Are the MAP score percentiles meaningful?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son (1st grade) scored 95th percentile on MAP test math in the spring. He was placed in the lower of the two math classes for second grade and I was told the higher math class is for kids that scored 98/99 percentile. I’m just curious if that is generally how it works, mid 90s is considered “on grade level”.

The percentiles are from National data, not just kids in MCPS or in your school. Overall, MCPS students score very high percentiles, especially in ES, because our population is highly educated and most kids get good starts in math and reading in preschool or at home. So yes, there are a lot of 98-99% students, and the “average” student is in the 90s.

This is not even close to my experience. You are guessing here. All evidence suggests that MCPS data is very similar to national data.

What evidence can you link?

If you look at the student score report, it shows both the MCPS and national percentiles, and the bars on the graph are VERY close.

If you have a student in MCPS, you can log in to Parentvue and look at your student's MAP report, which shows the county and national averages relative to your student. It's there for any MCPS parent to see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think that MCPS has different levels of math classes until 4th grade, when compacted math 4/5 starts.

OP

at our MCPS elementary school they call one enriched and the other will only receive enrichment on an “as needed” basis.

Which school?

Takoma Park Elementary

This may be a holdover from prior years, then, and not representative of MCPS. TPES/PBES (K-2/3-5 pairing) was the sole (I think) GT program-type school for locals with cohorted differentiation in early grades. There are/were others (Stonegate?), but they were K-5, following the CES model for 4th & 5th grade, but for the local catchment only.

One of the many weirdnesses of TP. Espousing super-progressivism, but happy to hoard an opportunity like this that largely falls to those in TP with means.

It's not TP's fault that the other schools are run poorly.

Sure, but it is inner TP's progressive hypocrisy (not that I'm against reasonable progressivism, itself) for insisting on this paradigm (available only to them, and generally benefitting the high SES families) when the TP schools were opened up to the "greater TP" area (with significant low SES and immigrant populations). Not to mention the in-catchment reserve for the Math/Science/CS criteria-based MS program at TPMS that makes it about 4 times as likely for a TP student to be admitted as those from the lower county catchment for that program.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son (1st grade) scored 95th percentile on MAP test math in the spring. He was placed in the lower of the two math classes for second grade and I was told the higher math class is for kids that scored 98/99 percentile. I’m just curious if that is generally how it works, mid 90s is considered “on grade level”.

The percentiles are from National data, not just kids in MCPS or in your school. Overall, MCPS students score very high percentiles, especially in ES, because our population is highly educated and most kids get good starts in math and reading in preschool or at home. So yes, there are a lot of 98-99% students, and the “average” student is in the 90s.

This is not even close to my experience. You are guessing here. All evidence suggests that MCPS data is very similar to national data.

What evidence can you link?

If you look at the student score report, it shows both the MCPS and national percentiles, and the bars on the graph are VERY close.

If you have a student in MCPS, you can log in to Parentvue and look at your student's MAP report, which shows the county and national averages relative to your student. It's there for any MCPS parent to see.

Oh, I see MCPS averages are about 1%-2% above national averages. It's not that different, despite what some seem to think, but as some mentioned this is an average. This will vary widely even across MCPS depending on things like the FARMS rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think that MCPS has different levels of math classes until 4th grade, when compacted math 4/5 starts.

OP

at our MCPS elementary school they call one enriched and the other will only receive enrichment on an “as needed” basis.

Which school?

Takoma Park Elementary

This may be a holdover from prior years, then, and not representative of MCPS. TPES/PBES (K-2/3-5 pairing) was the sole (I think) GT program-type school for locals with cohorted differentiation in early grades. There are/were others (Stonegate?), but they were K-5, following the CES model for 4th & 5th grade, but for the local catchment only.

One of the many weirdnesses of TP. Espousing super-progressivism, but happy to hoard an opportunity like this that largely falls to those in TP with means.

It's not TP's fault that the other schools are run poorly.

Sure, but it is inner TP's progressive hypocrisy (not that I'm against reasonable progressivism, itself) for insisting on this paradigm (available only to them, and generally benefitting the high SES families) when the TP schools were opened up to the "greater TP" area (with significant low SES and immigrant populations). Not to mention the in-catchment reserve for the Math/Science/CS criteria-based MS program at TPMS that makes it about 4 times as likely for a TP student to be admitted as those from the lower county catchment for that program.

I know TP families have access to the best programs. We figured this out and moved there for that reason. Our kids went through the ES magnet, the CES program, the MS magnet, and even Blair SMCS magnet. A lot of families pick their homes because of the reputation of the school pyramid, nothing wrong with that...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son (1st grade) scored 95th percentile on MAP test math in the spring. He was placed in the lower of the two math classes for second grade and I was told the higher math class is for kids that scored 98/99 percentile. I’m just curious if that is generally how it works, mid 90s is considered “on grade level”.

The percentiles are from National data, not just kids in MCPS or in your school. Overall, MCPS students score very high percentiles, especially in ES, because our population is highly educated and most kids get good starts in math and reading in preschool or at home. So yes, there are a lot of 98-99% students, and the “average” student is in the 90s.

This is not even close to my experience. You are guessing here. All evidence suggests that MCPS data is very similar to national data.

What evidence can you link?

If you look at the student score report, it shows both the MCPS and national percentiles, and the bars on the graph are VERY close.

That is a county-wide mean for the year. The national norms to which they are compared were established in 2020 when there was no (particular/nationwide) disruption of learning affecting scores with the partial exception of, perhaps, Spring norms (but with plenty of prior learning to bolster those to great degree). MCPS students, along with the whole nation, had learning in the interim affected by CovID.

A system that achieved means comparable to the norms is likely considerably in advance of other systems. I believe that the reported MCPS means you cite were notably above the national average in years prior.

In addition, a bimodal (or other non-normal) distribution, with clustering at the top and bottom (putatively representing those with outaide support/close family academic involvement on the one hand and those without on the other, reflecting the great relative SES diversity of this county), could further explain a mean near national averages but a relatively high population of high scorers. Only MCPS would have data to support or refute such a theory (or to supply an alternate explanation of anecdotal observations), but it is plausible. However, I wouldn't think the prior poster's assertion that the average is in the 90s is at all likely, except, possibly, at individual schools that benefit from the supports typically better available to those in higher-SES communities.

No they were not. I have my kid’s MAP report cards for prior to 2020 and the comparison between MCPS and national has remained consistent. MCPS is higher but not a lot. It’sa consistent fallacy here in DCUM land that all kids in MCPS are geniuses and much better than the national average. It’s really not true.

Some of our kids are average.

Most of MCPS kids are average and below average. My kid is a genius.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think that MCPS has different levels of math classes until 4th grade, when compacted math 4/5 starts.

OP

at our MCPS elementary school they call one enriched and the other will only receive enrichment on an “as needed” basis.

Which school?

Takoma Park Elementary

This may be a holdover from prior years, then, and not representative of MCPS. TPES/PBES (K-2/3-5 pairing) was the sole (I think) GT program-type school for locals with cohorted differentiation in early grades. There are/were others (Stonegate?), but they were K-5, following the CES model for 4th & 5th grade, but for the local catchment only.

One of the many weirdnesses of TP. Espousing super-progressivism, but happy to hoard an opportunity like this that largely falls to those in TP with means.

It's not TP's fault that the other schools are run poorly.

Sure, but it is inner TP's progressive hypocrisy (not that I'm against reasonable progressivism, itself) for insisting on this paradigm (available only to them, and generally benefitting the high SES families) when the TP schools were opened up to the "greater TP" area (with significant low SES and immigrant populations). Not to mention the in-catchment reserve for the Math/Science/CS criteria-based MS program at TPMS that makes it about 4 times as likely for a TP student to be admitted as those from the lower county catchment for that program.

I know TP families have access to the best programs. We figured this out and moved there for that reason. Our kids went through the ES magnet, the CES program, the MS magnet, and even Blair SMCS magnet. A lot of families pick their homes because of the reputation of the school pyramid, nothing wrong with that...

There's nothing wrong with your having done so as an individual/family in response to the conditions preeented to you, unless you also disingenuously claim the progressive mantle without actively supporting providing the equivalent to the rest of MCPS. There was something wrong with disingenuous TP progressives when they insisted on this special-to-them system. There's something wrong when a system (MCPS) continues ti offer programs (or not) based on the happenstance of one's zip code. That sets things up for inequity.

You could say the same about the state, the nation or the world, noting ever-increasing inequity to deflect the above, circling back to try to justify differential opportunity among infividual schools (however wrong that conclusion might be as a non sequitor). The difference, here, is that the policies and delivery of education are delegated to the county level for our community. That's where the mandate for providing equal justice under the law applies. In New Jersey, it would apply at the town level (basically, individual schools). That's just not the case, here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son (1st grade) scored 95th percentile on MAP test math in the spring. He was placed in the lower of the two math classes for second grade and I was told the higher math class is for kids that scored 98/99 percentile. I’m just curious if that is generally how it works, mid 90s is considered “on grade level”.

The percentiles are from National data, not just kids in MCPS or in your school. Overall, MCPS students score very high percentiles, especially in ES, because our population is highly educated and most kids get good starts in math and reading in preschool or at home. So yes, there are a lot of 98-99% students, and the “average” student is in the 90s.

This is not even close to my experience. You are guessing here. All evidence suggests that MCPS data is very similar to national data.

What evidence can you link?

If you look at the student score report, it shows both the MCPS and national percentiles, and the bars on the graph are VERY close.

If you have a student in MCPS, you can log in to Parentvue and look at your student's MAP report, which shows the county and national averages relative to your student. It's there for any MCPS parent to see.

Oh, I see MCPS averages are about 1%-2% above national averages. It's not that different, despite what some seem to think, but as some mentioned this is an average. This will vary widely even across MCPS depending on things like the FARMS rate.

Wow. This and a few others pushing the convo to a new page while adding little. It's almost as if we have sock puppets here. Imagine!

To reiterate...

That is a county-wide mean for the year. The national norms to which they are compared were established in 2020 when there was no (particular/nationwide) disruption of learning affecting scores with the partial exception of, perhaps, Spring norms (but with plenty of prior learning to bolster those to great degree). MCPS students, along with the whole nation, had learning in the interim affected by CovID.

A system that achieved means comparable to the norms is likely considerably in advance of other systems. I believe that the reported MCPS means you cite were notably above the national average in years prior.

In addition, a bimodal (or other non-normal) distribution, with clustering at the top and bottom (putatively representing those with outaide support/close family academic involvement on the one hand and those without on the other, reflecting the great relative SES diversity of this county), could further explain a mean near national averages but a relatively high population of high scorers. Only MCPS would have data to support or refute such a theory (or to supply an alternate explanation of anecdotal observations), but it is plausible. However, I wouldn't think the prior poster's assertion that the average is in the 90s is at all likely, except, possibly, at individual schools that benefit from the supports typically better available to those in higher-SES communities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think that MCPS has different levels of math classes until 4th grade, when compacted math 4/5 starts.

OP

at our MCPS elementary school they call one enriched and the other will only receive enrichment on an “as needed” basis.

Which school?

Takoma Park Elementary

This may be a holdover from prior years, then, and not representative of MCPS. TPES/PBES (K-2/3-5 pairing) was the sole (I think) GT program-type school for locals with cohorted differentiation in early grades. There are/were others (Stonegate?), but they were K-5, following the CES model for 4th & 5th grade, but for the local catchment only.

One of the many weirdnesses of TP. Espousing super-progressivism, but happy to hoard an opportunity like this that largely falls to those in TP with means.

It's not TP's fault that the other schools are run poorly.

Sure, but it is inner TP's progressive hypocrisy (not that I'm against reasonable progressivism, itself) for insisting on this paradigm (available only to them, and generally benefitting the high SES families) when the TP schools were opened up to the "greater TP" area (with significant low SES and immigrant populations). Not to mention the in-catchment reserve for the Math/Science/CS criteria-based MS program at TPMS that makes it about 4 times as likely for a TP student to be admitted as those from the lower county catchment for that program.

I know TP families have access to the best programs. We figured this out and moved there for that reason. Our kids went through the ES magnet, the CES program, the MS magnet, and even Blair SMCS magnet. A lot of families pick their homes because of the reputation of the school pyramid, nothing wrong with that...

It’s gatekeeping and hoarding resources, locked behind high priced homes, and all under the mantle of being a progressive area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think that MCPS has different levels of math classes until 4th grade, when compacted math 4/5 starts.

OP

at our MCPS elementary school they call one enriched and the other will only receive enrichment on an “as needed” basis.

Which school?

Takoma Park Elementary

This may be a holdover from prior years, then, and not representative of MCPS. TPES/PBES (K-2/3-5 pairing) was the sole (I think) GT program-type school for locals with cohorted differentiation in early grades. There are/were others (Stonegate?), but they were K-5, following the CES model for 4th & 5th grade, but for the local catchment only.

One of the many weirdnesses of TP. Espousing super-progressivism, but happy to hoard an opportunity like this that largely falls to those in TP with means.

It's not TP's fault that the other schools are run poorly.

Sure, but it is inner TP's progressive hypocrisy (not that I'm against reasonable progressivism, itself) for insisting on this paradigm (available only to them, and generally benefitting the high SES families) when the TP schools were opened up to the "greater TP" area (with significant low SES and immigrant populations). Not to mention the in-catchment reserve for the Math/Science/CS criteria-based MS program at TPMS that makes it about 4 times as likely for a TP student to be admitted as those from the lower county catchment for that program.

I know TP families have access to the best programs. We figured this out and moved there for that reason. Our kids went through the ES magnet, the CES program, the MS magnet, and even Blair SMCS magnet. A lot of families pick their homes because of the reputation of the school pyramid, nothing wrong with that...

It’s gatekeeping and hoarding resources, locked behind high priced homes, and all under the mantle of being a progressive area.

Then you should be happy that the magnet lottery now prefers students from low SES areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son (1st grade) scored 95th percentile on MAP test math in the spring. He was placed in the lower of the two math classes for second grade and I was told the higher math class is for kids that scored 98/99 percentile. I’m just curious if that is generally how it works, mid 90s is considered “on grade level”.

The percentiles are from National data, not just kids in MCPS or in your school. Overall, MCPS students score very high percentiles, especially in ES, because our population is highly educated and most kids get good starts in math and reading in preschool or at home. So yes, there are a lot of 98-99% students, and the “average” student is in the 90s.

This is not even close to my experience. You are guessing here. All evidence suggests that MCPS data is very similar to national data.

What evidence can you link?

If you look at the student score report, it shows both the MCPS and national percentiles, and the bars on the graph are VERY close.

If you have a student in MCPS, you can log in to Parentvue and look at your student's MAP report, which shows the county and national averages relative to your student. It's there for any MCPS parent to see.

Oh, I see MCPS averages are about 1%-2% above national averages. It's not that different, despite what some seem to think, but as some mentioned this is an average. This will vary widely even across MCPS depending on things like the FARMS rate.

Wow. This and a few others pushing the convo to a new page while adding little. It's almost as if we have sock puppets here. Imagine!

To reiterate...

The comment is as still as nonsensical as the first time you posted it. No need to spam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think that MCPS has different levels of math classes until 4th grade, when compacted math 4/5 starts.

OP

at our MCPS elementary school they call one enriched and the other will only receive enrichment on an “as needed” basis.

Which school?

Takoma Park Elementary

This may be a holdover from prior years, then, and not representative of MCPS. TPES/PBES (K-2/3-5 pairing) was the sole (I think) GT program-type school for locals with cohorted differentiation in early grades. There are/were others (Stonegate?), but they were K-5, following the CES model for 4th & 5th grade, but for the local catchment only.

One of the many weirdnesses of TP. Espousing super-progressivism, but happy to hoard an opportunity like this that largely falls to those in TP with means.

It's not TP's fault that the other schools are run poorly.

Sure, but it is inner TP's progressive hypocrisy (not that I'm against reasonable progressivism, itself) for insisting on this paradigm (available only to them, and generally benefitting the high SES families) when the TP schools were opened up to the "greater TP" area (with significant low SES and immigrant populations). Not to mention the in-catchment reserve for the Math/Science/CS criteria-based MS program at TPMS that makes it about 4 times as likely for a TP student to be admitted as those from the lower county catchment for that program.

I know TP families have access to the best programs. We figured this out and moved there for that reason. Our kids went through the ES magnet, the CES program, the MS magnet, and even Blair SMCS magnet. A lot of families pick their homes because of the reputation of the school pyramid, nothing wrong with that...

It’s gatekeeping and hoarding resources, locked behind high priced homes, and all under the mantle of being a progressive area.

Then you should be happy that the magnet lottery now prefers students from low SES areas.

Except they didn’t get rid of the local set-aside. Those kids have their very own lottery for a significant number of the seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son (1st grade) scored 95th percentile on MAP test math in the spring. He was placed in the lower of the two math classes for second grade and I was told the higher math class is for kids that scored 98/99 percentile. I’m just curious if that is generally how it works, mid 90s is considered “on grade level”.

The percentiles are from National data, not just kids in MCPS or in your school. Overall, MCPS students score very high percentiles, especially in ES, because our population is highly educated and most kids get good starts in math and reading in preschool or at home. So yes, there are a lot of 98-99% students, and the “average” student is in the 90s.

This is not even close to my experience. You are guessing here. All evidence suggests that MCPS data is very similar to national data.

What evidence can you link?

If you look at the student score report, it shows both the MCPS and national percentiles, and the bars on the graph are VERY close.

If you have a student in MCPS, you can log in to Parentvue and look at your student's MAP report, which shows the county and national averages relative to your student. It's there for any MCPS parent to see.

Oh, I see MCPS averages are about 1%-2% above national averages. It's not that different, despite what some seem to think, but as some mentioned this is an average. This will vary widely even across MCPS depending on things like the FARMS rate.

Wow. This and a few others pushing the convo to a new page while adding little. It's almost as if we have sock puppets here. Imagine!

To reiterate...

That is a county-wide mean for the year. The national norms to which they are compared were established in 2020 when there was no (particular/nationwide) disruption of learning affecting scores with the partial exception of, perhaps, Spring norms (but with plenty of prior learning to bolster those to great degree). MCPS students, along with the whole nation, had learning in the interim affected by CovID.

A system that achieved means comparable to the norms is likely considerably in advance of other systems. I believe that the reported MCPS means you cite were notably above the national average in years prior.

In addition, a bimodal (or other non-normal) distribution, with clustering at the top and bottom (putatively representing those with outaide support/close family academic involvement on the one hand and those without on the other, reflecting the great relative SES diversity of this county), could further explain a mean near national averages but a relatively high population of high scorers. Only MCPS would have data to support or refute such a theory (or to supply an alternate explanation of anecdotal observations), but it is plausible. However, I wouldn't think the prior poster's assertion that the average is in the 90s is at all likely, except, possibly, at individual schools that benefit from the supports typically better available to those in higher-SES communities.

Regardless the PP was correct and as far as things go it was that way long before 2020. It's always been 1%-2% above national. This is far less impressive than some parents want to believe but it's reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think that MCPS has different levels of math classes until 4th grade, when compacted math 4/5 starts.

OP

at our MCPS elementary school they call one enriched and the other will only receive enrichment on an “as needed” basis.

Which school?

Takoma Park Elementary

This may be a holdover from prior years, then, and not representative of MCPS. TPES/PBES (K-2/3-5 pairing) was the sole (I think) GT program-type school for locals with cohorted differentiation in early grades. There are/were others (Stonegate?), but they were K-5, following the CES model for 4th & 5th grade, but for the local catchment only.

One of the many weirdnesses of TP. Espousing super-progressivism, but happy to hoard an opportunity like this that largely falls to those in TP with means.

It's not TP's fault that the other schools are run poorly.

Sure, but it is inner TP's progressive hypocrisy (not that I'm against reasonable progressivism, itself) for insisting on this paradigm (available only to them, and generally benefitting the high SES families) when the TP schools were opened up to the "greater TP" area (with significant low SES and immigrant populations). Not to mention the in-catchment reserve for the Math/Science/CS criteria-based MS program at TPMS that makes it about 4 times as likely for a TP student to be admitted as those from the lower county catchment for that program.

I know TP families have access to the best programs. We figured this out and moved there for that reason. Our kids went through the ES magnet, the CES program, the MS magnet, and even Blair SMCS magnet. A lot of families pick their homes because of the reputation of the school pyramid, nothing wrong with that...

It’s gatekeeping and hoarding resources, locked behind high priced homes, and all under the mantle of being a progressive area.

Then you should be happy that the magnet lottery now prefers students from low SES areas.

Except they didn’t get rid of the local set-aside. Those kids have their very own lottery for a significant number of the seats.

This is one of many reasons why families that value education choose TP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think that MCPS has different levels of math classes until 4th grade, when compacted math 4/5 starts.

OP

at our MCPS elementary school they call one enriched and the other will only receive enrichment on an “as needed” basis.

Which school?

Takoma Park Elementary

This may be a holdover from prior years, then, and not representative of MCPS. TPES/PBES (K-2/3-5 pairing) was the sole (I think) GT program-type school for locals with cohorted differentiation in early grades. There are/were others (Stonegate?), but they were K-5, following the CES model for 4th & 5th grade, but for the local catchment only.

One of the many weirdnesses of TP. Espousing super-progressivism, but happy to hoard an opportunity like this that largely falls to those in TP with means.

It's not TP's fault that the other schools are run poorly.

Sure, but it is inner TP's progressive hypocrisy (not that I'm against reasonable progressivism, itself) for insisting on this paradigm (available only to them, and generally benefitting the high SES families) when the TP schools were opened up to the "greater TP" area (with significant low SES and immigrant populations). Not to mention the in-catchment reserve for the Math/Science/CS criteria-based MS program at TPMS that makes it about 4 times as likely for a TP student to be admitted as those from the lower county catchment for that program.

I know TP families have access to the best programs. We figured this out and moved there for that reason. Our kids went through the ES magnet, the CES program, the MS magnet, and even Blair SMCS magnet. A lot of families pick their homes because of the reputation of the school pyramid, nothing wrong with that...

That’s fine, except when we moved to our pyramid (not TP), the criteria for magnet admission was top scores and grades. Under that system our child would most likely have gotten an offer. Then they changed to the lottery. Am I supposed to move every time they change their process? They could eliminate the magnet entirely with the snap of a finger. Then your neighbors would have no access to any of the “best programs.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think that MCPS has different levels of math classes until 4th grade, when compacted math 4/5 starts.

OP

at our MCPS elementary school they call one enriched and the other will only receive enrichment on an “as needed” basis.

Which school?

Takoma Park Elementary

This may be a holdover from prior years, then, and not representative of MCPS. TPES/PBES (K-2/3-5 pairing) was the sole (I think) GT program-type school for locals with cohorted differentiation in early grades. There are/were others (Stonegate?), but they were K-5, following the CES model for 4th & 5th grade, but for the local catchment only.

One of the many weirdnesses of TP. Espousing super-progressivism, but happy to hoard an opportunity like this that largely falls to those in TP with means.

It's not TP's fault that the other schools are run poorly.

Sure, but it is inner TP's progressive hypocrisy (not that I'm against reasonable progressivism, itself) for insisting on this paradigm (available only to them, and generally benefitting the high SES families) when the TP schools were opened up to the "greater TP" area (with significant low SES and immigrant populations). Not to mention the in-catchment reserve for the Math/Science/CS criteria-based MS program at TPMS that makes it about 4 times as likely for a TP student to be admitted as those from the lower county catchment for that program.

I know TP families have access to the best programs. We figured this out and moved there for that reason. Our kids went through the ES magnet, the CES program, the MS magnet, and even Blair SMCS magnet. A lot of families pick their homes because of the reputation of the school pyramid, nothing wrong with that...

It’s gatekeeping and hoarding resources, locked behind high priced homes, and all under the mantle of being a progressive area.

Then you should be happy that the magnet lottery now prefers students from low SES areas.

Except they didn’t get rid of the local set-aside. Those kids have their very own lottery for a significant number of the seats.

This is one of many reasons why families that value education choose TP.

What everyone is saying is what about families that value education but can’t afford to “choose TP?” Shouldn’t there be roughly equivalent access regardless of SES?