Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIRL and these other tests that have been constantly administered are often done incorrectly because teachers have to process so many students in little time. More often than not they just rubber stamp kids to the next level on the achievement escalator. The result is kids who can read higher are often marked lower. This set of standards takes up valuable class time and harms more often than it helps. Overall this is a huge step in the right direction. Consistent standardized tests like MAP-R are signfiicantly more helpful.

Giving a student a running record (MIRL) doesn't take that long. In fact, you can do a couple of kids from each reading group daily and easily be done by the end of the month to input the data. It's the data entry that was a killer. I agree that MAPs provide a great deal of information. I sure wish the curriculum aligned better with the questions asked of students on MAP testing. K to 2 will be giving kids the MAP-RF test for the first time this year. They have to give it the same months as mClass so that's quite a bit of testing for 5 to 8 year olds. I'm thinking they might be phasing out mClass in the future and replace it with MAP-RF since it's completely computer scored and doesn't require sub time for a teacher to complete.

That would be an improvement. mClass takes so much time and it just isn't possible to be thorough. They typically base it on a single story for a level instead of several and teachers being human aren't as consistent in their methods.

Not to mention the computer test was something they did already in addition to the nonsense that's being phased out.

Less pointless testing sounds like a welcome change. WTG MCPS!

wait what? MAP tests for K, 1 and 2 now? Does that mean their cutting social studies to do more computer class clicking training? Are MAps like 2-3 times a year?

Yes, it's awesome. Instead of taking up 2 weeks of teacher time at the beginning, middle and end of each year your kid now takes a test for one hour twice a year. That means more time for education! Also the test is far more thorough and consistently administered than random mess that was mclass/mirl.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIRL and these other tests that have been constantly administered are often done incorrectly because teachers have to process so many students in little time. More often than not they just rubber stamp kids to the next level on the achievement escalator. The result is kids who can read higher are often marked lower. This set of standards takes up valuable class time and harms more often than it helps. Overall this is a huge step in the right direction. Consistent standardized tests like MAP-R are signfiicantly more helpful.

Giving a student a running record (MIRL) doesn't take that long. In fact, you can do a couple of kids from each reading group daily and easily be done by the end of the month to input the data. It's the data entry that was a killer. I agree that MAPs provide a great deal of information. I sure wish the curriculum aligned better with the questions asked of students on MAP testing. K to 2 will be giving kids the MAP-RF test for the first time this year. They have to give it the same months as mClass so that's quite a bit of testing for 5 to 8 year olds. I'm thinking they might be phasing out mClass in the future and replace it with MAP-RF since it's completely computer scored and doesn't require sub time for a teacher to complete.

That would be an improvement. mClass takes so much time and it just isn't possible to be thorough. They typically base it on a single story for a level instead of several and teachers being human aren't as consistent in their methods.

Less pointless testing sounds like a welcome change. WTG MCPS!

wait what? MAP tests for K, 1 and 2 now? Does that mean their cutting social studies to do more computer class clicking training? Are MAps like 2-3 times a year?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents with higher achieving students have just about had it with the dumbing down. Mcps will eventually see more and more higher achieving students pulled out. If more reasonably priced private schools or education co-ops existed, I'd pull both of my kids out immediately.

How is expecting kids to be 1 to 2 grades above grade level dumbing things down?

It’s not that. It’s the fact that they no longer want to keep records. Keeping it off the report card makes it easier to say that kids are all ‘doing fine’. Allows MCPS to get out of providing services for kids who might need services. Allows MCPS to talk about how all the URMS are doing fantastic because there is no data otherwise.

same concept as then they ceased final exams in HS.
And stopped issueing B+s or A- so everyone's final grade rounds up to an A in HS.

all smoke and mirrors, and has the top half of the class scrambling to differentiate themselves, since their hard work getting a 95% correct is an A just like the 86%'er kid.

No, it’s not equivalent at all. Kids learn to read by third and read to learn third grade and beyond. This is just another way to sweep LDs under the rug. Mcps doesn’t use evidence based techniques or curriculum to address dyslexia even though 1 in 5 people have some form of it.

People who have means will tutor or do private school. If people try to fight the system, they will be crushed by MCPS lawyers and this just makes it easier.

We are saying the same things.

MCPS created only 2 bands of ranking students: pass/fail, A/B. This both aids them in neglecting to provide LD services to K-3 kids and aids them in saying 50% of their HS is 4.0 unweighted.

We have a family history of dyslexia. From what I see at MCPS, they will not lift a finger to evaluate my child's reading or letter/number comprehension until 3rd grade and that will be a 3-9 month process. Most likely we won't get an IED plan or bethesda school specialist appointed, because MCPS must triage its resources to severe LD and ESOL cases where kids are grade levels behind their age. If we do manage to get an IED for dyslexia, my kid will be pulled out 1 or 2x a week with a small group of other LD kids, of any LD.

We hope to move by then.

No we are not saying the same thing. Ranking of high school students on the verge of graduating is absolutely not similar at all to identifying and remediating dyslexia. If you actually knew anything about dyslexia, the public schools in general do everything they can not to address it.

Anonymous wrote:I am concerned that we are replacing nuanced, evaluative time with the teacher with computer testing. Is that what is happening? Because that is what they do in math now, and as far as I can tell, DC’s teacher has little idea how the kids are really doing in math. She doesn’t know who can get the questions right super fast v.s. who can get them right pretty fast v.s. who can’t get them right at all. She only knows the final score on the math apps they do: who got them right super fast v.s. all the others. And now the whole stressed-out class is fixated on math facts instead of math knowledge in general. It’s awful.

Don’t teachers want this one-on-one evaluation of student abilities? I don’t really care about the reading levels, and I think some of the kids (and parents) get too hung up on it, but it is upsetting to think that there will be this much less incentive for teachers to attempt rigorous individual evaluation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:spo to be clear, that will be 4 grades of public schooling where my child is not fully learning because they refuse to test or accomodate dylexia until it goes to their LD boards and that only happens during 2nd or 3rd grade.

total waste of time and terrible on confidence of said child who doesn't know why s/he hates reading and writing.

No actually MCPS does not recognize dyslexia at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents with higher achieving students have just about had it with the dumbing down. Mcps will eventually see more and more higher achieving students pulled out. If more reasonably priced private schools or education co-ops existed, I'd pull both of my kids out immediately.

How is expecting kids to be 1 to 2 grades above grade level dumbing things down?

It’s not that. It’s the fact that they no longer want to keep records. Keeping it off the report card makes it easier to say that kids are all ‘doing fine’. Allows MCPS to get out of providing services for kids who might need services. Allows MCPS to talk about how all the URMS are doing fantastic because there is no data otherwise.

same concept as then they ceased final exams in HS.
And stopped issueing B+s or A- so everyone's final grade rounds up to an A in HS.

all smoke and mirrors, and has the top half of the class scrambling to differentiate themselves, since their hard work getting a 95% correct is an A just like the 86%'er kid.

No, it’s not equivalent at all. Kids learn to read by third and read to learn third grade and beyond. This is just another way to sweep LDs under the rug. Mcps doesn’t use evidence based techniques or curriculum to address dyslexia even though 1 in 5 people have some form of it.

People who have means will tutor or do private school. If people try to fight the system, they will be crushed by MCPS lawyers and this just makes it easier.

We are saying the same things.

MCPS created only 2 bands of ranking students: pass/fail, A/B. This both aids them in neglecting to provide LD services to K-3 kids and aids them in saying 50% of their HS is 4.0 unweighted.

We have a family history of dyslexia. From what I see at MCPS, they will not lift a finger to evaluate my child's reading or letter/number comprehension until 3rd grade and that will be a 3-9 month process. Most likely we won't get an IED plan or bethesda school specialist appointed, because MCPS must triage its resources to severe LD and ESOL cases where kids are grade levels behind their age. If we do manage to get an IED for dyslexia, my kid will be pulled out 1 or 2x a week with a small group of other LD kids, of any LD.

We hope to move by then.

No we are not saying the same thing. Ranking of high school students on the verge of graduating is absolutely not similar at all to identifying and remediating dyslexia. If you actually knew anything about dyslexia, the public schools in general do everything they can not to address it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents with higher achieving students have just about had it with the dumbing down. Mcps will eventually see more and more higher achieving students pulled out. If more reasonably priced private schools or education co-ops existed, I'd pull both of my kids out immediately.

How is expecting kids to be 1 to 2 grades above grade level dumbing things down?

It’s not that. It’s the fact that they no longer want to keep records. Keeping it off the report card makes it easier to say that kids are all ‘doing fine’. Allows MCPS to get out of providing services for kids who might need services. Allows MCPS to talk about how all the URMS are doing fantastic because there is no data otherwise.

same concept as then they ceased final exams in HS.
And stopped issueing B+s or A- so everyone's final grade rounds up to an A in HS.

all smoke and mirrors, and has the top half of the class scrambling to differentiate themselves, since their hard work getting a 95% correct is an A just like the 86%'er kid.

No, it’s not equivalent at all. Kids learn to read by third and read to learn third grade and beyond. This is just another way to sweep LDs under the rug. Mcps doesn’t use evidence based techniques or curriculum to address dyslexia even though 1 in 5 people have some form of it.

People who have means will tutor or do private school. If people try to fight the system, they will be crushed by MCPS lawyers and this just makes it easier.

We are saying the same things.

MCPS created only 2 bands of ranking students: pass/fail, A/B. This both aids them in neglecting to provide LD services to K-3 kids and aids them in saying 50% of their HS is 4.0 unweighted.

We have a family history of dyslexia. From what I see at MCPS, they will not lift a finger to evaluate my child's reading or letter/number comprehension until 3rd grade and that will be a 3-9 month process. Most likely we won't get an IED plan or bethesda school specialist appointed, because MCPS must triage its resources to severe LD and ESOL cases where kids are grade levels behind their age. If we do manage to get an IED for dyslexia, my kid will be pulled out 1 or 2x a week with a small group of other LD kids, of any LD.

We hope to move by then.

Anonymous wrote:As the parent of a child with an IEP who is behind, this seems like another way for MCPS to deny a child is struggling.

Anonymous wrote:spo to be clear, that will be 4 grades of public schooling where my child is not fully learning because they refuse to test or accomodate dylexia until it goes to their LD boards and that only happens during 2nd or 3rd grade.

total waste of time and terrible on confidence of said child who doesn't know why s/he hates reading and writing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIRL and these other tests that have been constantly administered are often done incorrectly because teachers have to process so many students in little time. More often than not they just rubber stamp kids to the next level on the achievement escalator. The result is kids who can read higher are often marked lower. This set of standards takes up valuable class time and harms more often than it helps. Overall this is a huge step in the right direction. Consistent standardized tests like MAP-R are signfiicantly more helpful.

Giving a student a running record (MIRL) doesn't take that long. In fact, you can do a couple of kids from each reading group daily and easily be done by the end of the month to input the data. It's the data entry that was a killer. I agree that MAPs provide a great deal of information. I sure wish the curriculum aligned better with the questions asked of students on MAP testing. K to 2 will be giving kids the MAP-RF test for the first time this year. They have to give it the same months as mClass so that's quite a bit of testing for 5 to 8 year olds. I'm thinking they might be phasing out mClass in the future and replace it with MAP-RF since it's completely computer scored and doesn't require sub time for a teacher to complete.

That would be an improvement. mClass takes so much time and it just isn't possible to be thorough. They typically base it on a single story for a level instead of several and teachers being human aren't as consistent in their methods.

Less pointless testing sounds like a welcome change. WTG MCPS!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It’s not that. It’s the fact that they no longer want to keep records. Keeping it off the report card makes it easier to say that kids are all ‘doing fine’. Allows MCPS to get out of providing services for kids who might need services. Allows MCPS to talk about how all the URMS are doing fantastic because there is no data otherwise.

I really, really wish that people would stop referring to "URMS". It's dehumanizing. If you're talking about kids who are black, kids who are Hispanic/Latino, and kids who are poor, then please talk about kids who are black, kids who are Hispanic/Latino, and kids who are poor.

wow, a 4 letter acronym would sure be more efficient than what you wrote.

Yes, it is. And NIMBYs is more efficient than "People who don't want X in their neighborhoods", yet people who don't want X in their neighborhoods object to being called NIMBYs. So maybe efficiency isn't the best standard for this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIRL and these other tests that have been constantly administered are often done incorrectly because teachers have to process so many students in little time. More often than not they just rubber stamp kids to the next level on the achievement escalator. The result is kids who can read higher are often marked lower. This set of standards takes up valuable class time and harms more often than it helps. Overall this is a huge step in the right direction. Consistent standardized tests like MAP-R are signfiicantly more helpful.

Giving a student a running record (MIRL) doesn't take that long. In fact, you can do a couple of kids from each reading group daily and easily be done by the end of the month to input the data. It's the data entry that was a killer. I agree that MAPs provide a great deal of information. I sure wish the curriculum aligned better with the questions asked of students on MAP testing. K to 2 will be giving kids the MAP-RF test for the first time this year. They have to give it the same months as mClass so that's quite a bit of testing for 5 to 8 year olds. I'm thinking they might be phasing out mClass in the future and replace it with MAP-RF since it's completely computer scored and doesn't require sub time for a teacher to complete.

That would be an improvement. mClass takes so much time and it just isn't possible to be thorough. They typically base it on a single story for a level instead of several and teachers being human aren't as consistent in their methods.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents with higher achieving students have just about had it with the dumbing down. Mcps will eventually see more and more higher achieving students pulled out. If more reasonably priced private schools or education co-ops existed, I'd pull both of my kids out immediately.

How is expecting kids to be 1 to 2 grades above grade level dumbing things down?

It’s not that. It’s the fact that they no longer want to keep records. Keeping it off the report card makes it easier to say that kids are all ‘doing fine’. Allows MCPS to get out of providing services for kids who might need services. Allows MCPS to talk about how all the URMS are doing fantastic because there is no data otherwise.

same concept as then they ceased final exams in HS.
And stopped issueing B+s or A- so everyone's final grade rounds up to an A in HS.

all smoke and mirrors, and has the top half of the class scrambling to differentiate themselves, since their hard work getting a 95% correct is an A just like the 86%'er kid.

No, it’s not equivalent at all. Kids learn to read by third and read to learn third grade and beyond. This is just another way to sweep LDs under the rug. Mcps doesn’t use evidence based techniques or curriculum to address dyslexia even though 1 in 5 people have some form of it.

People who have means will tutor or do private school. If people try to fight the system, they will be crushed by MCPS lawyers and this just makes it easier.