Middle school magnets - criteria-based

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with MAP-M and MAP-R in the 99th percentile. Placed in both lotteries, selected for neither. Low-Moderate FARMS school. Straight A's. Asian.

Looks like there are more posts of people who did not get picked than those who got picked. Would love to know profile of kids who got selected to confirm that this was a true lottery.

I hardly doubt its a true lottery.

They clearly stated it's a lottery of the top 15%. Look up lottery and the dictionary if you don't understand how these work.

Because the kids from our ES were not the top students but one of the parents had connections and it was interesting the kids selected were all friends. There were much brighter kids who should have been sent. These were good smart kids but they were not at the top.

The 15% is now absurd.

They weren't the top kids at our school either, but guess what it's a lottery of the top 15%. That means only 1 in 15 is in the 99% and truth is the 15% is scaled so it varies depending on the school's FARMS rate. They've released the actual percentages but if I recall correctly it was the top 8% at low FARMS schools and top 40% at high FARMS schools. This determines entry in the pool form there names are randomly selected.

[Anonymous]

It's not just MAP percent. Have to get As and demonstrate a high enough reading level. So not all the top MAP scorers qualified, though you'd think most would.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not just MAP percent. Have to get As and demonstrate a high enough reading level. So not all the top MAP scorers qualified, though you'd think most would.

Reading level is not considered for the math magnet and I don’t think it is for the humanities one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is finishing up at the TPMS magnet and got in through the old method (non-lottery). I remember DCUM when results were announced. It seems like the fact that DCUM is not deluged with acceptance announcements today indicates the lottery is working, according to MCPS' goals of diversifying it. Before it was DCUM parent after DCUM parent announcing acceptances the day after the letters were mailed. Lots arrived yesterday. That this isn't happening might mean more kids are getting in whose parents don't use DCUM, which indicates a different SES mix than in years past.

Of course I may be wrong about timing and tomorrow this happens.

You are probably correct and for me that means that it was not a true lottery. Some groups got more acceptances that others.

It is a true lottery in that names are randomly selected from a pool. They've stated this clearly.

So if the lottery had only picked White and Asian kids, then MCPS would have been OK with it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not just MAP percent. Have to get As and demonstrate a high enough reading level. So not all the top MAP scorers qualified, though you'd think most would.

Reading level is not considered for the math magnet and I don’t think it is for the humanities one.

You have to be at grade level reading for the math/science magnet and above grade level for reading for the humanities magnet. Our stingy teacher rated the entire class at grade level, even the kids who were very early and accomplished readers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not just MAP percent. Have to get As and demonstrate a high enough reading level. So not all the top MAP scorers qualified, though you'd think most would.

Reading level is not considered for the math magnet and I don’t think it is for the humanities one.

You have to be at grade level reading for the math/science magnet and above grade level for reading for the humanities magnet. Our stingy teacher rated the entire class at grade level, even the kids who were very early and accomplished readers.

Ditto. First time my child wasn't rated above. Will love to hear the excuses if he ia marked above thia quarter when it wouldn't matter...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD made lottery for both TPMS and Eastern but was selected for neither. High 240s for MAP M and R; I don't remember the exact numbers but M was a point or two higher.

Am a little confused because in ParentVue it says her math recommendation is AMP6+ but I think she should be in AIM....but maybe the issue is that the AIM recommendation is done centrally by MCPS and that hasn't happened yet? In ParentVue it says "teacher recommendation" so that's what I'm thinking.

Bummed that DD won't have any advanced science, though....and her middle school hilariously calls English "Advanced English" even though that's the English class for everyone - there is no differentiation.

Parentvue recommendations are done by the current 5th grade teacher or her current elementary school. If you want her in AIM or another class just register her for it when the time comes and if there is any issue you can show them the lottery letter.

You don't get a choice to register at our school; it says it's done automatically based on teacher recommendation. The only choice we have is for language and elective. But if PP was on the lottery waitlist, then the teacher recommendation shouldn't matter; student has been identified for AIM by central office.

Being on the lottery waitlist won't override the school registration. She will still need to go talk to the school counseling office to get her child reregistered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is finishing up at the TPMS magnet and got in through the old method (non-lottery). I remember DCUM when results were announced. It seems like the fact that DCUM is not deluged with acceptance announcements today indicates the lottery is working, according to MCPS' goals of diversifying it. Before it was DCUM parent after DCUM parent announcing acceptances the day after the letters were mailed. Lots arrived yesterday. That this isn't happening might mean more kids are getting in whose parents don't use DCUM, which indicates a different SES mix than in years past.

Of course I may be wrong about timing and tomorrow this happens.

You are probably correct and for me that means that it was not a true lottery. Some groups got more acceptances that others.

It is a true lottery in that names are randomly selected from a pool. They've stated this clearly.

So if the lottery had only picked White and Asian kids, then MCPS would have been OK with it?

It’s a majority minority school district. Seems unlikely that every lottery winner would be white or Asian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not just MAP percent. Have to get As and demonstrate a high enough reading level. So not all the top MAP scorers qualified, though you'd think most would.

Reading level is not considered for the math magnet and I don’t think it is for the humanities one.

You have to be at grade level reading for the math/science magnet and above grade level for reading for the humanities magnet. Our stingy teacher rated the entire class at grade level, even the kids who were very early and accomplished readers.

Reading level is supposed to be taken from the MAP-R. The teacher didn't use the lexile ranges in that? I woudl appeal if that's the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with MAP-M and MAP-R in the 99th percentile. Placed in both lotteries, selected for neither. Low-Moderate FARMS school. Straight A's. Asian.

Looks like there are more posts of people who did not get picked than those who got picked. Would love to know profile of kids who got selected to confirm that this was a true lottery.

I hardly doubt its a true lottery.

They clearly stated it's a lottery of the top 15%. Look up lottery and the dictionary if you don't understand how these work.

Because the kids from our ES were not the top students but one of the parents had connections and it was interesting the kids selected were all friends. There were much brighter kids who should have been sent. These were good smart kids but they were not at the top.

The 15% is now absurd.

They weren't the top kids at our school either, but guess what it's a lottery of the top 15%. That means only 1 in 15 is in the 99% and truth is the 15% is scaled so it varies depending on the school's FARMS rate. They've released the actual percentages but if I recall correctly it was the top 8% at low FARMS schools and top 40% at high FARMS schools. This determines entry in the pool form there names are randomly selected.

The percentiles are listed in the OP's original post. Go back to page 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with MAP-M and MAP-R in the 99th percentile. Placed in both lotteries, selected for neither. Low-Moderate FARMS school. Straight A's. Asian.

Looks like there are more posts of people who did not get picked than those who got picked. Would love to know profile of kids who got selected to confirm that this was a true lottery.

I hardly doubt its a true lottery.

They clearly stated it's a lottery of the top 15%. Look up lottery and the dictionary if you don't understand how these work.

Because the kids from our ES were not the top students but one of the parents had connections and it was interesting the kids selected were all friends. There were much brighter kids who should have been sent. These were good smart kids but they were not at the top.

The 15% is now absurd.

They weren't the top kids at our school either, but guess what it's a lottery of the top 15%. That means only 1 in 15 is in the 99% and truth is the 15% is scaled so it varies depending on the school's FARMS rate. They've released the actual percentages but if I recall correctly it was the top 8% at low FARMS schools and top 40% at high FARMS schools. This determines entry in the pool form there names are randomly selected.

The percentiles are listed in the OP's original post. Go back to page 1.

Note: those are not the percentiles used this year. They are the percentiles from last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not just MAP percent. Have to get As and demonstrate a high enough reading level. So not all the top MAP scorers qualified, though you'd think most would.

Reading level is not considered for the math magnet and I don’t think it is for the humanities one.

You have to be at grade level reading for the math/science magnet and above grade level for reading for the humanities magnet. Our stingy teacher rated the entire class at grade level, even the kids who were very early and accomplished readers.

Whoa. That’s really bad. And grounds for an appeal, although I will tell you right now, mcps will not care and will deny your appeal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not just MAP percent. Have to get As and demonstrate a high enough reading level. So not all the top MAP scorers qualified, though you'd think most would.

Reading level is not considered for the math magnet and I don’t think it is for the humanities one.

You have to be at grade level reading for the math/science magnet and above grade level for reading for the humanities magnet. Our stingy teacher rated the entire class at grade level, even the kids who were very early and accomplished readers.

Reading level is supposed to be taken from the MAP-R. The teacher didn't use the lexile ranges in that? I woudl appeal if that's the case.

That's pretty bad. We never had a teacher who did this but if we did I would have gotten outside assessment and made a case that the entire class needed to be accurately assessed since not everyone has the means to pay for that or notice/advocate. It's not the teacher's place to play AEI God...it's hard enough already to gain enrichment opportunities.

[Anonymous]

What MAP-R level is supposed to be above grade level?

[Anonymous]

Is anyone else still waiting on the letter? And USPS Informed Delivery says it's not coming today either...