By Adam Pagnucco.
MCPS’s boundary studies are now the target of growing revolts around the county. The latest outbreak comes from Rockville, where parents benefiting from a rare K-12 program are mobilizing to prevent its dismantling. Will they succeed?
The Rockville revolt relates to one of MCPS’s International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, which challenge students with demanding curricula that are recognized around the world. Several MCPS high schools have two-year IB programs. But there is one group of students who can attend IB programs in every year of K-12: those who start at College Gardens ES in Rockville, go on to Julius West MS and then to Richard Montgomery HS. All three schools have IB programs.
This is an uncommon arrangement in Maryland. In the entire state, there are only 26 elementary schools with IB programs, and College Gardens ES is the only one in MCPS. Accordingly, this K-12 IB sequence has devoted supporters. The problem is that new boundaries might disrupt it. Of the four boundary map options released by MCPS, two – Option 1 and Option 3 – would send College Gardens ES students to Gaithersburg MS, preventing them from attending the IB program at Julius West MS. That’s something that many College Gardens parents are not ready to accept.
This being Montgomery County, the parents have launched an online petition to dissuade MCPS from such disruption. They have other reasons for opposing some of the map options, such as geography and facility utilization, but the IB situation makes this different from other revolts. Here is the petition language specifically about the IB programs.
The lead graphic from the College Gardens ES petition.
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Preserving Equity in IB Education
CGES is a highly-diverse elementary school (44% free and reduced meals; 76% students of color). It holds a unique position in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) as the only elementary International Baccalaureate (IB) World School.
This globally-recognized program fosters critical thinking, international-mindedness, and interdisciplinary learning from an early age. It is a treasured program that draws families to the community.
Currently, CGES students continue to Julius West Middle School, which is home to the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), and then to Richard Montgomery High School, which offers the IB Diploma Programme. This specialized IB pathway is the only continuous pathway in Montgomery County.
Reassigning CGES students to Gaithersburg Middle School would disrupt students’ academic progress and undermine years of investment in curriculum, teacher training, and program development.
Under Options 1 and 3, these CGES students would then be the only students at Gaithersburg Middle School to then attend Richard Montgomery High School—while all of the remaining students have had three years together at Julius West. There is no capacity or utilization rationale for this change. Singling out CGES’s diverse student body for this isolating experience does not further any of the Board’s stated goals, and simply defies common sense.
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Here is how hot this issue is. In the 2022-23 school year, College Gardens ES had 471 students. As of this writing, the petition has generated more than 5,000 letters to MCPS. Also of interest is the demographics of the school, which in 2022-23 was 27% White, 24% Black, 21% Latino, 20% Asian and 34% FARMS (free and reduced price meals). This has to be one of the most demographically balanced elementary schools in MCPS.
Waiting in the wings is a simultaneous MCPS academic programs analysis, which may or may not address this issue. College Gardens ES parents aren’t taking any chances. We shall see if they prevail.