Return of fifth grade CogAT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody knows, and MCPS ain’t saying. Anything you read here will be pure speculation.

Actually people do know and no it will not return next year. MCPS has stated that there will be a 3-year moratorium on this so they can conduct this pilot. We don't know what they'll do after this year yet but there are no plans to administer it in 2022 to 2023.

In theory, they could administer the CogAT and also select students by lottery, using CogAT as one data point for entry into the lottery pool.

Interesting... As far as tests go I like the CogAT because it seems fairer since it's harder to cram for, but personally, I like it if they expanded these programs to a few more schools so that any kid who could do the work could attend.

Teacher resource and lack of funding would be the main obstacle to expand at least the MS STEM magnet program. Computer science is one of the highlights of TPMS magnet course that's not available for other MSs. Teaching computer science means much less pay versus working for a IT company, so only young graduates or very self-motivated passionate-in-teaching kind of teachers will be available. Right now the expansion of HIGH and AIM to all MSs is a low-hanging food and good move. Maybe suggesting expanding the magnet science course would be more practical (there should be a corresponding humanity course? literacy?).

I'd imagine the teacher resources issue is solvable since the number of total students would remain constant, but doubling the number of magnet busses might be tricky. However, if the boundaries were smaller and each school had roughly 100 kids. I'm guessing they could evenly space a few central pickups to optimally fill the busses which would also have shorter routes. Honestly, not like I know but I think this would be popular to expand these propgrams.

They could save the money bussing if they just opened a magnet mid-county. That would be popular with parents and wouldn't overcrowd Blair.

Magnets only involve a few kids I don't think it would save much money. Probably just coming up with sensible boundaries for schools like Wooten or stop busing kids who live next Einstein all the way across county to Walter Johnson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody knows, and MCPS ain’t saying. Anything you read here will be pure speculation.

Actually people do know and no it will not return next year. MCPS has stated that there will be a 3-year moratorium on this so they can conduct this pilot. We don't know what they'll do after this year yet but there are no plans to administer it in 2022 to 2023.

In theory, they could administer the CogAT and also select students by lottery, using CogAT as one data point for entry into the lottery pool.

Interesting... As far as tests go I like the CogAT because it seems fairer since it's harder to cram for, but personally, I like it if they expanded these programs to a few more schools so that any kid who could do the work could attend.

Teacher resource and lack of funding would be the main obstacle to expand at least the MS STEM magnet program. Computer science is one of the highlights of TPMS magnet course that's not available for other MSs. Teaching computer science means much less pay versus working for a IT company, so only young graduates or very self-motivated passionate-in-teaching kind of teachers will be available. Right now the expansion of HIGH and AIM to all MSs is a low-hanging food and good move. Maybe suggesting expanding the magnet science course would be more practical (there should be a corresponding humanity course? literacy?).

I'd imagine the teacher resources issue is solvable since the number of total students would remain constant, but doubling the number of magnet busses might be tricky. However, if the boundaries were smaller and each school had roughly 100 kids. I'm guessing they could evenly space a few central pickups to optimally fill the busses which would also have shorter routes. Honestly, not like I know but I think this would be popular to expand these propgrams.

They could save the money bussing if they just opened a magnet mid-county. That would be popular with parents and wouldn't overcrowd Blair.

Magnets only involve a few kids I don't think it would save much money. Probably just coming up with sensible boundaries for schools like Wooten or stop busing kids who live next Einstein all the way across county to Walter Johnson.

Agree - if they want to reduce transportation costs update the boundaries!

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any updates if MCPS will conduct COGAT this year (22-23)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have any updates if MCPS will conduct COGAT this year (22-23)

No

[Anonymous]

OP

The last time the middle school magnet application test (Dec 2016) was not CogAT at all.

Advanced Raven
SCAT
Reading

MCPS stopped using testing since 2017.

The last time the high school magnet application test (Nov 2019) was CogAT. It was taken off since 2020 due to Covid.

in short, it has nothing to do with Covid as far as elimination of middle school magnet application test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They could have had it come back this year — kids are back in person — but chose not to. So, I really doubt it will ever come back

+1000

+1

Colleges are going test optional because tests like the CoGat are not equitable. Unlikely MCPS brings is back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP

The last time the middle school magnet application test (Dec 2016) was not CogAT at all.

Advanced Raven
SCAT
Reading

MCPS stopped using testing since 2017.

The last time the high school magnet application test (Nov 2019) was CogAT. It was taken off since 2020 due to Covid.

in short, it has nothing to do with Covid as far as elimination of middle school magnet application test.

That is not true. My then 5th grader took the CogAT in fall 2019 for admission to MS magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will next years fifth graders take CogAT for criteria based magnet schools? I know they haven't been doing it since covid but I wondered if they will start again for the 2022-2023 school year

They said the lottery will continue until 2023-2024. So even if they gave it, it wouldn't be used for magnet selection. The real question is what they learn from the lottery and what the process might look like in 2023-2024.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP

The last time the middle school magnet application test (Dec 2016) was not CogAT at all.

Advanced Raven
SCAT
Reading

MCPS stopped using testing since 2017.

The last time the high school magnet application test (Nov 2019) was CogAT. It was taken off since 2020 due to Covid.

in short, it has nothing to do with Covid as far as elimination of middle school magnet application test.

That is not true. My then 5th grader took the CogAT in fall 2019 for admission to MS magnet.

My rising sophomore has taken the Cogat twice: once for admission to CES (then HGC) and again in 5th for admission to middle school magnets. So it was at least used as recently as the 2017-18 school year.

And they were definitely both Cogat. Pretty sure it was the Raven they took in 2nd grade for gifted identification?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP

The last time the middle school magnet application test (Dec 2016) was not CogAT at all.

Advanced Raven
SCAT
Reading

MCPS stopped using testing since 2017.

The last time the high school magnet application test (Nov 2019) was CogAT. It was taken off since 2020 due to Covid.

in short, it has nothing to do with Covid as far as elimination of middle school magnet application test.

That is not true. My then 5th grader took the CogAT in fall 2019 for admission to MS magnet.

Overall the county would be well served by reducing the amount of standardized testing. Maybe MAP twice a year and getting the state to accept MAP instead of requiring the silly PARC test or whatever they call it now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will next years fifth graders take CogAT for criteria based magnet schools? I know they haven't been doing it since covid but I wondered if they will start again for the 2022-2023 school year

They said the lottery will continue until 2023-2024. So even if they gave it, it wouldn't be used for magnet selection. The real question is what they learn from the lottery and what the process might look like in 2023-2024.

This! It's been on their website for about a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP

The last time the middle school magnet application test (Dec 2016) was not CogAT at all.

Advanced Raven
SCAT
Reading

MCPS stopped using testing since 2017.

The last time the high school magnet application test (Nov 2019) was CogAT. It was taken off since 2020 due to Covid.

in short, it has nothing to do with Covid as far as elimination of middle school magnet application test.

That is not true. My then 5th grader took the CogAT in fall 2019 for admission to MS magnet.

My rising sophomore has taken the Cogat twice: once for admission to CES (then HGC) and again in 5th for admission to middle school magnets. So it was at least used as recently as the 2017-18 school year.

And they were definitely both Cogat. Pretty sure it was the Raven they took in 2nd grade for gifted identification?

Okay

Raven/SCAT/Reading was used in Dec 2016. That was the last time MCPS middle school magnet admission used.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP

The last time the middle school magnet application test (Dec 2016) was not CogAT at all.

Advanced Raven
SCAT
Reading

MCPS stopped using testing since 2017.

The last time the high school magnet application test (Nov 2019) was CogAT. It was taken off since 2020 due to Covid.

in short, it has nothing to do with Covid as far as elimination of middle school magnet application test.

That is not true. My then 5th grader took the CogAT in fall 2019 for admission to MS magnet.

Overall the county would be well served by reducing the amount of standardized testing. Maybe MAP twice a year and getting the state to accept MAP instead of requiring the silly PARC test or whatever they call it now.

I appreciate the PARCC and the MCAP. It’s a good way to see how your kid is actually doing versus the nonsense MCPS system of freely giving out As.

The Algebra MCAP was an eye-opener for my kid that showed how many gaps of knowledge she had. She had gotten an A in the class and was ‘approaching expectation’ on the test. We set her up with an Algebra tutor and it really highlighted what she had been missing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody knows, and MCPS ain’t saying. Anything you read here will be pure speculation.

Actually people do know and no it will not return next year. MCPS has stated that there will be a 3-year moratorium on this so they can conduct this pilot. We don't know what they'll do after this year yet but there are no plans to administer it in 2022 to 2023.

MCPS is probably happy with the more diverse selection they get with their quasi-lottery and are attempting to refine the process to improve outcomes. Sadly, I would not count on the CogAT making a return, but that's just my best guess.

+1 I doubt they’ll bring back cogat because they probably don’t want the data to be used against them due to MCPS’s focus on equity. Just speculating

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody knows, and MCPS ain’t saying. Anything you read here will be pure speculation.

Actually people do know and no it will not return next year. MCPS has stated that there will be a 3-year moratorium on this so they can conduct this pilot. We don't know what they'll do after this year yet but there are no plans to administer it in 2022 to 2023.

MCPS is probably happy with the more diverse selection they get with their quasi-lottery and are attempting to refine the process to improve outcomes. Sadly, I would not count on the CogAT making a return, but that's just my best guess.

+1 I doubt they’ll bring back cogat because they probably don’t want the data to be used against them due to MCPS’s focus on equity. Just speculating

Well yes and no. Yes it probably won't come back because it's value is dubious at best. Also mcap is completely useless. The map test is at least nationally recognized standard.