Pool size for TPMS and Eastern lotteries

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been told that what is at stake is the 1st quarter grade of the 5th grade year. DC's teacher just also said to us recently that it is the main grade in the subject that is considered (not the subgrades). Has anyone else heard the same or different?

That is what has been used for the past 3 years. Prior to that, they used grades from 4th grade. They didn’t notify anyone (students, teachers, parents) that they were changing the criteria until after they conducted the review and sent out lottery results after winter break that year. So those 5th graders did not know that quarter 1 was the quarter that mattered until it was way too late. All to say that they can change the criteria at any time, they have a history of being opaque, etc. and they don’t seem to feel the need to actually communicate to families what the review process will include until they’ve already completed it.

Also, certain years kids seem to get only one offer from one magnet with no one winning the lottery from both, and other years it seems as though the lottery is run so that kids get offers from both at the same time (if in pool) and can choose. It’s never been explained.

Oh and don’t forget there is a set aside for kids in bounds for the school. A big chunk of seats are reserved for students in the zone.

That's the nature of lotteries. They're random.

Yes lotteries are random, but no, I don’t think that’s what happened. I think they changed their process slightly. It went from nearly nobody getting two offers to most lottery winners getting to select from both programs if in both pools. It couldn’t have been random.

Not true. My kid was in both pools and only got one offer. Many others we know only got one or the other this past year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been told that what is at stake is the 1st quarter grade of the 5th grade year. DC's teacher just also said to us recently that it is the main grade in the subject that is considered (not the subgrades). Has anyone else heard the same or different?

That is what has been used for the past 3 years. Prior to that, they used grades from 4th grade. They didn’t notify anyone (students, teachers, parents) that they were changing the criteria until after they conducted the review and sent out lottery results after winter break that year. So those 5th graders did not know that quarter 1 was the quarter that mattered until it was way too late. All to say that they can change the criteria at any time, they have a history of being opaque, etc. and they don’t seem to feel the need to actually communicate to families what the review process will include until they’ve already completed it.

Also, certain years kids seem to get only one offer from one magnet with no one winning the lottery from both, and other years it seems as though the lottery is run so that kids get offers from both at the same time (if in pool) and can choose. It’s never been explained.

Oh and don’t forget there is a set aside for kids in bounds for the school. A big chunk of seats are reserved for students in the zone.

That's the nature of lotteries. They're random.

You'd think, yes. And the PP should take heed that those differences year to year are natural results of probabilistic randomness across independent lotteries.

Then again, the "lottery luck" of certain families across elementary Centers for Enriched Studies and criteria-based magnet middle schools, along with the then-higher likelihood of selection to HS magnet programs strains credulity. Not impossible, but...

DCCAPS uses a third party to conduct the lotteries. One can hope that there are oversight mechanisms in place, but neither that nor transparency have been MCPS's strong suit to this point.

DP - I agree with the bolded. It's not credible to me that there's no direct input for getting certain kids into the various magnet programs, not knowing the kids we do who have consistently gotten in. MCPS has done almost nothing to build trust in a fair process. It's almost strange to me that people actually believe it's a true lottery.

What are you suggesting? That there is a conspiracy to get “certain kids” in? (Who?!!) That they are too incompetent to run a lottery that genuinely gives everyone an equal chance of selection? Something else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been told that what is at stake is the 1st quarter grade of the 5th grade year. DC's teacher just also said to us recently that it is the main grade in the subject that is considered (not the subgrades). Has anyone else heard the same or different?

That is what has been used for the past 3 years. Prior to that, they used grades from 4th grade. They didn’t notify anyone (students, teachers, parents) that they were changing the criteria until after they conducted the review and sent out lottery results after winter break that year. So those 5th graders did not know that quarter 1 was the quarter that mattered until it was way too late. All to say that they can change the criteria at any time, they have a history of being opaque, etc. and they don’t seem to feel the need to actually communicate to families what the review process will include until they’ve already completed it.

Also, certain years kids seem to get only one offer from one magnet with no one winning the lottery from both, and other years it seems as though the lottery is run so that kids get offers from both at the same time (if in pool) and can choose. It’s never been explained.

Oh and don’t forget there is a set aside for kids in bounds for the school. A big chunk of seats are reserved for students in the zone.

That's the nature of lotteries. They're random.

You'd think, yes. And the PP should take heed that those differences year to year are natural results of probabilistic randomness across independent lotteries.

Then again, the "lottery luck" of certain families across elementary Centers for Enriched Studies and criteria-based magnet middle schools, along with the then-higher likelihood of selection to HS magnet programs strains credulity. Not impossible, but...

DCCAPS uses a third party to conduct the lotteries. One can hope that there are oversight mechanisms in place, but neither that nor transparency have been MCPS's strong suit to this point.

DP - I agree with the bolded. It's not credible to me that there's no direct input for getting certain kids into the various magnet programs, not knowing the kids we do who have consistently gotten in. MCPS has done almost nothing to build trust in a fair process. It's almost strange to me that people actually believe it's a true lottery.

What are you suggesting? That there is a conspiracy to get “certain kids” in? (Who?!!) That they are too incompetent to run a lottery that genuinely gives everyone an equal chance of selection? Something else?

You need a tranquilizer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been told that what is at stake is the 1st quarter grade of the 5th grade year. DC's teacher just also said to us recently that it is the main grade in the subject that is considered (not the subgrades). Has anyone else heard the same or different?

That is what has been used for the past 3 years. Prior to that, they used grades from 4th grade. They didn’t notify anyone (students, teachers, parents) that they were changing the criteria until after they conducted the review and sent out lottery results after winter break that year. So those 5th graders did not know that quarter 1 was the quarter that mattered until it was way too late. All to say that they can change the criteria at any time, they have a history of being opaque, etc. and they don’t seem to feel the need to actually communicate to families what the review process will include until they’ve already completed it.

Also, certain years kids seem to get only one offer from one magnet with no one winning the lottery from both, and other years it seems as though the lottery is run so that kids get offers from both at the same time (if in pool) and can choose. It’s never been explained.

Oh and don’t forget there is a set aside for kids in bounds for the school. A big chunk of seats are reserved for students in the zone.

That's the nature of lotteries. They're random.

You'd think, yes. And the PP should take heed that those differences year to year are natural results of probabilistic randomness across independent lotteries.

Then again, the "lottery luck" of certain families across elementary Centers for Enriched Studies and criteria-based magnet middle schools, along with the then-higher likelihood of selection to HS magnet programs strains credulity. Not impossible, but...

DCCAPS uses a third party to conduct the lotteries. One can hope that there are oversight mechanisms in place, but neither that nor transparency have been MCPS's strong suit to this point.

DP - I agree with the bolded. It's not credible to me that there's no direct input for getting certain kids into the various magnet programs, not knowing the kids we do who have consistently gotten in. MCPS has done almost nothing to build trust in a fair process. It's almost strange to me that people actually believe it's a true lottery.

What are you suggesting? That there is a conspiracy to get “certain kids” in? (Who?!!) That they are too incompetent to run a lottery that genuinely gives everyone an equal chance of selection? Something else?

You need a tranquilizer.

Huh? So there is a conspiracy? This argument that “certain families” getting spots in these programs “strains credibility” is bizarre and certainly a conspiracy theory.

I’m one of those families that has had multiple kids get into multiple programs and the insinuation that someone at central office fixed this is beyond ludicrous. i have zero connections and am unknown at any of my kids schools. So how exactly does this work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been told that what is at stake is the 1st quarter grade of the 5th grade year. DC's teacher just also said to us recently that it is the main grade in the subject that is considered (not the subgrades). Has anyone else heard the same or different?

That is what has been used for the past 3 years. Prior to that, they used grades from 4th grade. They didn’t notify anyone (students, teachers, parents) that they were changing the criteria until after they conducted the review and sent out lottery results after winter break that year. So those 5th graders did not know that quarter 1 was the quarter that mattered until it was way too late. All to say that they can change the criteria at any time, they have a history of being opaque, etc. and they don’t seem to feel the need to actually communicate to families what the review process will include until they’ve already completed it.

Also, certain years kids seem to get only one offer from one magnet with no one winning the lottery from both, and other years it seems as though the lottery is run so that kids get offers from both at the same time (if in pool) and can choose. It’s never been explained.

Oh and don’t forget there is a set aside for kids in bounds for the school. A big chunk of seats are reserved for students in the zone.

That's the nature of lotteries. They're random.

You'd think, yes. And the PP should take heed that those differences year to year are natural results of probabilistic randomness across independent lotteries.

Then again, the "lottery luck" of certain families across elementary Centers for Enriched Studies and criteria-based magnet middle schools, along with the then-higher likelihood of selection to HS magnet programs strains credulity. Not impossible, but...

DCCAPS uses a third party to conduct the lotteries. One can hope that there are oversight mechanisms in place, but neither that nor transparency have been MCPS's strong suit to this point.

DP - I agree with the bolded. It's not credible to me that there's no direct input for getting certain kids into the various magnet programs, not knowing the kids we do who have consistently gotten in. MCPS has done almost nothing to build trust in a fair process. It's almost strange to me that people actually believe it's a true lottery.

What are you suggesting? That there is a conspiracy to get “certain kids” in? (Who?!!) That they are too incompetent to run a lottery that genuinely gives everyone an equal chance of selection? Something else?

DP. There is no transparency about the lottery. I absolutely do not trust central office to run a fair system. If there are people they want to get in, they will, to get the #s they are looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been told that what is at stake is the 1st quarter grade of the 5th grade year. DC's teacher just also said to us recently that it is the main grade in the subject that is considered (not the subgrades). Has anyone else heard the same or different?

That is what has been used for the past 3 years. Prior to that, they used grades from 4th grade. They didn’t notify anyone (students, teachers, parents) that they were changing the criteria until after they conducted the review and sent out lottery results after winter break that year. So those 5th graders did not know that quarter 1 was the quarter that mattered until it was way too late. All to say that they can change the criteria at any time, they have a history of being opaque, etc. and they don’t seem to feel the need to actually communicate to families what the review process will include until they’ve already completed it.

Also, certain years kids seem to get only one offer from one magnet with no one winning the lottery from both, and other years it seems as though the lottery is run so that kids get offers from both at the same time (if in pool) and can choose. It’s never been explained.

Oh and don’t forget there is a set aside for kids in bounds for the school. A big chunk of seats are reserved for students in the zone.

That's the nature of lotteries. They're random.

You'd think, yes. And the PP should take heed that those differences year to year are natural results of probabilistic randomness across independent lotteries.

Then again, the "lottery luck" of certain families across elementary Centers for Enriched Studies and criteria-based magnet middle schools, along with the then-higher likelihood of selection to HS magnet programs strains credulity. Not impossible, but...

DCCAPS uses a third party to conduct the lotteries. One can hope that there are oversight mechanisms in place, but neither that nor transparency have been MCPS's strong suit to this point.

DP - I agree with the bolded. It's not credible to me that there's no direct input for getting certain kids into the various magnet programs, not knowing the kids we do who have consistently gotten in. MCPS has done almost nothing to build trust in a fair process. It's almost strange to me that people actually believe it's a true lottery.

What are you suggesting? That there is a conspiracy to get “certain kids” in? (Who?!!) That they are too incompetent to run a lottery that genuinely gives everyone an equal chance of selection? Something else?

DP. There is no transparency about the lottery. I absolutely do not trust central office to run a fair system. If there are people they want to get in, they will, to get the #s they are looking for.

What numbers are you talking about? What numbers are they looking for? Honestly trying to understand why they supposedly “wanted” my kids? Apparently my younger one and all of their friends were “wanted” as they all got offers at Eastern and several at TPMS. Why would central office pick them? Tbh it sounds like you are suggesting special treatment or even bribery and that’s farcical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
So, from a report to the BOE related to the 2023 identification for the incoming 2023-24 class (latest found/may not be latest available -- https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CV6T2P754843/$file/230816%20FY2023%20Update%20CES%20Sec%20Prog%20Admission%20Results%20BD.pdf ), the pools were:

Clemente (Math/Science/CS) 571/4122 ~ 13.9%
King (Humanities) 440/4122 ~ 10.7%

TPMS (Math/Science/CS) 1249/7693 ~ 16.2%
Eastern (Humanities) 1096/7692 ~ 14.2%

Slight changes to the selection paradigms and underlying population profiles may have altered these percentages for the incoming class this year. They won't have numbers for the current evaluation until it is complete.

Thanks. Do we know where did the identified students decide to go? For example, 1249 students were identified for TPMS (Math/Science/CS), but TPMS has about 100+25 seats (out of bound+ in bound), then what did the rest of the identified students go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So, from a report to the BOE related to the 2023 identification for the incoming 2023-24 class (latest found/may not be latest available -- https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CV6T2P754843/$file/230816%20FY2023%20Update%20CES%20Sec%20Prog%20Admission%20Results%20BD.pdf ), the pools were:

Clemente (Math/Science/CS) 571/4122 ~ 13.9%
King (Humanities) 440/4122 ~ 10.7%

TPMS (Math/Science/CS) 1249/7693 ~ 16.2%
Eastern (Humanities) 1096/7692 ~ 14.2%

Slight changes to the selection paradigms and underlying population profiles may have altered these percentages for the incoming class this year. They won't have numbers for the current evaluation until it is complete.

Thanks. Do we know where did the identified students decide to go? For example, 1249 students were identified for TPMS (Math/Science/CS), but TPMS has about 100+25 seats (out of bound+ in bound), then what did the rest of the identified students go?

What do you mean? Most of the 1249 in the lottery pool didn't win the slots so are presumably at their home schools. If you're wondering how many were offered spots and turned them down I dunno, maybe 50 or 100? But that's a wild guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been told that what is at stake is the 1st quarter grade of the 5th grade year. DC's teacher just also said to us recently that it is the main grade in the subject that is considered (not the subgrades). Has anyone else heard the same or different?

That is what has been used for the past 3 years. Prior to that, they used grades from 4th grade. They didn’t notify anyone (students, teachers, parents) that they were changing the criteria until after they conducted the review and sent out lottery results after winter break that year. So those 5th graders did not know that quarter 1 was the quarter that mattered until it was way too late. All to say that they can change the criteria at any time, they have a history of being opaque, etc. and they don’t seem to feel the need to actually communicate to families what the review process will include until they’ve already completed it.

Also, certain years kids seem to get only one offer from one magnet with no one winning the lottery from both, and other years it seems as though the lottery is run so that kids get offers from both at the same time (if in pool) and can choose. It’s never been explained.

Oh and don’t forget there is a set aside for kids in bounds for the school. A big chunk of seats are reserved for students in the zone.

That's the nature of lotteries. They're random.

You'd think, yes. And the PP should take heed that those differences year to year are natural results of probabilistic randomness across independent lotteries.

Then again, the "lottery luck" of certain families across elementary Centers for Enriched Studies and criteria-based magnet middle schools, along with the then-higher likelihood of selection to HS magnet programs strains credulity. Not impossible, but...

DCCAPS uses a third party to conduct the lotteries. One can hope that there are oversight mechanisms in place, but neither that nor transparency have been MCPS's strong suit to this point.

DP - I agree with the bolded. It's not credible to me that there's no direct input for getting certain kids into the various magnet programs, not knowing the kids we do who have consistently gotten in. MCPS has done almost nothing to build trust in a fair process. It's almost strange to me that people actually believe it's a true lottery.

What are you suggesting? That there is a conspiracy to get “certain kids” in? (Who?!!) That they are too incompetent to run a lottery that genuinely gives everyone an equal chance of selection? Something else?

DP. There is no transparency about the lottery. I absolutely do not trust central office to run a fair system. If there are people they want to get in, they will, to get the #s they are looking for.

What numbers are you talking about? What numbers are they looking for? Honestly trying to understand why they supposedly “wanted” my kids? Apparently my younger one and all of their friends were “wanted” as they all got offers at Eastern and several at TPMS. Why would central office pick them? Tbh it sounds like you are suggesting special treatment or even bribery and that’s farcical.

DP. Only 100 seats in math program, and a pool of about 1249 (less the in bounds students)—perhaps 8% chance of getting in. For the same students to get accepted to CES, as well as MS math and humanities programs is suspicious.

[Anonymous]

It's only suspicious if you don't understand the numbers. There are more CES seats than MS seats, but a lot of overlap between kids who qualified for CES and kids who qualified for MS magnets.

So it makes statistical sense that a lot of kids from pool A would be in pool B and that some of them would "win" twice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been told that what is at stake is the 1st quarter grade of the 5th grade year. DC's teacher just also said to us recently that it is the main grade in the subject that is considered (not the subgrades). Has anyone else heard the same or different?

That is what has been used for the past 3 years. Prior to that, they used grades from 4th grade. They didn’t notify anyone (students, teachers, parents) that they were changing the criteria until after they conducted the review and sent out lottery results after winter break that year. So those 5th graders did not know that quarter 1 was the quarter that mattered until it was way too late. All to say that they can change the criteria at any time, they have a history of being opaque, etc. and they don’t seem to feel the need to actually communicate to families what the review process will include until they’ve already completed it.

Also, certain years kids seem to get only one offer from one magnet with no one winning the lottery from both, and other years it seems as though the lottery is run so that kids get offers from both at the same time (if in pool) and can choose. It’s never been explained.

Oh and don’t forget there is a set aside for kids in bounds for the school. A big chunk of seats are reserved for students in the zone.

That's the nature of lotteries. They're random.

You'd think, yes. And the PP should take heed that those differences year to year are natural results of probabilistic randomness across independent lotteries.

Then again, the "lottery luck" of certain families across elementary Centers for Enriched Studies and criteria-based magnet middle schools, along with the then-higher likelihood of selection to HS magnet programs strains credulity. Not impossible, but...

DCCAPS uses a third party to conduct the lotteries. One can hope that there are oversight mechanisms in place, but neither that nor transparency have been MCPS's strong suit to this point.

DP - I agree with the bolded. It's not credible to me that there's no direct input for getting certain kids into the various magnet programs, not knowing the kids we do who have consistently gotten in. MCPS has done almost nothing to build trust in a fair process. It's almost strange to me that people actually believe it's a true lottery.

What are you suggesting? That there is a conspiracy to get “certain kids” in? (Who?!!) That they are too incompetent to run a lottery that genuinely gives everyone an equal chance of selection? Something else?

DP. There is no transparency about the lottery. I absolutely do not trust central office to run a fair system. If there are people they want to get in, they will, to get the #s they are looking for.

What numbers are you talking about? What numbers are they looking for? Honestly trying to understand why they supposedly “wanted” my kids? Apparently my younger one and all of their friends were “wanted” as they all got offers at Eastern and several at TPMS. Why would central office pick them? Tbh it sounds like you are suggesting special treatment or even bribery and that’s farcical.

Numbers to make it look as integrated as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's only suspicious if you don't understand the numbers. There are more CES seats than MS seats, but a lot of overlap between kids who qualified for CES and kids who qualified for MS magnets.

So it makes statistical sense that a lot of kids from pool A would be in pool B and that some of them would "win" twice.

How many CES seats are there? What is the probability of getting a CES seat? Combining those offs with the slim chance of getting a MS magnet seat, not to mention in both programs. Sounds suspicious to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's only suspicious if you don't understand the numbers. There are more CES seats than MS seats, but a lot of overlap between kids who qualified for CES and kids who qualified for MS magnets.

So it makes statistical sense that a lot of kids from pool A would be in pool B and that some of them would "win" twice.

How many CES seats are there? What is the probability of getting a CES seat? Combining those offs with the slim chance of getting a MS magnet seat, not to mention in both programs. Sounds suspicious to me.

Odds, not offs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been told that what is at stake is the 1st quarter grade of the 5th grade year. DC's teacher just also said to us recently that it is the main grade in the subject that is considered (not the subgrades). Has anyone else heard the same or different?

That is what has been used for the past 3 years. Prior to that, they used grades from 4th grade. They didn’t notify anyone (students, teachers, parents) that they were changing the criteria until after they conducted the review and sent out lottery results after winter break that year. So those 5th graders did not know that quarter 1 was the quarter that mattered until it was way too late. All to say that they can change the criteria at any time, they have a history of being opaque, etc. and they don’t seem to feel the need to actually communicate to families what the review process will include until they’ve already completed it.

Also, certain years kids seem to get only one offer from one magnet with no one winning the lottery from both, and other years it seems as though the lottery is run so that kids get offers from both at the same time (if in pool) and can choose. It’s never been explained.

Oh and don’t forget there is a set aside for kids in bounds for the school. A big chunk of seats are reserved for students in the zone.

That's the nature of lotteries. They're random.

You'd think, yes. And the PP should take heed that those differences year to year are natural results of probabilistic randomness across independent lotteries.

Then again, the "lottery luck" of certain families across elementary Centers for Enriched Studies and criteria-based magnet middle schools, along with the then-higher likelihood of selection to HS magnet programs strains credulity. Not impossible, but...

DCCAPS uses a third party to conduct the lotteries. One can hope that there are oversight mechanisms in place, but neither that nor transparency have been MCPS's strong suit to this point.

DP - I agree with the bolded. It's not credible to me that there's no direct input for getting certain kids into the various magnet programs, not knowing the kids we do who have consistently gotten in. MCPS has done almost nothing to build trust in a fair process. It's almost strange to me that people actually believe it's a true lottery.

What are you suggesting? That there is a conspiracy to get “certain kids” in? (Who?!!) That they are too incompetent to run a lottery that genuinely gives everyone an equal chance of selection? Something else?

Conspiracy? No. It's easy to allow elementary schools to identify a few kids who they strongly recommend for placement into one of the MS magnets. And heck, maybe they do that and then a lottery for the rest of the kids.

Given MCPS' track record, it's deeply naive to think they care about making this process a "fair" one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been told that what is at stake is the 1st quarter grade of the 5th grade year. DC's teacher just also said to us recently that it is the main grade in the subject that is considered (not the subgrades). Has anyone else heard the same or different?

That is what has been used for the past 3 years. Prior to that, they used grades from 4th grade. They didn’t notify anyone (students, teachers, parents) that they were changing the criteria until after they conducted the review and sent out lottery results after winter break that year. So those 5th graders did not know that quarter 1 was the quarter that mattered until it was way too late. All to say that they can change the criteria at any time, they have a history of being opaque, etc. and they don’t seem to feel the need to actually communicate to families what the review process will include until they’ve already completed it.

Also, certain years kids seem to get only one offer from one magnet with no one winning the lottery from both, and other years it seems as though the lottery is run so that kids get offers from both at the same time (if in pool) and can choose. It’s never been explained.

Oh and don’t forget there is a set aside for kids in bounds for the school. A big chunk of seats are reserved for students in the zone.

That's the nature of lotteries. They're random.

You'd think, yes. And the PP should take heed that those differences year to year are natural results of probabilistic randomness across independent lotteries.

Then again, the "lottery luck" of certain families across elementary Centers for Enriched Studies and criteria-based magnet middle schools, along with the then-higher likelihood of selection to HS magnet programs strains credulity. Not impossible, but...

DCCAPS uses a third party to conduct the lotteries. One can hope that there are oversight mechanisms in place, but neither that nor transparency have been MCPS's strong suit to this point.

DP - I agree with the bolded. It's not credible to me that there's no direct input for getting certain kids into the various magnet programs, not knowing the kids we do who have consistently gotten in. MCPS has done almost nothing to build trust in a fair process. It's almost strange to me that people actually believe it's a true lottery.

What are you suggesting? That there is a conspiracy to get “certain kids” in? (Who?!!) That they are too incompetent to run a lottery that genuinely gives everyone an equal chance of selection? Something else?

Conspiracy? No. It's easy to allow elementary schools to identify a few kids who they strongly recommend for placement into one of the MS magnets. And heck, maybe they do that and then a lottery for the rest of the kids.

Given MCPS' track record, it's deeply naive to think they care about making this process a "fair" one.

Sure, but it's a lottery, so selections are name+race blind; names are picked randomly from the pool. That's the definition of a lottery.