enrichment. I have nieces and nephews from all over the country (great and not so great areas) , who have all found a good fit for college, got a job they loved and DO WELL in life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of different opinions here. What is considered to be good instruction is subjective. A parent with Ivy League goals and comfort around making kids miserable and stressed will always say instruction is not on par. When you have a moment, compare MoCo's test scores with a few counties in Mississippi or Alabama. Boy, do we forget how good we have it here.

Yeah, this is a great idea. Why look UP when you can look DOWN, right?

I'm sorry. What was I thinking. Elitist and social climbers should never, ever look down. My apologies for making the suggestion.

Wait, I'm an elitist and social climber because I went to an ivy? You're bizarre. I am smart, hardworking, and loved learning. That's why I ended up at an ivy. I want my kids to love learning and learn to their fullest ability. Saying "well, it's ok because there are worse school districts" isn't good enough. That's not elitist (and social climbing is so far off it's funny). You just want us to settle for mediocrity and try to shame people who don't want to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of different opinions here. What is considered to be good instruction is subjective. A parent with Ivy League goals and comfort around making kids miserable and stressed will always say instruction is not on par. When you have a moment, compare MoCo's test scores with a few counties in Mississippi or Alabama. Boy, do we forget how good we have it here.

Yeah, this is a great idea. Why look UP when you can look DOWN, right?

I'm sorry. What was I thinking. Elitist and social climbers should never, ever look down. My apologies for making the suggestion.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps you should move away from Bethesda/Potomac? I read more complaints about Bethesda/Potomac schools on DCUM than about schools anywhere else in MCPS. My children go to unregarded MCPS elementary and middle schools, and I am very happy with the education they've received so far.

Are you highly educated? Bethesda is home to the most highly educated population in the nation; we're very picky about the schools. I'm sure if Bethesdans lived in your cluster, they'd complain too. The curriculum is the same throughout MCPS - we are just more aware of its shortcomings.

Yes, I'm highly educated, thanks.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Of course. But there is a huge difference between this and having to fill in large gaps in the curriculum wholesale at home in the children's limited free time. That takes away from the enrichment you are talking about, and from what precious little time children have for physical fitness, practicing an instrument, chilling out.

Thank you for saying that. My kids are in magnet programs and have always exposed them to enrichment outside of school. However, since 2.0 I have actually had to fill in the gaps in the curriculum. This has required considerable time, effort, energy and money on the part of my family. How many MCPS families can afford to do this?

My kids are not preparing to compete against a person from Alabama. They are competing against students from other countries who are far ahead of the game.

Great! If being college-ready is not enough for your child, MoCo may not be the best fit. Best to play the game like other elitists. Get a tutor, go private and save A LOT of money for college tuition.

You obviously have no idea about what is being discussed here. Kids taking 9 -10 AP and IB courses in HS are the ones who have always been enriched outside of school from ES. MCPS has not played a huge role in their ability to take AP/IB courses.

I tutor my kids at home. That does not make me an elitist - it makes me a highly educated mom, who was educated in another country and who has the knowledge to tackle all subjects from K-12. I would have gone private if private schools were up to par. They are not.

The kids who are taking these AP and IB courses - are not doing it to get a tuition break and credit in college. In MCPS (especially magnet schools and W schools) AP courses are taken as a signaling device to admission committee to let them know that the student is very capable academically.

Do you mean these kids have been prepared to take AP/IB classes outside of the classroom, and that Moco had no role in preparing them to take these courses? Wow. My child took several classes in the 8th and 9th grade that prepared them very well for current AP classes. Are you even aware that there is a Middle Years Programme (MYB) at 5 moco middle schools? So these play no role in preparing kids for IB programs? Wow again. Really, really bad assumptions.

RMIB also has MYP program. AND Julius West MS (with MYP) feeds into RMIB. Tell me how many of them do the RMIB program - even in 11th and 12th grade? You are clueless. I would not be too excited to equate MYP with any kind of academic excellence. The kids from low SES, AA and Hispanic kids are still not benefiting from these programs - because their parents cannot help them outside of school. MYP will help the Whites, Asians and high SES and educated households. I repeat that MCPS does not prepare these students. It is the educated parents who are filling in the gaps. But - whatever!

Find out what bottom of the heap MS schools have decided to jump on the MYP bandwagon = so that they can have a reprieve of several years from meeting their yearly progress goals. Wow, just wow! Look at the statistics of the general population in magnet schools where the non-magnet kids are struggling. Same story of low SES, AA and Hispanics lagging behind. Why do you think that is? Wow again.

Sorry to hear about your experience but our MYP was well integrated and added breadth and depth to the curriculum.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Of course. But there is a huge difference between this and having to fill in large gaps in the curriculum wholesale at home in the children's limited free time. That takes away from the enrichment you are talking about, and from what precious little time children have for physical fitness, practicing an instrument, chilling out.

Thank you for saying that. My kids are in magnet programs and have always exposed them to enrichment outside of school. However, since 2.0 I have actually had to fill in the gaps in the curriculum. This has required considerable time, effort, energy and money on the part of my family. How many MCPS families can afford to do this?

My kids are not preparing to compete against a person from Alabama. They are competing against students from other countries who are far ahead of the game.

Great! If being college-ready is not enough for your child, MoCo may not be the best fit. Best to play the game like other elitists. Get a tutor, go private and save A LOT of money for college tuition.

You obviously have no idea about what is being discussed here. Kids taking 9 -10 AP and IB courses in HS are the ones who have always been enriched outside of school from ES. MCPS has not played a huge role in their ability to take AP/IB courses.

I tutor my kids at home. That does not make me an elitist - it makes me a highly educated mom, who was educated in another country and who has the knowledge to tackle all subjects from K-12. I would have gone private if private schools were up to par. They are not.

The kids who are taking these AP and IB courses - are not doing it to get a tuition break and credit in college. In MCPS (especially magnet schools and W schools) AP courses are taken as a signaling device to admission committee to let them know that the student is very capable academically.

Do you mean these kids have been prepared to take AP/IB classes outside of the classroom, and that Moco had no role in preparing them to take these courses? Wow. My child took several classes in the 8th and 9th grade that prepared them very well for current AP classes. Are you even aware that there is a Middle Years Programme (MYB) at 5 moco middle schools? So these play no role in preparing kids for IB programs? Wow again. Really, really bad assumptions.

RMIB also has MYP program. AND Julius West MS (with MYP) feeds into RMIB. Tell me how many of them do the RMIB program - even in 11th and 12th grade? You are clueless. I would not be too excited to equate MYP with any kind of academic excellence. The kids from low SES, AA and Hispanic kids are still not benefiting from these programs - because their parents cannot help them outside of school. MYP will help the Whites, Asians and high SES and educated households. I repeat that MCPS does not prepare these students. It is the educated parents who are filling in the gaps. But - whatever!

Find out what bottom of the heap MS schools have decided to jump on the MYP bandwagon = so that they can have a reprieve of several years from meeting their yearly progress goals. Wow, just wow! Look at the statistics of the general population in magnet schools where the non-magnet kids are struggling. Same story of low SES, AA and Hispanics lagging behind. Why do you think that is? Wow again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Of course. But there is a huge difference between this and having to fill in large gaps in the curriculum wholesale at home in the children's limited free time. That takes away from the enrichment you are talking about, and from what precious little time children have for physical fitness, practicing an instrument, chilling out.

Thank you for saying that. My kids are in magnet programs and have always exposed them to enrichment outside of school. However, since 2.0 I have actually had to fill in the gaps in the curriculum. This has required considerable time, effort, energy and money on the part of my family. How many MCPS families can afford to do this?

My kids are not preparing to compete against a person from Alabama. They are competing against students from other countries who are far ahead of the game.

Great! If being college-ready is not enough for your child, MoCo may not be the best fit. Best to play the game like other elitists. Get a tutor, go private and save A LOT of money for college tuition.

You obviously have no idea about what is being discussed here. Kids taking 9 -10 AP and IB courses in HS are the ones who have always been enriched outside of school from ES. MCPS has not played a huge role in their ability to take AP/IB courses.

I tutor my kids at home. That does not make me an elitist - it makes me a highly educated mom, who was educated in another country and who has the knowledge to tackle all subjects from K-12. I would have gone private if private schools were up to par. They are not.

The kids who are taking these AP and IB courses - are not doing it to get a tuition break and credit in college. In MCPS (especially magnet schools and W schools) AP courses are taken as a signaling device to admission committee to let them know that the student is very capable academically.

Do you mean these kids have been prepared to take AP/IB classes outside of the classroom, and that Moco had no role in preparing them to take these courses? Wow. My child took several classes in the 8th and 9th grade that prepared them very well for current AP classes. Are you even aware that there is a Middle Years Programme (MYB) at 5 moco middle schools? So these play no role in preparing kids for IB programs? Wow again. Really, really bad assumptions.

RMIB also has MYP program. AND Julius West MS (with MYP) feeds into RMIB. Tell me how many of them do the RMIB program - even in 11th and 12th grade? You are clueless. I would not be too excited to equate MYP with any kind of academic excellence. The kids from low SES, AA and Hispanic kids are still not benefiting from these programs - because their parents cannot help them outside of school. MYP will help the Whites, Asians and high SES and educated households. I repeat that MCPS does not prepare these students. It is the educated parents who are filling in the gaps. But - whatever!

Find out what bottom of the heap MS schools have decided to jump on the MYP bandwagon = so that they can have a reprieve of several years from meeting their yearly progress goals. Wow, just wow! Look at the statistics of the general population in magnet schools where the non-magnet kids are struggling. Same story of low SES, AA and Hispanics lagging behind. Why do you think that is? Wow again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Of course. But there is a huge difference between this and having to fill in large gaps in the curriculum wholesale at home in the children's limited free time. That takes away from the enrichment you are talking about, and from what precious little time children have for physical fitness, practicing an instrument, chilling out.

Thank you for saying that. My kids are in magnet programs and have always exposed them to enrichment outside of school. However, since 2.0 I have actually had to fill in the gaps in the curriculum. This has required considerable time, effort, energy and money on the part of my family. How many MCPS families can afford to do this?

My kids are not preparing to compete against a person from Alabama. They are competing against students from other countries who are far ahead of the game.

Great! If being college-ready is not enough for your child, MoCo may not be the best fit. Best to play the game like other elitists. Get a tutor, go private and save A LOT of money for college tuition.

You obviously have no idea about what is being discussed here. Kids taking 9 -10 AP and IB courses in HS are the ones who have always been enriched outside of school from ES. MCPS has not played a huge role in their ability to take AP/IB courses.

I tutor my kids at home. That does not make me an elitist - it makes me a highly educated mom, who was educated in another country and who has the knowledge to tackle all subjects from K-12. I would have gone private if private schools were up to par. They are not.

The kids who are taking these AP and IB courses - are not doing it to get a tuition break and credit in college. In MCPS (especially magnet schools and W schools) AP courses are taken as a signaling device to admission committee to let them know that the student is very capable academically.

Do you mean these kids have been prepared to take AP/IB classes outside of the classroom, and that Moco had no role in preparing them to take these courses? Wow. My child took several classes in the 8th and 9th grade that prepared them very well for current AP classes. Are you even aware that there is a Middle Years Programme (MYB) at 5 moco middle schools? So these play no role in preparing kids for IB programs? Wow again. Really, really bad assumptions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is highly regarded in the country and "W" cluster schools are highest performing schools within MCPS. This is a fact.

Many people in DMV area are highly educated. Many more are are from other countries where curriculum, rigor, expectations in top-notch schools are far above and beyond the "W" cluster schools in MCPS. People from other countries (including me) expected that school education will be far more superior in the US than in our own home countries. When we have found that it is not so - we have deemed MCPS to be a big fail.

The truth is that school education in the US is a big fail with a few spots of excellence here and there. This excellence has also come about with private tutoring and coaching and not with what the schools have taught.

MCPS is doing ok as compared to the rest of the nation. Private schools in US are also no better. Any student who is excelling - it is because of enrichment and tutoring outside of school.

And I think the point has been made that given the level of college readiness among MoCo grads, your child is on a track to attend a highly competitive or Ivy League. Great! Nothing will ever satisfy your child's needs in MoCo. So saves some money, get some tutors or go private. That is how the game is played.

Yes, that's what my mother told me in the 70s and what her mother told her in the 40s. What you teach at home matters much more than you think. You cannot depend on a school to do all the instruction.

Absolutely. And enrichment doesn't always take the form of summers in Costa Rica or involvement in the Math club. What really makes a difference is taking ordinary stuff that comes home and enriching it. Every teacher in the county will tell you that's what they would LOVE for every parent to do. There's no way they can do that by themselves. It has to be a partnership. Along the way, you develop your child's quest for knowledge, and when they are old enough, they'll seek enrichment on their own. That is when real learning occurs.

Of course. But there is a huge difference between this and having to fill in large gaps in the curriculum wholesale at home in the children's limited free time. That takes away from the enrichment you are talking about, and from what precious little time children have for physical fitness, practicing an instrument, chilling out.

Thank you for saying that. My kids are in magnet programs and have always exposed them to enrichment outside of school. However, since 2.0 I have actually had to fill in the gaps in the curriculum. This has required considerable time, effort, energy and money on the part of my family. How many MCPS families can afford to do this?

My kids are not preparing to compete against a person from Alabama. They are competing against students from other countries who are far ahead of the game.

Great! If being college-ready is not enough for your child, MoCo may not be the best fit. Best to play the game like other elitists. Get a tutor, go private and save A LOT of money for college tuition.

Isn't SAT score of 1650/ACT 24 considered "college ready"? PP - are you saying that's good enough for your child? No wonder you want to compare your kid to kids from Mississippi or whatever.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Of course. But there is a huge difference between this and having to fill in large gaps in the curriculum wholesale at home in the children's limited free time. That takes away from the enrichment you are talking about, and from what precious little time children have for physical fitness, practicing an instrument, chilling out.

Thank you for saying that. My kids are in magnet programs and have always exposed them to enrichment outside of school. However, since 2.0 I have actually had to fill in the gaps in the curriculum. This has required considerable time, effort, energy and money on the part of my family. How many MCPS families can afford to do this?

My kids are not preparing to compete against a person from Alabama. They are competing against students from other countries who are far ahead of the game.

Great! If being college-ready is not enough for your child, MoCo may not be the best fit. Best to play the game like other elitists. Get a tutor, go private and save A LOT of money for college tuition.

You obviously have no idea about what is being discussed here. Kids taking 9 -10 AP and IB courses in HS are the ones who have always been enriched outside of school from ES. MCPS has not played a huge role in their ability to take AP/IB courses.

I tutor my kids at home. That does not make me an elitist - it makes me a highly educated mom, who was educated in another country and who has the knowledge to tackle all subjects from K-12. I would have gone private if private schools were up to par. They are not.

The kids who are taking these AP and IB courses - are not doing it to get a tuition break and credit in college. In MCPS (especially magnet schools and W schools) AP courses are taken as a signaling device to admission committee to let them know that the student is very capable academically.

Anonymous wrote:[quote=And for those moaning about what's not happening in the *4th grade* for goodness sakes...lol. The county isn't "failing". MoCo produces college-ready kids. Trust me, you'll be the same parents complaining about the amount of homework they'll get in a few years. My child (not at W school btw) is a junior and has 3-4 hours of homework every night. You want rigor? Have no fear, it's coming.