Anyone know what the Middle School Magnet Process will be like this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But why not? It is easy to destroy. And we can claim a quick victory.

The 4 middle school magnet programs enroll 400 students. That's top 400/12000=3.3% of the students.

Now they have a lottery for the top 15%. With local norming, some in the top 20% or 25% are included in the lottery.

Instead of programs for the top 3.3%, they now have programs for the top 20% or 25%.

These are not the same programs, and I don't see how they can keep the same rigor.

Agreed the rigor will be lost because it used to be a tough program designed for top 3% students, it will impact the kids selected based on lottery ( behind the scenes not actually lottery) and either more kids will drop out not being able to keep up or they will lower the standard of the program. They should stop calling it for gifted students and name it something else like equal opportunity program for all races…

Thomas Sowell agrees. https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/12/17/sowell-do-the-real-facts-not-matter-at-all-in-college-admissions-debate/

Good article. Agree. Asian parent here. DC in high school magnet. 99% percentile MAP-R score. Yet finds the program challenging. We wonder many times if DC would have been better off at home school. I find it difficult to imagine how an 85% kid would do. It won't be a pleasant experience at all unless they significantly water down the program.

I don't know to be honest. I know my 99% who didn't prep found the magnet remarkably easy but I think an 85% kid will do about the same as 99% prepper.

My 99% had the same experience. They never do homework and get straight A's but I'm told a lot of kids who prepped to get in struggle so I'm guessing you're right.

[Anonymous]

I think middle school magnet lottery requires an "A" in math on report cards for 4th grade and 1st quarter of 5th grade for the math magnet programs. Does this take into consideration whether a child is in compacted math or not?

[Anonymous]

We are talking about two different types of magnet programs. DC has many friends who were in 8th at TPMS magnet last year who said they hardly had homework and the content was not that difficult in the magnet courses. The other required courses at TPMS are supposed to be very good but also not too dificult.

These are kids who are naturally good at math but kids who are on the math team or competing. I could see how a pretty wide range of top students could do well.

In the Humanities program I think is a different animal. I don't think being a 99th percentile kid gets you very far. This is a program for kids who are highly motivated and highly organized. While the discussions in class can be at an interesting and high level you can get great grades even if you are not a 99th percentile kid if you are really in to tiny details.

Teachers take off for font size and are really picky about their directions which can take up 10-20 pages for some assignments. This also means your child can be a genius and get horrible grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think middle school magnet lottery requires an "A" in math on report cards for 4th grade and 1st quarter of 5th grade for the math magnet programs. Does this take into consideration whether a child is in compacted math or not?

Where does it say that both 4th Grade and 1st Quarter of 5th grade report cards will be considered ? All I see is below from the FAQs last year :

To be placed in the humanities and communication lottery pool, an A in both reading and writing and an indication of above reading grade level on the report card from Grade 4, and a locally normed minimum of 85th percentile on either last year (winter) or this year’s (fall) MAP-R. For math, science or computer science, an A in both math and science and an indication of on level or higher for reading on the report card from Grade 4 and a locally normed minimum of 85th percentile on either last year (winter) or this year’s (fall) MAP-M.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think middle school magnet lottery requires an "A" in math on report cards for 4th grade and 1st quarter of 5th grade for the math magnet programs. Does this take into consideration whether a child is in compacted math or not?

Where does it say that both 4th Grade and 1st Quarter of 5th grade report cards will be considered ? All I see is below from the FAQs last year :

To be placed in the humanities and communication lottery pool, an A in both reading and writing and an indication of above reading grade level on the report card from Grade 4, and a locally normed minimum of 85th percentile on either last year (winter) or this year’s (fall) MAP-R. For math, science or computer science, an A in both math and science and an indication of on level or higher for reading on the report card from Grade 4 and a locally normed minimum of 85th percentile on either last year (winter) or this year’s (fall) MAP-M.

I don't know how you could hang with the STEM magnet math curriculum if you weren't in compacted math. It picks up where. compacted math left off, and the kids who don't follow that path are a level above (very few).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But why not? It is easy to destroy. And we can claim a quick victory.

The 4 middle school magnet programs enroll 400 students. That's top 400/12000=3.3% of the students.

Now they have a lottery for the top 15%. With local norming, some in the top 20% or 25% are included in the lottery.

Instead of programs for the top 3.3%, they now have programs for the top 20% or 25%.

These are not the same programs, and I don't see how they can keep the same rigor.

Agreed the rigor will be lost because it used to be a tough program designed for top 3% students, it will impact the kids selected based on lottery ( behind the scenes not actually lottery) and either more kids will drop out not being able to keep up or they will lower the standard of the program. They should stop calling it for gifted students and name it something else like equal opportunity program for all races…

Thomas Sowell agrees. https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/12/17/sowell-do-the-real-facts-not-matter-at-all-in-college-admissions-debate/

Good article. Agree. Asian parent here. DC in high school magnet. 99% percentile MAP-R score. Yet finds the program challenging. We wonder many times if DC would have been better off at home school. I find it difficult to imagine how an 85% kid would do. It won't be a pleasant experience at all unless they significantly water down the program.

I don't know to be honest. I know my 99% who didn't prep found the magnet remarkably easy but I think an 85% kid will do about the same as 99% prepper.

My 99% had the same experience. They never do homework and get straight A's but I'm told a lot of kids who prepped to get in struggle so I'm guessing you're right.

My 98-99% math kid is having a similar experience but not the same in 7th. He didn't prep at all.

He absolutely has to get our help for some math concepts, and computer science was not easy, but I heard a lot of kids got Cs and mine ended up with an A. The hardest subjects for him are languages. Only B last year was health, which is hilarious to me.

[Anonymous]

Do they have a clear explanation of how they do the local norming of the MAP scores?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do they have a clear explanation of how they do the local norming of the MAP scores?

As if...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do they have a clear explanation of how they do the local norming of the MAP scores?

What is the percent cutoff this year for the map scores, last year was 85%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do they have a clear explanation of how they do the local norming of the MAP scores?

Yes, they've explained before they simply take the top 15% at each school and put them into the pool from which they randomly select the lottery winners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they have a clear explanation of how they do the local norming of the MAP scores?

What is the percent cutoff this year for the map scores, last year was 85%.

Yes it was the top 15% but that was the top 15% of a local school which may be a bit higher or lower than national or county norms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they have a clear explanation of how they do the local norming of the MAP scores?

What is the percent cutoff this year for the map scores, last year was 85%.

Yes it was the top 15% but that was the top 15% of a local school which may be a bit higher or lower than national or county norms.

I think it's the top 15% of home HS cluster. My 99%er got in so I'm fine with it. Resigning myself that my other 99%er may not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they have a clear explanation of how they do the local norming of the MAP scores?

What is the percent cutoff this year for the map scores, last year was 85%.

Yes it was the top 15% but that was the top 15% of a local school which may be a bit higher or lower than national or county norms.

I think it's the top 15% of home HS cluster. My 99%er got in so I'm fine with it. Resigning myself that my other 99%er may not.

You meant the home MS cluster right ? Is this post not about entry into Middle school Magnet school from elementary ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they have a clear explanation of how they do the local norming of the MAP scores?

What is the percent cutoff this year for the map scores, last year was 85%.

Yes it was the top 15% but that was the top 15% of a local school which may be a bit higher or lower than national or county norms.

IMO, 15% is too high. My DC is top 15% and would have struggled at TPMS. My other DC has always been top 2%+, and that DC is in magnet and doing great. No outside prep.

MCPS is setting some of these kids up for failure. One of two things will have to happen: 1. a lot of hand holding by the teachers or 2. dumbing things down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they have a clear explanation of how they do the local norming of the MAP scores?

What is the percent cutoff this year for the map scores, last year was 85%.

Yes it was the top 15% but that was the top 15% of a local school which may be a bit higher or lower than national or county norms.

I think it's the top 15% of home HS cluster. My 99%er got in so I'm fine with it. Resigning myself that my other 99%er may not.

Somehow, it seems 1 in 10 people around here have a 99%er. Shame that isn't reflected in the usual discourse.