I’m firmly on the record saying that the Montgomery County Public Schools is a very good public school district.
To wit, .
I’m also on the record saying MCPS has not closed its academic achievement gaps. For example, .
Reality check: Yes, you can have both a very good public school district—high performing—and have substantial populations of students lagging behind academically. Unfortunately, in our nation, our state, our region, and our county, such extremes are just the way things are.
But one thing is clear in my head about staying high-performing. The degree to which MCPS stays on top of its game relates directly to the degree to which it firmly stands behind its most academically gifted students. And so, when I read my Aug. 5 edition of The Washington Post Magazine—with the story about MCPS’s mathletes—I began to wonder if MCPS really is interested and committed to standing behind its most academically-gifted students.
Have we lost our minds?
Click here to read the full article, “Montgomery’s mathletes."
Here’s the story in a nutshell: The Montgomery County Math Team is one nation’s best performing math team—they win a lot. The article even refers to some of the team members as “ … the Kobe Bryants and Peyton Mannings of math.” And all of this wonderful work has been going on for decades in Montgomery County. Clearly, it an essential piece of MCPS’s high performance (my opinion here). But times are tight financially and support for the team has been severely cut. Cut to the point where it appears as though the team might be at the end of its road—as in out-of-business within another school year.
And so this is where I’d like to simply end this blog posting a question each for the Montgomery County Board of Education and another for MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr. (Although, they also are free to answer the above question—Have we lost our minds?)
Board question: Is there any Board member who really believes that MCPS will remain high performing—better than average, better than ordinary—without standing behind our mathletes?
Starr question: You keep preaching to us about how our kids need more real life-like experiences that test creativity and innovation, and so aren't these mathletes doing exactly what you want from all our kids?
Up to 60% of MC kids need remedial math? Why isn't anyone paying attention? Those kids are MCPS graduates! Until MCPS addresses the awful math teachers in the system and the summer school program designed ONLY to push the kids through--not teach--it does not deserve to be called the best. The constant focus on the top just disgusts me.
Don't be disgusted. There is no constant focus on the top. Hence, What you have described that is happening at Montgomery College. The remediation rate at MC has been a known issue for years. MCPS budget priorities are set by a SECRET budget committee that includes the 3 unions and MCCPTA. The 3 unions and MCCPTA are very, very happy with the way things are going in MCPS. They continue to fund personal credit cards (yea!), dinners, lunches, and travel for administrators and the group that gets the personal invitations to billionaires homes (Glenstone). They are all very happy. Meanwhile, no focus on the students - any of them - top or bottom. The focus is on the adults who handle the money.
Another reason that so many students have done poorly at M.C. is that they don't take the Accuplacer (entrance exam) seriously. It is this test alone that determines their placement in courses. Many MCPS schools are now focusing on "career and college readiness" because of this. I hope this means that some priority will be given to supporting differentiated Math instruction.
Who doesn't take it seriously--the students or MCPS? And you are absolutely right that the Accuplacer is a key measurement that is under utilized. In fact, I was just discussing this yesterday with friends. The test SHOULD be given in 10th grade maybe and 11th--several times. Something is VERY VERY wrong with MCPS's math instruction when so many kids are needing two years of expensive, non-credit, below college level math courses at MC. How is this contributing to the drop-out and graduation rate there? How far behind is a kid in that situation? MC is only two years! I want to see this made a priority. Even, if you're interested in working with me on this at the Board of Ed level please contact me.
There is a focus on the top--the push to get kids to take AP classes, to enroll in IB and "make the grade" with WaPo's lists. That's what MCPS pays attention to. Many kids at the middle and lower levels are falling through the cracks.