Changes to the HGC for next year (and to middle/high school magnet application in the future)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yay for 2 way immersion! It values what non-English speakers can bring to schools! We should view these kids as a tremendous resource, not a burden as non-english speakers are often viewed!

If they cost more money, they are a burden. No other country gives free lessons like the US does. You just immerse and get grades or you learn the language before starting school there.

Please consider not saying this to a parent of a kid in special ed. Or to a parent of a kid in the Blair science magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there any change on selection transparency? MCPS seems to withhold more information regarding how the decisions were made this year than previous years.

By "selection transparency", do you mean that MCPS should explain their criteria and processes for deciding who gets admitted? If so, then I think that the goal of increasing selection transparency conflicts with the goal of increasing participation of qualified students from poor and/or non-hooked-in families. The more detail MCPS provides about the selection criteria and processes, the more affluent, hooked-in families will figure out ways to game the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yay for 2 way immersion! It values what non-English speakers can bring to schools! We should view these kids as a tremendous resource, not a burden as non-english speakers are often viewed!

If they cost more money, they are a burden. No other country gives free lessons like the US does. You just immerse and get grades or you learn the language before starting school there.

Please consider not saying this to a parent of a kid in special ed. Or to a parent of a kid in the Blair science magnet.

First off, special Ed is a necessity. Every penny spent to help teach those kids is not even enough from MCPS.

Second, every single program based on a pool of applicants and bussing them all over the county is a waste of money and resources.

Third, ESOL is a huge budget issue in our county, only getting worse (tripled in cost in 6 years) and is a huge waste of money and resources for a school budget. Want to learn the language spoken in the schools you are sending your kids to? Do it outside of school like other countries do. The county wants to welcome immigrants and illegal aliens? Fine but language classes aren't free. Turn them into county programs with cost by the people needing them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there any change on selection transparency? MCPS seems to withhold more information regarding how the decisions were made this year than previous years.

By "selection transparency", do you mean that MCPS should explain their criteria and processes for deciding who gets admitted? If so, then I think that the goal of increasing selection transparency conflicts with the goal of increasing participation of qualified students from poor and/or non-hooked-in families. The more detail MCPS provides about the selection criteria and processes, the more affluent, hooked-in families will figure out ways to game the system.

Everyone of these programs is affluent families gaming the system. That will never end unless the programs end.

[Anonymous]

I would much rather they move to the Matsunaga model throughout the whole county and get rid of the regional centers. The transportation and before/after care issues still pose a barrier to some families who will not choose to attend a regional center as a result. The transportation cost is high. It is socially awkward for the kids. It adds competitive pressure on kids to apply for MS Magnets. I could go on with the down sides of the regional centers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yay for 2 way immersion! It values what non-English speakers can bring to schools! We should view these kids as a tremendous resource, not a burden as non-english speakers are often viewed!

If they cost more money, they are a burden. No other country gives free lessons like the US does. You just immerse and get grades or you learn the language before starting school there.

Please consider not saying this to a parent of a kid in special ed. Or to a parent of a kid in the Blair science magnet.

First off, special Ed is a necessity. Every penny spent to help teach those kids is not even enough from MCPS.

Second, every single program based on a pool of applicants and bussing them all over the county is a waste of money and resources.

Third, ESOL is a huge budget issue in our county, only getting worse (tripled in cost in 6 years) and is a huge waste of money and resources for a school budget. Want to learn the language spoken in the schools you are sending your kids to? Do it outside of school like other countries do. The county wants to welcome immigrants and illegal aliens? Fine but language classes aren't free. Turn them into county programs with cost by the people needing them.

Ah. Kids in special ed are a burden, but special ed is a necessity. Kids who need to be taught English are a burden, but teaching English to kids is not a necessity. Kids who are gifted are not a burden as long as they're taught in their home schools. This is very complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would much rather they move to the Matsunaga model throughout the whole county and get rid of the regional centers. The transportation and before/after care issues still pose a barrier to some families who will not choose to attend a regional center as a result. The transportation cost is high. It is socially awkward for the kids. It adds competitive pressure on kids to apply for MS Magnets. I could go on with the down sides of the regional centers.

But if you put a whole magnet class at every school..it becomes a pretty low bar. 1/2 the grade in some cases. The high level curriculum would have to change...which is ok I guess except for those outlier kids who lose what they have. I wonder if it will lead to a drastic expansion of (sort of) competitive magnet seats at the MS and HS levels too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would much rather they move to the Matsunaga model throughout the whole county and get rid of the regional centers. The transportation and before/after care issues still pose a barrier to some families who will not choose to attend a regional center as a result. The transportation cost is high. It is socially awkward for the kids. It adds competitive pressure on kids to apply for MS Magnets. I could go on with the down sides of the regional centers.

But if you put a whole magnet class at every school..it becomes a pretty low bar. 1/2 the grade in some cases. The high level curriculum would have to change...which is ok I guess except for those outlier kids who lose what they have. I wonder if it will lead to a drastic expansion of (sort of) competitive magnet seats at the MS and HS levels too.

If we can't all be in the top quartile, we don't live in Lake Wobegon!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm just happy that my magnet kids are almost done with MCPS.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would much rather they move to the Matsunaga model throughout the whole county and get rid of the regional centers. The transportation and before/after care issues still pose a barrier to some families who will not choose to attend a regional center as a result. The transportation cost is high. It is socially awkward for the kids. It adds competitive pressure on kids to apply for MS Magnets. I could go on with the down sides of the regional centers.

You are not describing a magnet program. The current program is meant to serve the top 3-5% of students in the county and so you cannot have them in every school. The top 20% of students in the county are not adequately served in elementary school and middle school and more needs to be done at the home schools to address this deficiency but not at the expense of the top 3-5% which is a distinct population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm just happy that my magnet kids are almost done with MCPS.

+1

+2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there any change on selection transparency? MCPS seems to withhold more information regarding how the decisions were made this year than previous years.

By "selection transparency", do you mean that MCPS should explain their criteria and processes for deciding who gets admitted? If so, then I think that the goal of increasing selection transparency conflicts with the goal of increasing participation of qualified students from poor and/or non-hooked-in families. The more detail MCPS provides about the selection criteria and processes, the more affluent, hooked-in families will figure out ways to game the system.

Everyone of these programs is affluent families gaming the system. That will never end unless the programs end.

This is an ignorant and offensive statement. You would never make such a statement about a child who needs disability or learning difficulties services or a child who needs additional help with English, why do you feel it is alright in this instance to attack an entire group of children. These kids are by and large very intelligent and thirsting to learn and so yes many of them (and their parents) are highly motivated to secure admission to these programs. In addition for many kids it is so important to be with other kids who are like them and who understand and accept their academic inclinations. I know my child would have been miserable in a regular school setting.
I don't think I "gamed" the system but here is what I did do: I went to lots of information meetings, researched the programs, helped my child put his application together and made sure he was rested on the day of the exam. I made sure he did not miss any deadlines. I did not pay for a prep course, or write his essays or anything like that. Most of the parents I know who have seen kids through HGCs,and middle school and high school magnets will tell you something similar. We are indeed mostly solidly middle class and in some cases upper middle class but this is largely by virtue of the fact that most of us have graduate or terminal degrees. This does make it more likely that our children are also predisposed to doing well in school and seek academic challenge. This is the most important reason why you see so many UMC families in the magnet programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would much rather they move to the Matsunaga model throughout the whole county and get rid of the regional centers. The transportation and before/after care issues still pose a barrier to some families who will not choose to attend a regional center as a result. The transportation cost is high. It is socially awkward for the kids. It adds competitive pressure on kids to apply for MS Magnets. I could go on with the down sides of the regional centers.

You are not describing a magnet program. The current program is meant to serve the top 3-5% of students in the county and so you cannot have them in every school. The top 20% of students in the county are not adequately served in elementary school and middle school and more needs to be done at the home schools to address this deficiency but not at the expense of the top 3-5% which is a distinct population.

It's going to be like those middle schools where everyone is in Honors English. What's the point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This is an ignorant and offensive statement. You would never make such a statement about a child who needs disability or learning difficulties services or a child who needs additional help with English, why do you feel it is alright in this instance to attack an entire group of children. These kids are by and large very intelligent and thirsting to learn and so yes many of them (and their parents) are highly motivated to secure admission to these programs. In addition for many kids it is so important to be with other kids who are like them and who understand and accept their academic inclinations. I know my child would have been miserable in a regular school setting.
I don't think I "gamed" the system but here is what I did do: I went to lots of information meetings, researched the programs, helped my child put his application together and made sure he was rested on the day of the exam. I made sure he did not miss any deadlines. I did not pay for a prep course, or write his essays or anything like that. Most of the parents I know who have seen kids through HGCs,and middle school and high school magnets will tell you something similar. We are indeed mostly solidly middle class and in some cases upper middle class but this is largely by virtue of the fact that most of us have graduate or terminal degrees. This does make it more likely that our children are also predisposed to doing well in school and seek academic challenge. This is the most important reason why you see so many UMC families in the magnet programs.

Not every family with a kid in the magnet programs is gaming the system -- or even affluent (by DCUM standards or in actual real life). Nonetheless, do you disagree with the idea that being affluent really helps families get and keep their kids in magnet programs? Or do you believe that the only reason kids from affluent families are so over-represented in the magnet programs is because kids from affluent families are smarter and more motivated?

And do you believe that, if MCPS said, "These are the four specific things we look for in application magnet programs, and this is how we calculate their weights", affluent families with time to go to meetings and research programs wouldn't use that information to improve their kids' chances of getting in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would much rather they move to the Matsunaga model throughout the whole county and get rid of the regional centers. The transportation and before/after care issues still pose a barrier to some families who will not choose to attend a regional center as a result. The transportation cost is high. It is socially awkward for the kids. It adds competitive pressure on kids to apply for MS Magnets. I could go on with the down sides of the regional centers.

Agree. It is also only used to bump up test scores in poor performing schools. Makes MCPS look better than they are.