Really appalled by non-acceptance from CAP magnet at Blair

[Anonymous]

New poster here - I have no idea what is done or allowed - but with a background in survey data analysis and behavioral sciences I had to chime in that there are certainly ways to get at race or ses without explicitly using race or ses or other demographic characteristics of interest (not to say they are doing this or that they should ) The easiest way would be by trying to select candidates based on their home school district and using general population means of how that district is composed. If a home school is predominantly in an area with a certain race, ethnicity, ses, etc. chances are, if you slect from that school you are more likely to get a student of whatever group you are targeting. Sure, not every student at that school will match the specific criteria, but if you select more from that school over a school with fewer of the targeted characteristic, you have a better chance of hitting your target.

That said, I agree with PP that claiming that there are undeserving kids getting in purely based on a given demographic characteristic is icky. We all know that there are more deserving kids than there are spots! So, even if such demographic targeting exists, it doesn't even imply that the 'trageted group' is of lower quality.

Public school education and its funding in Montgomery County is based on apartheid like in South Africa. Proxies and surrogates abound -- zip code, red and blue, up and downtown. This is black and white...no PhD in statistics necessary.

[Anonymous]

We looked at applying to the middle school magnet for DD but decided that it wasn't the right fit. Based on other standardized test scores she probably would have been rejected as she is in the 90th NPR generally speaking. There are probably a lot of people who are like us that didn't apply. Also the magnet was in an awful area and I'm not sure she could have handled the rough environment. I have a friend whose daughter is at HYP now and was rejected from the magnet program 6 years ago. If your DD or DS is in a good cluster it stings now but really it is probably more a blow to the ego then anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Public school education and its funding in Montgomery County is based on apartheid like in South Africa. Proxies and surrogates abound -- zip code, red and blue, up and downtown. This is black and white...no PhD in statistics necessary.

Actually all schools in America are based on an apartheid model. If you live in a middle-class or higher neighborhood you go to a good school thanks to local taxes. If you live in a poor area, you go to a crappy school. We're probably the only country in the developed world that uses this model and its not wonder a rich country such as ours has so much entrenched and growing poverty. MoCo at least tries to even the playing field a little bit by distributing the tax base to all schools. If they didn't do this we'd all have much greater problems. Still disparities exist due to PTA fund-raising disparities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

New poster here - I have no idea what is done or allowed - but with a background in survey data analysis and behavioral sciences I had to chime in that there are certainly ways to get at race or ses without explicitly using race or ses or other demographic characteristics of interest (not to say they are doing this or that they should ) The easiest way would be by trying to select candidates based on their home school district and using general population means of how that district is composed. If a home school is predominantly in an area with a certain race, ethnicity, ses, etc. chances are, if you slect from that school you are more likely to get a student of whatever group you are targeting. Sure, not every student at that school will match the specific criteria, but if you select more from that school over a school with fewer of the targeted characteristic, you have a better chance of hitting your target.

That said, I agree with PP that claiming that there are undeserving kids getting in purely based on a given demographic characteristic is icky. We all know that there are more deserving kids than there are spots! So, even if such demographic targeting exists, it doesn't even imply that the 'trageted group' is of lower quality.

Public school education and its funding in Montgomery County is based on apartheid like in South Africa. Proxies and surrogates abound -- zip code, red and blue, up and downtown. This is black and white...no PhD in statistics necessary.

Agreed. In MoCo just being a PTA officer can bump up your chances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Agreed. In MoCo just being a PTA officer can bump up your chances.

Prove it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[

Anonymous wrote:

SES is not a proxy for race. SES is SES. Also, considering SES is legal. Also, please explain how they would admit based on SES. Did your child's application include your household income and education?

But sure, if you want to tell yourself that the reason they didn't admit your qualified, deserving, non-brown kid is because they had to admit some unqualified, undeserving brown kid, go ahead.

Seriously, people are you all this offensive at Blair?

I hate to say it but the picture you people paint of that school is ugly.

Snort. And the reason you're assuming I'm associated with Blair is...? I'm not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Agreed. In MoCo just being a PTA officer can bump up your chances.

Prove it.

+1 that is a ridiculous comment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Agreed. In MoCo just being a PTA officer can bump up your chances.

Prove it.

+1 that is a ridiculous comment.

+2.

And folks, don't take the bait from the Blair-hating troll. Her comment didn't even make sense, she's an idiot.

[Anonymous]

OP, hugs. If it helps, there can be a silver lining to rejections and failure in just about anything. Namely, rejection could teach the importance of being ready for the college application process. At least it did in our case, where rejection (to a Big 3 private for middle school) caused my kid to really buckle down, get into CAP, work very hard there, and then get into a "top ivy" (hate that phrase, but you understand what I mean).

We really worried the private school rejection would harm DC's motivation and attitude. But in the long-run, rejection had the opposite effect and taught some lessons. Of course, this week is not the time to get all sanctimonious about the value of straight As, because your kid doesn't want to hear it right now. Handle it with a light touch and some time in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Agreed. In MoCo just being a PTA officer can bump up your chances.

Prove it.

This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Most magnet parents (or aspiring magnet moms) have enough on our plates without adding PTA to it. I like to volunteer or work directly with the class room teacher, not the whole school.

- A magnet mom who is NOT involved in the PTA at all, and avoids it like plague.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

New poster here - I have no idea what is done or allowed - but with a background in survey data analysis and behavioral sciences I had to chime in that there are certainly ways to get at race or ses without explicitly using race or ses or other demographic characteristics of interest (not to say they are doing this or that they should ) The easiest way would be by trying to select candidates based on their home school district and using general population means of how that district is composed. If a home school is predominantly in an area with a certain race, ethnicity, ses, etc. chances are, if you slect from that school you are more likely to get a student of whatever group you are targeting. Sure, not every student at that school will match the specific criteria, but if you select more from that school over a school with fewer of the targeted characteristic, you have a better chance of hitting your target.

That said, I agree with PP that claiming that there are undeserving kids getting in purely based on a given demographic characteristic is icky. We all know that there are more deserving kids than there are spots! So, even if such demographic targeting exists, it doesn't even imply that the 'trageted group' is of lower quality.

Public school education and its funding in Montgomery County is based on apartheid like in South Africa. Proxies and surrogates abound -- zip code, red and blue, up and downtown. This is black and white...no PhD in statistics necessary.

+1000

Don't know if targeted group is of lower quality. My DD was targeted because of race (I think because we are black) and asked to apply-she was told she would get in. She decided in favor of the home school and didn't apply. She is a good student though not like the kids who got in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So my kid has a 4.0 and is an all-around outstanding student at a MoCo middle school. But the kid was only wait listed at CAP. Not in a middle school magnet as we moved into the district from far away while she was in middle school.

Kid asks 'what more could I do'.

Honey, I have no idea. Given they don't reveal the test scores, I can't even give any insight there ...

Rather bemused that everyone who posts talks about acceptances (usually to both CAP and IB at Richard Montgomery). So just thought I'd introduce some diversity here.

Also, thank you CAP for saying you mailed the letters 31 January, they're postmarked Feb 3rd ... just in case this wasn't stressful enough.

You have a right to appeal the rejection; you should have received information about this with your rejection letter. You also have a right under FERPA to know what your child's test scores were, as well as any other data that you need to understand the score (this may included, even seeing the secure exam itself, any bubble sheet, and knowing what the range, mean and median of the accepted students scores are). Write a letter to AEI or whoever and ask for this data under FERPA, and say that you need it in order to consider and make an appeal.

I agree with other posters that there will be wait list movement. Many kids at Eastern got into multiple programs. Wait-listed kids are just as capable as other students. There are far more qualified students than seats.

Often kids who don't get into these programs are just poor testers. It's something to consider when going thru the college process. Watch PSAT or ACT/Plan results and get a test prep tutor if necessary. It can be a very good investment, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Eastern parent here -- I know at least 3 kids who were accepted at multiple programs and will not accept their CAP spot. So the waitlist will move some.

Agreed that it's all about the testing, and it's worth getting ahold of the scores to see if there's an issue before SAT time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

New poster here - I have no idea what is done or allowed - but with a background in survey data analysis and behavioral sciences I had to chime in that there are certainly ways to get at race or ses without explicitly using race or ses or other demographic characteristics of interest (not to say they are doing this or that they should ) The easiest way would be by trying to select candidates based on their home school district and using general population means of how that district is composed. If a home school is predominantly in an area with a certain race, ethnicity, ses, etc. chances are, if you slect from that school you are more likely to get a student of whatever group you are targeting. Sure, not every student at that school will match the specific criteria, but if you select more from that school over a school with fewer of the targeted characteristic, you have a better chance of hitting your target.

That said, I agree with PP that claiming that there are undeserving kids getting in purely based on a given demographic characteristic is icky. We all know that there are more deserving kids than there are spots! So, even if such demographic targeting exists, it doesn't even imply that the 'trageted group' is of lower quality.

Public school education and its funding in Montgomery County is based on apartheid like in South Africa. Proxies and surrogates abound -- zip code, red and blue, up and downtown. This is black and white...no PhD in statistics necessary.

+1000

Don't know if targeted group is of lower quality. My DD was targeted because of race (I think because we are black) and asked to apply-she was told she would get in. She decided in favor of the home school and didn't apply. She is a good student though not like the kids who got in.

I completely believe the part about being "targeted" although I think recruited might be a better word. These programs are very eager to promote diversity, and rightly so.

I don't believe the part about being told she would get in. Maybe in the sense of "oh don't worry I'm sure she'll get in" based on her known grades and academic achievement, but they don't pre-clear certain people. The reason I say this is that I know a number of kids who are minorities and attend Eastern with good grades who did NOT get into CAP despite very much wanting to. So despite proven ability to do the kind of coursework CAP has, they probably didn't do well enough on the test . Your DD was probably an excellent candidate but it's not guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

New poster here - I have no idea what is done or allowed - but with a background in survey data analysis and behavioral sciences I had to chime in that there are certainly ways to get at race or ses without explicitly using race or ses or other demographic characteristics of interest (not to say they are doing this or that they should ) The easiest way would be by trying to select candidates based on their home school district and using general population means of how that district is composed. If a home school is predominantly in an area with a certain race, ethnicity, ses, etc. chances are, if you slect from that school you are more likely to get a student of whatever group you are targeting. Sure, not every student at that school will match the specific criteria, but if you select more from that school over a school with fewer of the targeted characteristic, you have a better chance of hitting your target.

That said, I agree with PP that claiming that there are undeserving kids getting in purely based on a given demographic characteristic is icky. We all know that there are more deserving kids than there are spots! So, even if such demographic targeting exists, it doesn't even imply that the 'trageted group' is of lower quality.

Public school education and its funding in Montgomery County is based on apartheid like in South Africa. Proxies and surrogates abound -- zip code, red and blue, up and downtown. This is black and white...no PhD in statistics necessary.

+1000

Don't know if targeted group is of lower quality. My DD was targeted because of race (I think because we are black) and asked to apply-she was told she would get in. She decided in favor of the home school and didn't apply. She is a good student though not like the kids who got in.

I completely believe the part about being "targeted" although I think recruited might be a better word. These programs are very eager to promote diversity, and rightly so.

I don't believe the part about being told she would get in. Maybe in the sense of "oh don't worry I'm sure she'll get in" based on her known grades and academic achievement, but they don't pre-clear certain people. The reason I say this is that I know a number of kids who are minorities and attend Eastern with good grades who did NOT get into CAP despite very much wanting to. So despite proven ability to do the kind of coursework CAP has, they probably didn't do well enough on the test . Your DD was probably an excellent candidate but it's not guaranteed.

My DD was worried that she wouldn't do well on the magnet test as well. The teacher who was recruting her told her not to worry about the test. Honestly, I think DD made a good choice. But, truthfully, I know they do aggressively recruit and my coworkers and I share very interesting stories. Most coomon thread is that they recruit our kids but don't provide the supports to succeed.