mcps. sounds about right. (GT admissions changes)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

How noble, free full-time educational summer camp only for high-potential non-white and non-asian kids. never mind their SES were high, just racial profiling by MCPS.

Now you're just making stuff up.

+1 The program is for kids in Title I schools, which includes Asian kids. No, not Asian kids in Bethesda and Potomac, but Asian kids nonetheless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And what is this all about?

SILVER SPRING, Md. — It was a searing summer day before the start of the school year, but Julianni and Giselle Wyche, 10-year-old twins, were in a classroom, engineering mini rockets, writing in journals and learning words like “fluctuate” and “cognizant.”

Do they now have remedial 'gifted' education? Why were these kids even in school?

I am wondering the same thing... is that a MCPS sponsored 'GT" prep program?

Primary Talent Development has been part of the plan for increasing access to programs by providing students with some early opportunities to develop skills needed to enter and succeed in magnet programs. One way they do it is through summer school programs, I think the program they referred to in the article is ELO Step - https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/dtecps/title1/elo-step.aspx

How noble, free full-time educational summer camp only for high-potential non-white and non-asian kids. never mind their SES were high, just racial profiling by MCPS.

Perhaps, they should just hand out scholarships to Dr. Li's.

Um, looking at the link, the schools are all Title I schools, and a school is designated Title I based on percentage FARMS... so yes, there may be high(er) SES students at a Title I school, but a large percentage of the student body qualifies for free and reduced lunch and lives below the poverty level, this is assessed each year, so if the FARMS rate falls for a school, it loses it's Title I support.
Pretty sure these programs are federally funded by Title I.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I think its pretty bad when the school system is quoted that it intentionally did not admit the brightest students into the program but chose to only admit the outliers within school districts. It also revealed that the admissions committee knew the home cluster/school of the applicants and the demographics of that school. MCPS is on record in the past saying that Asian Americans were over represented in the programs and guess what once they threw out merit and scores as the deciding factor in favor of geographic location which historically was very clear where the most Asian applicants came from - guess what? MCPS solved its Asian problem and reduced their presence.

This is pretty clear cut racial modeling. Shameful MCPS! Shameful!

correct.

and then the district doesn't have the balls to disclose these outlier's scores and how they fit in with historic or other admit scores.

I can tell you right now, the outliers at a terrible performing school are more likely to be way below par of what the outliers or even top third of a highly performing school are. There might be some rare exceptions, but an MCPS process wouldn't be able to ID that without a psych test and heavy teacher recs.

+1 I also don't understand how MCPS can refuse to release the scores. On what grounds can a public school system refuse to share information that isn't personally identifiable? There shouldn't be any de-identified data within MCPS that MCPS gets to hide from the public. How is it not illegal for them to withhold this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And what is this all about?

SILVER SPRING, Md. — It was a searing summer day before the start of the school year, but Julianni and Giselle Wyche, 10-year-old twins, were in a classroom, engineering mini rockets, writing in journals and learning words like “fluctuate” and “cognizant.”

Do they now have remedial 'gifted' education? Why were these kids even in school?

I am wondering the same thing... is that a MCPS sponsored 'GT" prep program?

Primary Talent Development has been part of the plan for increasing access to programs by providing students with some early opportunities to develop skills needed to enter and succeed in magnet programs. One way they do it is through summer school programs, I think the program they referred to in the article is ELO Step - https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/dtecps/title1/elo-step.aspx

Well there. Even the Feds distorted a nationwide program to cheat a small MoCo neighborhood of its "reserved" MS magnet slots.

How noble, free full-time educational summer camp only for high-potential non-white and non-asian kids. never mind their SES were high, just racial profiling by MCPS.

Perhaps, they should just hand out scholarships to Dr. Li's.

Um, looking at the link, the schools are all Title I schools, and a school is designated Title I based on percentage FARMS... so yes, there may be high(er) SES students at a Title I school, but a large percentage of the student body qualifies for free and reduced lunch and lives below the poverty level, this is assessed each year, so if the FARMS rate falls for a school, it loses it's Title I support.
Pretty sure these programs are federally funded by Title I.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Surprised to see the article said that outside testing was used to qualify. I did not think this was true.

It was just one of the many ways wealthier parents could game the system in past years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Surprised to see the article said that outside testing was used to qualify. I did not think this was true.

It was just one of the many ways wealthier parents could game the system in past years.

the prior system sounds ridiculous. parent recommendations and teacher recommendations needed to qualify instead of universal screening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Surprised to see the article said that outside testing was used to qualify. I did not think this was true.

It was just one of the many ways wealthier parents could game the system in past years.

the prior system sounds ridiculous. parent recommendations and teacher recommendations needed to qualify instead of universal screening.

There was also a test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Surprised to see the article said that outside testing was used to qualify. I did not think this was true.

It was just one of the many ways wealthier parents could game the system in past years.

the prior system sounds ridiculous. parent recommendations and teacher recommendations needed to qualify instead of universal screening.

So far I never see anyone on DCUM or in reality opposes the universal screening. All fights focuses on the ultimate selection process and result which remains in complete darkness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Surprised to see the article said that outside testing was used to qualify. I did not think this was true.

It was just one of the many ways wealthier parents could game the system in past years.

the prior system sounds ridiculous. parent recommendations and teacher recommendations needed to qualify instead of universal screening.

So far I never see anyone on DCUM or in reality opposes the universal screening. All fights focuses on the ultimate selection process and result which remains in complete darkness.

+1 Universal testing is not the problem, only the "peer cohort" criteria excluding many top-scoring kids, which has no transparency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Surprised to see the article said that outside testing was used to qualify. I did not think this was true.

It was just one of the many ways wealthier parents could game the system in past years.

the prior system sounds ridiculous. parent recommendations and teacher recommendations needed to qualify instead of universal screening.

So far I never see anyone on DCUM or in reality opposes the universal screening. All fights focuses on the ultimate selection process and result which remains in complete darkness.

+1 Universal testing is not the problem, only the "peer cohort" criteria excluding many top-scoring kids, which has no transparency.

+1
Applaud universal testing.
Oppose the peer cohort criteria which might end up mostly benefiting UMC families in the DCC/NEC at the expense of kids in the western part of the county.
Also want MCPS to release the median test scores of accepted and rejected applicants for each middle school cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm fine with universal screening, but using the cohort criteria really does exclude the brighter kids.

But don’t they get the advanced classes at their home school? I thought they send the kids who are advanced but there’s not enough (20?) other advanced kids at their school, and where there are enough kids to form a class they keep them at their home school? I’d prefer my kid be at the home school, unless the magnet is close.

No. If it was the exact same curriculum, then yes, but it's not the same curriculum, so no.. those one or two classes does not make a magnet program.

It does give them a peer group.

Yes, it is only part of the curriculum. My child's teachers did note that the magnet classes are the exact same math and social studies classes at the magnets.

Highly doubt it is exactly the same. -- mom of 2 kids who went through TPMS magnet

It's not, not even close. I know this for a fact, since my DC's enriched/"magnet level" IM math class is using exactly the same worksheets the regular IM class used last year. Perhaps enrichment is coming, but I am very skeptical. Furthermore, the teacher did not mention any curricular distinctions at BTSN either. This is at a top-ranked MS.

Interesting as my kid's DCC MS teacher at BTSN explained what was different in the enriched class vs regular IM, is using a textbook for instruction in addition to worksheets and already introduced enrichment math projects. I wonder if teachers have more discretion/autonomy in teaching this class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm fine with universal screening, but using the cohort criteria really does exclude the brighter kids.

But don’t they get the advanced classes at their home school? I thought they send the kids who are advanced but there’s not enough (20?) other advanced kids at their school, and where there are enough kids to form a class they keep them at their home school? I’d prefer my kid be at the home school, unless the magnet is close.

No. If it was the exact same curriculum, then yes, but it's not the same curriculum, so no.. those one or two classes does not make a magnet program.

It does give them a peer group.

Yes, it is only part of the curriculum. My child's teachers did note that the magnet classes are the exact same math and social studies classes at the magnets.

Highly doubt it is exactly the same. -- mom of 2 kids who went through TPMS magnet

It's not, not even close. I know this for a fact, since my DC's enriched/"magnet level" IM math class is using exactly the same worksheets the regular IM class used last year. Perhaps enrichment is coming, but I am very skeptical. Furthermore, the teacher did not mention any curricular distinctions at BTSN either. This is at a top-ranked MS.

Interesting as my kid's DCC MS teacher at BTSN explained what was different in the enriched class vs regular IM, is using a textbook for instruction in addition to worksheets and already introduced enrichment math projects. I wonder if teachers have more discretion/autonomy in teaching this class?

Well, sure, doubt anyone is policing this and some teachers are lazier than others. Thanks, MCPS.

[Anonymous]

I remember seeing this in a previous thread and found it both funny and probably closer to the truth than people want to believe....

Administrator #1: "Wow, look at those SAT scores over there at Blair. It's really amazing isn't it? We need to send out a press release!"
Administrator #2: "Definitely! Hold on a second, all these names of Intel Scholars sound Asian. Let me see the full list of Magnet students. All these names sound Asian and White."
Administrator #1: "Yea, they've been gaming the system for years. Sending their kids to tutors, supplementing education, and actually filling out the application"
Administrator #2: "Oh no, we can't have that! That isn't fair"
Administrator #1: "I know. We send parents information and leave phone mail message constantly in both English and Spanish but Hispanics and African Americans don't apply"
Administrator #2: "It sounds like we need try and make the application easier."
Administrator #1: "I've got a better idea! Lets get rid of the application all together. Test everyone."
Administrator #2: "Brilliant! But what about the fact that Black and Hispanics test lower across the board on all standardized tests, how do we overcome that?"
Administrator #1: "We should just set up quotas by race."
Administrator #2: "I wish. They passed a stupid law against quotas."
Administrator #1: "Let's think, how can we get around the law. Most Whites and Asians like to live in the same snobby rich areas, right?"
Administrator #2: "Right... God I hate those Whites and Asians!"
Administrator #1: "Then lets say that if you live in an area where your home school has other really smart kids then you get penalized in the admissions process."
Administrator #2: "Great Idea! That way, we can say that we aren't giving preference to race, we can disguise it as preference by opportunity."
Administrator #1: "Wait, but won't that make the SAT scores at Blair go down? Won't that make us look bad?"
Administrator #2: "Of course it will but we are doing it for the greater good. Plus, we work for the Government. What are they going to do fire us?
Administrator #1: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Administrator #2: "Ha ha ha ha he he ha ha!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Surprised to see the article said that outside testing was used to qualify. I did not think this was true.

It was just one of the many ways wealthier parents could game the system in past years.

the prior system sounds ridiculous. parent recommendations and teacher recommendations needed to qualify instead of universal screening.

Well that was a nice way to have only 800 applicants and far fewer dissappointed dcum posters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Surprised to see the article said that outside testing was used to qualify. I did not think this was true.

It was just one of the many ways wealthier parents could game the system in past years.

the prior system sounds ridiculous. parent recommendations and teacher recommendations needed to qualify instead of universal screening.

There was also a test.

They changed the test last year. Messed up some of the prep program success rates.