Takoma Park MS Magnet - 25 inbound seats?

[Anonymous]

The day Ivy league colleges start admitting kids who are wood-wanderers....that is the unfortunate situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I think you're thinking of TPMS. THey ave a directory. I have not seen one for Blair magnet (have kids in both). Also in-boundary, and my kids are definitely not dregs of the magnet as some Cold Spring parents might like everyone to believe (though some of those kids try to intimidate mine & others because they've had extra prep -- once my kid asked a question math & one of them said "You're asking that?!" Yes. because my kid is a keen learner and has not had tons of extra enrichment). FWIW, my kids have gotten into all the HS magnets, on Functions track at Blair, state/nat'l level achievements in the arts and won first place at Science Montgomery fair. In boundary.

And again to reiterate, in-boundary kids take 0 seats from other kids. It's a way to make more room for everyone. TPMS is at capacity, even if more out of boundary students were selected for the extra 25 seats, there is no room. The real problem here is not enough seats across the county. Don't try to denigrate TP kids for that. Talk about bitter!

If someone tries to intimidate your kid or others, it is not because they had extra prep, it is because they do not behave properly.

It is quite often to see such a hostile mentality toward "prep". So in many people's mind, doing prep ( I don't send my kid out for those since I can work with them myself) is a bad thing. Yet learning (in forms other than prep) is good (otherwise I don't see why you emphasize the "keen learner" part)?

I don't have a problem with prep. I have a problem mistake better prep for being more able (or smarter). This happens a lot (amongst moms and kids). We also know kuds who prep and ate really really nice. And, even the hotshots can be nice, but it just has to be addressed that better prep does not mean smarter, and making someone feel dumb because you already took Alg at Saturday school does not make you smarter.

I will say I do have an issue with the extent of prep. Some kids are up at 5:30, on the bus, working at academics and intense music practice until past midnight. As middle schoolers. They do Hopkins cty, music festivals and computer camps all summer. Everything is about getting ahead. I think it is not great for them or for those who kids who also prize academics and music profiency and spend time on these things but who also spend time wandering in the woods and being a kid. These kids can't compete with the ones who work dawn to dusk. It just escalates the whole intensity. I'll be honest, it bothers me.

Simple solution: ask the college admission to use one standard: test score (or, plus GPA).
then this is not going to happen.

If you don't need your kids to be competitive in college applications, then it doesn't matter. If you do, I don't see other ways (except for the very few cases of true genius)

[Anonymous]

The way I see it is that 100 out-of-boundary kids get accepted and the majority of the 25 TPMS in-boundary slots are actually kids who would have otherwise been "wait-listed." Does that mean they are less qualified? Yes and no. They probably wouldn't have been first choice form an anonymous pool of applicants, but all the wait-listed students are supposedly potentially qualified. Therefore, that LOOOONG wait-list just goes to the 25 in-boundary TP students. They are qualified but most are not the top of the top in term of ability.

I am a parent of a TPMS magnet out-of-boundary kid and this is my theory. The TPMS in-boundary kids seem qualified but some are not the top of their peer group (for example may not make the varsity Mathcounts Team, etc.). I know a bunch of the out-of-boundary TPMS parents (of the old system - 7th and 8th graders) and our kids are the "creepy smart" kids who learned to read when they were two and have crazy high IQs--some of them came from private schools or homeschooling because what MCPS could offer was just not sufficient. I don't think the majority of the in-boundary kids are THAT smart (nor do I think many of the Asians who study at those prep schools are THAT smart either, just high achievers). So who is this program for anyway? I think it should be for the true outliers who NEED academic peers; the kids who are bullied at their home schools because they are seen as "weird" and not fitting in because their interests are just so different and their asynchronous development is so profound.

[Anonymous]

Just to continue...the Takoma Park community does not understand what "gifted" actually means. They say that "everyone is gifted." Even the principal says this. Yes everyone has gifts, but not everyone has the "special needs" that highly gifted student have. I wish that people would take the time to truly understand these needs and not try to claw their way to gifted programs. It just leaves everyone confused and where does that leave our actual highly+ gifted students in MCPS? So many go elsewhere. There is an entire listserv dedicated to gifted homeschoolers in our area. They just dropped out of the system. Some come back to TPMS or Blair (or other magnets) as they get older. The CES are a joke for students who excel in math. I wish people would learn what giftedness actually is (does not equate with high achievement necessarily). If they want high achiever programs they should advocate for that instead and keep gifted magnets available for truly gifted students wherever they might live in MoCo.

[Anonymous]

I think the middle school magnet program is for high achievers and not a gifted program per se (like the old elementary gifted program). Does it say it’s a gifted program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the middle school magnet program is for high achievers and not a gifted program per se (like the old elementary gifted program). Does it say it’s a gifted program?

The middle school magnet program has fewer seats than the old HGC program and far fewer than the new CESs. However, the new cohort system changes the selection dynamic. I believe it is still harder to get a seat than on the elementary level (especially if school has a local class or two) but there are very bright kids who do not get a MS spot because they have a cohort at their home school. Basically it is not solely merit based.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the middle school magnet program is for high achievers and not a gifted program per se (like the old elementary gifted program). Does it say it’s a gifted program?

The middle school magnet program has fewer seats than the old HGC program and far fewer than the new CESs. However, the new cohort system changes the selection dynamic. I believe it is still harder to get a seat than on the elementary level (especially if school has a local class or two) but there are very bright kids who do not get a MS spot because they have a cohort at their home school. Basically it is not solely merit based.

Before the magnet process changed, there were very bright kids who did not get a middle-school magnet spot.

Whereas now, in contrast, there are very bright kids who did not get a middle-school magnet spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the middle school magnet program is for high achievers and not a gifted program per se (like the old elementary gifted program). Does it say it’s a gifted program?

The middle school magnet program has fewer seats than the old HGC program and far fewer than the new CESs. However, the new cohort system changes the selection dynamic. I believe it is still harder to get a seat than on the elementary level (especially if school has a local class or two) but there are very bright kids who do not get a MS spot because they have a cohort at their home school. Basically it is not solely merit based.

Before the magnet process changed, there were very bright kids who did not get a middle-school magnet spot.

Whereas now, in contrast, there are very bright kids who did not get a middle-school magnet spot.

Actually, the old process favored kids with the most prep whereas the new process that screens 10X as many kids favors intelligence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way I see it is that 100 out-of-boundary kids get accepted and the majority of the 25 TPMS in-boundary slots are actually kids who would have otherwise been "wait-listed." Does that mean they are less qualified? Yes and no. They probably wouldn't have been first choice form an anonymous pool of applicants, but all the wait-listed students are supposedly potentially qualified. Therefore, that LOOOONG wait-list just goes to the 25 in-boundary TP students. They are qualified but most are not the top of the top in term of ability.

I am a parent of a TPMS magnet out-of-boundary kid and this is my theory. The TPMS in-boundary kids seem qualified but some are not the top of their peer group (for example may not make the varsity Mathcounts Team, etc.). I know a bunch of the out-of-boundary TPMS parents (of the old system - 7th and 8th graders) and our kids are the "creepy smart" kids who learned to read when they were two and have crazy high IQs--some of them came from private schools or homeschooling because what MCPS could offer was just not sufficient. I don't think the majority of the in-boundary kids are THAT smart (nor do I think many of the Asians who study at those prep schools are THAT smart either, just high achievers). So who is this program for anyway? I think it should be for the true outliers who NEED academic peers; the kids who are bullied at their home schools because they are seen as "weird" and not fitting in because their interests are just so different and their asynchronous development is so profound.

Can you explain why the half the in-boundary kids at TPMS somehow manage to make it into Blair SMCS? They end up doing as well or better than the out of boundary kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the middle school magnet program is for high achievers and not a gifted program per se (like the old elementary gifted program). Does it say it’s a gifted program?

The middle school magnet program has fewer seats than the old HGC program and far fewer than the new CESs. However, the new cohort system changes the selection dynamic. I believe it is still harder to get a seat than on the elementary level (especially if school has a local class or two) but there are very bright kids who do not get a MS spot because they have a cohort at their home school. Basically it is not solely merit based.

Before the magnet process changed, there were very bright kids who did not get a middle-school magnet spot.

Whereas now, in contrast, there are very bright kids who did not get a middle-school magnet spot.

Actually, the old process favored kids with the most prep whereas the new process that screens 10X as many kids favors intelligence.

While some kids did (and do) prep, many do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way I see it is that 100 out-of-boundary kids get accepted and the majority of the 25 TPMS in-boundary slots are actually kids who would have otherwise been "wait-listed." Does that mean they are less qualified? Yes and no. They probably wouldn't have been first choice form an anonymous pool of applicants, but all the wait-listed students are supposedly potentially qualified. Therefore, that LOOOONG wait-list just goes to the 25 in-boundary TP students. They are qualified but most are not the top of the top in term of ability.

I am a parent of a TPMS magnet out-of-boundary kid and this is my theory. The TPMS in-boundary kids seem qualified but some are not the top of their peer group (for example may not make the varsity Mathcounts Team, etc.). I know a bunch of the out-of-boundary TPMS parents (of the old system - 7th and 8th graders) and our kids are the "creepy smart" kids who learned to read when they were two and have crazy high IQs--some of them came from private schools or homeschooling because what MCPS could offer was just not sufficient. I don't think the majority of the in-boundary kids are THAT smart (nor do I think many of the Asians who study at those prep schools are THAT smart either, just high achievers). So who is this program for anyway? I think it should be for the true outliers who NEED academic peers; the kids who are bullied at their home schools because they are seen as "weird" and not fitting in because their interests are just so different and their asynchronous development is so profound.

Your theory might make you feel more important, but it is way off base. The idea that the majority of TP students would be waitlisted is unfounded and just reflects your bias.

The kids on Mathcounts prep for Mathcounts. Since more out of boundary kids invest in immense amounts of enrichment and prep, that explains the large amount of out of boundary in Mathcounts. I think you are the same person who thinks Mathcounts is an indication of who are top performers in the magnet. So how about this, a kid who did not make the cut for in-bound TPMS magnet decided to do AOPS (I think worked through books or online) on their own and got into Mathcounts beating out a lot of magnet (both in and out of boundary). It's about prep. That kid didn't make the waitlist in-boundary for TPMS. They are now at Blair magnet and doing well.

Please stop the judgments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just to continue...the Takoma Park community does not understand what "gifted" actually means. They say that "everyone is gifted." Even the principal says this. Yes everyone has gifts, but not everyone has the "special needs" that highly gifted student have. I wish that people would take the time to truly understand these needs and not try to claw their way to gifted programs. It just leaves everyone confused and where does that leave our actual highly+ gifted students in MCPS? So many go elsewhere. There is an entire listserv dedicated to gifted homeschoolers in our area. They just dropped out of the system. Some come back to TPMS or Blair (or other magnets) as they get older. The CES are a joke for students who excel in math. I wish people would learn what giftedness actually is (does not equate with high achievement necessarily). If they want high achiever programs they should advocate for that instead and keep gifted magnets available for truly gifted students wherever they might live in MoCo.

Do you really think people in TP are stupid? When someone says "everyone is gifted," they are not using "gifted" in the same sense as "gifted and talented program." Can you not figure this out? You really think people here are that simplistic? Oddly, I find that my neighbors here are less grabby for GT identification than the western part of the county. Many people here are fine if their kid is not highly academic -- they care more about social justice than academic status around here. You really don't know this area at all.

FWIW, I don't think CES curriuculum deals w/ math, when my kids were at HGC, it didn't. But, the math teacher there was amazing -- none of the kids at our HGC (more competitive than CES, btw, since you seem to care about that stuff) were bored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way I see it is that 100 out-of-boundary kids get accepted and the majority of the 25 TPMS in-boundary slots are actually kids who would have otherwise been "wait-listed." Does that mean they are less qualified? Yes and no. They probably wouldn't have been first choice form an anonymous pool of applicants, but all the wait-listed students are supposedly potentially qualified. Therefore, that LOOOONG wait-list just goes to the 25 in-boundary TP students. They are qualified but most are not the top of the top in term of ability.

I am a parent of a TPMS magnet out-of-boundary kid and this is my theory. The TPMS in-boundary kids seem qualified but some are not the top of their peer group (for example may not make the varsity Mathcounts Team, etc.). I know a bunch of the out-of-boundary TPMS parents (of the old system - 7th and 8th graders) and our kids are the "creepy smart" kids who learned to read when they were two and have crazy high IQs--some of them came from private schools or homeschooling because what MCPS could offer was just not sufficient. I don't think the majority of the in-boundary kids are THAT smart (nor do I think many of the Asians who study at those prep schools are THAT smart either, just high achievers). So who is this program for anyway? I think it should be for the true outliers who NEED academic peers; the kids who are bullied at their home schools because they are seen as "weird" and not fitting in because their interests are just so different and their asynchronous development is so profound.

Could "creepy smart" equal "forced into regimented learning at a young age?" Because, I don't think your "creepy smart" kid crawled (oops, sorry, I'm sure they were walking at 6 months) over to the book shelf, pulled down a volume of Shakespeare and taught himself iambic pentameter. A parent pushed early reading. Nothing rong w/ that. My preschooler was reading too. I worked with her. But, that doesn't mean she was "creepy smart." Yes, our kids are bright and receptive, but the early reading is because we taught them early, not because they are "creepy baby genuises."

The majority of the in-bound kids might be "that smart," but they are not forced into the immense amounts of enrichment -- Saturday school, A++, AOPS, Hopkins CTY, Suzuki institutes, multiple instrument lessons/practice &/or Dr. Li since they could toddle. Don't mistake smart for educated. Many of the kids you think are "creepy smart" have had a whole additional set of schooling. That's more about investment than ability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I think you're thinking of TPMS. THey ave a directory. I have not seen one for Blair magnet (have kids in both). Also in-boundary, and my kids are definitely not dregs of the magnet as some Cold Spring parents might like everyone to believe (though some of those kids try to intimidate mine & others because they've had extra prep -- once my kid asked a question math & one of them said "You're asking that?!" Yes. because my kid is a keen learner and has not had tons of extra enrichment). FWIW, my kids have gotten into all the HS magnets, on Functions track at Blair, state/nat'l level achievements in the arts and won first place at Science Montgomery fair. In boundary.

And again to reiterate, in-boundary kids take 0 seats from other kids. It's a way to make more room for everyone. TPMS is at capacity, even if more out of boundary students were selected for the extra 25 seats, there is no room. The real problem here is not enough seats across the county. Don't try to denigrate TP kids for that. Talk about bitter!

If someone tries to intimidate your kid or others, it is not because they had extra prep, it is because they do not behave properly.

It is quite often to see such a hostile mentality toward "prep". So in many people's mind, doing prep ( I don't send my kid out for those since I can work with them myself) is a bad thing. Yet learning (in forms other than prep) is good (otherwise I don't see why you emphasize the "keen learner" part)?

I don't have a problem with prep. I have a problem mistake better prep for being more able (or smarter). This happens a lot (amongst moms and kids). We also know kuds who prep and ate really really nice. And, even the hotshots can be nice, but it just has to be addressed that better prep does not mean smarter, and making someone feel dumb because you already took Alg at Saturday school does not make you smarter.

I will say I do have an issue with the extent of prep. Some kids are up at 5:30, on the bus, working at academics and intense music practice until past midnight. As middle schoolers. They do Hopkins cty, music festivals and computer camps all summer. Everything is about getting ahead. I think it is not great for them or for those who kids who also prize academics and music profiency and spend time on these things but who also spend time wandering in the woods and being a kid. These kids can't compete with the ones who work dawn to dusk. It just escalates the whole intensity. I'll be honest, it bothers me.

I don't think the issue is prep. Math has always been attractive to a certain sort of grade school a-hole that is really only interested in the extra head-pats that high scores in a disliked subject bring. These students don't necessarily connect with the material on a deep level, but always try to act as gate keepers and knowledge hoarders. The good news is that most of them disappear at the secondary level when they become engineers and grinds. There's a culling that occurs as math transitions to topics orthogonal to basic computation, and the students with a more innate draw to the material tend to pull ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way I see it is that 100 out-of-boundary kids get accepted and the majority of the 25 TPMS in-boundary slots are actually kids who would have otherwise been "wait-listed." Does that mean they are less qualified? Yes and no. They probably wouldn't have been first choice form an anonymous pool of applicants, but all the wait-listed students are supposedly potentially qualified. Therefore, that LOOOONG wait-list just goes to the 25 in-boundary TP students. They are qualified but most are not the top of the top in term of ability.

I am a parent of a TPMS magnet out-of-boundary kid and this is my theory. The TPMS in-boundary kids seem qualified but some are not the top of their peer group (for example may not make the varsity Mathcounts Team, etc.). I know a bunch of the out-of-boundary TPMS parents (of the old system - 7th and 8th graders) and our kids are the "creepy smart" kids who learned to read when they were two and have crazy high IQs--some of them came from private schools or homeschooling because what MCPS could offer was just not sufficient. I don't think the majority of the in-boundary kids are THAT smart (nor do I think many of the Asians who study at those prep schools are THAT smart either, just high achievers). So who is this program for anyway? I think it should be for the true outliers who NEED academic peers; the kids who are bullied at their home schools because they are seen as "weird" and not fitting in because their interests are just so different and their asynchronous development is so profound.

Can you explain why the half the in-boundary kids at TPMS somehow manage to make it into Blair SMCS? They end up doing as well or better than the out of boundary kids.

If admission to Blair SMCS is a metric of how well these groups perform, the in-boundary group does as well as the out of boundary so the PP's assertion appears to be fiction.