Specialty program spreadsheets

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
An example of the TAG MS issue can be seen by comparing Spellman (Great School Rating of 6) to Rockledge (Great School Rating of 6). Spellman lost about 12% of the class between 1st and 2nd grade last year. Rockledge's enrollment increased by 1. Acceptance rates to their TAG magnets are basically the same. So what is one of the apparent differences? Spellman feeds into Gholson (GS rating of 3) while Rockledge feeds into Samuel Ogle MS (GS rating of 7) and Bowie HS.

12% of Spellman's 1st grade class isn't going to a TAG center school. There are what, at most 120 kids there in grade 1. 14 of them aren't going to Highland Park. They might be leaving for other reasons though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
An example of the TAG MS issue can be seen by comparing Spellman (Great School Rating of 6) to Rockledge (Great School Rating of 6). Spellman lost about 12% of the class between 1st and 2nd grade last year. Rockledge's enrollment increased by 1. Acceptance rates to their TAG magnets are basically the same. So what is one of the apparent differences? Spellman feeds into Gholson (GS rating of 3) while Rockledge feeds into Samuel Ogle MS (GS rating of 7) and Bowie HS.

12% of Spellman's 1st grade class isn't going to a TAG center school. There are what, at most 120 kids there in grade 1. 14 of them aren't going to Highland Park. They might be leaving for other reasons though.

Actually, at least 8 of the 79 kids in that specific class left for HP at the beginning of this year. Not sure where the other 2% went.

Clearly people move around for all kinds of reasons and given the number of variables involved the stats I was playing with aren't scientifically significant I was just looking at trends, and seeing how they might support the playground chatter I hear from families in Cheverly who say they wouldn't leave Spellman to go to Highland Park/Dora Kennedy/Hoyer/Pullen if they knew they had a viable MS option. I think if the county poured some more thought and money into magnet MS programs they wouldn't need to keep increasing the magnet ES programs in order to attract and retain middle class families at the public schools.

IMO the county needs to look at why people of higher SES leave the public schools as their kids get to higher grades and what PGCPS can do to keep them in the system. This year there are 10,000 Kindergarten students but only 9,000 7th graders.

I think that the need for additional slots in TAG MS programs is evidenced by the sheer volume of kids who enter the lottery for 6th grade TAG with a minuscule chance of getting in. I think that the county knows it and took down the raw data spreadsheet so people couldn't keep track of how many kids don't get spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child moved one spot higher on the waitlist for 6th grade TAG at Greenbelt Middle. So one kid got it. My other child is on the waitlist for 8th grade TAG at Greenbelt Middle - no movement at all. Last year, I think 4 kids got in there for 7th grade because my child moved up 4 spots but didn't get in. What is so ridiculous is the time and money spent for so few spots. What a waste of tax dollars. This is our 4th year of trying to get into middle school TAG. There really isn't room in PGCPS for good students. My kids attend regular PGCPS and they are are especially tired of classmates who disrupt class and substitute teachers who are abysmal. Our only hope is to test into Roosevelt. One of our kids goes there and is pleased. It's like living in China - your life depends on how you do on one test when you are 14.

I'm wondering if the reason there was no movement is that kids that live within the boundary for a TAG middle school don't need to do the lottery to get space into the TAG program. Maybe because they get automatic entry to the TAG middle schools, the specialty office can't offer any additional spaces to lottery families because they need to save space and see how many of the neighborhood kids register before going through the waitlist.

[Anonymous]

No, the only way to get into the TAG program is to qualify academically. Where you live has no influence on acceptance. The program fills up in the early years and that's that. Open seats at the middle school level are few to none because Grade 5 kids get first dips for Grade 6 (middle school). They don't have to re-test, just maintain good grades to remain in the program.

Honestly, when county leadership says they want more middle school families in PGCPS they know it's BS. The formula for getting academically-minded students into the school system is not a mystery. It's all about political will. The county has only so much money. How are we going to spend it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child moved one spot higher on the waitlist for 6th grade TAG at Greenbelt Middle. So one kid got it. My other child is on the waitlist for 8th grade TAG at Greenbelt Middle - no movement at all. Last year, I think 4 kids got in there for 7th grade because my child moved up 4 spots but didn't get in. What is so ridiculous is the time and money spent for so few spots. What a waste of tax dollars. This is our 4th year of trying to get into middle school TAG. There really isn't room in PGCPS for good students. My kids attend regular PGCPS and they are are especially tired of classmates who disrupt class and substitute teachers who are abysmal. Our only hope is to test into Roosevelt. One of our kids goes there and is pleased. It's like living in China - your life depends on how you do on one test when you are 14.

I'm wondering if the reason there was no movement is that kids that live within the boundary for a TAG middle school don't need to do the lottery to get space into the TAG program. Maybe because they get automatic entry to the TAG middle schools, the specialty office can't offer any additional spaces to lottery families because they need to save space and see how many of the neighborhood kids register before going through the waitlist.

TAG identified kids who live in bounds for the TAG MS Magnet still need to apply for the lottery to get a slot if they are not getting continuity to MS through attending a TAG magnet ES. i.e. you can live inbounds at Kenmoor and may not be able to attend the TAG stream even if you are TAG identified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, the only way to get into the TAG program is to qualify academically. Where you live has no influence on acceptance. The program fills up in the early years and that's that. Open seats at the middle school level are few to none because Grade 5 kids get first dips for Grade 6 (middle school). They don't have to re-test, just maintain good grades to remain in the program.

Honestly, when county leadership says they want more middle school families in PGCPS they know it's BS. The formula for getting academically-minded students into the school system is not a mystery. It's all about political will. The county has only so much money. How are we going to spend it?

Please take some time and write a note with your comments to Dr. Maxwell, Executive Baker and your school board member. Although we all know these issues, I think that it doesn't make it all the way up to the top where change has to come from. Enough noise was made about expanding French Immersion and Montessori and they managed to find the resources to do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, that would be really unpopular. Move local kids further away so kids who live further from the school can come there....?

Sure, but PGCPS is mandated to provide TAG services to these kids and they are failing to do so in a meaningful way.

There are two under enrolled MS 2-3 miles from Kenmoor (Everett Just, Gholson). Kenmoor's boundary area is pretty small compared to other MS in the district and they are surrounded by other MS in fairly close proximity. Some of the kids probably live closer to Gholson or Just than Kenmoor.

I'm glad that I'm not making the decisions but from a purely logical point of view adding TAG classes at Kenmoor would be the most economical way to achieve more MS opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, that would be really unpopular. Move local kids further away so kids who live further from the school can come there....?

Sure, but PGCPS is mandated to provide TAG services to these kids and they are failing to do so in a meaningful way.

There are two under enrolled MS 2-3 miles from Kenmoor (Everett Just, Gholson). Kenmoor's boundary area is pretty small compared to other MS in the district and they are surrounded by other MS in fairly close proximity. Some of the kids probably live closer to Gholson or Just than Kenmoor.

I'm glad that I'm not making the decisions but from a purely logical point of view adding TAG classes at Kenmoor would be the most economical way to achieve more MS opportunities.

Um, no. Adding TAG classes to the under enrolled middle schools is makes more sense economically and from an educational perspective than relocated all the other non-TAG kids. And while they are obligated to provide TAG services, they have stronger legal obligations to educate ESOL, FARMS, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, that would be really unpopular. Move local kids further away so kids who live further from the school can come there....?

Sure, but PGCPS is mandated to provide TAG services to these kids and they are failing to do so in a meaningful way.

There are two under enrolled MS 2-3 miles from Kenmoor (Everett Just, Gholson). Kenmoor's boundary area is pretty small compared to other MS in the district and they are surrounded by other MS in fairly close proximity. Some of the kids probably live closer to Gholson or Just than Kenmoor.

I'm glad that I'm not making the decisions but from a purely logical point of view adding TAG classes at Kenmoor would be the most economical way to achieve more MS opportunities.

Um, no. Adding TAG classes to the under enrolled middle schools is makes more sense economically and from an educational perspective than relocated all the other non-TAG kids.

I'd love it if more MS got dedicated TAG programs. And I agree it would benefit everyone if TAG kids stayed in local ES and MS.

I was speaking from the perspective of getting trained staff and curriculum resources at alternate locations. Not all principals want TAG programs and not all teachers are willing to get TAG certified. On top of that moving staff around to different schools can be a union nightmare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child moved one spot higher on the waitlist for 6th grade TAG at Greenbelt Middle. So one kid got it. My other child is on the waitlist for 8th grade TAG at Greenbelt Middle - no movement at all. Last year, I think 4 kids got in there for 7th grade because my child moved up 4 spots but didn't get in. What is so ridiculous is the time and money spent for so few spots. What a waste of tax dollars. This is our 4th year of trying to get into middle school TAG. There really isn't room in PGCPS for good students. My kids attend regular PGCPS and they are are especially tired of classmates who disrupt class and substitute teachers who are abysmal. Our only hope is to test into Roosevelt. One of our kids goes there and is pleased. It's like living in China - your life depends on how you do on one test when you are 14.

I'm wondering if the reason there was no movement is that kids that live within the boundary for a TAG middle school don't need to do the lottery to get space into the TAG program. Maybe because they get automatic entry to the TAG middle schools, the specialty office can't offer any additional spaces to lottery families because they need to save space and see how many of the neighborhood kids register before going through the waitlist.

TAG identified kids who live in bounds for the TAG MS Magnet still need to apply for the lottery to get a slot if they are not getting continuity to MS through attending a TAG magnet ES. i.e. you can live inbounds at Kenmoor and may not be able to attend the TAG stream even if you are TAG identified.

That's not true for Greenbelt.

[Anonymous]

So how does it work at Greenbelt? My kids are TAG identified at Goddard but have never managed to get off the waitlist for Greenbelt Middle.

[Anonymous]

My child isn't middle school aged yet, but the way I've had it explained to me by other parents who live in the boundary is that if you don't get into the lottery and enroll in the school, the TAG program will pull (maybe internal transfer) the child into the TAG program (assuming they qualify through the TAG screening).

[Anonymous]

Well, I think that's a generous description. Yes, those kids get pulled in some. The same thing happens at Roosevelt. But I wouldn't call it significant enough to change the academic pace and depth of the kid's education. In the end they will have a hard time getting into colleges of the same caliber as the kids in the TAG/specialty program.

[Anonymous]

I've never heard it referred to as getting pulled in some, but rather if you live in the boundary, you're in and moved over completely into the program I.e. Lottery doesn't matter. My guess is it happens at the school level rather than at the county level. For the record, I've heard the same thing about Hyattsville Middle's performing arts program (but the kid needs musical ability rather than TAG label).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
There are two under enrolled MS 2-3 miles from Kenmoor (Everett Just, Gholson). Kenmoor's boundary area is pretty small compared to other MS in the district and they are surrounded by other MS in fairly close proximity. Some of the kids probably live closer to Gholson or Just than Kenmoor.

So the more politically acceptable option would be to start a TAG middle school program at Gholson. If it is underenrolled, there's room there for a cohort of students, and the busses are running there anyhow. So all TAG identified kids who are zoned for Gholson Middle School (like the kids in Cheverly) would now be sent to the TAG middle school program at Gholson.