Changes to gifted center admissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem isn't teacher doing the selection rather it's the fact teachers will be forced to reach certain mix by school admin.

I wonder how the county might accomplish this legally? My understanding is setting quotas is against the law.

Ummm...do you realize that the magnets and HGCs were funded with federal funds to reduce segregation? MCPS made a claim that these special programs would better integrate the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't seem like any of the PPs really know what is going on. Clarity would be nice.

I have a highly gifted second grader who has very mixed experiences with teachers. His K teacher and 2 teacher really liked him, and "got" his giftedness. His 1st grade teacher thought he unmotivated -- I doubt she'd recommend him for the program. Unfortunately, there can be kind of a negative feedback loop for some gifted kids with teachers not experienced with giftedness -- the kid is bored so opts out of the work; the teacher is irritated; the student is less motivated to do any classwork; the teacher is more irritated; etc. etc. I was ready to give up on public school for my child, and then this year he has a teacher with a master's in gifted ed and it's like the clouds have parted and the sun shines through.

Bingo. You are so fortunate, pp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem isn't teacher doing the selection rather it's the fact teachers will be forced to reach certain mix by school admin.

I wonder how the county might accomplish this legally? My understanding is setting quotas is against the law.

Ummm...do you realize that the magnets and HGCs were funded with federal funds to reduce segregation? MCPS made a claim that these special programs would better integrate the schools.

Exactly, HGC was nevert meant to give the smart kids an extra boost. Might as well be removed altogether.

[Anonymous]

I think MCPS should be given a lot of credit for trying some experiments to see if they can find more students who would thrive in the HGC environment.

I don't see that their experiments are designed to artificially inflate numbers, but to give everyone in the district an equal chance without artificial hurdles like application forms or long distance transportation.

I hope they get data and pick a direction soon, so those of us with kids in K-2nd won't be kept guessing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think MCPS should be given a lot of credit for trying some experiments to see if they can find more students who would thrive in the HGC environment.

I don't see that their experiments are designed to artificially inflate numbers, but to give everyone in the district an equal chance without artificial hurdles like application forms or long distance transportation.

I hope they get data and pick a direction soon, so those of us with kids in K-2nd won't be kept guessing.

I was going to guess you are relatively new to MCPS and I was right.

[Anonymous]

Didn't have time to read through 5 pages of posts, but if it hasn't already been clarified, the OP is wrong. Either their GT Liaison misunderstood or the OP misunderstood what the liaison was saying.

I went to the liaison meeting in November where Meredith Casper directly said that parents can nominate their child even if the teacher doesn't. All children who are nominated by either teacher or parent will get tested.

There is a PowerPoint that explains this very clearly. I will post it when I'm at my computer.

Also, the MCCPTA likes the new plan and they

[Anonymous]

PP here - my phone messed up and I couldn't finish the last post. The MCCPTA gifted chold committee approves of the changes (which include creating more seats and more centers btw) and they tend to be critical of mcps offerings for GT services, so that is saying a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn't have time to read through 5 pages of posts, but if it hasn't already been clarified, the OP is wrong. Either their GT Liaison misunderstood or the OP misunderstood what the liaison was saying.

I went to the liaison meeting in November where Meredith Casper directly said that parents can nominate their child even if the teacher doesn't. All children who are nominated by either teacher or parent will get tested.

There is a PowerPoint that explains this very clearly. I will post it when I'm at my computer.

Also, the MCCPTA likes the new plan and they

Thanks for chiming in. I knew I had heard that parents could still nominate their child. This whole thread is a lot of hysteria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think MCPS should be given a lot of credit for trying some experiments to see if they can find more students who would thrive in the HGC environment.

I don't see that their experiments are designed to artificially inflate numbers, but to give everyone in the district an equal chance without artificial hurdles like application forms or long distance transportation.

I hope they get data and pick a direction soon, so those of us with kids in K-2nd won't be kept guessing.

I was going to guess you are relatively new to MCPS and I was right.

I have an older kid, too. I just try to be pleasant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here.

I wonder if anyone on here knows how the final decision on acceptance is being made. Last year, 3 kids I know from DC's school applied to HGC, one got in, one was put on the waiting list and never received the offer, the third one was denied. Obviously, I don't know their test scores, or their regular grades, but the one that did get accepted does fit a description one of the PPs provided - a quiet, studious girl, while the rejects were rowdy boys. If anything, I thought one of the boys would definitely get in, but it wasn't the case.

Say, if all three kids score similarly well on the test, and their reports cards are comparable (Ps and ESs), how does the county decide on admission?

When my DC went to HGC, all five kids who were accepted were boys, and not all the "quiet" ones. Some years, it's boy heavy; others, it's girl heavy.

I don't know how the final decisions get made for each incoming 4th grade class, but the year that my kid was in 4th grade at her HGC, out of the ~28 kids in the class, 20 were boys, many of them (not all) quite rowdy and loud, and 8 girls. If the admissions committee had been actively selecting for gender balance we would not have gotten the hugely imbalanced classroom that we did.

Somewhat off topic -- it was actually a huge classroom management problem and the teacher had to implement a daily reporting system (Class Dojo?) because so many of the boys were loud and disruptive. Something I observed first-hand as a class parent and a field trip chaperone multiple times. Rather than having gender mixed tables the teacher ended up having to put all the girls at one table so they could concentrate and get their work done. The next year, I saw in my dd's 5th grade class when I went in for open house that the rowdy boys tended to shout answers out and drown out the other kids -- and I didn't think the teacher did a good job of making sure all students (boys and girls alike) had equal opportunities to be heard. It was concerning enough that I spoke to the school counselor about it.

Don't get me wrong, I have a gifted ADHD boy as well, and a nephew who is the same but even more so -- so I get that rowdy boys' needs need to be met as well as quiet girls' needs, whether that's in a home school classroom or an HGC classroom. But whether you have a rowdy boy, a quiet girl, or some other combination, I think it's incumbent on the teachers and administration to make sure that *all* the kids are treated fairly. I also think it's incumbent on parents to learn about the classroom dynamics and emphasize to their rowdy kids that they need to be considerate of others and to their quiet kids that they need to speak up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here.

I wonder if anyone on here knows how the final decision on acceptance is being made. Last year, 3 kids I know from DC's school applied to HGC, one got in, one was put on the waiting list and never received the offer, the third one was denied. Obviously, I don't know their test scores, or their regular grades, but the one that did get accepted does fit a description one of the PPs provided - a quiet, studious girl, while the rejects were rowdy boys. If anything, I thought one of the boys would definitely get in, but it wasn't the case.

Say, if all three kids score similarly well on the test, and their reports cards are comparable (Ps and ESs), how does the county decide on admission?

When my DC went to HGC, all five kids who were accepted were boys, and not all the "quiet" ones. Some years, it's boy heavy; others, it's girl heavy.

I don't know how the final decisions get made for each incoming 4th grade class, but the year that my kid was in 4th grade at her HGC, out of the ~28 kids in the class, 20 were boys, many of them (not all) quite rowdy and loud, and 8 girls. If the admissions committee had been actively selecting for gender balance we would not have gotten the hugely imbalanced classroom that we did.

Somewhat off topic -- it was actually a huge classroom management problem and the teacher had to implement a daily reporting system (Class Dojo?) because so many of the boys were loud and disruptive. Something I observed first-hand as a class parent and a field trip chaperone multiple times. Rather than having gender mixed tables the teacher ended up having to put all the girls at one table so they could concentrate and get their work done. The next year, I saw in my dd's 5th grade class when I went in for open house that the rowdy boys tended to shout answers out and drown out the other kids -- and I didn't think the teacher did a good job of making sure all students (boys and girls alike) had equal opportunities to be heard. It was concerning enough that I spoke to the school counselor about it.

Don't get me wrong, I have a gifted ADHD boy as well, and a nephew who is the same but even more so -- so I get that rowdy boys' needs need to be met as well as quiet girls' needs, whether that's in a home school classroom or an HGC classroom. But whether you have a rowdy boy, a quiet girl, or some other combination, I think it's incumbent on the teachers and administration to make sure that *all* the kids are treated fairly. I also think it's incumbent on parents to learn about the classroom dynamics and emphasize to their rowdy kids that they need to be considerate of others and to their quiet kids that they need to speak up.

Was this Barnsely, by chance, 2014? My DS was there that year, and it was very boy heavy. His class had about 7 or 8 girls. And yes, it got rowdy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't have time to read through 5 pages of posts, but if it hasn't already been clarified, the OP is wrong. Either their GT Liaison misunderstood or the OP misunderstood what the liaison was saying.

I went to the liaison meeting in November where Meredith Casper directly said that parents can nominate their child even if the teacher doesn't. All children who are nominated by either teacher or parent will get tested.

There is a PowerPoint that explains this very clearly. I will post it when I'm at my computer.

Also, the MCCPTA likes the new plan and they

Thanks for chiming in. I knew I had heard that parents could still nominate their child. This whole thread is a lot of hysteria.

Sigh... It really isn't. You are just not seeing the big picture of where MCPS wants to go with specialized programs (e.g., magnets) at all level. In their view, the programs have become too specialized supporting mostly Asian and white kids. Giving changing demographics of MCPS, they are not willing to continue that. Quietly, but surely, this is the beginning of the end for MCPS specialized programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't have time to read through 5 pages of posts, but if it hasn't already been clarified, the OP is wrong. Either their GT Liaison misunderstood or the OP misunderstood what the liaison was saying.

I went to the liaison meeting in November where Meredith Casper directly said that parents can nominate their child even if the teacher doesn't. All children who are nominated by either teacher or parent will get tested.

There is a PowerPoint that explains this very clearly. I will post it when I'm at my computer.

Also, the MCCPTA likes the new plan and they

Thanks for chiming in. I knew I had heard that parents could still nominate their child. This whole thread is a lot of hysteria.

Sigh... It really isn't. You are just not seeing the big picture of where MCPS wants to go with specialized programs (e.g., magnets) at all level. In their view, the programs have become too specialized supporting mostly Asian and white kids. Giving changing demographics of MCPS, they are not willing to continue that. Quietly, but surely, this is the beginning of the end for MCPS specialized programs.

Well maybe it is the end for a program that seems to only serve Asian and white kids whose parents prep them and advocate for them. Shouldn't other kids have that opportunity if they are also advanced but have no one advocating for them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't have time to read through 5 pages of posts, but if it hasn't already been clarified, the OP is wrong. Either their GT Liaison misunderstood or the OP misunderstood what the liaison was saying.

I went to the liaison meeting in November where Meredith Casper directly said that parents can nominate their child even if the teacher doesn't. All children who are nominated by either teacher or parent will get tested.

There is a PowerPoint that explains this very clearly. I will post it when I'm at my computer.

Also, the MCCPTA likes the new plan and they

Thanks for chiming in. I knew I had heard that parents could still nominate their child. This whole thread is a lot of hysteria.

Sigh... It really isn't. You are just not seeing the big picture of where MCPS wants to go with specialized programs (e.g., magnets) at all level. In their view, the programs have become too specialized supporting mostly Asian and white kids. Giving changing demographics of MCPS, they are not willing to continue that. Quietly, but surely, this is the beginning of the end for MCPS specialized programs.

Well maybe it is the end for a program that seems to only serve Asian and white kids whose parents prep them and advocate for them. Shouldn't other kids have that opportunity if they are also advanced but have no one advocating for them?

Of course but the opportunities are open to ALL students already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't have time to read through 5 pages of posts, but if it hasn't already been clarified, the OP is wrong. Either their GT Liaison misunderstood or the OP misunderstood what the liaison was saying.

I went to the liaison meeting in November where Meredith Casper directly said that parents can nominate their child even if the teacher doesn't. All children who are nominated by either teacher or parent will get tested.

There is a PowerPoint that explains this very clearly. I will post it when I'm at my computer.

Also, the MCCPTA likes the new plan and they

Thanks for chiming in. I knew I had heard that parents could still nominate their child. This whole thread is a lot of hysteria.

Sigh... It really isn't. You are just not seeing the big picture of where MCPS wants to go with specialized programs (e.g., magnets) at all level. In their view, the programs have become too specialized supporting mostly Asian and white kids. Giving changing demographics of MCPS, they are not willing to continue that. Quietly, but surely, this is the beginning of the end for MCPS specialized programs.

Well maybe it is the end for a program that seems to only serve Asian and white kids whose parents prep them and advocate for them. Shouldn't other kids have that opportunity if they are also advanced but have no one advocating for them?

I'm sure the non-white/asian students will achieve a lot more in HGCs without the support of their families than their white/asian peers.