Making the most of the MCPS sessions on regional model 10/22 and 10/27

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the big news is:

1) They confirmed there will only be transportation from high schools, and you have to get to your local high school yourself
And 2) The criteria-based programs will not pick the top candidates, it'll be a lottery among those meeting the minimum criteria (similar to current CES and MS magnets approach)

Do I have that right?

This is equity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oops.

Feedback form survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1E6bFxQNo8F4_OdQiE3t7kn47l28lG0IxXZtbF7xbFnZF1Q/viewform

Everyone should screenshot this form (the part with the questions where you can't give any feedback unless it's positive) and email it to the BOE members and complain that they're still not collecting feedback:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oops.

Feedback form survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1E6bFxQNo8F4_OdQiE3t7kn47l28lG0IxXZtbF7xbFnZF1Q/viewform

Everyone should screenshot this form (the part with the questions where you can't give any feedback unless it's positive) and email it to the BOE members and complain that they're still not collecting feedback:

BOE is partly behind this. They don't care and they probably read everything here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oops.

Feedback form survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1E6bFxQNo8F4_OdQiE3t7kn47l28lG0IxXZtbF7xbFnZF1Q/viewform

Everyone should screenshot this form (the part with the questions where you can't give any feedback unless it's positive) and email it to the BOE members and complain that they're still not collecting feedback:

BOE is partly behind this. They don't care and they probably read everything here.

[Anonymous]

Where does MCPS have money to fund 6 regional programs with additional training, additional staffs, and additional supplies, and additional busing? It seems mcps does not have enough money for that .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the big news is:

1) They confirmed there will only be transportation from high schools, and you have to get to your local high school yourself
And 2) The criteria-based programs will not pick the top candidates, it'll be a lottery among those meeting the minimum criteria (similar to current CES and MS magnets approach)

Do I have that right?

What? So they’ll only bus the kid to the regional program one way. If true, that’s crazy and not very equitable to expect parents to drive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the big news is:

1) They confirmed there will only be transportation from high schools, and you have to get to your local high school yourself
And 2) The criteria-based programs will not pick the top candidates, it'll be a lottery among those meeting the minimum criteria (similar to current CES and MS magnets approach)

Do I have that right?

What? So they’ll only bus the kid to the regional program one way. If true, that’s crazy and not very equitable to expect parents to drive.

They will do round trip from the high school but you will have to get your kids there as the regular bus will not run early enough and you are responsible for sports and activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Mag article on background:
https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/10/22/mcps-programming-changes/

The academic pathways charts don't include state requirements like Technology or Health nor Phys Ed. Are the 7 blocks not indicative of 7 periods of instruction?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the big news is:

1) They confirmed there will only be transportation from high schools, and you have to get to your local high school yourself
And 2) The criteria-based programs will not pick the top candidates, it'll be a lottery among those meeting the minimum criteria (similar to current CES and MS magnets approach)

Do I have that right?

Yes, that's what I heard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Criteria programs will have specific metrics and their students who meet them will be placed in a lottery for access".
Admitting that even with many regions and many regional programs they won't have enough seats to meet all the kids who qualify.

They said, and repeated later, that "interest-based" is lottery, not criteria.

You don't need a lottery for criteria-based programs, because they can opaquely claim that the selection process isn't a lottery. They aren't lotteries today, but they are subjective admissions judgments.

You are incorrect. They absolutely stated that for criteria based programs, they will set minimum criteria and anyone who meets those gets placed in a lottery. Like the middle school magnets. This is a huge change from the way they handle high school criteria programs currently.

They are keeping lotteries and keeping set asides. So you still have different chances based on your zip code.

This. What I heard: interest-based = lottery with no criteria. Criteria-based = lottery with minimal criteria.

Which means HS selection process goes the way of MS magnets and ES conversion from HGC to CES.
Which means HS magnets are circling the drain.
Which means in a few years, Central Office will complain about magnet performance and then... wait for it... blame the curriculum for students not being proficient... then gut the magnet curriculum.

Basis? Stay tuned to what is emerging for current MS Humanities magnets (MLK Jr and Eastern MS). AEI is about to pull the rug from under current 6th/7th graders and gut next year's curriculum. No honoring existing students here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the big news is:

1) They confirmed there will only be transportation from high schools, and you have to get to your local high school yourself
And 2) The criteria-based programs will not pick the top candidates, it'll be a lottery among those meeting the minimum criteria (similar to current CES and MS magnets approach)

Do I have that right?

This is equity.

No, this is idiocy. A complete destruction of the only two things that MCPS can be proud of - Blair and RM magnets. And gullible people think that this will somehow improve accessibility. It will not. The only decent magnet program after this move will be STEM at Blair and even this is under big question mark and assumes that they will manage to keep teachers. All other magnets will start as a joke, masquerading as magnets with fancy curriculums but with inadequate resources, teachers and students that were selected by lottery and not able to keep up with programs that are supposed to be above regular.

In the meantime, Whitman, the most hated school among those that celebrate this monstrosity is laughing because they miraculously managed to end up in the region with the only decent STEM magnet and will now share this precious resource with only a couple of schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the big news is:

1) They confirmed there will only be transportation from high schools, and you have to get to your local high school yourself
And 2) The criteria-based programs will not pick the top candidates, it'll be a lottery among those meeting the minimum criteria (similar to current CES and MS magnets approach)

Do I have that right?

This is equity.

No, this is idiocy. A complete destruction of the only two things that MCPS can be proud of - Blair and RM magnets. And gullible people think that this will somehow improve accessibility. It will not. The only decent magnet program after this move will be STEM at Blair and even this is under big question mark and assumes that they will manage to keep teachers. All other magnets will start as a joke, masquerading as magnets with fancy curriculums but with inadequate resources, teachers and students that were selected by lottery and not able to keep up with programs that are supposed to be above regular.

In the meantime, Whitman, the most hated school among those that celebrate this monstrosity is laughing because they miraculously managed to end up in the region with the only decent STEM magnet and will now share this precious resource with only a couple of schools.

It is frustrating that with so much community objections, this regional model is still going full speed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the big news is:

1) They confirmed there will only be transportation from high schools, and you have to get to your local high school yourself
And 2) The criteria-based programs will not pick the top candidates, it'll be a lottery among those meeting the minimum criteria (similar to current CES and MS magnets approach)

Do I have that right?

This is equity.

No, this is idiocy. A complete destruction of the only two things that MCPS can be proud of - Blair and RM magnets. And gullible people think that this will somehow improve accessibility. It will not. The only decent magnet program after this move will be STEM at Blair and even this is under big question mark and assumes that they will manage to keep teachers. All other magnets will start as a joke, masquerading as magnets with fancy curriculums but with inadequate resources, teachers and students that were selected by lottery and not able to keep up with programs that are supposed to be above regular.

In the meantime, Whitman, the most hated school among those that celebrate this monstrosity is laughing because they miraculously managed to end up in the region with the only decent STEM magnet and will now share this precious resource with only a couple of schools.

I meant the bold part when I referred to equity because equity rarely creates and almost always destroys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the big news is:

1) They confirmed there will only be transportation from high schools, and you have to get to your local high school yourself
And 2) The criteria-based programs will not pick the top candidates, it'll be a lottery among those meeting the minimum criteria (similar to current CES and MS magnets approach)

Do I have that right?

This is equity.

No, this is idiocy. A complete destruction of the only two things that MCPS can be proud of - Blair and RM magnets. And gullible people think that this will somehow improve accessibility. It will not. The only decent magnet program after this move will be STEM at Blair and even this is under big question mark and assumes that they will manage to keep teachers. All other magnets will start as a joke, masquerading as magnets with fancy curriculums but with inadequate resources, teachers and students that were selected by lottery and not able to keep up with programs that are supposed to be above regular.

In the meantime, Whitman, the most hated school among those that celebrate this monstrosity is laughing because they miraculously managed to end up in the region with the only decent STEM magnet and will now share this precious resource with only a couple of schools.

It is frustrating that with so much community objections, this regional model is still going full speed

It is literally SO WEIRD that there is full consensus from all stakeholders that they should slow down and try to get it right, and they are just plowing ahead. When do we ever have consensus?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Mag article on background:
https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/10/22/mcps-programming-changes/

The academic pathways charts don't include state requirements like Technology or Health nor Phys Ed. Are the 7 blocks not indicative of 7 periods of instruction?

I don't see those listed. Maybe not the focus of the chart.