Kensington Parents Reportedly Frustrated With Newport Mill Middle School Curriculum

Some Montgomery County parents are frustrated with the level of education their children are receiving at Kensington middle school , according to news reports.

The Gazette reports that parents will meet with county public school officials Thursday to address the academics and learning environment. Thirty-five parents signed a letter to schools Superintendent Joshua Starr last month requesting a more challenging curriculum. 

“We received rigorous and challenging work at our ... elementary schools and expect the same at Newport,” the parents said in the letter, according to the Gazette. “Newport, however, is not offering that same level of rigor for all of its students.”

The letter came as a result of a school meeting last month facilitated by staff from the public schools’ Department of Family and Community Partnerships, which according to Bethesda Magazine, was meant for parents to air concerns and suggestions for improvement.

John Cummings spoke on behalf of the concerned parents at the meeting and said the group supports the school’s diversity but doesn’t understand why it sacrifices academic needs, Bethesda Magazine reported.

“Many of us now feel we are caught between having to make the decision between diversity and rigor,” Cummings told the magazine.

According to the Gazette, parents were particularly frustrated by what they saw as a lack of challenging work in the English program.

Maryland State Assessments results for the county this year showed that the percent of middle school students scoring proficient or higher in from 2011. 

Dana Tofig, a spokesperson for the county public schools, told the Gazette that school officials are working together with parents to ensure “constructive, effective discussion regarding the concerns raised.”