Middle School Magnet Test

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Eastern they shared they had roughly 600 applicants for 100 spots; for Takoma 875 for 100 spots (an additional 25 for TPMS boundary students). Just an unfortunate system that many, many gifted students don't gain acceptance and must endure the regular system aimed at the average student.

What?! 1/5 of the spots in the most elite program in the county are reserved for Takoma Park families?? That's crazy! Why? That means that while 800+ kids are competing for 100 spots, you've got maybe 50-75 kids competing for the final 25. MUCH better odds, no? It surely means there are some less qualified kids getting in every year. I don't understand why in-boundary families should be granted such a home field advantage for a program that's supposed to be for the very best students in the county?

That has to be the most valuable geographic advantage in the entire MCPS system.

It is. And so, we urge all to move in that area so that Takoma Park MS is your home MS. It is meant to attract home buyers too. I think it is a good strategy.

Or simply rent for the 5th grade year in-boundary. It may seem like an outlandish idea, but the advantage is striking.

[Anonymous]

The takoma park in boundary area includes a lot of high poverty areas esp around langleynpark and the area that was co opted from pg a few years ago. Also a lot of apaprtment buildings in DTSS now feed in there. So while they get a leg up with tpms, the school has lots of other issues to contend with vis a vis the non magnet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The takoma park in boundary area includes a lot of high poverty areas esp around langleynpark and the area that was co opted from pg a few years ago. Also a lot of apaprtment buildings in DTSS now feed in there. So while they get a leg up with tpms, the school has lots of other issues to contend with vis a vis the non magnet

Utterly 100% false. I don't know where you get your information, but it's obvious you don't have first-hand experience with TPMS. I do. I have one grad and another there now, both in the regular program. I don't know of any issues. It's a great, dynamic, well-integrated community, full of bright, talented kids--both in the magnet and out.

[Anonymous]

Whoa. Clemente has 50 seats in each program, and an additional 20 per program. So total Humanities = 50 outside applicants + 20 RC kids = 70 seats for humanities. And the same for SMACS

What is SMACS?

[Anonymous]

If Takoma Park has 25 in-boundary kids, why not add 25 in-boundary Eastern kids to that magnet? Seems like the only way to get Josh Starr to increase the magnet population even a tiny bit.
I could see some advantages to the school - those in-boundary kids could be a connection between the magnet and non-magnet populations - and at least it would open up a handful of slots at Eastern for the rest of us.
But what I'd really like the county to do is take a two-pronged approach by increasing the magnet program populations by 50% or more, and adding more rigorous honors classes at the regular middle schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Whoa. Clemente has 50 seats in each program, and an additional 20 per program. So total Humanities = 50 outside applicants + 20 RC kids = 70 seats for humanities. And the same for SMACS

What is SMACS?

math and science magnet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Whoa. Clemente has 50 seats in each program, and an additional 20 per program. So total Humanities = 50 outside applicants + 20 RC kids = 70 seats for humanities. And the same for SMACS

What is SMACS?

Science, Math And Computer Science.

[Anonymous]

We are not in-boundary for Roberto Clemente MS. I actually feel fine with in-boundary folks getting some reserved seats for them. My understanding is that it is to boost interest in academics within the school and actually attract people into the cluster.

I actually think that if the benefits of a rigorous program trickles down to non-magnet students in a low performing school - it is a very, very good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are not in-boundary for Roberto Clemente MS. I actually feel fine with in-boundary folks getting some reserved seats for them. My understanding is that it is to boost interest in academics within the school and actually attract people into the cluster.

I actually think that if the benefits of a rigorous program trickles down to non-magnet students in a low performing school - it is a very, very good thing.

How so?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are not in-boundary for Roberto Clemente MS. I actually feel fine with in-boundary folks getting some reserved seats for them. My understanding is that it is to boost interest in academics within the school and actually attract people into the cluster.

I actually think that if the benefits of a rigorous program trickles down to non-magnet students in a low performing school - it is a very, very good thing.

No, it doesn't.

I work in a school where there is a "school w/in a school" structure. The upper levels are tracked and travel in cocoons. I am the rare teacher who has the very high and the very low. So I can say that some of my lessons overlap. However, most teachers are "tracked," too in that they're either given on-level/inclusion or those in honors or special programs.

Nothing trickles down. no trickle down economics in these situations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know how much the application essays count? Are they considere or is really just about the test?

I think the test qualifies you to get your application essays read. I am assuming that based on how kids did in the test - they would cull the pool to 200 applicants. And then take a look at everything - test scores and application essays and teacher's recommendation.

I doubt that they get it down to 200 just on test scores.

Yes they do. Then the rest is weeding out the poor applications, other tests/grades, recommendations. The final review is a comparison but that is just a small number of borderline. This is from reliable source.

200 per school?

Yes, per school. 200 or less. Just pointing out the most kids are we're out by the test without having anything else looked at. The application and recommendations are not that important except to knock you out if you are borderline and they are of low quality. If you are in that borderline group and have something spectacular in your application, it could get you in. But the test isn't far the biggest factor.

[Anonymous]

How many students are wait listed?

[Anonymous]

There are 90 students taking the test today and they said that there had been 900 on Saturday. So almost 1000 total, but not clear how many students are applying for each school.

[Anonymous]

In an appeal to the MD Board of Education, the decision stated that in the year considered (I think 2013) TPMS accepted 121 and waitlisted 72. That is close to 200 so it seems likely that they must look at more than 200 to figure out who to admit and waitlist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The takoma park in boundary area includes a lot of high poverty areas esp around langleynpark and the area that was co opted from pg a few years ago. Also a lot of apaprtment buildings in DTSS now feed in there. So while they get a leg up with tpms, the school has lots of other issues to contend with vis a vis the non magnet

Utterly 100% false. I don't know where you get your information, but it's obvious you don't have first-hand experience with TPMS. I do. I have one grad and another there now, both in the regular program. I don't know of any issues. It's a great, dynamic, well-integrated community, full of bright, talented kids--both in the magnet and out.

Not entirely false, although somewhat false. First, most of Langley Park is still PG. The area that was coopted into TP a few years ago, basically lying between Carroll and New Hampshire, is pretty solidly middle class by any standard other than the DCUM standard where middle class=$250k/year. Maple Avenue is mixed but it's not a huge area anyway.

There were bad relations between the magnet and non-magnet parts of the school maybe 10 years ago. In one incident, non-magnet kids held a demonstration, complete with posters, to protest the fact that magnet 8th graders got a trip to Disney World, or some such place, every year, but non-magnet kids didn't get such trips. The trip for 8th graders was eliminated before my kid got to the magnet.

I agree that magnet/non-magnet relations are fine now.