Downcounty Consortium selection process begins

Eighth graders in the Downcounty Consortium (DCC) will choose their top three choices for academies on Dec. 12. Despite criticism from some parents, school officials hope the DCC will enhance students' learning and help them investigate possible career paths.  

Students in the DCC will be able to choose from 18 different academies amongst the five high schools. The academies at Blair will be Entrepreneurship, Human Service Professions, International Studies, Media Literacy and Science, Math and Technology. Along with Blair, the schools in the DCC include Einstein, Kennedy, Northwood and Wheaton. 

Eighth graders will most likely receive their first choice for their academy if they are living in the school's zone, says Jody Zepp, International Studies Academy coordinator. Those who do not receive their first choice are eligible to participate in second round of process. Academy choice deadlines for those who did not receive their first choice will be on March 12, 2004. 

In addition, some high school boundaries have changed. For example, students at Silver Spring International Middle School (SSIMS) now have the new Northwood high school as a home school, making it much harder to get into Blair. "I would've rather gone straight to [Blair]," said eighth grader, Joseph Tyser, who attends SSIMS. "My family's there, so I want to go there." Tyser hopes to get into Blair's Science, Math and Technology Academy. 

School officials established the concept for the DCC after the Board of Education decided to reopen Northwood reopened in September 2004 in order to manage the overpopulation at Blair and Einstein. Funding for the DCC was provided by a $1.9 million grant from the federal government.  

When the grant ends, academy coordinator Susan Ragan said the DCC will not need additional funds since the grant in the future because much of the grant is used to sponsor the beginning stages of the DCC, such as conferences and human resources related to the program.  

SSIMS Cluster representative Jeanne Philbin views the DCC as a negative solution to the overcrowding at Blair and Einstein, and a way for the Board of Education to group schools with high rates in students with Free and Reduced Meals (FARMs) together. "What we've done in the DCC is segregate the school system into the 'haves' and 'have nots,' " said Philbin. Once SSIMS is divided, Blair will have the highest FARMs rate in the county. 

Despite Philbin's feelings, Ragan pointed to the success of the Northeast consortium for the past six years as reason that the DCC will be effective as well. Ragan said the academic achievement of the students in the Northeast Consortium show that the program was successful, along with student satisfaction because students were able to receive their first choice for school preference.  

In addition to current eighth graders, freshmen have the option of choosing academies as well, but under no obligations. "We hope the program will be attractive to everyone, but we can't go as far as to say 'you must,' " said Ragan. Current sophomores and juniors have the opportunity to take academy courses.  

Catherine O'Bryant, the mother of an eighth grader at Takoma Park Middle School (TPMS), said the DCC academies are "needlessly complex" and would prefer that students not have to choose a specific learning academy. "[A student] should be a generalist in high school and sample as many different courses as possible," said O'Bryant.

Some students are facing difficulty deciding on academies and determining their interests. "It's stressful because we're only 13 and we shouldn't be choosing a career path now," said TPMS eighth grader, Sophia Kleine.  

According to Blair Cluster Coordinator Chris Barclay, students may change academies during their high school careers, but that it is not encouraged. "Eighth graders have a great opportunity to enter the academy of their choice. But these choices are not final," he said. 

Prior to the DCC, the Communication Arts Program (CAP) at Blair was only offered to Eastern, SSIMS and TPMS. Next school year, the CAP will be open to all eight middle schools in the DCC. CAP coordinator Dolores D'Angelo is pleased that more students will be familiar with media technology, but she admits that there will be more demands on television program equipment and studio space because the CAP will have to share more of these resources with the Media Literacy Academy.  

As for Blair's Magnet program, Magnet coordinator, Eileen Steinkraus said there will be little effect on the program since it is already open to all MCPS students. Steinkraus added that the Math, Science and Technology academy will allow on-level students to pursue their interests in that area. 

There have been several evening meetings for parents of eighth graders in the DCC. Northeast and Downcounty Consortia Director Eric Lang also said the office of the DCC should know the academy choices of all eighth graders before February of next year.