What is the appeal process for MCPS elementary magnet program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they are testing because they aren't sure? It's hard to know what your child's abilities are. That doesn't make them crazy, pushy parents who over-estimate their kids' academic abilities -- everyone has the right to give the test a shot! Would you prefer that the county be the gatekeeper of who gets to take it?

And of course there are many bright kids who don't "make the cut" -- that's the whole point of the HGC. It's supposed to serve children in the upper 2 or 3% who really can't be served easily by their home school. Like it or not, those kids exist and they have the right to an appropriate education, even if it means that some parents will be disappointed.

THe problem isn't the HGCs, IMO. it's the fact that people think that not getting into one means you're not really "gifted", when in reality being in the 94% percentile is still pretty damn gifted and deserving of challenge. It's the fact that MCPS doesn't have any really effective way if challenging kids who fall under the 2 - 3% or who don't want to/can't attend a school other than their home school, particularly in elementary school.

Actually the cut off for gifted scores is the 98th %ile. So a child at the 94th %ile is not gifted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they are testing because they aren't sure? It's hard to know what your child's abilities are. That doesn't make them crazy, pushy parents who over-estimate their kids' academic abilities -- everyone has the right to give the test a shot! Would you prefer that the county be the gatekeeper of who gets to take it?

And of course there are many bright kids who don't "make the cut" -- that's the whole point of the HGC. It's supposed to serve children in the upper 2 or 3% who really can't be served easily by their home school. Like it or not, those kids exist and they have the right to an appropriate education, even if it means that some parents will be disappointed.

THe problem isn't the HGCs, IMO. it's the fact that people think that not getting into one means you're not really "gifted", when in reality being in the 94% percentile is still pretty damn gifted and deserving of challenge. It's the fact that MCPS doesn't have any really effective way if challenging kids who fall under the 2 - 3% or who don't want to/can't attend a school other than their home school, particularly in elementary school.

Actually the cut off for gifted scores is the 98th %ile. So a child at the 94th %ile is not gifted.

No, but a child at that percentile is in need of challenges. That's the difficult part of the system - HGC solves problems for the highly gifted, but the rest of the school population is all schooled in the same "regular" classroom. There is some differentiation, but not enough for many of the students who were not admitted to the HGC (or who didn't apply).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they are testing because they aren't sure? It's hard to know what your child's abilities are. That doesn't make them crazy, pushy parents who over-estimate their kids' academic abilities -- everyone has the right to give the test a shot! Would you prefer that the county be the gatekeeper of who gets to take it?

And of course there are many bright kids who don't "make the cut" -- that's the whole point of the HGC. It's supposed to serve children in the upper 2 or 3% who really can't be served easily by their home school. Like it or not, those kids exist and they have the right to an appropriate education, even if it means that some parents will be disappointed.

THe problem isn't the HGCs, IMO. it's the fact that people think that not getting into one means you're not really "gifted", when in reality being in the 94% percentile is still pretty damn gifted and deserving of challenge. It's the fact that MCPS doesn't have any really effective way if challenging kids who fall under the 2 - 3% or who don't want to/can't attend a school other than their home school, particularly in elementary school.

Actually the cut off for gifted scores is the 98th %ile. So a child at the 94th %ile is not gifted.

Here's the legal definition of gifted according to Federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act:

Students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities.

This Federal statue relies on the Marland Report, which estimates that 5 - 7% of K-12 schoolchildren fit these criteria.

Elsewhere you can find criteria that reference the top 10% of school children.

What you are referring to with 98% is highly gifted kids -- the population served by the HGCs. That doesn't mean a kid in the 94th percentile might not be gifted.

[Anonymous]

...I have not encountered a single bad educator in MCPS. I have not met a MCPS ES teacher who would be unable to teach in the HGC

Rubbish defying credulity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More than half the parents at our elementary school think their children should be accepted into the HGC. When they tested, 50% of my daughter's class chose to be tested. Strange! How can 50% of children have an IQ in the highly gifted range? This tells me that many parents overestimate their children's academic abilities. In our school, parents love to tout their children's academic achievements and test scores, but something doesn't add up! In the end, a large number of parents are going to be disappointed come March of every year. What message are the kids getting? There are too many children who believe that their entire self worth is determined by acceptance into a gifted program.

There are many bright children who do not attend the HGC who go on to take very challenging classes in middle and high school. Your child's fate is not sealed by a rejection.

And don't forget that there are many academically challenging private schools to which you can apply.

My child didn't test for the gifted program. I didn't think she'd make the cut and that's just fine with me. For what it's worth, they're not just looking for intelligent kids, they're looking for kids who are off the charts.

Not really. A well prepared intelligent child should be able to get into an HGC. The key is being prepared which takes a lot of effort. Think about the admission 50 out of 300 or so kids who write the test are admitted. It is not "off the charts"..

[Anonymous]

I was informed by someone who is "in the know" and who has been involved with the HGC for many years that you have the right to appeal, but very little chance of winning. There are so many kids who apply to the Centers, and relatively few spots. Those who are offered them usually take them (or those on the waiting list take them).

[Anonymous]

13:54..It is not really 50 out of 300..it is 50 out of all the children who could chose to take the test. The 300 are self selected as those most likely to get a spot..though I realize some likely candidates opt not to test due to logistics or other personal preferences. If there are 4 high schools feeding into a center and 4 ES feeding into each high school...that could be 50 out of 2,0000 or top 2%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More than half the parents at our elementary school think their children should be accepted into the HGC. When they tested, 50% of my daughter's class chose to be tested. Strange! How can 50% of children have an IQ in the highly gifted range? This tells me that many parents overestimate their children's academic abilities. In our school, parents love to tout their children's academic achievements and test scores, but something doesn't add up! In the end, a large number of parents are going to be disappointed come March of every year. What message are the kids getting? There are too many children who believe that their entire self worth is determined by acceptance into a gifted program.

There are many bright children who do not attend the HGC who go on to take very challenging classes in middle and high school. Your child's fate is not sealed by a rejection.

And don't forget that there are many academically challenging private schools to which you can apply.

My child didn't test for the gifted program. I didn't think she'd make the cut and that's just fine with me. For what it's worth, they're not just looking for intelligent kids, they're looking for kids who are off the charts.

Not really. A well prepared intelligent child should be able to get into an HGC. The key is being prepared which takes a lot of effort. Think about the admission 50 out of 300 or so kids who write the test are admitted. It is not "off the charts"..

There is no way to "prepare" for the testing used for entrance. It is largely intelligence testing, and tests verbal and math ability.

And the PP is right; the 50 who are admitted are not from the general population; they are from a group which is self-selected to begin with.

[Anonymous]

In general approx. how many 3rd graders in MCPS? How many HGT openings each year? Just out of curiosity.

[Anonymous]

Try praying to god, allah or whoever. Nothing else seems to work.

[Anonymous]

My student has high motivation, straight A's, strong test scores, strong teachers' recommendation, and yet was placed on the waiting list for MCPS high school magnet program. Has anyone heard of a successful appeal story? If so, what were the strategies used? I would appreciate any information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My student has high motivation, straight A's, strong test scores, strong teachers' recommendation, and yet was placed on the waiting list for MCPS high school magnet program. Has anyone heard of a successful appeal story? If so, what were the strategies used? I would appreciate any information.

You should start a new thread. This one is about elementary school magnets so you are unlikely to get responses here.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! A new user here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In general approx. how many 3rd graders in MCPS? How many HGT openings each year? Just out of curiosity.

~11,000 3rd graders and about 350 kids (7 centers, 50 per grade). When my daughter was going through the orientation they said they had over 500 applications for the 50 slots. I think the centers have become much more popular than they used to be based on anecdotal information about how many kids used to apply.