I don't get it- very few CES kids get into magnet school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS could start giving IQ tests in early elementary schools, especially schools with high poverty. Kids with high IQs would be pulled out for an intensive track that would prepare them to be competitive for MS and HS magnets. It also would be putting those resources for kids that have the potential.

No ones talks about IQ but it is part of the equation along with hard work and family dedication to academics. IQ doesn't track along SES or racial lines. IQ has a genetic component so kids with parents with high IQs are more likely to have kids with high IQs. Parents with high IQs are less likely to be high school drop outs or working manual jobs. There would end up being correlation (not causation) with fewer kids in high poverty areas being gifted with a high IQ. However by pulling out the high poverty kids who do have a high IQ and giving them extra academic support you are preventing them from failing to succeed due to family or institutionalized racism or poverty factors which is a big win.

So one IQ test taken in early elementary would determine a child's future track in school? I don't agree with that at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS could start giving IQ tests in early elementary schools, especially schools with high poverty. Kids with high IQs would be pulled out for an intensive track that would prepare them to be competitive for MS and HS magnets. It also would be putting those resources for kids that have the potential.

No ones talks about IQ but it is part of the equation along with hard work and family dedication to academics. IQ doesn't track along SES or racial lines. IQ has a genetic component so kids with parents with high IQs are more likely to have kids with high IQs. Parents with high IQs are less likely to be high school drop outs or working manual jobs. There would end up being correlation (not causation) with fewer kids in high poverty areas being gifted with a high IQ. However by pulling out the high poverty kids who do have a high IQ and giving them extra academic support you are preventing them from failing to succeed due to family or institutionalized racism or poverty factors which is a big win.

Measured IQ sure does. That is well known. Somehow the groups with the most power in society always seem to have the highest IQs...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really bothered by the propaganda that deflects away from the fact that they changed the criteria not to get the most qualified students but to get the demographic profile of the students that they wanted. This is just wrong. Its been stated again and again that no one objects to universal testing, people object moving admission away from merit based and toward racial profiling. Yet again and again the MCPS PR booster will try to float in that the only change was universal testing. This simply isn't true and you should stop lying.

I think the universal testing has affected the process more than the peer cohorts. Their kid not being invited because she has a cohort Is just easier for parents to swallow than “they scored high, but not high enough”, which is what a lot of posted cogat results are showing. 99 percentile nationally but only 86th percentile MCPS? Universal testing is turning up more bright students.

It definitely has. There's no doubt about it, but easier to scapegoat minorities than accept any responsibility for one's own failings.

It's hardly a failing to have a child who was not admitted to the MCPS middle-school magnet program.

But yes, it's much the easiest to blame those other, undeserving kids (and MCPS)!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My magnet kid is responsible for own homework. I do not tutor or provide executive functioning help. My kid does not always get straight A’s, but they are my kid’s grades, not mine.

So you don’t provide any support that enables your child to be successful in the Magnet program? I don’t help my child with homework. I have over the years provided significant logistical help that would not have been necessary if my child attended our home school. Transportation to and from school, transportation or hosting meetings for group projects (Eastern has many of these). Extra effort to make extracurricular activities at school possible. All these things are more complicated and time consuming when your child goes to a Magnet program and do require parental involvement and time above and beyond what is required at a home school. Some children also need a lot of help with time management and study skills especially in 6th grade and 9th grade. The magnet workload is pretty high and when you take a group of linked classes the assignments can be a lot to juggle. My child was able to handle it without much hand holding and it sounds like you child was also very independent but some level of parental guidance is frequently needed for some Magnet children

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My magnet kid is responsible for own homework. I do not tutor or provide executive functioning help. My kid does not always get straight A’s, but they are my kid’s grades, not mine.

So you don’t provide any support that enables your child to be successful in the Magnet program? I don’t help my child with homework. I have over the years provided significant logistical help that would not have been necessary if my child attended our home school. Transportation to and from school, transportation or hosting meetings for group projects (Eastern has many of these). Extra effort to make extracurricular activities at school possible. All these things are more complicated and time consuming when your child goes to a Magnet program and do require parental involvement and time above and beyond what is required at a home school. Some children also need a lot of help with time management and study skills especially in 6th grade and 9th grade. The magnet workload is pretty high and when you take a group of linked classes the assignments can be a lot to juggle. My child was able to handle it without much hand holding and it sounds like you child was also very independent but some level of parental guidance is frequently needed for some Magnet children

DP. Some level of parental guidance is frequently needed for all children, eh?

I've had one kid in the MS magnet program and one kid in the home MS. Aside from transportation to and from the central bus stop, and the enormou$$$ check for the 8th grade magnet field trip, the magnet MS kid has not needed any more parental effort or support than the home MS kid.

[Anonymous]

The posters who worry about the children of people “who couldn’t bother to fill out an application” struggling in the magnets without adequate parental support, as well as the posters who express such anguish over these children “watering down” this once magnificent program, are really something. You fail to grasp the impact of universal screening.

We weren’t going to apply to the CES (then HGC) for our dd two years ago, but our school was part of the pilot program that did away with applications and teacher input. We didn’t opt out of the testing because half the kids in dd’s grade were being tested and we didn’t want dd to feel like she wasn’t a good student when we knew she was very bright, and, I admit, we were curious about how she would stack up against her peers. DD got into the CES. It’s much harder to turn down a spot after it’s offered than it is to skip the application process. DD has thrived in the CES.

I had serious doubts that dd could get into a magnet because they have so few seats and we have a strong cohort at our home middle school. Especially without the CES experience, I don’t think we would have applied to a magnet. However, DD just got into a magnet, and so, once again, she benefited from universal screening.

DD is white, UMC, doesn’t have a 504/IEP, and has never prepped through special classes, a tutor, workbooks or practice tests. Her home middle school has a strong cohort. Her parents are educated, value education and are supportive. And dd STILL benefited from universal screening.

[Anonymous]

So your child benefited from universal screening because you convinced yourself she wouldn’t get in if she/you had elected to apply.

Um, ok.

Next time: Think Like A Man.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS could start giving IQ tests in early elementary schools, especially schools with high poverty. Kids with high IQs would be pulled out for an intensive track that would prepare them to be competitive for MS and HS magnets. It also would be putting those resources for kids that have the potential.

No ones talks about IQ but it is part of the equation along with hard work and family dedication to academics. IQ doesn't track along SES or racial lines. IQ has a genetic component so kids with parents with high IQs are more likely to have kids with high IQs. Parents with high IQs are less likely to be high school drop outs or working manual jobs. There would end up being correlation (not causation) with fewer kids in high poverty areas being gifted with a high IQ. However by pulling out the high poverty kids who do have a high IQ and giving them extra academic support you are preventing them from failing to succeed due to family or institutionalized racism or poverty factors which is a big win.

So one IQ test taken in early elementary would determine a child's future track in school? I don't agree with that at all.

Umm, they do! In 2nd grade! InView is taken by every single student; Granted, MCPS does absolutely nothing with that information, but InView is a cognitive abilities test that, at least in theory, allows to distinguish 'gifted' learners from not-so-'gifted'.

[Anonymous]

Everyone knows group IQ tests produce unreliable results. You need an individually administered 1:1 exam to get better results but even then kids are smart in ways not picked up by the tests and some kids like those with ADHD do worse than their "actual" intelligence because they are unfocused or careless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So your child benefited from universal screening because you convinced yourself she wouldn’t get in if she/you had elected to apply.

Um, ok.

Next time: Think Like A Man.

LOL..... I was thinking the same thing - Mom of the year right there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MCPS does not disclose the data. In the past, they always disclosed the median scores of those accepted. As to highly able, there is a spectrum within 99%. 99.9% is different from 99.0%.

Not on the CogAT, it's not.

What’s your basis? The standard error of level 12 is 3.6 points in SAS (Max 160). 99% covers a much wider range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So your child benefited from universal screening because you convinced yourself she wouldn’t get in if she/you had elected to apply.

Um, ok.

Next time: Think Like A Man.

WTH, the PP is saying she benefited because she wouldn't have applied without universal screening, the implication is there are other similar families. That's the new reality, many more qualified candidates are applying. The other implication, that PP was polite enough not to spell out, is some students in the magnets under the old system, aren't there because of their glorious parents with terminal degrees, full tanks of gas, applicationphelia, but because someone better opted to stay at their home school, so, have some, big britches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MCPS does not disclose the data. In the past, they always disclosed the median scores of those accepted. As to highly able, there is a spectrum within 99%. 99.9% is different from 99.0%.

Not on the CogAT, it's not.

What’s your basis? The standard error of level 12 is 3.6 points in SAS (Max 160). 99% covers a much wider range.

She may be thinking about the Cogat screener where the standard error is very high so I would agree that they can't tell the difference between someone who is 96th percentile or 99th for example. The full Cogat has more specificity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So your child benefited from universal screening because you convinced yourself she wouldn’t get in if she/you had elected to apply.

Um, ok.

Next time: Think Like A Man.

LOL..... I was thinking the same thing - Mom of the year right there.

I hate it when women sell themselves short like that. Terrible attitude.

And yes, the man will be sitting there saying “why wouldn’t I get that spot” while women like that PP keep saying “oh, I probably wouldn’t really couldn’t totally get in so I’ll go do something else.” That or it’s her external pretend fake veneer and she is mad paddling for the finish line! You know, the closet studiers in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS could start giving IQ tests in early elementary schools, especially schools with high poverty. Kids with high IQs would be pulled out for an intensive track that would prepare them to be competitive for MS and HS magnets. It also would be putting those resources for kids that have the potential.

No ones talks about IQ but it is part of the equation along with hard work and family dedication to academics. IQ doesn't track along SES or racial lines. IQ has a genetic component so kids with parents with high IQs are more likely to have kids with high IQs. Parents with high IQs are less likely to be high school drop outs or working manual jobs. There would end up being correlation (not causation) with fewer kids in high poverty areas being gifted with a high IQ. However by pulling out the high poverty kids who do have a high IQ and giving them extra academic support you are preventing them from failing to succeed due to family or institutionalized racism or poverty factors which is a big win.

Measured IQ sure does. That is well known. Somehow the groups with the most power in society always seem to have the highest IQs...

East Asians have the most power in society? I had no idea.