What if your child comes home from school so bored that she doesn’t want to go anymore? What if you can’t get your daughter’s school to provide the more advanced work that you think she needs?
That was the case with Lisa Clemans-Cope of Bethesda, whose rising third-grader, Eleanor, wasn’t getting what she needed from Bradley Hills Elementary School. So Clemans-Cope did what some other parents of gifted kids in Montgomery County public schools have done: She turned to private academic programs.
Dissatisfaction with what MCPS can offer gifted kids grew dramatically among parents with last year’s introduction of Curriculum 2.0, a new elementary school curriculum that is designed to provide rigorous instruction for all kids within the same classroom. Some parents grew alarmed at the new math instruction, which no longer includes accelerated classes and takes a slower, more deliberate approach to topics.
Although MCPS officials reassured parents that their kids would be challenged, the question remains for many remains: Will the curriculum meet the needs of gifted kids?
Find out by reading my story in the September/October issue of Bethesda magazine.
Parents of gifted elementary school kids aren’t the only worried ones. Middle school parents are also concerned about academic rigor and options for their gifted kids who don’t make it into the middle school magnet programs at Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring, Takoma Park Middle School, and Roberto Clemente Middle School in Germantown.
These parents have complained about the elimination of honors classes in middle schools and the creation of “advanced” classes that serve students of all ability levels. They say their kids lack academic challenges in these classes and want students to be grouped by ability.
In October, the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations passed a resolution calling for MCPS to “provide honors courses (or other appropriately designated courses) in all core subject areas for academically advanced students in middle school in addition to challenging on-grade level courses designed to meet the needs of most students.”
Last spring, a group of about three dozen parents of mostly rising seventh-graders at Newport Mill Middle School called upon MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr to look into what they considered a lack of academic rigor at the Kensington School, as well as discipline issues.
At Newport Mill, all students are “placed in ‘advanced’ classes except for math,” the parents said in a letter to Starr. “It is unrealistic to expect that, given the wide gaps in ability and interest levels, teachers can effectively advance all students in the current classroom structure.”
After a lengthy meeting with school administrators and Community Superintendent Bronda Mills on July 26, the school has agreed to offer Advanced English classes based on student “performance,” according to a parent involved in the discussions.
“Advanced English classes will be organized based on students’ past performance and their assessment data,” said a letter sent to parents. “Moreover, grouping practices will ensure educational equity with a variety of flexible groupings.”
The parents who pushed for changes are pleased with the news and are hoping this means their kids will receive more challenging work this school year.
“MCPS has listened and responded to concerns raised by Newport Mill parents over academic rigor. Community Superintendent Bronda Mills has been especially responsive and has committed to reestablishing English classes based on performance this fall, ensuring increased rigor for all students,” parent Beth Weaver said in an email.
As for the discipline problems?
“We look forward to continuing to work with MCPS and the leadership team at Newport Mill to address the discipline issues that are disruptive to the learning environment,” Weaver wrote.
