HS Magnet Applications Open and....

[Anonymous]

Please disregard this PP. Looks like this in response to an old post from last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still no cogat this year?
I do worry some of these kids are going to get themselves into a program they can’t handle. Blair and RMIB are not joke, work wise. My kid had to figure out what a cogat was, take it, do the essays herself, etc….if she couldn’t manage all that, not sure how she’d be handling the IB there.

Don't worry. MCPS will water down the program.

My neighbor teaches at a regional CES and we've talked at length about how the past year or two there are more students who simply can't handle the work. Even with supports in place, the kids just aren't ready for the program.

It was the opposite at TPMS. I had kids go through the program before and after the lottery. The rigor remained constant. Kids that couldn't handle it just dropped out.

How many drop out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still no cogat this year?
I do worry some of these kids are going to get themselves into a program they can’t handle. Blair and RMIB are not joke, work wise. My kid had to figure out what a cogat was, take it, do the essays herself, etc….if she couldn’t manage all that, not sure how she’d be handling the IB there.

Don't worry. MCPS will water down the program.

My neighbor teaches at a regional CES and we've talked at length about how the past year or two there are more students who simply can't handle the work. Even with supports in place, the kids just aren't ready for the program.

It was the opposite at TPMS. I had kids go through the program before and after the lottery. The rigor remained constant. Kids that couldn't handle it just dropped out.

How many drop out?

I can only base this on what my kid has told me, so it may not be accurate, but around 20-25 of the 125 kids over the course of the last two years. Also, it seems like they're getting better at selecting students for this. Again this is just my impression but I wouldn't be at all surprised if the numbers have gone down for subsequent years as they've refined their process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still no cogat this year?
I do worry some of these kids are going to get themselves into a program they can’t handle. Blair and RMIB are not joke, work wise. My kid had to figure out what a cogat was, take it, do the essays herself, etc….if she couldn’t manage all that, not sure how she’d be handling the IB there.

Meanwhile other parents will hire a prep company to help them write their kid's essays.

What percentage of these essays are actually written by the kids?

I suspect maybe 10% of the essays were written by kids without help. I'm curious as to what percent were professionally written with the help of prep companies and how this nonsense effects selection.

Let's be clear - these are not essays (at least last year's). They are short answer and one larger paragraph. I was surprised at how minimal they were - more appropriate for a 3rd grader getting into CES at 4th, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This year’s 8th graders are the last kids who took the COGAT via universal testing in 5th grade. During the admissions process, is there a look back at old COGAT scores or are they completely irrelevant?

And this year's 7th graders are the last ones who took the COGAT via universal testing in 3rd grade... Nevertheless, their past CogAT scores are not part of the selection process. The criteria is clearly outlined on the MCPS website.

No, current 8th graders had zoom school for 5th, no CogAT

[Anonymous]

This is an old thread everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This year’s 8th graders are the last kids who took the COGAT via universal testing in 5th grade. During the admissions process, is there a look back at old COGAT scores or are they completely irrelevant?

And this year's 7th graders are the last ones who took the COGAT via universal testing in 3rd grade... Nevertheless, their past CogAT scores are not part of the selection process. The criteria is clearly outlined on the MCPS website.

No, current 8th graders had zoom school for 5th, no CogAT

Yes, they took it in 3rd for CES. That's not all that different from last year's 8th graders taking it in 5th. It was all in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the essay topic?

"What impact does DCUM have on school choice in MCPS?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still no cogat this year?
I do worry some of these kids are going to get themselves into a program they can’t handle. Blair and RMIB are not joke, work wise. My kid had to figure out what a cogat was, take it, do the essays herself, etc….if she couldn’t manage all that, not sure how she’d be handling the IB there.

Meanwhile other parents will hire a prep company to help them write their kid's essays.

What percentage of these essays are actually written by the kids?

I suspect maybe 10% of the essays were written by kids without help. I'm curious as to what percent were professionally written with the help of prep companies and how this nonsense effects selection.

Let's be clear - these are not essays (at least last year's). They are short answer and one larger paragraph. I was surprised at how minimal they were - more appropriate for a 3rd grader getting into CES at 4th, IMO.

You're looking at this all wrong. It takes actual skill and intelligence to paint an accurate picture succinctly in 250 words. Not every kid has that talent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As far as I can tell, this is the same application my now 10th grader used 2 years ago.

I think many people thought it was an abbreviated application due to the pandemic. I am curious how the current 9th and 10th graders are faring.

Parent of a 9th grader - he’s doing great, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still no cogat this year?
I do worry some of these kids are going to get themselves into a program they can’t handle. Blair and RMIB are not joke, work wise. My kid had to figure out what a cogat was, take it, do the essays herself, etc….if she couldn’t manage all that, not sure how she’d be handling the IB there.

Meanwhile other parents will hire a prep company to help them write their kid's essays.

What percentage of these essays are actually written by the kids?

I suspect maybe 10% of the essays were written by kids without help. I'm curious as to what percent were professionally written with the help of prep companies and how this nonsense effects selection.

Let's be clear - these are not essays (at least last year's). They are short answer and one larger paragraph. I was surprised at how minimal they were - more appropriate for a 3rd grader getting into CES at 4th, IMO.

Except it’s much easier to write a two page essay than to write an equally effective one that’s 250 words. The challenge is writing concisely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still no cogat this year?
I do worry some of these kids are going to get themselves into a program they can’t handle. Blair and RMIB are not joke, work wise. My kid had to figure out what a cogat was, take it, do the essays herself, etc….if she couldn’t manage all that, not sure how she’d be handling the IB there.

Meanwhile other parents will hire a prep company to help them write their kid's essays.

What percentage of these essays are actually written by the kids?

I suspect maybe 10% of the essays were written by kids without help. I'm curious as to what percent were professionally written with the help of prep companies and how this nonsense effects selection.

Let's be clear - these are not essays (at least last year's). They are short answer and one larger paragraph. I was surprised at how minimal they were - more appropriate for a 3rd grader getting into CES at 4th, IMO.

Except it’s much easier to write a two page essay than to write an equally effective one that’s 250 words. The challenge is writing concisely.

If a kid applying to a magnet is challenged by writing a concise and clear 250 word personal narrative "essay" in 8th grade, MCPS has a big problem! Kids are not dumb, we are making it happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still no cogat this year?
I do worry some of these kids are going to get themselves into a program they can’t handle. Blair and RMIB are not joke, work wise. My kid had to figure out what a cogat was, take it, do the essays herself, etc….if she couldn’t manage all that, not sure how she’d be handling the IB there.

Meanwhile other parents will hire a prep company to help them write their kid's essays.

What percentage of these essays are actually written by the kids?

I suspect maybe 10% of the essays were written by kids without help. I'm curious as to what percent were professionally written with the help of prep companies and how this nonsense effects selection.

Let's be clear - these are not essays (at least last year's). They are short answer and one larger paragraph. I was surprised at how minimal they were - more appropriate for a 3rd grader getting into CES at 4th, IMO.

Except it’s much easier to write a two page essay than to write an equally effective one that’s 250 words. The challenge is writing concisely.

If a kid applying to a magnet is challenged by writing a concise and clear 250 word personal narrative "essay" in 8th grade, MCPS has a big problem! Kids are not dumb, we are making it happen.

I don't think anyone is arguing that it is "challenging" to write a 250 word essay, but I do think the move to a shorter essay may be a necessary concession to a broader screening process. MCPS does not want a "first past the post" magnet admissions process that relies solely on grades and test scores, so they also ask for information on extracurriculars and a personal essay. But, if they want to really look at each kid, they can't have the essays be 5 pages long. So, applicants get to share both their awards/accomplishments/extracurriculars but also something about why they would like to attend a criteria-based program. That seems good to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still no cogat this year?
I do worry some of these kids are going to get themselves into a program they can’t handle. Blair and RMIB are not joke, work wise. My kid had to figure out what a cogat was, take it, do the essays herself, etc….if she couldn’t manage all that, not sure how she’d be handling the IB there.

Meanwhile other parents will hire a prep company to help them write their kid's essays.

What percentage of these essays are actually written by the kids?

I suspect maybe 10% of the essays were written by kids without help. I'm curious as to what percent were professionally written with the help of prep companies and how this nonsense effects selection.

Let's be clear - these are not essays (at least last year's). They are short answer and one larger paragraph. I was surprised at how minimal they were - more appropriate for a 3rd grader getting into CES at 4th, IMO.

Except it’s much easier to write a two page essay than to write an equally effective one that’s 250 words. The challenge is writing concisely.

If a kid applying to a magnet is challenged by writing a concise and clear 250 word personal narrative "essay" in 8th grade, MCPS has a big problem! Kids are not dumb, we are making it happen.

As a writer I concur that it takes more skill to write an effective and memorable short article than a long one. Kids are no different than adults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still no cogat this year?
I do worry some of these kids are going to get themselves into a program they can’t handle. Blair and RMIB are not joke, work wise. My kid had to figure out what a cogat was, take it, do the essays herself, etc….if she couldn’t manage all that, not sure how she’d be handling the IB there.

Meanwhile other parents will hire a prep company to help them write their kid's essays.

What percentage of these essays are actually written by the kids?

I suspect maybe 10% of the essays were written by kids without help. I'm curious as to what percent were professionally written with the help of prep companies and how this nonsense effects selection.

Let's be clear - these are not essays (at least last year's). They are short answer and one larger paragraph. I was surprised at how minimal they were - more appropriate for a 3rd grader getting into CES at 4th, IMO.

Except it’s much easier to write a two page essay than to write an equally effective one that’s 250 words. The challenge is writing concisely.

If a kid applying to a magnet is challenged by writing a concise and clear 250 word personal narrative "essay" in 8th grade, MCPS has a big problem! Kids are not dumb, we are making it happen.

As a writer I concur that it takes more skill to write an effective and memorable short article than a long one. Kids are no different than adults.

We aren't talking about grabbing the reader's attention here! My kid is a total STEM kid and wrote only about his love for all things STEM-related. He wrote nothing about humanities, communication arts, foreign language or literature. He got into both types of magnets (Blair, RMIB, and Blair CAP) -- based purely on his stats. So, don't fret about the "essay".

BTW, 8th graders should be able to write a clear, cogent 250 word narrative about their own lives. Full stop. Whether the narrative is pithy or stylistically advanced is not the issue here.