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 …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The systemwide proposal to provide more central office support to struggling schools begins with a 10-school pilot, according to county schools officials.
A Germantown elementary school was picked to help pilot a new program from Montgomery County Public Schools that will provide an extra layer of central office support to underperforming schools. Officials culled data to determine the schools that needed help, including key measures at certain grade levels, like whether students are reading as they should by 3rd grade and whether 5th and 8th graders have the reading and math skills that prepare them for the next level. The full list of schools: "The 10 Innovation Schools have already shown a commitment to school improvement and have the staff and leadership in place to accelerate that progress," Superintendent Joshua Starr said in a statement. "These schools will serve as a model for how …
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 22, 2013
Sophomore wrote the grand-prize winning essay
Daniela Hernandez-Fujigaki, a 10th grader at Clarksburg High School won the $20,000 grand prize in a Junior Achievement Essay Competition. Hernandez-Fujigaki will be honored at a ceremony June 5 in Washington, DC. Three other Montgomery County public school students were selected as sate winners and will receive $10,000 scholarships: Richard Montgomery High School will receive a $6,000 grant for having the most eligible applicants. The winning entries are posted at the Junior Achievement website.
Most recent incident involved Damascus High School sophomore
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 Enidirs Siurano-Rodriguez, a 10th grade student at Damascus High School, who was protesting U.S. government policies toward Puerto Rico, which is her family's native country. According to the ACLU’s press release, Siurano-Rodriguez 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 …
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.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Domestic incident involving parents off of school grounds triggered the alert, police and school officials said.
Two Germantown schools were placed on alert Wednesday morning, due to a domestic incident involving parents off school grounds, police and school officials said. Police were sent to Northwest High School and S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School around 9:30 a.m. in response to threats made in relation to the domestic incident, Montgomery County police spokeswoman Angela Cruz said. Police did not provide details of the domestic incident. Outside doors were locked at the schools but classes were conducted as usual, said Gboyinde Onijala, a Montgomery County Public Schools spokeswoman. Onijala said the “shelter in place” order was enacted at 9:20 a.m. at McAuliffe and 9:55 a.m. at Northwest. The order was lifted around 11 a.m., said MCPS …
Friday, March 15, 2013
Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr said he is disappointed in the County Executive's budget plan.
The amount of aid for county schools proposed by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett in his fiscal 2014 county budget plan falls short of what's needed, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr said Friday. Leggett's plan calls for a schools budget of $2.23 billion—an increase of $65.8 million, or 3 percent more than the budget approved for the current school year. "The County Executive's recommendation would fund 100 percent of the [school board]'s request," according to Leggett's budget proposal. Click here to read more on Leggett's fiscal 2014 budget plan and here to hear the County Executive discuss the proposal. The proposal is a slight increase in spending for MCPS, to the level required by the state's …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Winter storm closes federal and county offices.
Schools and government offices are closed Wednesday, as the first significant snow storm in two years made its way across the region. Montgomery County Public Schools and their administrative offices are closed and all activities in school buildings are canceled, the school system announced. Federal government offices in the Washington, D.C., area will be closed and non-emergency federal employees will be granted excused absences, the Office of Personnel Management said on its website. Montgomery County goverment offices are closed. "Essential personnel should report to work," the county's website said. Montgomery College is closed and testing deadlines will be adjusted by one day, the college's website said. The Universities at Shady …
Monday, March 4, 2013
A rundown of what MCPS is serving to students this week.
What's for lunch at Montgomery County Public Schools? This week's menu for 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.
Barbara
4:08 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Why they need Math? As long as they reside in Montgomery County they'll get everything for free. It is a free state, right? more ›