MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith pointed out that not every senior desires to take college courses after finishing high school, and that a number of students are graduating unprepared for either college or a career. He told the County Council and the Board of Education that MCPS should be able to prepare students across the county for either college or a career, whichever they decide.
“We need that collaborative effort, and then we need to be able to tell students, ‘Whether you want to get a career right out of high school or (attend) Montgomery College; College Park; UVA; the University of California, Berkeley, we don’t care,’” Smith said. “‘We want to make sure you are well-prepared.’”
Council member Sidney Katz (D-3) told Smith he was concerned there are too few technical school opportunities available for students who intend to enter careers right after high school.
“The academics are obviously (something) Montgomery County is proud of, but I also get concerned about technical schools, and it’s been touched on,” said Katz.
Katz pointed out that some students who prefer to work with their hands and may want to become electricians or plumbers may not always be top students academically. Students should have access to training in skills they could put towards a job they seek, he said....
http://thesentinel.com/mont/newsx/local/item/3868-new-superintendent-concerned-about-readiness
In recent Washington Post articles, as many as 80% of MCPS high school juniors and seniors fail their algebra and/or geometry semester exams. MCPS "fixed" this by doing away with final exams. Many MCPS students, who pass all of their math courses with Cs and Bs AND pass their Math HSAs, fail remedial math (not college level math), when they attend Montgomery College. Superintendent Smith has his work cut out for him.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's about time to reinstitute academic, business and technical tracks in the secondary education system.
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