Middle school magnets - criteria-based

[Anonymous]

This thread has gotten pretty off track but our MCPS middle school PTSA does have a program to welcome new families who are moving in from out of the area. This is not TPMS but it's not unheard of in the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s interesting that when someone said they find a school community unwelcoming, responses are 1) it’s your fault, you must be a problem family with a problem child or 2) it’s your fault, why didn’t you fix it—neither approach shows any empathy. Why so defensive? Doesn’t sound very welcoming.

You keep posting. Are we supposed to believe you're a different person now? You're "why so defensive " is a dead giveaway. You are the defensive person, posting again and again to multiple people who think you might be the bully mom (I am not convinced of that) or just a difficult person who thinks the world revolves around them (now, that I buy).
I probably wouldn't say that if you hadn't gone after one of the nicest PTA presidents (PBES) ever. I also speak as a parent whose kids left PBES to go to the CES at Pine Crest (before PBES had one). So, I know what it's like to be new to a school.
All the schools have some kind of welcome at first PTA meeting and back to school night. I'm not sure what else you expect, hone baked bread?!

No one has “gone after” any PTA presidents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread has gotten pretty off track but our MCPS middle school PTSA does have a program to welcome new families who are moving in from out of the area. This is not TPMS but it's not unheard of in the county.

Super off track. Ridiculous argument.

[Anonymous]

The magnet should move every year for equity, and keep moving east until the Potomac families stop sending their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The magnet should move every year for equity, and keep moving east until the Potomac families stop sending their kids.

That's a terrible idea and most of the kids in it aren't from Potomac so it wouldn't matter. The magnet directory shows the largest number of kids are zoned for Blair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The magnet should move every year for equity, and keep moving east until the Potomac families stop sending their kids.

That's a terrible idea and most of the kids in it aren't from Potomac so it wouldn't matter. The magnet directory shows the largest number of kids are zoned for Blair.

Similarly many of the "equity kids" aren't all that into it and drop out before the end of the first year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The magnet should move every year for equity, and keep moving east until the Potomac families stop sending their kids.

That's a terrible idea and most of the kids in it aren't from Potomac so it wouldn't matter. The magnet directory shows the largest number of kids are zoned for Blair.

Similarly many of the "equity kids" aren't all that into it and drop out before the end of the first year.

Someone upthread made this point as well, and I don't think it's supported by the numbers. I've had both pre-lottery and post-lottery kids in the MS criteria-based magnets and attrition does not seem to be higher in the post-lottery cohort. Matriculation might be lower (more kids turning down a slot) but kids actually leaving the program seems pretty stable. If you have evidence that the post-lottery rate is higher, please post it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The magnet should move every year for equity, and keep moving east until the Potomac families stop sending their kids.

That's a terrible idea and most of the kids in it aren't from Potomac so it wouldn't matter. The magnet directory shows the largest number of kids are zoned for Blair.

Similarly many of the "equity kids" aren't all that into it and drop out before the end of the first year.

Someone upthread made this point as well, and I don't think it's supported by the numbers. I've had both pre-lottery and post-lottery kids in the MS criteria-based magnets and attrition does not seem to be higher in the post-lottery cohort. Matriculation might be lower (more kids turning down a slot) but kids actually leaving the program seems pretty stable. If you have evidence that the post-lottery rate is higher, please post it.

Totally agree. This is the type of claim that’s made again and again here without any basis in fact.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Just got an email from TPMS that my kid is in!! Notification letters are also on ParentVue, which is great because our mail had not arrived.

Kid was in the pool for both lotteries, accepted at TPMS which is his home school.

I think a certain percentage of spots at TPMS are reserved for home school students. I am not sure if it's the same for Eastern.

25 are set aside for those in the TPMS catchment, so there is something of a separate lottery for them (same criteria, different pool). I think the ratio of seats to total MS population ends up being about 3 times greater.

That sounds really wrong. The odds of getting in have to be significantly higher.
TPMS has roughly 380 kids in each grade each year. If the top 15 percent are in the pool that's 57 kids. If there are 25 inbound set-aside seats that's a 44 percent chance of getting in!

You'd need to back out the 100 non-catchment magnet seats, so 25 of 280, or about 9 percent of the overall catchment population gets in. That compares to 100 seats there for over 7000 6th grade students from the rest of the lower portion of the county, closer to 1.5 percent of the population. So it's about 6 times more likely to end up in the magnet if you are within the TPMS bounds. That's without considering the relative proportions of those who might qualify based on grades, reading level and locally-normed MAP percentiles (the result is less than the top 15% of MAP scorers). Your estimate of an over 44% chance for pool qualifiers may be on the low side.

As a PP said, it was done that way to make TP a more attractive place to buy back when the program was set up. Problem is, a good portion of the SFH area in TP already was desirable, and was the most likely place for folks magnet-hunting to land. I think it's also outlived its purpose. Politics. What's really a shame, though, is that they didn't expand the program to meet the need, or even to keep pace with population growth.

The set aside for Eastern was smaller (12), but King and Clemente had 25 in-catchment reserved seats to compare with only 50 for out-of-catchment. A real head-scratcher was the set-aside for Potomac for the Chinese Immersion program. Did they need their area made more attractive?
Was it to assuage the already-well-to-do about the influx of hoi palloi from out-of-bounds? Those with outsized influence get everything...

Interesting discussion. You are right about taking out the magnet kids so you have more like 280 TPMS kids in-bounds. 15 percent of that is 42 kids. 25 spots for 42 kids in the lottery means that 60 percent get in. Could this be correct? 60 percent of kids in the TPMS catchment area with lottery qualifying scores get into the magnet?

No that's not right. Look at the at a glance #s. It's more than 280.

As an inboundary parent, I can tell you it's not that clear there are precisely 25 in boundary spots. In years past I had heard there were typically around 15 kids from PBES about half of which came from the CES, but in the first year of the lottery, for example, we only knew of 5 or 6 kids in total that were selected from PBES. Maybe the lottery selected the other 20 from the other TPMS in boundary school, you got me. Lotteries are funny that way.

The wait pool may pull more acceptances from inbounds kids. That's how it is for all the magnets in that area. The original admits may be more geographically diverse but by the time the kids show up in the fall it more skewed towards families that live closer to the schools.

At the time of selection, we had no idea who was selected. The numbers I used from PBES were based on what we observed the following fall after the wait list selections. We only knew of maybe a half dozen kids from PBES that year.

Why would you think you’d know all the PBES kids selected? Half a dozen sounds like a lot to me to know personally. There are about 220 kids per grade. Basically you mean that about half a dozen kids off the same socio economic status as you and the same social circles got in. That says nothing of the other 19 kids.

There are only 3 classes of compacted math at PBES each year, and by grade 5 most kids know all the kids in their math classes and well kids talk...

Not to mention, after having spent K-5 with those same 220 kids, you get to know most of them...

This is so untrue. PBES is incredibly unwelcoming with very little community.

This must be either a unique experience or troll post. It's been a while for my kuds, but I know lots of current kuds/families. Community seems strong.

People seem to forget ESS in the in-bounds draw.

Also, as an aside that bears repeating, don't forget that these seats are in addition to the magnet seats allotted. They don't take seats away from Bethesda or Rockville or wherever kids.

There is a disgruntled poster who claims to have left the area. Other parents claimed their kid was a bully, but they had a different story.Only read about it here. We've only had positive experiences ourselves.

The bully was at TPMS. My kid was one of her victims when she spat on classmates during PE. Nothing could be done about her.

Oh, someone’s unhappy with the schools and finds them unwelcoming - their kid MUST be a bully!!! I don’t know who this legendary person is, and I’ve seen them mentioned before here, but it’s certainly not me. My very shy children have never been and would never be accused of bullying. And you almost definitely don’t know me because we don’t know anyone at the schools.

Anyway, the point from long ago was that ALL the kids/families know each other (even though there are 220 or so per grade) the reason we started this sidetrack was because I said that wasn’t true. Cliques of upper middle class, type A, white parents and families know each other for sure.

Spitting is a form of assault. If your child is purposefully spitting on classmates, your child is a bully. Or they are emotionally disturbed and should be in a self-contained setting.

The recent conviction of the mother of that shooter, if it stands, is going to open up a more realistic path of litigation against parents of those making life hard for others, allowing some semblance of accountability without always having to involve schools directly. If it goes well enough, you'll probably have the same interests who advocated for schools to stop disciplining kids about face and ask for a return to that as preferable to legal ramifications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The magnet should move every year for equity, and keep moving east until the Potomac families stop sending their kids.

That's a terrible idea and most of the kids in it aren't from Potomac so it wouldn't matter. The magnet directory shows the largest number of kids are zoned for Blair.

Similarly many of the "equity kids" aren't all that into it and drop out before the end of the first year.

Someone upthread made this point as well, and I don't think it's supported by the numbers. I've had both pre-lottery and post-lottery kids in the MS criteria-based magnets and attrition does not seem to be higher in the post-lottery cohort. Matriculation might be lower (more kids turning down a slot) but kids actually leaving the program seems pretty stable. If you have evidence that the post-lottery rate is higher, please post it.

Totally agree. This is the type of claim that’s made again and again here without any basis in fact.

My "equity kid" and her "equity friends" haven't quit yet, two years in. Sorry they didn't fit into your stereotype though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The magnet should move every year for equity, and keep moving east until the Potomac families stop sending their kids.

That's a terrible idea and most of the kids in it aren't from Potomac so it wouldn't matter. The magnet directory shows the largest number of kids are zoned for Blair.

Similarly many of the "equity kids" aren't all that into it and drop out before the end of the first year.

Someone upthread made this point as well, and I don't think it's supported by the numbers. I've had both pre-lottery and post-lottery kids in the MS criteria-based magnets and attrition does not seem to be higher in the post-lottery cohort. Matriculation might be lower (more kids turning down a slot) but kids actually leaving the program seems pretty stable. If you have evidence that the post-lottery rate is higher, please post it.

There were close to 25 vacancies in the MS magnet since they started the lottery that's 20% attrition. Don't know what it was before the lottery but that seems bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The magnet should move every year for equity, and keep moving east until the Potomac families stop sending their kids.

That's a terrible idea and most of the kids in it aren't from Potomac so it wouldn't matter. The magnet directory shows the largest number of kids are zoned for Blair.

Similarly many of the "equity kids" aren't all that into it and drop out before the end of the first year.

Someone upthread made this point as well, and I don't think it's supported by the numbers. I've had both pre-lottery and post-lottery kids in the MS criteria-based magnets and attrition does not seem to be higher in the post-lottery cohort. Matriculation might be lower (more kids turning down a slot) but kids actually leaving the program seems pretty stable. If you have evidence that the post-lottery rate is higher, please post it.

There were close to 25 vacancies in the MS magnet since they started the lottery that's 20% attrition. Don't know what it was before the lottery but that seems bad.

Can you please provide the source for this data?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The magnet should move every year for equity, and keep moving east until the Potomac families stop sending their kids.

That's a terrible idea and most of the kids in it aren't from Potomac so it wouldn't matter. The magnet directory shows the largest number of kids are zoned for Blair.

Similarly many of the "equity kids" aren't all that into it and drop out before the end of the first year.

Someone upthread made this point as well, and I don't think it's supported by the numbers. I've had both pre-lottery and post-lottery kids in the MS criteria-based magnets and attrition does not seem to be higher in the post-lottery cohort. Matriculation might be lower (more kids turning down a slot) but kids actually leaving the program seems pretty stable. If you have evidence that the post-lottery rate is higher, please post it.

There were close to 25 vacancies in the MS magnet since they started the lottery that's 20% attrition. Don't know what it was before the lottery but that seems bad.

Which magnet (there are four)? Which grades? Where are you getting this information? For what it is worth, there was about 20 percent attrition in my pre-lottery child's grade at Eastern. It was primarily the result of Potomac and Bethesda kids who got tired of the commute, as well as some kids who just decided they wanted to focus on extracurriculars instead of completing lengthy semester-long projects. None of them were "equity kids" and the attrition was not necessarily a bad thing. Kids made choices together with their families about their priorities, which is good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The magnet should move every year for equity, and keep moving east until the Potomac families stop sending their kids.

That's a terrible idea and most of the kids in it aren't from Potomac so it wouldn't matter. The magnet directory shows the largest number of kids are zoned for Blair.

Similarly many of the "equity kids" aren't all that into it and drop out before the end of the first year.

Someone upthread made this point as well, and I don't think it's supported by the numbers. I've had both pre-lottery and post-lottery kids in the MS criteria-based magnets and attrition does not seem to be higher in the post-lottery cohort. Matriculation might be lower (more kids turning down a slot) but kids actually leaving the program seems pretty stable. If you have evidence that the post-lottery rate is higher, please post it.

There were close to 25 vacancies in the MS magnet since they started the lottery that's 20% attrition. Don't know what it was before the lottery but that seems bad.

Where did you get those numbers from? Did you just make them up? I have a kid in the program who reports no kids leaving. If 25 has truly left current kids would know at least several of them, so the chances of this being correct infinitesimally tiny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread has gotten pretty off track but our MCPS middle school PTSA does have a program to welcome new families who are moving in from out of the area. This is not TPMS but it's not unheard of in the county.

Super off track. Ridiculous argument.

And probably that same poster. Again and again. She's like a dog with a bone.