MCCPTA Gifted Education Committee's Complaint about Systemic Failures by MCPS

[Anonymous]

If you want to know the current state of gifted education in MCPS, you should read this 95-page complaint by MCCPTA's Gifted Education Committee, filed on May 2, 2022.

Intro:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14ZwXY8AHOuwVuyd_thk5gZND-nRsusXrt47o2Hs0KEI/edit?fbclid=IwAR3xzJoqqd2rYVXY44MPO8xUIts_keOs4bB7pBLi44nkw9OKp6B84Dqcm6U

"The GEC’s Complaint from the Public (CFP) chronicles systemic failures by MCPS to faithfully implement the gifted education requirements set forth by numerous MCPS policies and Maryland State laws. MCPS’s noncompliance has resulted in an inconsistent and inequitable delivery of enriched and accelerated instruction throughout the County."

Full 95-page complaint:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t3i9kssWABBpzLoduJo-2JVziplDMhBj/view?fbclid=IwAR3UtnOwEwkB8X2IZ2-46hX8INjuzXL7YM0iTgNsFriot-6bCn6SrjC0Ew8

Some quotes below:

Regarding lottery data:

"For the 2020-2021 lottery, MCPS reported the number provided of all students in
the grade as the number of students “considered” for the lottery.38 They did not provide the
number of the students who met threshold criteria and were placed into the magnet lottery, the
more analogous category to the pre-lottery of “considered” students. We have repeatedly asked
DCCAPS Director Jeannie Franklin to provide this data, which MCPS refused to do without an
MPIA request. Although we have submitted an MPIA request, MCPS has said it will take two
months to produce this data."

MCPS will use lottery for CES and middle school magnets for 3 years:

MCPS changed the process for selection of Center and magnet middle school students in
the 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024 years. MCPS used and will use a lottery-based
selection process and will not administer the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) exam for second,
third, fifth, and eighth graders.43 The decision not to administer the CogAT impacted not only
magnet and Center selection but also placement into local enrichment courses and the
state-mandated SIPPI gifted identification process.

Regarding MCPS's insistence on a "three-year pilot" for lottery:

"MCPS has stated that it intends to continue the lottery process and elimination of the
CogAT for the magnet school and Center placement, to complete a three year “pilot.” We are in
the dark regarding why MCPS needs a three year pilot to understand the impact of removing the
CogAT in its selection process. If MCPS seeks to analyze of the impact of eliminating the
CogAT, it has pre-2020 data which it could use to identify which students would have been
selected in the past if the CogAT had not been administered and compare that group to the
students who were actually selected using the CogAT factor."


MCPS's response to MPIA request:

"Given the broad nature of your request and extensive list of potential responsive documents,
we are estimating that the fee to complete this request will be extenstive. Please note that this fee will not be waived."

[Anonymous]

Oh no! I sure hope those gifted kids with involved parents will be OK!

[Anonymous]

I'm grateful to the MCCPTA for their advocacy here. While gifted kids with involved parents will likely be fine, MCPS isn't just failing those kids. It is also failing gifted kids without involved parents, gifted kids who are URMs, gifted kids who are poor/working class, and gifted kids who also have learning differences.

While the advocacy may be led by well-connected parents, it benefits everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm grateful to the MCCPTA for their advocacy here. While gifted kids with involved parents will likely be fine, MCPS isn't just failing those kids. It is also failing gifted kids without involved parents, gifted kids who are URMs, gifted kids who are poor/working class, and gifted kids who also have learning differences.

While the advocacy may be led by well-connected parents, it benefits everyone.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm grateful to the MCCPTA for their advocacy here. While gifted kids with involved parents will likely be fine, MCPS isn't just failing those kids. It is also failing gifted kids without involved parents, gifted kids who are URMs, gifted kids who are poor/working class, and gifted kids who also have learning differences.

While the advocacy may be led by well-connected parents, it benefits everyone.

Agree. I'm grateful for their advocacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm grateful to the MCCPTA for their advocacy here. While gifted kids with involved parents will likely be fine, MCPS isn't just failing those kids. It is also failing gifted kids without involved parents, gifted kids who are URMs, gifted kids who are poor/working class, and gifted kids who also have learning differences.

While the advocacy may be led by well-connected parents, it benefits everyone.

Agree. I'm grateful for their advocacy.

Agree. Thanks for posting this, OP.

It's clear that MCPS cannot close the achievement gap without a lottery, and they fail to help the vast majority of URM who need more support. Instead, they focus on the tiny % point movement in the magnet programs. It's a distraction.

If they want to close the achievement gap, then start where the need is for the majority.

[Anonymous]

MCCPTA Gifted Education Committee, thank you to all the involved and hard working parents (mostly moms?). The entire community benefits from your work.


I no longer have a kid in the system but even I will benefit as a homeowner. School districts impact home prices.

[Anonymous]

Getting MCPS to admit that the lottery is on a three-year pilot was a major accomplishment.

It's also interesting because the earlier changes (universal screening, no at-home essay) weren't even given three years to determine success before being overtaken by this newest "reform."

[Anonymous]

Isn't the VA also on a 3-year run, in the sense that funding for it will end after 3 years? VA students can't take Cogat at home. Just wondering if there's a connection there. Perhaps Cogat can return once VA funding ends. Or if new VA funding is found, Cogat goes away indefinitely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't the VA also on a 3-year run, in the sense that funding for it will end after 3 years? VA students can't take Cogat at home. Just wondering if there's a connection there. Perhaps Cogat can return once VA funding ends. Or if new VA funding is found, Cogat goes away indefinitely.

I mean, there was always a protocol for home schoolers and private schoolers to take the Cogat at their neighborhood school. I can't imagine that's the holdup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm grateful to the MCCPTA for their advocacy here. While gifted kids with involved parents will likely be fine, MCPS isn't just failing those kids. It is also failing gifted kids without involved parents, gifted kids who are URMs, gifted kids who are poor/working class, and gifted kids who also have learning differences.

While the advocacy may be led by well-connected parents, it benefits everyone.

Another parent grateful here for their advocacy. It is heartbreaking to read their report and realize just how out of compliance MCPS is, and wonder why they seem committed to fighting AGAINST serving the needs of these students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm grateful to the MCCPTA for their advocacy here. While gifted kids with involved parents will likely be fine, MCPS isn't just failing those kids. It is also failing gifted kids without involved parents, gifted kids who are URMs, gifted kids who are poor/working class, and gifted kids who also have learning differences.

While the advocacy may be led by well-connected parents, it benefits everyone.

Another parent grateful here for their advocacy. It is heartbreaking to read their report and realize just how out of compliance MCPS is, and wonder why they seem committed to fighting AGAINST serving the needs of these students.

Is it really that complicated? Tactic for closing the achievement gap, what it all seems to come down to these days.

[Anonymous]

^^as futile as that is when you can't change things at home.

Look at DC, highest per capita student spending in the nation with the worst outcomes.

[Anonymous]

My gifted 2e kid is in K (2021-2022), and will be 1st grade(2022-2023) & 2nd grade (2023-2024). So, from my understanding, the lottery system is done by the time she is at 3rd grade (2024-2025), what does that mean? Does not affect us at all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't the VA also on a 3-year run, in the sense that funding for it will end after 3 years? VA students can't take Cogat at home. Just wondering if there's a connection there. Perhaps Cogat can return once VA funding ends. Or if new VA funding is found, Cogat goes away indefinitely.

I mean, there was always a protocol for home schoolers and private schoolers to take the Cogat at their neighborhood school. I can't imagine that's the holdup.

But how unwieldy is that in practice? They'd have to dedicate a lot of resources to each VA child to take the test at their local elementary - scheduling, proctoring, processing. I'd imagine it would take a lot of extra teacher time at a lot of different schools.