Has anyone received an HGC letter yet?!

[Anonymous]

I disagree, it should mostly be about the test. But sounds like test was shortened this year. Using teacher recommendations and grades is too subjective. Teachers at biased. And P grades are meaningless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anybody have scores for the new "home school" centers at Stonegate or Matsunaga (or maybe Piney Branch)? Curious how those compare to the other HGCs that pull from a much larger pool.

Matsunaga here. DS got selected in, his percentile rank is 99, the median is 87.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:96%. Reject at fox chapel.

98%. Rejected at Fox Chapel too.

Wow. Not even waitlist? Well hopefully things will be more diverse now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:96%. Reject at fox chapel.

98%. Rejected at Fox Chapel too.

Wow. Not even waitlist? Well hopefully things will be more diverse now.

Just curious why two sets of scores were used? Did the schools use two different tests?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is on waitlist of Cold Spring. His score is 141. Sigh.

WOW, 141 got waitlisted. I am wondering how much it needs to get into cold spring.

143 wait pool, cold spring
another friend, 142, cold spring, wait pool

[Anonymous]

Last year, we got three scores, verbal, quantitative, and non- verbal. Being near the median for all three scores is not as good for acceptance as being really high in one category, or even better two categories, even if the third category score is pretty low. If you only got one score this year, the difference in people's acceptances may be because that average is hiding the variation that can make the difference.

[Anonymous]

138 Cold Spring wait pool

[Anonymous]

131 waiting list at Barnsley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, the scores are only one part of the equation, so while a lower score may keep a kid out completely, a higher score doesn't automatically get your kid in, from what teacher friends have said. A kid with a 136 might have gotten a spot, while the kid with a 141 didn't. I disagree that it should be all about the scores. There are other considerations.

I don't know what sort of test it was... In some tests, leaving things blank doesn't really work against you, but answering incorrectly does.

And just to add perspective: my oldest never tested so stayed at our home school, then went to a magnet middle school and is now in a magnet high-school program. And we know plenty of kids who went to the HGC but then they didn't get into middle school magnets but later went on to high school programs.

So you are saying the HGC kids ended up not being able to get into middle school magnet AS WELL as high school magnets? Is it burn out? It's a long road ahead. My kid just got accepted and I rather that he play not and worry about academics later. Would not prefer burn out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On a 30 minute test, the difference between a decent score and an outstanding score may have been just a couple of questions. We know nothing about the properties of the test, particularly because it was new this year.

So odd that a different test was used for pilot vs regular programs as well.

Short tests are more variable than longer tests. Better for diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I disagree, it should mostly be about the test. But sounds like test was shortened this year. Using teacher recommendations and grades is too subjective. Teachers at biased. And P grades are meaningless.

I disagree with you. One bad day and the kid is decidedly unqualified? My child has test anxiety and gets nervous in tests, I know it makes her grades suffer slightly but she's still very qualified. Also some parents do test prep, which may give them a somewhat false showing on a test. What if they do great on the test her can't hack it in the program because their parents can't give them prep on how to handle the classroom? It shouldn't be just one score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, the scores are only one part of the equation, so while a lower score may keep a kid out completely, a higher score doesn't automatically get your kid in, from what teacher friends have said. A kid with a 136 might have gotten a spot, while the kid with a 141 didn't. I disagree that it should be all about the scores. There are other considerations.

I don't know what sort of test it was... In some tests, leaving things blank doesn't really work against you, but answering incorrectly does.

And just to add perspective: my oldest never tested so stayed at our home school, then went to a magnet middle school and is now in a magnet high-school program. And we know plenty of kids who went to the HGC but then they didn't get into middle school magnets but later went on to high school programs.

So you are saying the HGC kids ended up not being able to get into middle school magnet AS WELL as high school magnets? Is it burn out? It's a long road ahead. My kid just got accepted and I rather that he play not and worry about academics later. Would not prefer burn out.

sorry, PP here. I meant to type: would rather he play NOW and worry about academics later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is on waitlist of Cold Spring. His score is 141. Sigh.

WOW, 141 got waitlisted. I am wondering how much it needs to get into cold spring.

143 wait pool, cold spring
another friend, 142, cold spring, wait pool

I'm sorry, that's disappointing. Cold Spring is incredibly competitive, with the Potomac and Bethesda feeder ESs. Fwiw, DC who got in last year scored 148.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, the scores are only one part of the equation, so while a lower score may keep a kid out completely, a higher score doesn't automatically get your kid in, from what teacher friends have said. A kid with a 136 might have gotten a spot, while the kid with a 141 didn't. I disagree that it should be all about the scores. There are other considerations.

I don't know what sort of test it was... In some tests, leaving things blank doesn't really work against you, but answering incorrectly does.

And just to add perspective: my oldest never tested so stayed at our home school, then went to a magnet middle school and is now in a magnet high-school program. And we know plenty of kids who went to the HGC but then they didn't get into middle school magnets but later went on to high school programs.

So you are saying the HGC kids ended up not being able to get into middle school magnet AS WELL as high school magnets? Is it burn out? It's a long road ahead. My kid just got accepted and I rather that he play not and worry about academics later. Would not prefer burn out.

Chill. Some get in, some don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, the scores are only one part of the equation, so while a lower score may keep a kid out completely, a higher score doesn't automatically get your kid in, from what teacher friends have said. A kid with a 136 might have gotten a spot, while the kid with a 141 didn't. I disagree that it should be all about the scores. There are other considerations.

I don't know what sort of test it was... In some tests, leaving things blank doesn't really work against you, but answering incorrectly does.

And just to add perspective: my oldest never tested so stayed at our home school, then went to a magnet middle school and is now in a magnet high-school program. And we know plenty of kids who went to the HGC but then they didn't get into middle school magnets but later went on to high school programs.

So you are saying the HGC kids ended up not being able to get into middle school magnet AS WELL as high school magnets? Is it burn out? It's a long road ahead. My kid just got accepted and I rather that he play not and worry about academics later. Would not prefer burn out.

sorry, PP here. I meant to type: would rather he play NOW and worry about academics later.

I don't think magnet kids experience it that way.