Anonymous
Post 12/06/2013 09:02     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
So I went to RM 22 years ago. I also went to Frost prior to that. I am SO glad I went to RM instead of the W school I was originally supposed to go to. The opportunities at RM for those who were willing to try were abundant yet you didn't need to be a Harvard bound kid to be successful there. Yes are the W's probably a bit better, sure. But if you want a great education for your kid and a view of the real world it is a great school. My own kids will attend RM 10 years from now and I moved to this district for this purpose instead of a W. And just for the record, I went to a good college, a good grad school and work for a top tier consulting firm now. So it all worked out.
Anonymous
Post 12/06/2013 09:00     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think you RM parents are reading too much into these posting. Your insecurities are showing. I think the point has been made that RM, although a really good school, is probably just above average if you removed the IB program. In the same token, if you removed the magnet program from Blair then Blair would probably drop off a cliff. Now way Blair has 30+ NMSF without the magnet program and no way RM has 40 NMSF without the IB program. The average SAT, AP scores, college placements at both school would just drop. RM would become a peer of Sherwood, Magruder and Quince Orchard. Blair would not have a peer in MoCo. Yet, Whitman and Churchill would still produce they type of kids they have always produced. Wootton and WJ would also continue to do well. Again, OP asked about RM sans IB. My answer is that the program is okay it is not one of the top schools in MoCo.

Sorry if that hurts but that is the reality.


+1 Very true



Another +1 from me. The IB just covers up how atrocious the GENERAL population of students at RM is.


Really? Are you a teacher or parent at RM? I would hope that you are, if you're going to make a statement like that. Otherwise, it lacks credibility. It may very well be the case that W s are more rigorous and have more motivated kids than RM w/out IB, but the question is whether RM is the type of school that should be avoided? I think no. A good kid will do we'll there. There is everything in place to reach everyone's full potential and no hindrances.


You people are really having a difficult time with this. Please see the original post. RM is a good school w/o the IB and not a school to be avoided. It is a better than average school -- In between the Ws and the Rockvilles, Northwests, etc. of MoCo. Again, taking out the IB kids, the median SAT, which is already below the W median, is likely to drop several hundred points. The numbers don't lie. RM sans IB is just an above average school in MoCo. Even WJ, which is the weakest of the Ws created its own magnet program (APEX). So to answer the question of the posters above -- Do the W have special programs that don't exist elsewhere? Yes, some of the W schools do have programs. Within the magnet group of 50+ per year, the average SAT is ~2100 (see link). That compares favorably with the median IB SAT. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/wjhs/programs/apex/APEX_Profile.pdf
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/rmhs/ib/2013-14%20IB_Insert.pdf


I think most people don't have a problem with the point you're making. Okay, so RM isn't as strong as the W schools. For me the difference was small enough that it wasn't a problem. For others, it might be. We all have to draw the line somewhere, and it won't always be in the same place.

Where posters (or at least, I) have a problem is with posts that refer to Rockville as "the hood" or the non-IB students at RM as "atrocious." That's not only incredibly ugly, it also displays a rather glaring disconnect from reality.
Anonymous
Post 12/06/2013 07:49     Subject: Re:How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:People who live IN the bubble don't see how ignorant it is to boast "I am a lawyer, yea me", gag! I want my kids to be lawyers as much as I want them to go to Wall Strret and crash the economy for their own gain. Sorry if that hurts your feelings but the PP is exactly why I would NEVER send my kids to certain schools, Whitman specifically.

She actually thinks she is a role model, hey look at me... Don't you want your kids to be entitled like me, ummmm no I'll pass.

Your version of an entitled person is someone who went to UMD?


My definition of an entitled person is somebody who thinks they are one with the people because they ONLY went to UMCP.

Anonymous
Post 12/06/2013 06:38     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
And since SAT scores are directly correlated to parent income..they tell us nothing about the quality of the teaching that goes on at the school. Please cite a study that tells me that if a move from a school like RM to a school like Whitman, my childs SAT scores will be higher.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/09/the-bottom-line-on-sat-scores-in-one-chart/
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2013 21:41     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think you RM parents are reading too much into these posting. Your insecurities are showing. I think the point has been made that RM, although a really good school, is probably just above average if you removed the IB program. In the same token, if you removed the magnet program from Blair then Blair would probably drop off a cliff. Now way Blair has 30+ NMSF without the magnet program and no way RM has 40 NMSF without the IB program. The average SAT, AP scores, college placements at both school would just drop. RM would become a peer of Sherwood, Magruder and Quince Orchard. Blair would not have a peer in MoCo. Yet, Whitman and Churchill would still produce they type of kids they have always produced. Wootton and WJ would also continue to do well. Again, OP asked about RM sans IB. My answer is that the program is okay it is not one of the top schools in MoCo.

Sorry if that hurts but that is the reality.


+1 Very true



Another +1 from me. The IB just covers up how atrocious the GENERAL population of students at RM is.


Really? Are you a teacher or parent at RM? I would hope that you are, if you're going to make a statement like that. Otherwise, it lacks credibility. It may very well be the case that W s are more rigorous and have more motivated kids than RM w/out IB, but the question is whether RM is the type of school that should be avoided? I think no. A good kid will do we'll there. There is everything in place to reach everyone's full potential and no hindrances.


You people are really having a difficult time with this. Please see the original post. RM is a good school w/o the IB and not a school to be avoided. It is a better than average school -- In between the Ws and the Rockvilles, Northwests, etc. of MoCo. Again, taking out the IB kids, the median SAT, which is already below the W median, is likely to drop several hundred points. The numbers don't lie. RM sans IB is just an above average school in MoCo. Even WJ, which is the weakest of the Ws created its own magnet program (APEX). So to answer the question of the posters above -- Do the W have special programs that don't exist elsewhere? Yes, some of the W schools do have programs. Within the magnet group of 50+ per year, the average SAT is ~2100 (see link). That compares favorably with the median IB SAT. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/wjhs/programs/apex/APEX_Profile.pdf
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/rmhs/ib/2013-14%20IB_Insert.pdf
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2013 21:25     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
Anonymous wrote:RM is a dive. Academics outside of the IB are mediocre at best. Sports and extracurriculars are abysmal. The magnet is there to keep the school from collapsing. The problem with MoCo is that if you live outside of Chevy Chase, Bethesda, Potomac, or Kensington, you are living in the hood or on a farm. I know kids who attended or are attending RM. Most of the kids are bright. Diversity is ok if you are comparing it to Wooton. Given that the school takes in suspect area, the school has disciplinary problems. In 2010, the school made the news for being put on lock down. But, like most schools, a dedicated student with supportive parents will do well.
. Which one doesn't belong?? Kensington!
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2013 21:14     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
Anonymous wrote:What is so bad about Julius West Middle School? It's about as big as my zoned middle school, it's about as over capacity as my zoned middle school (my zoned middle school has more portables), the racial/ethnic percentages are about the same, and the FARMS percentage is not that much higher. But I've never heard anybody talk about my zoned middle school in horror. In fact, I've even heard people say good things about it.

I didn't say it was "bad". What I'm saying is that if you're evaluating whether the RM cluster is good enough for you, you need to evaluate JW MS more than RM HS. RM is a new facility. It's not overcrowded. And it has the benefit of the magnet program to improve the overall academic culture.

JW MS is an old facility. It's overcrowded. When they add the new addition, it will be massive compared to most MCPS MSs. And it's basically the same demographic mix you have at RM HS but without the cultural benefit of the magnet program being in the building. Comparatively speaking, it's a weaker MS than RM is as a HS.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2013 20:21     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
What is so bad about Julius West Middle School? It's about as big as my zoned middle school, it's about as over capacity as my zoned middle school (my zoned middle school has more portables), the racial/ethnic percentages are about the same, and the FARMS percentage is not that much higher. But I've never heard anybody talk about my zoned middle school in horror. In fact, I've even heard people say good things about it.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2013 19:43     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
The middle school is the weaker link in the chain in pretty much any US school system, as far as I know.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2013 19:20     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
Anonymous wrote:Really? Are you a teacher or parent at RM? I would hope that you are, if you're going to make a statement like that. Otherwise, it lacks credibility. It may very well be the case that W s are more rigorous and have more motivated kids than RM w/out IB, but the question is whether RM is the type of school that should be avoided? I think no. A good kid will do we'll there. There is everything in place to reach everyone's full potential and no hindrances.

I'm not the poster you were replying to, but I do live in the RM cluster. My DD is in pre-school so I have no first hand experience.

Isn't this whole discussion a bit misguided though? People keep debating the strength of RM HS without the IB magnet part, but isn't the real issue JW MS? However you feel about RM HS, the culture there is affected positively to some extent by the presence of the magnet kids/program. That isn't the case at JW MS, so it would seem to the weaker link in the chain when you start comparing things to the experience in the W clusters. I am debating public v private, and whether to stay in the cluster, but RM HS does not concern me at all and I'd gladly have my DD attend there in the non-IB sections. JW MS is what worries me.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2013 19:00     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think you RM parents are reading too much into these posting. Your insecurities are showing. I think the point has been made that RM, although a really good school, is probably just above average if you removed the IB program. In the same token, if you removed the magnet program from Blair then Blair would probably drop off a cliff. Now way Blair has 30+ NMSF without the magnet program and no way RM has 40 NMSF without the IB program. The average SAT, AP scores, college placements at both school would just drop. RM would become a peer of Sherwood, Magruder and Quince Orchard. Blair would not have a peer in MoCo. Yet, Whitman and Churchill would still produce they type of kids they have always produced. Wootton and WJ would also continue to do well. Again, OP asked about RM sans IB. My answer is that the program is okay it is not one of the top schools in MoCo.

Sorry if that hurts but that is the reality.


+1 Very true



Another +1 from me. The IB just covers up how atrocious the GENERAL population of students at RM is.


Really? Are you a teacher or parent at RM? I would hope that you are, if you're going to make a statement like that. Otherwise, it lacks credibility. It may very well be the case that W s are more rigorous and have more motivated kids than RM w/out IB, but the question is whether RM is the type of school that should be avoided? I think no. A good kid will do we'll there. There is everything in place to reach everyone's full potential and no hindrances.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2013 18:50     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
Anonymous wrote:Kids from rich families perform the same throughout MCPS - be it W or QO or Northwestern or any other HS.

It would actually be fascinating if MCPS released data to see whether that was true. I doubt anyone here can say conclusively.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2013 18:10     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think you RM parents are reading too much into these posting. Your insecurities are showing. I think the point has been made that RM, although a really good school, is probably just above average if you removed the IB program. In the same token, if you removed the magnet program from Blair then Blair would probably drop off a cliff. Now way Blair has 30+ NMSF without the magnet program and no way RM has 40 NMSF without the IB program. The average SAT, AP scores, college placements at both school would just drop. RM would become a peer of Sherwood, Magruder and Quince Orchard. Blair would not have a peer in MoCo. Yet, Whitman and Churchill would still produce they type of kids they have always produced. Wootton and WJ would also continue to do well. Again, OP asked about RM sans IB. My answer is that the program is okay it is not one of the top schools in MoCo.

Sorry if that hurts but that is the reality.


+1 Very true



Another +1 from me. The IB just covers up how atrocious the GENERAL population of students at RM is.



LOL. All W parents are jumping up and down because their snowflakes did not make it RMIB. The kids from W that did make it to RMIB chose to go to RMIB.
Kids from rich families perform the same throughout MCPS - be it W or QO or Northwestern or any other HS. The W schools are not better than other schools. MCPS provides the same facilities and teachers. What utter morons! RMIB, Blair and Poolesville kids are a cut above others - regardless of if which "W" school is their home-school - Whitman or Watkins Mill.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2013 18:03     Subject: How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think you RM parents are reading too much into these posting. Your insecurities are showing. I think the point has been made that RM, although a really good school, is probably just above average if you removed the IB program. In the same token, if you removed the magnet program from Blair then Blair would probably drop off a cliff. Now way Blair has 30+ NMSF without the magnet program and no way RM has 40 NMSF without the IB program. The average SAT, AP scores, college placements at both school would just drop. RM would become a peer of Sherwood, Magruder and Quince Orchard. Blair would not have a peer in MoCo. Yet, Whitman and Churchill would still produce they type of kids they have always produced. Wootton and WJ would also continue to do well. Again, OP asked about RM sans IB. My answer is that the program is okay it is not one of the top schools in MoCo.

Sorry if that hurts but that is the reality.


+1 Very true



Another +1 from me. The IB just covers up how atrocious the GENERAL population of students at RM is.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2013 17:59     Subject: Re:How is Richard Montgomery if you're not in IB?
Anonymous wrote:People who live IN the bubble don't see how ignorant it is to boast "I am a lawyer, yea me", gag! I want my kids to be lawyers as much as I want them to go to Wall Strret and crash the economy for their own gain. Sorry if that hurts your feelings but the PP is exactly why I would NEVER send my kids to certain schools, Whitman specifically.

She actually thinks she is a role model, hey look at me... Don't you want your kids to be entitled like me, ummmm no I'll pass.

Your version of an entitled person is someone who went to UMD?