Magnet application result High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think being at TPMS or another magnet middle school makes the process that much harder from a social perspective because there will be a core group going to Blair and practically everyone applied.

My child got in from their regular MS and when they were trying to figure out if any friends got in the response she got most often was what are you talking about. They were paying no attention to the application process. These are top students who are in the cohorted math and history classes.

I'm the OP about social development. Yes that's the point I was trying to make about the magnet middle schools. Of course there's always reshuffling from every level, elementary to M, MS to HS, but the cohort from the magnet middle schools going on to these HS magnet programs is particularly large. I don't know how to explain to my child that they can do very well, as well as their peers, work hard, and they have a different result. And yes, that's the point I was making about the roll out of notifications. It was at the end of the school day and all the kids were talking about, checking their email, etc. When my kid was hearing all of their friends wonderful results, and happy for the, but with nothing themselves, you can imagine what that does for their self image, but also the bigger understanding that all of their friends would get to go on together, and they will be left out.

I agree with PP that likely 500 applicants "deserve" the invitation, and at some point with the vast majority of applications it is splitting hairs. Clearly one of the answers is having more magnet seats, including at the MS level. But this observation is of course not new, and is likely not the direction MCPS will head to in the future with the general hostility nationwide towards gifted and talented education.

I'll admit I'm also biased towards my own experiences in gifted education, which did wonderful things for me as someone coming from a background of poverty. In our school district children were identified as deserving gifted education at the elementary level and those resources were provided to us at every level. There wasn't the faux scarcity of opportunities that there is in MCPS. In elementary the gifted education was done as a pull out class several times during the week. In middle school and high school there were full magnet programs at specific schools that everyone identified as gifted moved through (if they wanted to). So there was none of this bloodbath at every level, competing against one another, we all moved together. I regret my child isn't in a district that provides the accelerated education and gifted learning cohort to every student that needs it or would benefit from it.

Congrats to the folks who 'got in". However, the way it has been handled is an absolute disaster. Making it so public by sending emails to kids in the middle of the week. Very thoughtless.
Completely isolating and disheartening for kids who don't now get to be with their friends even though they did the work and have the grades and scores. I absolutely wish I didn't send my kid to TPMS. Better to be in home school and have a few kids go the magnet rather than be in this situation. I don't know how the rest of the school year is going to unfold. I am frankly worried.

How else are they to handle it? Just give all the slots to the TPMS kids? What are you worried about for the rest of the school year? It is what it is.

Thanks for your opinion.

DP. There are 100 students in TPMS magnet program, and there are 100 slots at Blair SMAC for the ENTIRE Montgomery County. So it's only logical that the county will have to reject certain kids from TPMS, along with hundreds of others from other schools.

Granted, they definitely should have done it in a more thoughtful manner but if you thought your child would be guaranteed a spot at a HS magnet simply by virtue of going to a MS magnet.. well, you probably should have kept them at a home school.

Not the OP on the home school comment, but it's not a matter of going to a magnet HS "simply" because the child went to a magnet MS, but that the records of achievement are nearly identical. And then we get into the ridiculous splitting of hairs, which isn't a real reflection of whether one child should go and not another.

Yep. The previous evaluation system was definitely more comprehensive. The current watered-down system with grades and MAP (which wasn't meant for this purpose) doesn't provide rich enough data to make an informed decision. No one is expecting a guaranteed spot but definitely expecting a more thoughtful evaluation system and process.

The previous systems both had lots of high stats and ms magnet kids not getting in to school of choice too. It felt random to a lot of parents/kids then too. It is not a new thing.

I agree with another PP about prepping for the tests. In my kid's year, many Potomac area kids took a special course from A++ prepping for the HS test. I can also see PP's point about recs. I have always liked that element of the application, but I also have girls who likely benefited. I don't know the answer, but I do know that the magnets in that system lacked students who didn't get enrichment. I really think our efforts would better spent advocating for more magnet seats/programs rather than claiming current admits are somehow lesser.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current system puts the emphasis on MAP and the short answer essay because so many kids have all As or basically all As. Children of immigrants from non-English speaking countries -and yes that includes some Asian students as well as students whose parents may speak Spanish at home- are at a tremendous disadvantage because they may not have someone to proofread their essays or help talk over the topics. I've seen this with several DD's classmates who are terrific students in that very high but not extraordinarily high MAP range. No the friends I am thinking of are not Asian but I personally think that if MCPS wants to bring more equity they would bring back the Cogat. There are several posters who claim that it can be prepped but it's not true and a smart child will usually do better than a prepped one anyway. If you really knew anything you'd see that very few kids from the prep programs get in to magnets. Those who do get in would have gotten in anyway.

I don't know if the kid hasn't learned to write a simple 250-word essay by 8th grade a magnet program is probably a bad fit.

Yet many parents on this board claim they did edit or proofread their child's essay. You are clearly white and you don't get it how hard it can be for children of immigrant parents who don't know how to work the system for you. I recognize your other smug posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think being at TPMS or another magnet middle school makes the process that much harder from a social perspective because there will be a core group going to Blair and practically everyone applied.

My child got in from their regular MS and when they were trying to figure out if any friends got in the response she got most often was what are you talking about. They were paying no attention to the application process. These are top students who are in the cohorted math and history classes.

I'm the OP about social development. Yes that's the point I was trying to make about the magnet middle schools. Of course there's always reshuffling from every level, elementary to M, MS to HS, but the cohort from the magnet middle schools going on to these HS magnet programs is particularly large. I don't know how to explain to my child that they can do very well, as well as their peers, work hard, and they have a different result. And yes, that's the point I was making about the roll out of notifications. It was at the end of the school day and all the kids were talking about, checking their email, etc. When my kid was hearing all of their friends wonderful results, and happy for the, but with nothing themselves, you can imagine what that does for their self image, but also the bigger understanding that all of their friends would get to go on together, and they will be left out.

I agree with PP that likely 500 applicants "deserve" the invitation, and at some point with the vast majority of applications it is splitting hairs. Clearly one of the answers is having more magnet seats, including at the MS level. But this observation is of course not new, and is likely not the direction MCPS will head to in the future with the general hostility nationwide towards gifted and talented education.

I'll admit I'm also biased towards my own experiences in gifted education, which did wonderful things for me as someone coming from a background of poverty. In our school district children were identified as deserving gifted education at the elementary level and those resources were provided to us at every level. There wasn't the faux scarcity of opportunities that there is in MCPS. In elementary the gifted education was done as a pull out class several times during the week. In middle school and high school there were full magnet programs at specific schools that everyone identified as gifted moved through (if they wanted to). So there was none of this bloodbath at every level, competing against one another, we all moved together. I regret my child isn't in a district that provides the accelerated education and gifted learning cohort to every student that needs it or would benefit from it.

Congrats to the folks who 'got in". However, the way it has been handled is an absolute disaster. Making it so public by sending emails to kids in the middle of the week. Very thoughtless.
Completely isolating and disheartening for kids who don't now get to be with their friends even though they did the work and have the grades and scores. I absolutely wish I didn't send my kid to TPMS. Better to be in home school and have a few kids go the magnet rather than be in this situation. I don't know how the rest of the school year is going to unfold. I am frankly worried.

How else are they to handle it? Just give all the slots to the TPMS kids? What are you worried about for the rest of the school year? It is what it is.

Thanks for your opinion.

DP. There are 100 students in TPMS magnet program, and there are 100 slots at Blair SMAC for the ENTIRE Montgomery County. So it's only logical that the county will have to reject certain kids from TPMS, along with hundreds of others from other schools.

Granted, they definitely should have done it in a more thoughtful manner but if you thought your child would be guaranteed a spot at a HS magnet simply by virtue of going to a MS magnet.. well, you probably should have kept them at a home school.

Not the OP on the home school comment, but it's not a matter of going to a magnet HS "simply" because the child went to a magnet MS, but that the records of achievement are nearly identical. And then we get into the ridiculous splitting of hairs, which isn't a real reflection of whether one child should go and not another.

Yep. The previous evaluation system was definitely more comprehensive. The current watered-down system with grades and MAP (which wasn't meant for this purpose) doesn't provide rich enough data to make an informed decision. No one is expecting a guaranteed spot but definitely expecting a more thoughtful evaluation system and process.

Previous meaning including an external cogat/other test designed to measure potential fit. Not just a test like MAP which is not appropriate in the way it has been used. Better system elevates all participants.

Not really. It was more designed to filter out those who couldn't afford the prep classes in order to keep out the riff Raff.

Exactly! It was just gatekeeping...

As if the current system is immune to prepping?? There are kids that prep for MAP, there are kids who used writing coaches for the essay, and whether or not a kid gets straight As can depend a lot on the home environment as well as the degree to which parents are running support in the background. Also just look in this thread at how many parents cite their child’s unique extracurricular as helping their chances.

Don’t pretend the current system is any less gatekeeping.

My kids record of all As is entirely on him. Absolutely nothing I have done has assisted. He is 100 percent responsible for completing his home work and for keeping track of when it’s due. I also don’t take him to activities or prep him for tests. He got in to everywhere he applied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current system puts the emphasis on MAP and the short answer essay because so many kids have all As or basically all As. Children of immigrants from non-English speaking countries -and yes that includes some Asian students as well as students whose parents may speak Spanish at home- are at a tremendous disadvantage because they may not have someone to proofread their essays or help talk over the topics. I've seen this with several DD's classmates who are terrific students in that very high but not extraordinarily high MAP range. No the friends I am thinking of are not Asian but I personally think that if MCPS wants to bring more equity they would bring back the Cogat. There are several posters who claim that it can be prepped but it's not true and a smart child will usually do better than a prepped one anyway. If you really knew anything you'd see that very few kids from the prep programs get in to magnets. Those who do get in would have gotten in anyway.

I don't know if the kid hasn't learned to write a simple 250-word essay by 8th grade a magnet program is probably a bad fit.

Yet many parents on this board claim they did edit or proofread their child's essay. You are clearly white and you don't get it how hard it can be for children of immigrant parents who don't know how to work the system for you. I recognize your other smug posts.

Different poster and I completely get your point but also wonder if this is the case why are most of the kids who got in to Blair from immigrant families and not white?

[Anonymous]

So much wrong with your post. Not white does not equal immigrant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think being at TPMS or another magnet middle school makes the process that much harder from a social perspective because there will be a core group going to Blair and practically everyone applied.

My child got in from their regular MS and when they were trying to figure out if any friends got in the response she got most often was what are you talking about. They were paying no attention to the application process. These are top students who are in the cohorted math and history classes.

I'm the OP about social development. Yes that's the point I was trying to make about the magnet middle schools. Of course there's always reshuffling from every level, elementary to M, MS to HS, but the cohort from the magnet middle schools going on to these HS magnet programs is particularly large. I don't know how to explain to my child that they can do very well, as well as their peers, work hard, and they have a different result. And yes, that's the point I was making about the roll out of notifications. It was at the end of the school day and all the kids were talking about, checking their email, etc. When my kid was hearing all of their friends wonderful results, and happy for the, but with nothing themselves, you can imagine what that does for their self image, but also the bigger understanding that all of their friends would get to go on together, and they will be left out.

I agree with PP that likely 500 applicants "deserve" the invitation, and at some point with the vast majority of applications it is splitting hairs. Clearly one of the answers is having more magnet seats, including at the MS level. But this observation is of course not new, and is likely not the direction MCPS will head to in the future with the general hostility nationwide towards gifted and talented education.

I'll admit I'm also biased towards my own experiences in gifted education, which did wonderful things for me as someone coming from a background of poverty. In our school district children were identified as deserving gifted education at the elementary level and those resources were provided to us at every level. There wasn't the faux scarcity of opportunities that there is in MCPS. In elementary the gifted education was done as a pull out class several times during the week. In middle school and high school there were full magnet programs at specific schools that everyone identified as gifted moved through (if they wanted to). So there was none of this bloodbath at every level, competing against one another, we all moved together. I regret my child isn't in a district that provides the accelerated education and gifted learning cohort to every student that needs it or would benefit from it.

Congrats to the folks who 'got in". However, the way it has been handled is an absolute disaster. Making it so public by sending emails to kids in the middle of the week. Very thoughtless.
Completely isolating and disheartening for kids who don't now get to be with their friends even though they did the work and have the grades and scores. I absolutely wish I didn't send my kid to TPMS. Better to be in home school and have a few kids go the magnet rather than be in this situation. I don't know how the rest of the school year is going to unfold. I am frankly worried.

How else are they to handle it? Just give all the slots to the TPMS kids? What are you worried about for the rest of the school year? It is what it is.

Thanks for your opinion.

DP. There are 100 students in TPMS magnet program, and there are 100 slots at Blair SMAC for the ENTIRE Montgomery County. So it's only logical that the county will have to reject certain kids from TPMS, along with hundreds of others from other schools.

Granted, they definitely should have done it in a more thoughtful manner but if you thought your child would be guaranteed a spot at a HS magnet simply by virtue of going to a MS magnet.. well, you probably should have kept them at a home school.

Not the OP on the home school comment, but it's not a matter of going to a magnet HS "simply" because the child went to a magnet MS, but that the records of achievement are nearly identical. And then we get into the ridiculous splitting of hairs, which isn't a real reflection of whether one child should go and not another.

Yep. The previous evaluation system was definitely more comprehensive. The current watered-down system with grades and MAP (which wasn't meant for this purpose) doesn't provide rich enough data to make an informed decision. No one is expecting a guaranteed spot but definitely expecting a more thoughtful evaluation system and process.

Previous meaning including an external cogat/other test designed to measure potential fit. Not just a test like MAP which is not appropriate in the way it has been used. Better system elevates all participants.

Not really. It was more designed to filter out those who couldn't afford the prep classes in order to keep out the riff Raff.

Exactly! It was just gatekeeping...

As if the current system is immune to prepping?? There are kids that prep for MAP, there are kids who used writing coaches for the essay, and whether or not a kid gets straight As can depend a lot on the home environment as well as the degree to which parents are running support in the background. Also just look in this thread at how many parents cite their child’s unique extracurricular as helping their chances.

Don’t pretend the current system is any less gatekeeping.

My kids record of all As is entirely on him. Absolutely nothing I have done has assisted. He is 100 percent responsible for completing his home work and for keeping track of when it’s due. I also don’t take him to activities or prep him for tests. He got in to everywhere he applied.

It pains me to read your posts. You are clearly deeply involved in your child's schooling. You've posted in every thread I've been scanning. Every single one in great detail about the application process and your opinions. Own it. You're very involved. Your child is lucky. Why do you like to pretend you're not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current system puts the emphasis on MAP and the short answer essay because so many kids have all As or basically all As. Children of immigrants from non-English speaking countries -and yes that includes some Asian students as well as students whose parents may speak Spanish at home- are at a tremendous disadvantage because they may not have someone to proofread their essays or help talk over the topics. I've seen this with several DD's classmates who are terrific students in that very high but not extraordinarily high MAP range. No the friends I am thinking of are not Asian but I personally think that if MCPS wants to bring more equity they would bring back the Cogat. There are several posters who claim that it can be prepped but it's not true and a smart child will usually do better than a prepped one anyway. If you really knew anything you'd see that very few kids from the prep programs get in to magnets. Those who do get in would have gotten in anyway.

I don't know if the kid hasn't learned to write a simple 250-word essay by 8th grade a magnet program is probably a bad fit.

Yet many parents on this board claim they did edit or proofread their child's essay. You are clearly white and you don't get it how hard it can be for children of immigrant parents who don't know how to work the system for you. I recognize your other smug posts.

Different poster and I completely get your point but also wonder if this is the case why are most of the kids who got in to Blair from immigrant families and not white?

I don't think anyone has this statistic so I'm not sure it's even true but the families I know with immigrant parents, many of whom are white and Russian or from Europe, tend to have their kids apply at a higher rate than non-immigrant families due to how the schooling works where they grew up and their not being as familiar and confident with the American schooling and college process. The confident white educated parents don't apply as much in my area because they know their child will be successful no matter where they are in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So much wrong with your post. Not white does not equal immigrant.

Nothing in my post said that not white equaled immigrant. What it said was that many families who were immigrant and not white got in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think being at TPMS or another magnet middle school makes the process that much harder from a social perspective because there will be a core group going to Blair and practically everyone applied.

My child got in from their regular MS and when they were trying to figure out if any friends got in the response she got most often was what are you talking about. They were paying no attention to the application process. These are top students who are in the cohorted math and history classes.

I'm the OP about social development. Yes that's the point I was trying to make about the magnet middle schools. Of course there's always reshuffling from every level, elementary to M, MS to HS, but the cohort from the magnet middle schools going on to these HS magnet programs is particularly large. I don't know how to explain to my child that they can do very well, as well as their peers, work hard, and they have a different result. And yes, that's the point I was making about the roll out of notifications. It was at the end of the school day and all the kids were talking about, checking their email, etc. When my kid was hearing all of their friends wonderful results, and happy for the, but with nothing themselves, you can imagine what that does for their self image, but also the bigger understanding that all of their friends would get to go on together, and they will be left out.

I agree with PP that likely 500 applicants "deserve" the invitation, and at some point with the vast majority of applications it is splitting hairs. Clearly one of the answers is having more magnet seats, including at the MS level. But this observation is of course not new, and is likely not the direction MCPS will head to in the future with the general hostility nationwide towards gifted and talented education.

I'll admit I'm also biased towards my own experiences in gifted education, which did wonderful things for me as someone coming from a background of poverty. In our school district children were identified as deserving gifted education at the elementary level and those resources were provided to us at every level. There wasn't the faux scarcity of opportunities that there is in MCPS. In elementary the gifted education was done as a pull out class several times during the week. In middle school and high school there were full magnet programs at specific schools that everyone identified as gifted moved through (if they wanted to). So there was none of this bloodbath at every level, competing against one another, we all moved together. I regret my child isn't in a district that provides the accelerated education and gifted learning cohort to every student that needs it or would benefit from it.

Congrats to the folks who 'got in". However, the way it has been handled is an absolute disaster. Making it so public by sending emails to kids in the middle of the week. Very thoughtless.
Completely isolating and disheartening for kids who don't now get to be with their friends even though they did the work and have the grades and scores. I absolutely wish I didn't send my kid to TPMS. Better to be in home school and have a few kids go the magnet rather than be in this situation. I don't know how the rest of the school year is going to unfold. I am frankly worried.

How else are they to handle it? Just give all the slots to the TPMS kids? What are you worried about for the rest of the school year? It is what it is.

Thanks for your opinion.

DP. There are 100 students in TPMS magnet program, and there are 100 slots at Blair SMAC for the ENTIRE Montgomery County. So it's only logical that the county will have to reject certain kids from TPMS, along with hundreds of others from other schools.

Granted, they definitely should have done it in a more thoughtful manner but if you thought your child would be guaranteed a spot at a HS magnet simply by virtue of going to a MS magnet.. well, you probably should have kept them at a home school.

Not the OP on the home school comment, but it's not a matter of going to a magnet HS "simply" because the child went to a magnet MS, but that the records of achievement are nearly identical. And then we get into the ridiculous splitting of hairs, which isn't a real reflection of whether one child should go and not another.

Yep. The previous evaluation system was definitely more comprehensive. The current watered-down system with grades and MAP (which wasn't meant for this purpose) doesn't provide rich enough data to make an informed decision. No one is expecting a guaranteed spot but definitely expecting a more thoughtful evaluation system and process.

Previous meaning including an external cogat/other test designed to measure potential fit. Not just a test like MAP which is not appropriate in the way it has been used. Better system elevates all participants.

Not really. It was more designed to filter out those who couldn't afford the prep classes in order to keep out the riff Raff.

Exactly! It was just gatekeeping...

As if the current system is immune to prepping?? There are kids that prep for MAP, there are kids who used writing coaches for the essay, and whether or not a kid gets straight As can depend a lot on the home environment as well as the degree to which parents are running support in the background. Also just look in this thread at how many parents cite their child’s unique extracurricular as helping their chances.

Don’t pretend the current system is any less gatekeeping.

My kids record of all As is entirely on him. Absolutely nothing I have done has assisted. He is 100 percent responsible for completing his home work and for keeping track of when it’s due. I also don’t take him to activities or prep him for tests. He got in to everywhere he applied.

It pains me to read your posts. You are clearly deeply involved in your child's schooling. You've posted in every thread I've been scanning. Every single one in great detail about the application process and your opinions. Own it. You're very involved. Your child is lucky. Why do you like to pretend you're not?

No I haven’t. I think there are multiple people whose kids got in to multiple places. Someone was posting their kid got in to 7. Mine only got in to 3. I haven’t posted about it before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current system puts the emphasis on MAP and the short answer essay because so many kids have all As or basically all As. Children of immigrants from non-English speaking countries -and yes that includes some Asian students as well as students whose parents may speak Spanish at home- are at a tremendous disadvantage because they may not have someone to proofread their essays or help talk over the topics. I've seen this with several DD's classmates who are terrific students in that very high but not extraordinarily high MAP range. No the friends I am thinking of are not Asian but I personally think that if MCPS wants to bring more equity they would bring back the Cogat. There are several posters who claim that it can be prepped but it's not true and a smart child will usually do better than a prepped one anyway. If you really knew anything you'd see that very few kids from the prep programs get in to magnets. Those who do get in would have gotten in anyway.

I don't know if the kid hasn't learned to write a simple 250-word essay by 8th grade a magnet program is probably a bad fit.

Yet many parents on this board claim they did edit or proofread their child's essay. You are clearly white and you don't get it how hard it can be for children of immigrant parents who don't know how to work the system for you. I recognize your other smug posts.

Different poster and I completely get your point but also wonder if this is the case why are most of the kids who got in to Blair from immigrant families and not white?

I don't think anyone has this statistic so I'm not sure it's even true but the families I know with immigrant parents, many of whom are white and Russian or from Europe, tend to have their kids apply at a higher rate than non-immigrant families due to how the schooling works where they grew up and their not being as familiar and confident with the American schooling and college process. The confident white educated parents don't apply as much in my area because they know their child will be successful no matter where they are in school.

I think this is true, though I see this among non-white immigrant families (mostly highly educated btw) too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think being at TPMS or another magnet middle school makes the process that much harder from a social perspective because there will be a core group going to Blair and practically everyone applied.

My child got in from their regular MS and when they were trying to figure out if any friends got in the response she got most often was what are you talking about. They were paying no attention to the application process. These are top students who are in the cohorted math and history classes.

I'm the OP about social development. Yes that's the point I was trying to make about the magnet middle schools. Of course there's always reshuffling from every level, elementary to M, MS to HS, but the cohort from the magnet middle schools going on to these HS magnet programs is particularly large. I don't know how to explain to my child that they can do very well, as well as their peers, work hard, and they have a different result. And yes, that's the point I was making about the roll out of notifications. It was at the end of the school day and all the kids were talking about, checking their email, etc. When my kid was hearing all of their friends wonderful results, and happy for the, but with nothing themselves, you can imagine what that does for their self image, but also the bigger understanding that all of their friends would get to go on together, and they will be left out.

I agree with PP that likely 500 applicants "deserve" the invitation, and at some point with the vast majority of applications it is splitting hairs. Clearly one of the answers is having more magnet seats, including at the MS level. But this observation is of course not new, and is likely not the direction MCPS will head to in the future with the general hostility nationwide towards gifted and talented education.

I'll admit I'm also biased towards my own experiences in gifted education, which did wonderful things for me as someone coming from a background of poverty. In our school district children were identified as deserving gifted education at the elementary level and those resources were provided to us at every level. There wasn't the faux scarcity of opportunities that there is in MCPS. In elementary the gifted education was done as a pull out class several times during the week. In middle school and high school there were full magnet programs at specific schools that everyone identified as gifted moved through (if they wanted to). So there was none of this bloodbath at every level, competing against one another, we all moved together. I regret my child isn't in a district that provides the accelerated education and gifted learning cohort to every student that needs it or would benefit from it.

Congrats to the folks who 'got in". However, the way it has been handled is an absolute disaster. Making it so public by sending emails to kids in the middle of the week. Very thoughtless.
Completely isolating and disheartening for kids who don't now get to be with their friends even though they did the work and have the grades and scores. I absolutely wish I didn't send my kid to TPMS. Better to be in home school and have a few kids go the magnet rather than be in this situation. I don't know how the rest of the school year is going to unfold. I am frankly worried.

How else are they to handle it? Just give all the slots to the TPMS kids? What are you worried about for the rest of the school year? It is what it is.

Thanks for your opinion.

DP. There are 100 students in TPMS magnet program, and there are 100 slots at Blair SMAC for the ENTIRE Montgomery County. So it's only logical that the county will have to reject certain kids from TPMS, along with hundreds of others from other schools.

Granted, they definitely should have done it in a more thoughtful manner but if you thought your child would be guaranteed a spot at a HS magnet simply by virtue of going to a MS magnet.. well, you probably should have kept them at a home school.

Not the OP on the home school comment, but it's not a matter of going to a magnet HS "simply" because the child went to a magnet MS, but that the records of achievement are nearly identical. And then we get into the ridiculous splitting of hairs, which isn't a real reflection of whether one child should go and not another.

Yep. The previous evaluation system was definitely more comprehensive. The current watered-down system with grades and MAP (which wasn't meant for this purpose) doesn't provide rich enough data to make an informed decision. No one is expecting a guaranteed spot but definitely expecting a more thoughtful evaluation system and process.

Previous meaning including an external cogat/other test designed to measure potential fit. Not just a test like MAP which is not appropriate in the way it has been used. Better system elevates all participants.

Not really. It was more designed to filter out those who couldn't afford the prep classes in order to keep out the riff Raff.

Exactly! It was just gatekeeping...

As if the current system is immune to prepping?? There are kids that prep for MAP, there are kids who used writing coaches for the essay, and whether or not a kid gets straight As can depend a lot on the home environment as well as the degree to which parents are running support in the background. Also just look in this thread at how many parents cite their child’s unique extracurricular as helping their chances.

Don’t pretend the current system is any less gatekeeping.

My kids record of all As is entirely on him. Absolutely nothing I have done has assisted. He is 100 percent responsible for completing his home work and for keeping track of when it’s due. I also don’t take him to activities or prep him for tests. He got in to everywhere he applied.

It pains me to read your posts. You are clearly deeply involved in your child's schooling. You've posted in every thread I've been scanning. Every single one in great detail about the application process and your opinions. Own it. You're very involved. Your child is lucky. Why do you like to pretend you're not?

No I haven’t. I think there are multiple people whose kids got in to multiple places. Someone was posting their kid got in to 7. Mine only got in to 3. I haven’t posted about it before.

Your posts use the same language as the posters who talk in great detail about their child getting in everywhere but it's not you. I believe you. Hope you can recognize the sarcasm.

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Anonymous wrote:I think being at TPMS or another magnet middle school makes the process that much harder from a social perspective because there will be a core group going to Blair and practically everyone applied.

My child got in from their regular MS and when they were trying to figure out if any friends got in the response she got most often was what are you talking about. They were paying no attention to the application process. These are top students who are in the cohorted math and history classes.

I'm the OP about social development. Yes that's the point I was trying to make about the magnet middle schools. Of course there's always reshuffling from every level, elementary to M, MS to HS, but the cohort from the magnet middle schools going on to these HS magnet programs is particularly large. I don't know how to explain to my child that they can do very well, as well as their peers, work hard, and they have a different result. And yes, that's the point I was making about the roll out of notifications. It was at the end of the school day and all the kids were talking about, checking their email, etc. When my kid was hearing all of their friends wonderful results, and happy for the, but with nothing themselves, you can imagine what that does for their self image, but also the bigger understanding that all of their friends would get to go on together, and they will be left out.

I agree with PP that likely 500 applicants "deserve" the invitation, and at some point with the vast majority of applications it is splitting hairs. Clearly one of the answers is having more magnet seats, including at the MS level. But this observation is of course not new, and is likely not the direction MCPS will head to in the future with the general hostility nationwide towards gifted and talented education.

I'll admit I'm also biased towards my own experiences in gifted education, which did wonderful things for me as someone coming from a background of poverty. In our school district children were identified as deserving gifted education at the elementary level and those resources were provided to us at every level. There wasn't the faux scarcity of opportunities that there is in MCPS. In elementary the gifted education was done as a pull out class several times during the week. In middle school and high school there were full magnet programs at specific schools that everyone identified as gifted moved through (if they wanted to). So there was none of this bloodbath at every level, competing against one another, we all moved together. I regret my child isn't in a district that provides the accelerated education and gifted learning cohort to every student that needs it or would benefit from it.

Congrats to the folks who 'got in". However, the way it has been handled is an absolute disaster. Making it so public by sending emails to kids in the middle of the week. Very thoughtless.
Completely isolating and disheartening for kids who don't now get to be with their friends even though they did the work and have the grades and scores. I absolutely wish I didn't send my kid to TPMS. Better to be in home school and have a few kids go the magnet rather than be in this situation. I don't know how the rest of the school year is going to unfold. I am frankly worried.

How else are they to handle it? Just give all the slots to the TPMS kids? What are you worried about for the rest of the school year? It is what it is.

Thanks for your opinion.

DP. There are 100 students in TPMS magnet program, and there are 100 slots at Blair SMAC for the ENTIRE Montgomery County. So it's only logical that the county will have to reject certain kids from TPMS, along with hundreds of others from other schools.

Granted, they definitely should have done it in a more thoughtful manner but if you thought your child would be guaranteed a spot at a HS magnet simply by virtue of going to a MS magnet.. well, you probably should have kept them at a home school.

Not the OP on the home school comment, but it's not a matter of going to a magnet HS "simply" because the child went to a magnet MS, but that the records of achievement are nearly identical. And then we get into the ridiculous splitting of hairs, which isn't a real reflection of whether one child should go and not another.

Yep. The previous evaluation system was definitely more comprehensive. The current watered-down system with grades and MAP (which wasn't meant for this purpose) doesn't provide rich enough data to make an informed decision. No one is expecting a guaranteed spot but definitely expecting a more thoughtful evaluation system and process.

Previous meaning including an external cogat/other test designed to measure potential fit. Not just a test like MAP which is not appropriate in the way it has been used. Better system elevates all participants.

Not really. It was more designed to filter out those who couldn't afford the prep classes in order to keep out the riff Raff.

Exactly! It was just gatekeeping...

As if the current system is immune to prepping?? There are kids that prep for MAP, there are kids who used writing coaches for the essay, and whether or not a kid gets straight As can depend a lot on the home environment as well as the degree to which parents are running support in the background. Also just look in this thread at how many parents cite their child’s unique extracurricular as helping their chances.

Don’t pretend the current system is any less gatekeeping.

My kids record of all As is entirely on him. Absolutely nothing I have done has assisted. He is 100 percent responsible for completing his home work and for keeping track of when it’s due. I also don’t take him to activities or prep him for tests. He got in to everywhere he applied.

It pains me to read your posts. You are clearly deeply involved in your child's schooling. You've posted in every thread I've been scanning. Every single one in great detail about the application process and your opinions. Own it. You're very involved. Your child is lucky. Why do you like to pretend you're not?

No I haven’t. I think there are multiple people whose kids got in to multiple places. Someone was posting their kid got in to 7. Mine only got in to 3. I haven’t posted about it before.

Your posts use the same language as the posters who talk in great detail about their child getting in everywhere but it's not you. I believe you. Hope you can recognize the sarcasm.

The poster who provided great detail about how they approached the essay and then was slammed for it? Not me, but I found that post interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much wrong with your post. Not white does not equal immigrant.

Nothing in my post said that not white equaled immigrant. What it said was that many families who were immigrant and not white got in.

DP. You are hinting at south and east Asian families. Many of those families are educated, prioritize education and enrich their kids with classes. So, thise kids are getting an advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think being at TPMS or another magnet middle school makes the process that much harder from a social perspective because there will be a core group going to Blair and practically everyone applied.

My child got in from their regular MS and when they were trying to figure out if any friends got in the response she got most often was what are you talking about. They were paying no attention to the application process. These are top students who are in the cohorted math and history classes.

I'm the OP about social development. Yes that's the point I was trying to make about the magnet middle schools. Of course there's always reshuffling from every level, elementary to M, MS to HS, but the cohort from the magnet middle schools going on to these HS magnet programs is particularly large. I don't know how to explain to my child that they can do very well, as well as their peers, work hard, and they have a different result. And yes, that's the point I was making about the roll out of notifications. It was at the end of the school day and all the kids were talking about, checking their email, etc. When my kid was hearing all of their friends wonderful results, and happy for the, but with nothing themselves, you can imagine what that does for their self image, but also the bigger understanding that all of their friends would get to go on together, and they will be left out.

I agree with PP that likely 500 applicants "deserve" the invitation, and at some point with the vast majority of applications it is splitting hairs. Clearly one of the answers is having more magnet seats, including at the MS level. But this observation is of course not new, and is likely not the direction MCPS will head to in the future with the general hostility nationwide towards gifted and talented education.

I'll admit I'm also biased towards my own experiences in gifted education, which did wonderful things for me as someone coming from a background of poverty. In our school district children were identified as deserving gifted education at the elementary level and those resources were provided to us at every level. There wasn't the faux scarcity of opportunities that there is in MCPS. In elementary the gifted education was done as a pull out class several times during the week. In middle school and high school there were full magnet programs at specific schools that everyone identified as gifted moved through (if they wanted to). So there was none of this bloodbath at every level, competing against one another, we all moved together. I regret my child isn't in a district that provides the accelerated education and gifted learning cohort to every student that needs it or would benefit from it.

Lets be honest....life is full of disappointment - they may as well learn to deal with it now...try explaining to your child that life isn't always fair and there won't always be an clear explanation why they didn't get selected, etc...

[Anonymous]

Just curious did any parent leave their kids application entirely up to their child? No parent input at all not even reading the short and long answer stuff? I figured if DC has to go to the school and do the work then well he should do that all by himself.
Kind of made the ones DC did not get into maybe bother him but not me. Life full of acceptance and rejection in sometimes not equal parts. High school is tiny time slice of your life. These days the notion of "fair" is very interesting.