Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Data from 2009 reveals that students have long struggled with final exams in MCPS math courses.
Few Montgomery County Public Schools students enrolled in high school math courses made high marks on final exams last semester, data released by the school district last week showed. In one class, Bridge to Algebra 2, less than 1 percent made an "A" on the final exam. (See data, above, that details the distribution of final exam grades "A" through "E" for eight math courses last semester.) School officials were prompted to release student math grades after members of the county school board grilled Superintendent Joshua Starr about last semester's final exam grades. Media outlets reported earlier this month that the majority of students in high school math—Algebra, Algebra 2, Geometry and Precalculus—failed their final exams. Starr …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Floyd Starnes remains principal despite complaints from former school employees
Montgomery County has settled out of court with a group of teachers who brought a lawsuit against the county's board of education and Floyd Starnes, the principal at Kemp Mill Elementary School since 2007, The Washington Post reported. The former school employees accused Starnes of "unabated and outrageous bullying behavior directed toward the Kemp Mill teachers, as well as the administrative and custodial staff," according to the lawsuit. Both sides signed a confidentiality agreement preventing them from disclosing the terms of the settlement, The Washington Post reported. When the suit was filed in March 2012, MCPS released this statement: “It is unfortunate that a group of people is using the media to make accusations—thus far proven to…
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
"Students are the largest stakeholders, but we are noticeably underrepresented in making critical decisions" in the school system, said Justin Kim, 18, of Gaithersburg.
Meet Justin Kim, junior at Poolesville High and an 18-year-old Gaithersburg native who will serve as student member of the Montgomery County Board of Education next year. Kim was elected to the position with 65 percent of the student vote, Montgomery County Public Schools announced April 26. All secondary students in the system were eligible to participate in the election. Patch spoke to Kim about what he hopes to achieve during his term and the challenges the school system faces. Patch: Why did you want to become a member of the Montgomery County Board of Education? Justin Kim: I’ve always had a passion for service and working with others towards a common goal. Throughout my life, I am always looking for new ways to help others and …
Monday, April 29, 2013
A new model for underperforming schools will work to close the county school system's achievement gap, school officials said.
Ten "Innovation Schools" within Montgomery County Public Schools will receive "shoulder-to-shoulder" support from the system's central office under a new program that will work to close the achievement gap. The new program, announced at the April 23 meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Education, will hire a new position—a chief school improvement officer—to work directly with the leadership staff at the selected schools. This dedicated central office position is new to the system's approach to working with struggling schools, said Deputy Superintendent Beth Schiavino-Narvaez. "We're limiting the number of schools so that (the improvement officer) can be on the ground working shoulder-to-shoulder with the leadership team on their …
Monday, April 22, 2013
This most recent incident involved a 10th grade student who was protesting U.S. government policies toward Puerto Rico.
The Maryland Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently announced that for the fourth time in eight years, it has taken action against the Montgomery County Public School system regarding a student’s rights to decline to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance. This most recent incident involved Enidris Siurano-Rodriguez, a 10th grade student at Damascus High School, who was protesting U.S. government policies toward Puerto Rico. According to the ACLU’s press release, Siurano-Rodriguez, whose family is from Puerto Rico, was initially sent to the principal’s office, where the assistant principal “improperly demanded to know why she persisted in sitting during the Pledge.” The school then contacted the student’s mother, …
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Learn when each Montgomery County public high school will hold its graduation ceremony.
Montgomery County Public Schools on Thursday tweeted a link to a schedule of high school graduations this spring. All ceremonies at DAR Costitution Hall in Washington, D.C. will be streamed online, the school system's website said. The graduations season begins with a ceremony for the school system's Alternative Programs on May 24 and wraps up with June 12 with ceremonies for Watkins Mill High School, the Longview School and the Gateway to College program. Click here to read the full schedule on the MCPS website.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Unseasonably warm temperatures lead to questions about school air conditioning.
On Wednesday, several Magruder High School students were overcome by the heat. No wonder that MCPS has been getting questions about the process of changing over from heat to air conditioning in the schools. MCPS posted on its website an explanation about the conversion process.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Get caught up on headlines from around Montgomery County.
With more than a dozen websites across Montgomery County, Patch brings you news from every corner of our community. Catch up on headlines you might have missed this week. First Lady Hosts Watkins Mill Students for Jackie Robinson Film Workshop GAITHERSBURG—First Lady Michelle Obama and actor Harrison Ford were among participants in a panel discussion following a film screening for Watkins Mill students. “To be able to share this experience with students is probably one of the most meaningful experiences of my career," Watkins Mill principal Scott Murphy said. Read the full story on Gaithersburg Patch and follow a live thread of tweets and photos from the event. Wheaton Redevelopment: Different Site Considered for Park and Planning …
Friday, March 22, 2013
Dustin Construction explains the elementary school's 'green' features, asks students to do their part.
"You guys ready to see pictures of your new school?" the project manager asked. "Yes!" came the enthusiastic cry from third, fourth and fifth graders gathered in the cafeteria at Fairland Center Thursday morning. Sarah Cummings and Michael Hoffman, project managers with Gaithersburg-based Dustin Construction, showed Glenallan Elementary School students the plans for their new school building at the request of the school's PTA. Glenallan students will finish the 2012-2013 school year at Fairland Center on Old Columbia Pike in Silver Spring as construction wraps up in Wheaton. At the end of August, they will start classes in their brand new building at the corner of Heurich and Randolph roads. Cummings and Hoffman explained the "green" …
Sunday, March 17, 2013
A rundown of what MCPS is serving to students this week.
What's for lunch? This week's menu for Montgomery County Public Schools' elementary school cafeterias is listed below. Visit the full menu for calorie information. The menu for Head Start and pre-kindergarten students varies slightly from the elementary school menu. Visit the MCPS website for middle school lunch, high school lunch and middle and high school breakfast offerings.
AMSV
3:50 pm on Thursday, May 23, 2013
It makes me wonder if there is a problem with how the exams are written. If a large number of students fail, it is reasonable to consider that the test itself may be a problem. If a student gets an A all year and flunks the exam, was the teacher too easy all year or was the exam too hard or confusing? I have never liked standardized tests. They don't tell the big picture. And, frankly, I think … more ›