Leaving Clemente/TPMS STEM Magnet for Robert Frost - would you do it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our family is considering leaving a STEM Magnet for Robert Frost due to wanting to avoid a terrible commute.

Does anyone have experience with these programs and is throwing away a magnet education stupid in this case?

Forst is a fine school as is TPMS, but in the past magnets were all about the cohort. With the lottery admissions, that just doesn't exist anymore. Sure there are bright kids but it isn't really the same.

This. I would choose Frost. It has good stem clubs and enough peers, plus it’ll probably easier for your kid to stand out. with the time saved from the commute, almost a no brainer.

Agree - there just isn't the same incentive to put up with the commute to be with the lottery cohort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our family is considering leaving a STEM Magnet for Robert Frost due to wanting to avoid a terrible commute.

Does anyone have experience with these programs and is throwing away a magnet education stupid in this case?

Forst is a fine school as is TPMS, but in the past magnets were all about the cohort. With the lottery admissions, that just doesn't exist anymore. Sure there are bright kids but it isn't really the same.

This. I would choose Frost. It has good stem clubs and enough peers, plus it’ll probably easier for your kid to stand out. with the time saved from the commute, almost a no brainer.

Agree - there just isn't the same incentive to put up with the commute to be with the lottery cohort.

Staying at FROST is way much better than going far down to TPMS. You got the community feel, more time to work on EC, not to mention that Frost has one of the best music programs in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

My daughter finished up at Eastern last year (before the lottery, she was selected under the old selection process) and even then I didn’t think it was worth it compared to Frost. The strong cohort benefit is going to diminish even further under the new selection process. I wish we had never sent her. It wasn’t any better and the commute was such a drag. I don’t feel like the magnets delivered on their promises and virtual learning was so much worse there than at Frost.
Frost is a great middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And who won the science bowl last year and this year?

Frost.

Who sent the more students to Mathcounts national last year?

Frost.

woot woot!

Frost lost badly to TPMS at state math counts. Sending more kiids is not the same as performing.

Once the lottery kids are in 8th, Frost may finally surpass TPMS. It will illustrate how badly MCPS has messed up these once respected flagship programs with their ill-conceived lottery. My neighbor's son is a 7th grade on the JV math team now and claims that several of the strongest 6th-grade nathletes aren't even in the magnet this year.

This will be a visible mark of shame for MCPS leadership. It underscores how their foolish priorities and bad decisons brought about this decline in education by failing to put students first. Can't wait to see the piece about decline of the magnets on WJLA or WTOP.

[Anonymous]

We live in Silver Spring, so the TPMS was a no-brainer for us, but I can see the debate if you live far away. My 6th grader is enjoying the magnet program, though it does seem like math and science aren't really that much different than what his friends are doing at other schools. The huge benefit for us is the computer science curriculum. He LOVES his computer science class (and the new, young, awesome teacher). And he's going to get that for 3 full years. If you think your kid might be into CS, I would consider it for that reason alone.

[Anonymous]

No. The magnet at TPMS also opens up more HS application schools unless you are Down County already.

[Anonymous]

Former Frost MS teacher here: We always had a handful of kids come to Frost after a few weeks at Takoma Magnet. They were all extremely happy with the decision and thrived at Frost (at least in 6th grade).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former Frost MS teacher here: We always had a handful of kids come to Frost after a few weeks at Takoma Magnet. They were all extremely happy with the decision and thrived at Frost (at least in 6th grade).

Because there's a strong local cohort at Frost, there's really no need for a magnet. Not sure why they even invite kids from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Frost MS teacher here: We always had a handful of kids come to Frost after a few weeks at Takoma Magnet. They were all extremely happy with the decision and thrived at Frost (at least in 6th grade).

Because there's a strong local cohort at Frost, there's really no need for a magnet. Not sure why they even invite kids from there.

The actual attendees at TPMS and EMS magnets skew so heavily to Takoma/Silver Spring that they have to find some that will come from outside that area - or it's not a magnet at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Frost MS teacher here: We always had a handful of kids come to Frost after a few weeks at Takoma Magnet. They were all extremely happy with the decision and thrived at Frost (at least in 6th grade).

Because there's a strong local cohort at Frost, there's really no need for a magnet. Not sure why they even invite kids from there.

The actual attendees at TPMS and EMS magnets skew so heavily to Takoma/Silver Spring that they have to find some that will come from outside that area - or it's not a magnet at all.

That's not exactly true. Only 25 of the 125 magnet students live in-boundary. 80% are bussed in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Frost MS teacher here: We always had a handful of kids come to Frost after a few weeks at Takoma Magnet. They were all extremely happy with the decision and thrived at Frost (at least in 6th grade).

Because there's a strong local cohort at Frost, there's really no need for a magnet. Not sure why they even invite kids from there.

The actual attendees at TPMS and EMS magnets skew so heavily to Takoma/Silver Spring that they have to find some that will come from outside that area - or it's not a magnet at all.

That's not exactly true. Only 25 of the 125 magnet students live in-boundary. 80% are bussed in.

There is a not insignificant geographical difference between the group of students initially offered a place and the students who attend. You can see the resulting skew towards geographical proximity if you have a PTA directory. I know I know, different back in the parent nominate student days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Frost MS teacher here: We always had a handful of kids come to Frost after a few weeks at Takoma Magnet. They were all extremely happy with the decision and thrived at Frost (at least in 6th grade).

Because there's a strong local cohort at Frost, there's really no need for a magnet. Not sure why they even invite kids from there.

The actual attendees at TPMS and EMS magnets skew so heavily to Takoma/Silver Spring that they have to find some that will come from outside that area - or it's not a magnet at all.

That's not exactly true. Only 25 of the 125 magnet students live in-boundary. 80% are bussed in.

There is a not insignificant geographical difference between the group of students initially offered a place and the students who attend. You can see the resulting skew towards geographical proximity if you have a PTA directory. I know I know, different back in the parent nominate student days.

I wouldn't be surprised. I mean if my kid were zoned for Frost I'd not bother either especially since the MS magnet cohort isn't even the same since the random lottery. I mean sure it's a great program but isn't worth an hour bus ride.


Further, MCPS needs to do two things. 1) double the number of magnet MS programs 2) restrict the pool to a higher percentile at least in the first round so that kids who really need this aren't excluded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Frost MS teacher here: We always had a handful of kids come to Frost after a few weeks at Takoma Magnet. They were all extremely happy with the decision and thrived at Frost (at least in 6th grade).

Because there's a strong local cohort at Frost, there's really no need for a magnet. Not sure why they even invite kids from there.

The actual attendees at TPMS and EMS magnets skew so heavily to Takoma/Silver Spring that they have to find some that will come from outside that area - or it's not a magnet at all.

That's not exactly true. Only 25 of the 125 magnet students live in-boundary. 80% are bussed in.

There is a not insignificant geographical difference between the group of students initially offered a place and the students who attend. You can see the resulting skew towards geographical proximity if you have a PTA directory. I know I know, different back in the parent nominate student days.

I wouldn't be surprised. I mean if my kid were zoned for Frost I'd not bother either especially since the MS magnet cohort isn't even the same since the random lottery. I mean sure it's a great program but isn't worth an hour bus ride.


Further, MCPS needs to do two things. 1) double the number of magnet MS programs 2) restrict the pool to a higher percentile at least in the first round so that kids who really need this aren't excluded.

Ditto.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Frost MS teacher here: We always had a handful of kids come to Frost after a few weeks at Takoma Magnet. They were all extremely happy with the decision and thrived at Frost (at least in 6th grade).

Because there's a strong local cohort at Frost, there's really no need for a magnet. Not sure why they even invite kids from there.

The actual attendees at TPMS and EMS magnets skew so heavily to Takoma/Silver Spring that they have to find some that will come from outside that area - or it's not a magnet at all.

That's not exactly true. Only 25 of the 125 magnet students live in-boundary. 80% are bussed in.

There is a not insignificant geographical difference between the group of students initially offered a place and the students who attend. You can see the resulting skew towards geographical proximity if you have a PTA directory. I know I know, different back in the parent nominate student days.

I wouldn't be surprised. I mean if my kid were zoned for Frost I'd not bother either especially since the MS magnet cohort isn't even the same since the random lottery. I mean sure it's a great program but isn't worth an hour bus ride.


Further, MCPS needs to do two things. 1) double the number of magnet MS programs 2) restrict the pool to a higher percentile at least in the first round so that kids who really need this aren't excluded.

Ditto.

That's obvious but they're more interested in optics than student welfare.

[Anonymous]

Our neighboring Thomas Jefferson HS gives seats to the top performers and then take lottery among top X% in every MS. This admission process is ruled recently as discrimination against Asians. Yet, it's way much better than the stupid pure-lottery admission process now at MCPS.

MCPS is suiciding its own reputable GT program.