Takoma Middle School Magnet Program-Is it really worth it ?

[Anonymous]

Honestly, this whole thing is a non-issue IMO. Colleges don't just look at GPA; the see the grade in each class the kid took and when/where the class was taken. Unless they are absolutely atrocious, colleges (even elite ones) will NOT care about grades earned in middle school. They primarily focus on grades in junior and senior year of high school, because those are the ones most likely to predict college performance. Once in 12th grade, middle school will be a distant memory, and colleges will see it that way as well.

Sure, that first B might be painful for a student who normally receives perfect grades. They won't be able to claim that they have a perfect GPA anymore. But in the end, it doesn't matter. (Really, it doesn't.) Trying to wipe a single B by retaking a class is a lot of work for no real gain, and might actually be harmful if it prevents the kid from taking a higher-level language.

[Anonymous]

The B gets averaged into the GPA for high school. They see it.

[Anonymous]

The math, science and computer science are excellent. Signifantly better than any other middle school including W feeders. I agree skip Spanish 1 in 6th grade so you can avoid Spanish 3 at TPMS.

[Anonymous]

If you skip Spanish in 6th grade (world languages elective) what do you do, reading?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait until you hit 8th grade Spanish 3. The posters kids might have been one of the lucky ones that got A's. I know numerous magnet kids that had their GPA dinged here. Let's be clear, an B is fine for an average kid, but considering out of 154,000 kids and they only take the top 100 highest scoring/and other info into the program, these are smart and motivated kids. there are way too many magnet kids getting a B grade with this teacher. And 100 percent of them would have gotten a solid A taking the same course at any other middle or high school.

The people that say Spanish 4 is boring/easy at Blair prove this. National Merit Scholars with one B grade, and it's the B in Spanish 3 at TPMS.

You are screwing with your numbers her to create more drama. It is not 100 out of 154,000 for goodness sake. There are not 154,000 5th graders in any given year applying for the 100 spots - more like 800.
and is it any wonder these kids are stressing out, burning out and breaking down if there are parents flipping their lids over a B in 8th grade.I went to an Ivy, and my niece is at my alma mater now. There have been way too many suicides there in recent years for my liking. Kids are melting down over a B. Wonder where they get the idea that a B is the end of the world?

[Anonymous]

I happened upon the honor roll for TPMS. They have a significantly higher percentage of students with all As compared to neighboring middle schools (Eastern, SSIMS, Sligo, etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you skip Spanish in 6th grade (world languages elective) what do you do, reading?

TPMS lets you take 2 electives: musical instrument for a full year, art 1/2 year, tv studio 1/2 year, FACS (home ec - that the kids love) 1/2 year are other electives. You would not take reading.

[Anonymous]

Is anyone who got in this year staying at their home "W" middle school?

[Anonymous]

The magnets are supposed to cater to two populations:

1. The truly gifted students who are so far ahead of their peers that their needs cannot be met in a regular classroom. They are usually willing to travel, since there is no alternative for them.

2. The high-achievers who would thrive anywhere. The ones living far away usually prefer to stay at their home middle school. This is why magnets have historically been located in less affluent parts of MoCo, to give excellent but underprivileged students a chance to have a "safe", college-bound peer group at magnet.

Only you know in which category your child belongs, OP!

As for the class content, it's not just the curriculum that's more in depth. It's the peer group which fosters amazingly high-level discussions, and the teachers who understand and stimulate them.

[Anonymous]

For a kid with a strong interest in math and science TPMS provides a terrific foundation for high school.WithT very few exceptions, the strongest blair magnet kids went to Takoma for middle school. In addition, the English and history coUrges are comparable to other montgomery county middle schools excluding eastern. My son thrIved at Takoma and for him it was absolutely worth it.

[Anonymous]

TPMS is awesome!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone who got in this year staying at their home "W" middle school?

I know extremely smart friend of my son, who got in to Takoma, but in the end stayed with Robert Frost.
Boy wanted some sport and extra curricular that take a lot of time.
I can bet that this boy will go to Blair in couple years. I know that is what his older sibling did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The magnets are supposed to cater to two populations:

1. The truly gifted students who are so far ahead of their peers that their needs cannot be met in a regular classroom. They are usually willing to travel, since there is no alternative for them.

2. The high-achievers who would thrive anywhere. The ones living far away usually prefer to stay at their home middle school. This is why magnets have historically been located in less affluent parts of MoCo, to give excellent but underprivileged students a chance to have a "safe", college-bound peer group at magnet.

Only you know in which category your child belongs, OP!

As for the class content, it's not just the curriculum that's more in depth. It's the peer group which fosters amazingly high-level discussions, and the teachers who understand and stimulate them.

Umm. Magnets were created to spur voluntary integration. They are usually located at high minority low SES schools in the hope that special programs would encourage the voluntary transfer of a pool of students that would desegregate the school.

It would be nice if the school system had done it for the benefit of excellent underprivileged students as you describe. But, in reality, MCPS was trying to avoid court-ordered busing schemes that had provoked damaging backlashes in places like Boston and VA. Magnets, immersion, the DCC and other programs were created as processes to foster voluntary segregation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The magnets are supposed to cater to two populations:

1. The truly gifted students who are so far ahead of their peers that their needs cannot be met in a regular classroom. They are usually willing to travel, since there is no alternative for them.

2. The high-achievers who would thrive anywhere. The ones living far away usually prefer to stay at their home middle school. This is why magnets have historically been located in less affluent parts of MoCo, to give excellent but underprivileged students a chance to have a "safe", college-bound peer group at magnet.

Only you know in which category your child belongs, OP!

As for the class content, it's not just the curriculum that's more in depth. It's the peer group which fosters amazingly high-level discussions, and the teachers who understand and stimulate them.

There is a third category: wacky kids that socially do not belong to "normal" schools, and who enjoy math, science and computers (or 2 out of 3).
I have 2 kids in Takoma like that. One is obsessed with books but hate humanities. Another hate any writing and extremely good with technical subjects.
They cannot be placed in regular school, and there are no privates that can accommodate them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The magnets are supposed to cater to two populations:

1. The truly gifted students who are so far ahead of their peers that their needs cannot be met in a regular classroom. They are usually willing to travel, since there is no alternative for them.

2. The high-achievers who would thrive anywhere. The ones living far away usually prefer to stay at their home middle school. This is why magnets have historically been located in less affluent parts of MoCo, to give excellent but underprivileged students a chance to have a "safe", college-bound peer group at magnet.

Only you know in which category your child belongs, OP!

As for the class content, it's not just the curriculum that's more in depth. It's the peer group which fosters amazingly high-level discussions, and the teachers who understand and stimulate them.

Umm. Magnets were created to spur voluntary integration. They are usually located at high minority low SES schools in the hope that special programs would encourage the voluntary transfer of a pool of students that would desegregate the school.

It would be nice if the school system had done it for the benefit of excellent underprivileged students as you describe. But, in reality, MCPS was trying to avoid court-ordered busing schemes that had provoked damaging backlashes in places like Boston and VA. Magnets, immersion, the DCC and other programs were created as processes to foster voluntary segregation.

oops, I meant "desegregation" but a guess that is a Freudian slip for the notion that some have that there is still within school segregation in these magnet and other special program schools.