Middle school magnet waitlist

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We received two emails directly to our email addresses (both parents), yesterday from Eastern and today from Takoma Park. Nothing has been posted anywhere in ParentVUE. We have until Monday to decide by filling out a google form.

Wow, that’s pretty insane luck to win the lottery for both schools on a waitlist round which has presumably way fewer seats bouncing around. We were lottery losers but have a few friends who accepted spots last year. The vibe we’ve gotten is the math/sci/comp sci is great at TKPK but the other courses not so great, same spiel but the reverse for Eastern, and the kids we know all had rougher social starts to middle school than the kids who matriculated to home school middle schools. Lots of HW at Eastern.

I have a kid at TPMS and do not agree with that assessment. The non magnet teachers are without exception excellent too.

Same and we've been really impressed with the overall quality of the school as a whole.

That’s great. It’s entirely possible the friends were trying to be humble/not brag to us since our child didn’t have luck with the lottery and theirs did.

It's a great program if you happen to get in but you could easily supplement to achieve comparable math and CS. Comparable science is less available to my knowledge.

The MCCPTA GEC FB group said that Takoma no longer offers a different science class. It is the same science class offered across MCPS, but it includes only kids in the magnet so probably is. a bit more rigorous. But it's no longer a separate curriculum. This is a real bummer for those of us with kids who really are into science.

That’s not correct. They follow the same curriculum but they go into it in more depth and they cover it quicker, adding additional content too. You need to get that corrected and stop spreading misinformation. Reach out to the magnet coordinator to get confirmation that this is true, but it’s a math science and computer science magnet so OF COURSE the science is more advanced. The course has a different title too, it’s “magnet science” not science. The only thing I’m seats if that’s changed is that the forensics project in 7th grade is no longer part of the magnet curriculum.

They did reach out and that’s what they were told. Confirmed by the school. The core curriculum has enrichment built in and that is the enrichment they do. That is only true for 6th grade class this year because that is where the new curriculum has been rolled out. But next year it will be 6th and 7th and the year after all three grades.

If that’s the case they need to tell the science teachers!

Because the science teachers definitely believe they are teaching this in more breadth and depth.

They likely cover all the enrichment units that MCPS has added in, whereas other schools may not. But they are not doing their own thing.

[Anonymous]

What is the GEC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We received two emails directly to our email addresses (both parents), yesterday from Eastern and today from Takoma Park. Nothing has been posted anywhere in ParentVUE. We have until Monday to decide by filling out a google form.

Wow, that’s pretty insane luck to win the lottery for both schools on a waitlist round which has presumably way fewer seats bouncing around. We were lottery losers but have a few friends who accepted spots last year. The vibe we’ve gotten is the math/sci/comp sci is great at TKPK but the other courses not so great, same spiel but the reverse for Eastern, and the kids we know all had rougher social starts to middle school than the kids who matriculated to home school middle schools. Lots of HW at Eastern.

I have a kid at TPMS and do not agree with that assessment. The non magnet teachers are without exception excellent too.

Same and we've been really impressed with the overall quality of the school as a whole.

That’s great. It’s entirely possible the friends were trying to be humble/not brag to us since our child didn’t have luck with the lottery and theirs did.

It's a great program if you happen to get in but you could easily supplement to achieve comparable math and CS. Comparable science is less available to my knowledge.

The MCCPTA GEC FB group said that Takoma no longer offers a different science class. It is the same science class offered across MCPS, but it includes only kids in the magnet so probably is. a bit more rigorous. But it's no longer a separate curriculum. This is a real bummer for those of us with kids who really are into science.

That’s not correct. They follow the same curriculum but they go into it in more depth and they cover it quicker, adding additional content too. You need to get that corrected and stop spreading misinformation. Reach out to the magnet coordinator to get confirmation that this is true, but it’s a math science and computer science magnet so OF COURSE the science is more advanced. The course has a different title too, it’s “magnet science” not science. The only thing I’m seats if that’s changed is that the forensics project in 7th grade is no longer part of the magnet curriculum.

They did reach out and that’s what they were told. Confirmed by the school. The core curriculum has enrichment built in and that is the enrichment they do. That is only true for 6th grade class this year because that is where the new curriculum has been rolled out. But next year it will be 6th and 7th and the year after all three grades.

If that’s the case they need to tell the science teachers!

Because the science teachers definitely believe they are teaching this in more breadth and depth.

They likely cover all the enrichment units that MCPS has added in, whereas other schools may not. But they are not doing their own thing.

Do you actually have a kid in the program? Those of us who do know that it’s a more in depth, more rigorous curriculum.

[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:We received two emails directly to our email addresses (both parents), yesterday from Eastern and today from Takoma Park. Nothing has been posted anywhere in ParentVUE. We have until Monday to decide by filling out a google form.

Wow, that’s pretty insane luck to win the lottery for both schools on a waitlist round which has presumably way fewer seats bouncing around. We were lottery losers but have a few friends who accepted spots last year. The vibe we’ve gotten is the math/sci/comp sci is great at TKPK but the other courses not so great, same spiel but the reverse for Eastern, and the kids we know all had rougher social starts to middle school than the kids who matriculated to home school middle schools. Lots of HW at Eastern.

I have a kid at TPMS and do not agree with that assessment. The non magnet teachers are without exception excellent too.

Same and we've been really impressed with the overall quality of the school as a whole.

That’s great. It’s entirely possible the friends were trying to be humble/not brag to us since our child didn’t have luck with the lottery and theirs did.

It's a great program if you happen to get in but you could easily supplement to achieve comparable math and CS. Comparable science is less available to my knowledge.

The MCCPTA GEC FB group said that Takoma no longer offers a different science class. It is the same science class offered across MCPS, but it includes only kids in the magnet so probably is. a bit more rigorous. But it's no longer a separate curriculum. This is a real bummer for those of us with kids who really are into science.

That’s not correct. They follow the same curriculum but they go into it in more depth and they cover it quicker, adding additional content too. You need to get that corrected and stop spreading misinformation. Reach out to the magnet coordinator to get confirmation that this is true, but it’s a math science and computer science magnet so OF COURSE the science is more advanced. The course has a different title too, it’s “magnet science” not science. The only thing I’m seats if that’s changed is that the forensics project in 7th grade is no longer part of the magnet curriculum.

They did reach out and that’s what they were told. Confirmed by the school. The core curriculum has enrichment built in and that is the enrichment they do. That is only true for 6th grade class this year because that is where the new curriculum has been rolled out. But next year it will be 6th and 7th and the year after all three grades.

If that’s the case they need to tell the science teachers!

Because the science teachers definitely believe they are teaching this in more breadth and depth.

They likely cover all the enrichment units that MCPS has added in, whereas other schools may not. But they are not doing their own thing.

Do you actually have a kid in the program? Those of us who do know that it’s a more in depth, more rigorous curriculum.

This is what the magnet coordinator said. That person should clarify if that is not the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the GEC

MCCPTA Gifted Education Committee
The Facebook group is quite active and has lots of info

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the GEC

MCCPTA Gifted Education Committee
The Facebook group is quite active and has lots of info

This should be the URL to request to join the group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/875483609961996/

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Just to be clear, if there are 137 seats, they are only adding 25 (about one extra class). Eastern had 112 seats before. Also, I have heard a lot of people are getting both offers. It is starting to look intentional on MCPS’s part. Maybe to make to make the waitpool more predictable. You have to decline the other offer so there’s less likelihood of last minute changes, eg if your child really wanted STEM but got into Humanities first.

Oh wow. That makes a lot of sense.

So maybe there are 3 pulls - kids who are in both lotteries, and kids who are in one lottery only.

NP. My DC also got invites to both EMS (on Wed.) and TPMS (yesterday). DC feels torn having to choose one over the other, or neither.

Oops, I meant Tue. for EMS invite.

DP - I know these things can happen, but I think it’s utter BS that kids can “win” both lotteries, when so many don’t even get one. That just sucks. Many kids, including my DD, were entered in both lotteries and selected from neither. That multiple people can be selected from both really needs to stop.

I see what you are saying. I think it's better for the kids who are picked because they get to choose and better for MCPS because the lottery goes faster and less kids moving from one program to another but worse for the kids who are not picked and possibly worst for those only in one pool. Anyone good at math?

There is no way all these kids getting 2 choices is random. Either MCPS is making a mistake in how they are doing the lottery or they are purposely letting kids who are in both pools choose. If the probability for certain groups is reduced by this change MCPS needs to explain why they did it.

It definitely doesn’t seem random or statistically plausible. They must have switched up the process. Obviously a lot of people were turning the spots down. Rather than offer both spots with a super short deadline, maybe they should, you know, ask families of qualified students if they’re even interested in joining the lottery?

[Anonymous]

Someone who gets an offer at both schools can’t take both spots, but it does make it more likely that they will be able to select a program that they enjoy, so I see this as a good thing (even though my own kid is in both lotteries and has had no luck so far).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ And to be clear, it was confirmed by the Takoma magnet coordinator. There is still a benefit of being in the magnet program to be cohosted together, but the curriculum is not different for science (though it is different for math and computer science).

Huh? There was nothing about this during the admitted students presentation.

In the presentation, the magnet coordinator said they use the new MCPS curriculum but Takoma magnet kids do all of it and not all the other schools do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ And to be clear, it was confirmed by the Takoma magnet coordinator. There is still a benefit of being in the magnet program to be cohosted together, but the curriculum is not different for science (though it is different for math and computer science).

Huh? There was nothing about this during the admitted students presentation.

In the presentation, the magnet coordinator said they use the new MCPS curriculum but Takoma magnet kids do all of it and not all the other schools do.

TPMS magnet math for example includes set theory and covers fields. Didn't realize these topics were part of the MCPS curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ And to be clear, it was confirmed by the Takoma magnet coordinator. There is still a benefit of being in the magnet program to be cohosted together, but the curriculum is not different for science (though it is different for math and computer science).

Huh? There was nothing about this during the admitted students presentation.

In the presentation, the magnet coordinator said they use the new MCPS curriculum but Takoma magnet kids do all of it and not all the other schools do.

TPMS magnet math for example includes set theory and covers fields. Didn't realize these topics were part of the MCPS curriculum.

And they go more in depth in all stem subjects,

[Anonymous]

It’s the science curriculum that is the same. Which doesn’t mean TPMS isn’t going deeper into the topics but it’s the same curriculum. Math and compsci are different. If you have a sixth grader in the magnet program, can you tell us how it differs? Is it just the discussion? More labs? Now that they don’t do science fair it is hard to compare curricula.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ And to be clear, it was confirmed by the Takoma magnet coordinator. There is still a benefit of being in the magnet program to be cohosted together, but the curriculum is not different for science (though it is different for math and computer science).

Huh? There was nothing about this during the admitted students presentation.

In the presentation, the magnet coordinator said they use the new MCPS curriculum but Takoma magnet kids do all of it and not all the other schools do.

TPMS magnet math for example includes set theory and covers fields. Didn't realize these topics were part of the MCPS curriculum.

And they go more in depth in all stem subjects,

I guess I'm skeptical that the MCPS curriculum covers fields or sets. The former doesn't usually show up until college math.

[Anonymous]

In earlier presentations they said they added in higher level content but they don’t say that anymore for sixth graders. So I would be interested in hearing from current sixth grade parents. New poster here with child considering offer. Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s the science curriculum that is the same. Which doesn’t mean TPMS isn’t going deeper into the topics but it’s the same curriculum. Math and compsci are different. If you have a sixth grader in the magnet program, can you tell us how it differs? Is it just the discussion? More labs? Now that they don’t do science fair it is hard to compare curricula.

I don't pay close attention, but I have seen what appears to be organic chem on my magnet kid's screen. I doubt they're going that deep but was still kind of a surprise.