Noping out of CES for private

[Anonymous]

Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

I agree the cohort has changed somewhat, but the pool of high IQ kids is deep compared to the very few magnet seats available, so I'm sure all the selected kids are still very smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Academically, the ranking goes like this, from best to worse:

1. MCPS magnets and CES.

2. Tippy top privates such as Sidwell, St Albans, NCS and reputable Bethesda and Potomac MCPS schools such as Walter Johnson and Walt Whitman.

3. Rest of privates and MCPS schools.

I think you're making a mistake, OP. You don't turn down the MCPS magnets for a second-tier private, ever. You might have an argument if your kid was at Sidwell or St Albans, but here, no.

You really can't compare area privates (parochial and independents) to MCPS. They are different. People are sending their kids to private school for different reasons than perceived rigor of MCPS magnet programs.

Of course, which is why I stated that this was an academic comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

The kids still need to qualify for the lottery. It’s not free and open to anyone

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

The kids still need to qualify for the lottery. It’s not free and open to anyone

They only need 85 percentile locally norm to make it to the pool. I would not consider 85 exceptionally bright.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

The kids still need to qualify for the lottery. It’s not free and open to anyone

They only need 85 percentile locally norm to make it to the pool. I would not consider 85 exceptionally bright.

I don't think that's true--my kid with 88 MAP-R and 93 MAP-M didn't make it to the pool. But either way, I don't think judging a bunch of 8 and 9 year olds for scoring in the 85th percentile rather than the 95th percentile on a standardized test is an exceptionally bright way to judge academic talent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

I agree the cohort has changed somewhat, but the pool of high IQ kids is deep compared to the very few magnet seats available, so I'm sure all the selected kids are still very smart.

They should still give the highest scoring kids a chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

I agree the cohort has changed somewhat, but the pool of high IQ kids is deep compared to the very few magnet seats available, so I'm sure all the selected kids are still very smart.

They should still give the highest scoring kids a chance.

Meh. It’s not a major difference, even if you have yourself convinced that scoring in the 99 pct on the MAP makes a kid so much smarter than one who scored at the 85 percentile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

I agree the cohort has changed somewhat, but the pool of high IQ kids is deep compared to the very few magnet seats available, so I'm sure all the selected kids are still very smart.

They should still give the highest scoring kids a chance.

Meh. It’s not a major difference, even if you have yourself convinced that scoring in the 99 pct on the MAP makes a kid so much smarter than one who scored at the 85 percentile.

Then MCPS shouldn’t use that one marking period as the only reason why the kids are in the pool. Anyways the CES program now is diluted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

The kids still need to qualify for the lottery. It’s not free and open to anyone

They only need 85 percentile locally norm to make it to the pool. I would not consider 85 exceptionally bright.

You can game the MAP tests pretty easily by just teaching your kid ahead of their grade level. In fact there are test prep programs that do just that. Which is why I think the sanctimony about letting in the “less bright” kids in the 85 pctile who happen to be in poorer schools is ridiculous. A major factor driving these high scores in wealthier areas is their opportunity for enrichment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

Everyone in the lottery pool is bright.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

The kids still need to qualify for the lottery. It’s not free and open to anyone

They only need 85 percentile locally norm to make it to the pool. I would not consider 85 exceptionally bright.

You can game the MAP tests pretty easily by just teaching your kid ahead of their grade level. In fact there are test prep programs that do just that. Which is why I think the sanctimony about letting in the “less bright” kids in the 85 pctile who happen to be in poorer schools is ridiculous. A major factor driving these high scores in wealthier areas is their opportunity for enrichment.

You're just confirming CES lets in “less bright” kids...whether they score 75% (IEP), 85% (Farms) or 99% (enrichment)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Academically, the ranking goes like this, from best to worse:

1. MCPS magnets and CES.

2. Tippy top privates such as Sidwell, St Albans, NCS and reputable Bethesda and Potomac MCPS schools such as Walter Johnson and Walt Whitman.

3. Rest of privates and MCPS schools.

I think you're making a mistake, OP. You don't turn down the MCPS magnets for a second-tier private, ever. You might have an argument if your kid was at Sidwell or St Albans, but here, no.

You really can't compare area privates (parochial and independents) to MCPS. They are different. People are sending their kids to private school for different reasons than perceived rigor of MCPS magnet programs.

Of course, which is why I stated that this was an academic comparison.

Why do you think magnet MCPS is more academically rigorous than 2nd tier privates? I would have agreed with you 10 years ago, but now with no finals, the way MCPS averages semester grades, more grading for completion, and allowing retakes, I'd say MCPS has fallen way behind even 2nd tier privates in rigor. I have experience with both. No way would I send a kid to MCPS because it academically more "rigorous."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy people value social network more than intellectual rigor. And, many private school admissions offices value wealthy parents more than the intellectual capacity of their students.

Those two statements mean that while there will be some bright kids in a private school class, there will also be some not very bright students who are there because their parents have a lot of money or are important DC people.

In a CES or MS magnet cohort, the kids are all exceptionally bright. It is an entirely different environment than private when it comes to intellectual challenge and encouragement, which comes as much from the peers as the teachers.

The CES and MS magnets were life-changing for both my kids.

I think you are talking about pre covid CES. Now it’s lottery based not merit, so the kids might not be the exceptionally bright kids..

The kids still need to qualify for the lottery. It’s not free and open to anyone

They only need 85 percentile locally norm to make it to the pool. I would not consider 85 exceptionally bright.

You can game the MAP tests pretty easily by just teaching your kid ahead of their grade level. In fact there are test prep programs that do just that. Which is why I think the sanctimony about letting in the “less bright” kids in the 85 pctile who happen to be in poorer schools is ridiculous. A major factor driving these high scores in wealthier areas is their opportunity for enrichment.

You're just confirming CES lets in “less bright” kids...whether they score 75% (IEP), 85% (Farms) or 99% (enrichment)

Actually they’re not making that confirmation. Their stating that the playings fields are not level and the scoring accounts for that.