Eastern and Takoma Park MS Magnet feedback

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Seems like the biggest consideration is the commute. I looked at the bus schedule and it seems like from where we are, the kids are on the bus for nearly an hour.

Are there other Pyle-zoned families that can tell us that the commute is worth the program?

We know that we haven't gotten a spot from the lottery yet, but trying to mentally prepare because I know the turn around time to accept if we do get a spot is very quick.

A common scenario is to immediately accept, then look into details the week before school starts and withdraw at that point and return to home school. So a bunch more sports can open up the week before school starts once families look into commute and other logistics more carefully. This was more common for Eastern last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My current IB diploma student (11th grade) says they wouldn’t be doing half as well in the program without the preparation of Eastern.

There’s no way any school using the standard MCPS middle school curriculum can teach research and writing and analysis at that level. Even the “good” schools.

For my kid, who’s a serious student and genuinely enjoys learning, the academics were definitely worth dealing with the negatives.

My current IB diploma (senior) student did not attend Eastern--we actually moved to MD after the deadline so she didn't apply.

She was perfectly prepared to write papers and has excelled at that, but I do wish she'd read more books, and Eastern does a great job with that--or so I've heard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Seems like the biggest consideration is the commute. I looked at the bus schedule and it seems like from where we are, the kids are on the bus for nearly an hour.

Are there other Pyle-zoned families that can tell us that the commute is worth the program?

We know that we haven't gotten a spot from the lottery yet, but trying to mentally prepare because I know the turn around time to accept if we do get a spot is very quick.

Not Pyle but Bethesda. DCs at Eastern and Takoma magnets. We carpooled in the AM. Carpool carefully selected for close neighbors. Kids took bus home in PM - either directly afterschool or the "activities bus" which dropped off in a cluster elementary that was reasonably close to home but required pick up by car.

Neither kid complained about 1 hr plus bus ride - since others on bus were also magnet kids (from Takoma and Blair and Eastern), they made a lot of friends and socialized. Sometimes they did their homework on the bus, sometimes they used it as downtime. Not sure bus time matters as much to kids as parents. It is the only time of the day they have without parental supervision or more than basic safety rules or any obligation to do anything. My kids always loved that.

Both programs well worth commute and shaped for the better DCs academic and life trajectory. Both schools have a wider SES than home school and both kids feel this was a beneficial part of their education - to recognize other people's life circumstances a navigate racial and SES differences with dignity to all. (Peers taught this, not necessarily teachers at the programs.)

Agree with others that you accept automatically and then take time to look at specifics. AIR, there is an accepted students day. Not sure if this is happening post-pandemic again.

[Anonymous]

OP again. Thanks to all for the valuable insight!

PP -- very good perspective to keep in mind - thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The programs are fantastic but unfortunately the lottery isn't all that great at identifying kids that really need the enrichment.

Sour grapes.

Btw, almost everyone in the pool was offered Eastern last year.

We were in the pool and still haven’t gotten an offer. Know lots of other people in the same situation. -NP

Strange. I know dozens offered.

NP - I find that hard to believe. “Dozens” offered? How do you even keep track of these things? Moreover, to conclude that “almost everyone” was offered a spot because of your individual experience is what’s strange.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The programs are fantastic but unfortunately the lottery isn't all that great at identifying kids that really need the enrichment.

Sour grapes.

Btw, almost everyone in the pool was offered Eastern last year.

We were in the pool and still haven’t gotten an offer. Know lots of other people in the same situation. -NP

Strange. I know dozens offered.

NP - I find that hard to believe. “Dozens” offered? How do you even keep track of these things? Moreover, to conclude that “almost everyone” was offered a spot because of your individual experience is what’s strange.

NP. It was quite remarkable actually - it felt much different than other years as people just kept getting offered the Eastern spots. It was referenced on DCUM and I noticed it at our church, scout pack, etc. Definitely unscientific but noticeably different from other years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The programs are fantastic but unfortunately the lottery isn't all that great at identifying kids that really need the enrichment.

Sour grapes.

Btw, almost everyone in the pool was offered Eastern last year.

We were in the pool and still haven’t gotten an offer. Know lots of other people in the same situation. -NP

Strange. I know dozens offered.

NP - I find that hard to believe. “Dozens” offered? How do you even keep track of these things? Moreover, to conclude that “almost everyone” was offered a spot because of your individual experience is what’s strange.

NP. It was quite remarkable actually - it felt much different than other years as people just kept getting offered the Eastern spots. It was referenced on DCUM and I noticed it at our church, scout pack, etc. Definitely unscientific but noticeably different from other years.

Did the seats at Eastern markedly increase from past years? Did the number of qualified students drastically decrease? Coincidences happen; using your personal observation to put others down is lousy. PP is correct - the metrics for entering students into the lottery are overly broad. I suspect the central review process isn’t as random as MCPS implies it is, but they use the cover of the lottery to identify kids they think will most benefit. At least some of them.

I don’t know the exact numbers, but there far, far more qualified students than there are spots in any of the criteria-based magnet programs. To hurl “sour grapes” at someone who acknowledges that truth is unkind and inaccurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The programs are fantastic but unfortunately the lottery isn't all that great at identifying kids that really need the enrichment.

Sour grapes.

Btw, almost everyone in the pool was offered Eastern last year.

We were in the pool and still haven’t gotten an offer. Know lots of other people in the same situation. -NP

Perhaps, they've refined their selection process but it was pretty bad 2-3 years ago when it started.

They haven’t. It’s a lottery among qualified students. Lots of people didn’t have lottery luck, my family included (we also never got off the CES waitlist).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The programs are fantastic but unfortunately the lottery isn't all that great at identifying kids that really need the enrichment.

Sour grapes.

Btw, almost everyone in the pool was offered Eastern last year.

We were in the pool and still haven’t gotten an offer. Know lots of other people in the same situation. -NP

Strange. I know dozens offered.

NP - I find that hard to believe. “Dozens” offered? How do you even keep track of these things? Moreover, to conclude that “almost everyone” was offered a spot because of your individual experience is what’s strange.

NP. It was quite remarkable actually - it felt much different than other years as people just kept getting offered the Eastern spots. It was referenced on DCUM and I noticed it at our church, scout pack, etc. Definitely unscientific but noticeably different from other years.

Did the seats at Eastern markedly increase from past years? Did the number of qualified students drastically decrease? Coincidences happen; using your personal observation to put others down is lousy. PP is correct - the metrics for entering students into the lottery are overly broad. I suspect the central review process isn’t as random as MCPS implies it is, but they use the cover of the lottery to identify kids they think will most benefit. At least some of them.

I don’t know the exact numbers, but there far, far more qualified students than there are spots in any of the criteria-based magnet programs. To hurl “sour grapes” at someone who acknowledges that truth is unkind and inaccurate.

The number of seats at Eastern did go up this year. I want to say it went from 100 to 125? Also, PPs use of "scout pack" makes me think they have a boy, which is going to skew the odds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The programs are fantastic but unfortunately the lottery isn't all that great at identifying kids that really need the enrichment.

Sour grapes.

Btw, almost everyone in the pool was offered Eastern last year.

We were in the pool and still haven’t gotten an offer. Know lots of other people in the same situation. -NP

Strange. I know dozens offered.

NP - I find that hard to believe. “Dozens” offered? How do you even keep track of these things? Moreover, to conclude that “almost everyone” was offered a spot because of your individual experience is what’s strange.

NP. It was quite remarkable actually - it felt much different than other years as people just kept getting offered the Eastern spots. It was referenced on DCUM and I noticed it at our church, scout pack, etc. Definitely unscientific but noticeably different from other years.

Did the seats at Eastern markedly increase from past years? Did the number of qualified students drastically decrease? Coincidences happen; using your personal observation to put others down is lousy. PP is correct - the metrics for entering students into the lottery are overly broad. I suspect the central review process isn’t as random as MCPS implies it is, but they use the cover of the lottery to identify kids they think will most benefit. At least some of them.

I don’t know the exact numbers, but there far, far more qualified students than there are spots in any of the criteria-based magnet programs. To hurl “sour grapes” at someone who acknowledges that truth is unkind and inaccurate.

The number of seats at Eastern did go up this year. I want to say it went from 100 to 125? Also, PPs use of "scout pack" makes me think they have a boy, which is going to skew the odds.

There are at least two of us posting with the same experience. They don’t look at gender so having a boy is irrelevant. This past year the waitlist moved constantly. So many kids were offered spots. I don’t now ofanyone offered waitlist places at TPMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The programs are fantastic but unfortunately the lottery isn't all that great at identifying kids that really need the enrichment.

Sour grapes.

Btw, almost everyone in the pool was offered Eastern last year.

We were in the pool and still haven’t gotten an offer. Know lots of other people in the same situation. -NP

Perhaps, they've refined their selection process but it was pretty bad 2-3 years ago when it started.

They haven’t. It’s a lottery among qualified students. Lots of people didn’t have lottery luck, my family included (we also never got off the CES waitlist).

Yes, but the method by which they determine the pool isn't random. I realize this is anecdotal but the subsequent lottery years seem increasingly stronger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, but the method by which they determine the pool isn't random. I realize this is anecdotal but the subsequent lottery years seem increasingly stronger.

The pool determination is not as rigorous as you think. There are criteria used to create the pool that are broad enough to start with a large enough pool of qualified students where unfortunately, some real outliers don't get picked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The programs are fantastic but unfortunately the lottery isn't all that great at identifying kids that really need the enrichment.

Sour grapes.

Btw, almost everyone in the pool was offered Eastern last year.

We were in the pool and still haven’t gotten an offer. Know lots of other people in the same situation. -NP

Strange. I know dozens offered.

NP - I find that hard to believe. “Dozens” offered? How do you even keep track of these things? Moreover, to conclude that “almost everyone” was offered a spot because of your individual experience is what’s strange.

NP. It was quite remarkable actually - it felt much different than other years as people just kept getting offered the Eastern spots. It was referenced on DCUM and I noticed it at our church, scout pack, etc. Definitely unscientific but noticeably different from other years.

Did the seats at Eastern markedly increase from past years? Did the number of qualified students drastically decrease? Coincidences happen; using your personal observation to put others down is lousy. PP is correct - the metrics for entering students into the lottery are overly broad. I suspect the central review process isn’t as random as MCPS implies it is, but they use the cover of the lottery to identify kids they think will most benefit. At least some of them.

I don’t know the exact numbers, but there far, far more qualified students than there are spots in any of the criteria-based magnet programs. To hurl “sour grapes” at someone who acknowledges that truth is unkind and inaccurate.

Yes, an additional 50 seats were created. However, these didn’t go to affluent white and Asian students exclusively so DCUM feels it must be a sign that the program isn’t worth their while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The programs are fantastic but unfortunately the lottery isn't all that great at identifying kids that really need the enrichment.

Sour grapes.

Btw, almost everyone in the pool was offered Eastern last year.

We were in the pool and still haven’t gotten an offer. Know lots of other people in the same situation. -NP

Strange. I know dozens offered.

NP - I find that hard to believe. “Dozens” offered? How do you even keep track of these things? Moreover, to conclude that “almost everyone” was offered a spot because of your individual experience is what’s strange.

NP. It was quite remarkable actually - it felt much different than other years as people just kept getting offered the Eastern spots. It was referenced on DCUM and I noticed it at our church, scout pack, etc. Definitely unscientific but noticeably different from other years.

Did the seats at Eastern markedly increase from past years? Did the number of qualified students drastically decrease? Coincidences happen; using your personal observation to put others down is lousy. PP is correct - the metrics for entering students into the lottery are overly broad. I suspect the central review process isn’t as random as MCPS implies it is, but they use the cover of the lottery to identify kids they think will most benefit. At least some of them.

I don’t know the exact numbers, but there far, far more qualified students than there are spots in any of the criteria-based magnet programs. To hurl “sour grapes” at someone who acknowledges that truth is unkind and inaccurate.

Yes, an additional 50 seats were created. However, these didn’t go to affluent white and Asian students exclusively so DCUM feels it must be a sign that the program isn’t worth their while.

An increase of 50 isn’t what I would consider significant. The lottery criteria are also not that stringent, i.e., still far more qualified students than can be admitted.

Again: the vast majority of kids MCPS tells us could benefit from the level of enrichment offered at TPMS/EMS don’t have access to them. Calling that reality sour grapes just makes you look like a jerk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, but the method by which they determine the pool isn't random. I realize this is anecdotal but the subsequent lottery years seem increasingly stronger.

The pool determination is not as rigorous as you think. There are criteria used to create the pool that are broad enough to start with a large enough pool of qualified students where unfortunately, some real outliers don't get picked.

Yes, according to the data that they released, you have to score in the top 5% at a low-farm school and the top 40% at a farm school, BUT any student who is FARMS ESOL or has a 504 also gets put in the pool with 70%. Now CES centers mostly have uniform farms so high farms don't typically compete with low-farms BUT half the kids in the county have a 504 these days so the bar isn't that high.