What does it take for MCPS kids to get into UMCP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you want a reference from '23? My kid was admitted Honors to a Humanities major with a 4.67 weighted gpa, a dozen AP courses (but he skipped the 12th grade exams and had mostly 5s on the others) and a 35 out of 36 on his ACT. He did come from a "W" school, although I'm not sure UMD differentiates where kids come from within MCPS. They could also see on his transcript that he'd had a resource class for 9th and 10th grade and no first period in 12th grade. (He has special needs, but they didn't see the IEP.)

Also, UMD swears that they don't select by major, and they say that their freshman class mostly comes from Early Action applicants.

UMD doesn’t select from major BUT there are majors for that are Limited Enrollment. Meaning you could potentially get accepted to UMD, but not get accepted to that major. CS and even Business are some of the LEP majors.

+1. See here:

https://admissions.umd.edu/academics/limited-enrollment-programs

+2

I really want to emphasize this because it is confusing for students and parents. UMD admissions office is the first gate for admission to the university. Only after students are admitted to the university do the LEP programs get to see the applicants for specific programs. If a student is admitted to UMD but not the desired LEP, they are placed in Letters & Sciences and will declare a major later.

Many of the LEPs have guaranteed transfers in upon meeting gateway requirements EXCEPT computer science. If you aren’t admitted to the LEP they will reject you from UMD completely, because they won’t take internal transfers anymore. (Note - this may change if CS demand drops due to students figuring out how hard it is to get a job in CS now.)

I'm STILL confused. Are you saying thta for business and engineering, those not admitted to LEP will still be admitted to UMD. But if you named CS as your major, you'll be rejected from UMD if not admitted into CS? ??

I was at the UMD info session and tour last week, and they said for CS you could still be admitted to UMD but placed in Letters & Sciences if not admitted into CS, and you should then be prepared to choose a different major besides CS.

Thanks for the correction. Two years ago they were very direct about saying there would be no internal transfers into CS and students would be declined completely. They have indeed since updated their practices for this year. Details here:
https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/first-year-applicants

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How rigorous a courseload are they looking for? How many APs do you typically need to take to get in-- do kids sometimes get in with only a handful of AP classes or do they need to be closer to maxing them out? Do they have to be on the advanced math track/make it to calculus by senior year to get in, or is it okay to be on grade level and just do pre-calc or AP Stats senior year (if not interested in STEM)?

28:15 here, our kid had 12 APs, mostly humanities (not math/science), but also Econ, and got 5s on all AP exams, including micro and macro economics.

My MCPS Wootton grad did not have close to 12 APs. Maybe he had 7? He didn’t have all 5s for scores either. All his other courses were honors though, except the PE and art credits. UMD wants to see rigor but is not over the top in expectations. He did have a great GPA (4.7 weighted) and a good SAT and I think that in recent years both have been required for admission.

What year was this, and what subjects were his higher vs lower rigor classes in? What was his highest class in math? Thanks!

AP Precalculus.

Thanks! Was this in the last couple of years? Can anyone else confirm that kids have been getting in with grade-level math (ending in pre-calc or stats) rather than accelerated to reach calculus in HS?

For some majors and depending on the HS you are from/connections, its possible but its pretty surprising that that is considered rigor.

What do you mean? Whether or not you're going to be able to reach calculus in high school is basically already decided for you by the time you're 10 years old (if you don't get recommended for accelerated math at the end of 3rd and/or 5th grade.). Isn't rigor based on the most rigorous classes available to you (i.e. taking honors or AP math classes at the level you're currently at, whether on-grade or ahead)? Or are kids really not able to be considered as taking a highly rigorous courseload if their 5th grade teacher didn't think they were ready for accelerated math at 10 or 11 and so they can't get to Algebra 1 until 9th grade?

Algebra 1 in 8th is the on level track in MCPS. You can do Alg. 1 in 8th, leading to calculus with no summer classes, even if you didn’t do accelerated math at 10.

No, totally inaccurate. Algebra 1 comes after math 8. To get into Algebra 1 in 8th grade you need either compression of 4-6 into 2 years in ES or compression of 6-8 into 2 years in MS. (If you have acceleration/compaction in both ES and MS you will be 2 years ahead and take Algebra 1 in 7th.) Not getting recommended for accelerated math by your 5th grade teacher means you miss out on your last chance to make it to algebra in MS and calculus in HS unless you take summer classes or take two math classes the same year or do some non-standard skipping that requires you to miss some math content in MS (none of which most kids will do.)

Can folks clarify how big of a disadvantage this puts you at for UMCP? Will high schools not check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they run out of time? Does UMCP care about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself?

DP.

Alg1 in 8th is on track - this gets you to calc in 12th grade
Alg 1 in 7th is advanced - this gets you to calc in 11th grade (that's both my kids)
Alg 1 in 9th is behind

Please explain how kids can get to Algebra 1 in 8th grade without taking either compacted math in ES (advanced, combines 3 years of math into 2) or AMP 6+/7+ in middle school (advanced, combines 3 years of math into 2.)

[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:How rigorous a courseload are they looking for? How many APs do you typically need to take to get in-- do kids sometimes get in with only a handful of AP classes or do they need to be closer to maxing them out? Do they have to be on the advanced math track/make it to calculus by senior year to get in, or is it okay to be on grade level and just do pre-calc or AP Stats senior year (if not interested in STEM)?

28:15 here, our kid had 12 APs, mostly humanities (not math/science), but also Econ, and got 5s on all AP exams, including micro and macro economics.

My MCPS Wootton grad did not have close to 12 APs. Maybe he had 7? He didn’t have all 5s for scores either. All his other courses were honors though, except the PE and art credits. UMD wants to see rigor but is not over the top in expectations. He did have a great GPA (4.7 weighted) and a good SAT and I think that in recent years both have been required for admission.

What year was this, and what subjects were his higher vs lower rigor classes in? What was his highest class in math? Thanks!

AP Precalculus.

Thanks! Was this in the last couple of years? Can anyone else confirm that kids have been getting in with grade-level math (ending in pre-calc or stats) rather than accelerated to reach calculus in HS?

For some majors and depending on the HS you are from/connections, its possible but its pretty surprising that that is considered rigor.

What do you mean? Whether or not you're going to be able to reach calculus in high school is basically already decided for you by the time you're 10 years old (if you don't get recommended for accelerated math at the end of 3rd and/or 5th grade.). Isn't rigor based on the most rigorous classes available to you (i.e. taking honors or AP math classes at the level you're currently at, whether on-grade or ahead)? Or are kids really not able to be considered as taking a highly rigorous courseload if their 5th grade teacher didn't think they were ready for accelerated math at 10 or 11 and so they can't get to Algebra 1 until 9th grade?

Algebra 1 in 8th is the on level track in MCPS. You can do Alg. 1 in 8th, leading to calculus with no summer classes, even if you didn’t do accelerated math at 10.

No, totally inaccurate. Algebra 1 comes after math 8. To get into Algebra 1 in 8th grade you need either compression of 4-6 into 2 years in ES or compression of 6-8 into 2 years in MS. (If you have acceleration/compaction in both ES and MS you will be 2 years ahead and take Algebra 1 in 7th.) Not getting recommended for accelerated math by your 5th grade teacher means you miss out on your last chance to make it to algebra in MS and calculus in HS unless you take summer classes or take two math classes the same year or do some non-standard skipping that requires you to miss some math content in MS (none of which most kids will do.)

Can folks clarify how big of a disadvantage this puts you at for UMCP? Will high schools not check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they run out of time? Does UMCP care about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself?

DP.

Alg1 in 8th is on track - this gets you to calc in 12th grade
Alg 1 in 7th is advanced - this gets you to calc in 11th grade (that's both my kids)
Alg 1 in 9th is behind

Please explain how kids can get to Algebra 1 in 8th grade without taking either compacted math in ES (advanced, combines 3 years of math into 2) or AMP 6+/7+ in middle school (advanced, combines 3 years of math into 2.)

They take AMP6+ in 6th and AMP7+ in 7th, like you said. At Cabin John, at least, I think the only options are AMP6+ or AMP7+ in 6th grade (AMP7+ is for kids who took compacted), there's no other less accelerated level.

[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:How rigorous a courseload are they looking for? How many APs do you typically need to take to get in-- do kids sometimes get in with only a handful of AP classes or do they need to be closer to maxing them out? Do they have to be on the advanced math track/make it to calculus by senior year to get in, or is it okay to be on grade level and just do pre-calc or AP Stats senior year (if not interested in STEM)?

28:15 here, our kid had 12 APs, mostly humanities (not math/science), but also Econ, and got 5s on all AP exams, including micro and macro economics.

My MCPS Wootton grad did not have close to 12 APs. Maybe he had 7? He didn’t have all 5s for scores either. All his other courses were honors though, except the PE and art credits. UMD wants to see rigor but is not over the top in expectations. He did have a great GPA (4.7 weighted) and a good SAT and I think that in recent years both have been required for admission.

What year was this, and what subjects were his higher vs lower rigor classes in? What was his highest class in math? Thanks!

AP Precalculus.

Thanks! Was this in the last couple of years? Can anyone else confirm that kids have been getting in with grade-level math (ending in pre-calc or stats) rather than accelerated to reach calculus in HS?

For some majors and depending on the HS you are from/connections, its possible but its pretty surprising that that is considered rigor.

What do you mean? Whether or not you're going to be able to reach calculus in high school is basically already decided for you by the time you're 10 years old (if you don't get recommended for accelerated math at the end of 3rd and/or 5th grade.). Isn't rigor based on the most rigorous classes available to you (i.e. taking honors or AP math classes at the level you're currently at, whether on-grade or ahead)? Or are kids really not able to be considered as taking a highly rigorous courseload if their 5th grade teacher didn't think they were ready for accelerated math at 10 or 11 and so they can't get to Algebra 1 until 9th grade?

Algebra 1 in 8th is the on level track in MCPS. You can do Alg. 1 in 8th, leading to calculus with no summer classes, even if you didn’t do accelerated math at 10.

No, totally inaccurate. Algebra 1 comes after math 8. To get into Algebra 1 in 8th grade you need either compression of 4-6 into 2 years in ES or compression of 6-8 into 2 years in MS. (If you have acceleration/compaction in both ES and MS you will be 2 years ahead and take Algebra 1 in 7th.) Not getting recommended for accelerated math by your 5th grade teacher means you miss out on your last chance to make it to algebra in MS and calculus in HS unless you take summer classes or take two math classes the same year or do some non-standard skipping that requires you to miss some math content in MS (none of which most kids will do.)

Can folks clarify how big of a disadvantage this puts you at for UMCP? Will high schools not check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they run out of time? Does UMCP care about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself?

DP.

Alg1 in 8th is on track - this gets you to calc in 12th grade
Alg 1 in 7th is advanced - this gets you to calc in 11th grade (that's both my kids)
Alg 1 in 9th is behind

Please explain how kids can get to Algebra 1 in 8th grade without taking either compacted math in ES (advanced, combines 3 years of math into 2) or AMP 6+/7+ in middle school (advanced, combines 3 years of math into 2.)

You take compacted math and either do AMP or skip it and go directly to algebra.

[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:How rigorous a courseload are they looking for? How many APs do you typically need to take to get in-- do kids sometimes get in with only a handful of AP classes or do they need to be closer to maxing them out? Do they have to be on the advanced math track/make it to calculus by senior year to get in, or is it okay to be on grade level and just do pre-calc or AP Stats senior year (if not interested in STEM)?

28:15 here, our kid had 12 APs, mostly humanities (not math/science), but also Econ, and got 5s on all AP exams, including micro and macro economics.

My MCPS Wootton grad did not have close to 12 APs. Maybe he had 7? He didn’t have all 5s for scores either. All his other courses were honors though, except the PE and art credits. UMD wants to see rigor but is not over the top in expectations. He did have a great GPA (4.7 weighted) and a good SAT and I think that in recent years both have been required for admission.

What year was this, and what subjects were his higher vs lower rigor classes in? What was his highest class in math? Thanks!

AP Precalculus.

Thanks! Was this in the last couple of years? Can anyone else confirm that kids have been getting in with grade-level math (ending in pre-calc or stats) rather than accelerated to reach calculus in HS?

For some majors and depending on the HS you are from/connections, its possible but its pretty surprising that that is considered rigor.

What do you mean? Whether or not you're going to be able to reach calculus in high school is basically already decided for you by the time you're 10 years old (if you don't get recommended for accelerated math at the end of 3rd and/or 5th grade.). Isn't rigor based on the most rigorous classes available to you (i.e. taking honors or AP math classes at the level you're currently at, whether on-grade or ahead)? Or are kids really not able to be considered as taking a highly rigorous courseload if their 5th grade teacher didn't think they were ready for accelerated math at 10 or 11 and so they can't get to Algebra 1 until 9th grade?

Algebra 1 in 8th is the on level track in MCPS. You can do Alg. 1 in 8th, leading to calculus with no summer classes, even if you didn’t do accelerated math at 10.

No, totally inaccurate. Algebra 1 comes after math 8. To get into Algebra 1 in 8th grade you need either compression of 4-6 into 2 years in ES or compression of 6-8 into 2 years in MS. (If you have acceleration/compaction in both ES and MS you will be 2 years ahead and take Algebra 1 in 7th.) Not getting recommended for accelerated math by your 5th grade teacher means you miss out on your last chance to make it to algebra in MS and calculus in HS unless you take summer classes or take two math classes the same year or do some non-standard skipping that requires you to miss some math content in MS (none of which most kids will do.)

Can folks clarify how big of a disadvantage this puts you at for UMCP? Will high schools not check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they run out of time? Does UMCP care about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself?

DP.

Alg1 in 8th is on track - this gets you to calc in 12th grade
Alg 1 in 7th is advanced - this gets you to calc in 11th grade (that's both my kids)
Alg 1 in 9th is behind

Please explain how kids can get to Algebra 1 in 8th grade without taking either compacted math in ES (advanced, combines 3 years of math into 2) or AMP 6+/7+ in middle school (advanced, combines 3 years of math into 2.)

You take compacted math and either do AMP or skip it and go directly to algebra.

Yes, but again, you are mentioning advanced and accelerated tracks that you must bet recommended into no later than 5th grade. If your 5th grade teacher does not think you need acceleration you will be recommended for Math 6, 7, and 8 in middle school which means you can't get to Algebra in MS or Calculus in HS. The PP claimed that Algebra 1 in 8th is grade level and Algebra 1 in 9th means you're behind, but that's not true. You can't get to Algebra 1 in middle school unless you are selected/recommended to get on the advanced, sped-uo math track (and the fact that many kids get accelerated early enough that they take Algebra 1 two years early in 7th doesn't change that.)

But this is getting way off topic for this thread. This is only relevant because of the questions of whether high schools won't check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they don't get to Algebra 1 until 9th, and whether UMCP cares about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself. Does anyone know these answers?

[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:How rigorous a courseload are they looking for? How many APs do you typically need to take to get in-- do kids sometimes get in with only a handful of AP classes or do they need to be closer to maxing them out? Do they have to be on the advanced math track/make it to calculus by senior year to get in, or is it okay to be on grade level and just do pre-calc or AP Stats senior year (if not interested in STEM)?

28:15 here, our kid had 12 APs, mostly humanities (not math/science), but also Econ, and got 5s on all AP exams, including micro and macro economics.

My MCPS Wootton grad did not have close to 12 APs. Maybe he had 7? He didn’t have all 5s for scores either. All his other courses were honors though, except the PE and art credits. UMD wants to see rigor but is not over the top in expectations. He did have a great GPA (4.7 weighted) and a good SAT and I think that in recent years both have been required for admission.

What year was this, and what subjects were his higher vs lower rigor classes in? What was his highest class in math? Thanks!

AP Precalculus.

Thanks! Was this in the last couple of years? Can anyone else confirm that kids have been getting in with grade-level math (ending in pre-calc or stats) rather than accelerated to reach calculus in HS?

For some majors and depending on the HS you are from/connections, its possible but its pretty surprising that that is considered rigor.

What do you mean? Whether or not you're going to be able to reach calculus in high school is basically already decided for you by the time you're 10 years old (if you don't get recommended for accelerated math at the end of 3rd and/or 5th grade.). Isn't rigor based on the most rigorous classes available to you (i.e. taking honors or AP math classes at the level you're currently at, whether on-grade or ahead)? Or are kids really not able to be considered as taking a highly rigorous courseload if their 5th grade teacher didn't think they were ready for accelerated math at 10 or 11 and so they can't get to Algebra 1 until 9th grade?

Algebra 1 in 8th is the on level track in MCPS. You can do Alg. 1 in 8th, leading to calculus with no summer classes, even if you didn’t do accelerated math at 10.

No, totally inaccurate. Algebra 1 comes after math 8. To get into Algebra 1 in 8th grade you need either compression of 4-6 into 2 years in ES or compression of 6-8 into 2 years in MS. (If you have acceleration/compaction in both ES and MS you will be 2 years ahead and take Algebra 1 in 7th.) Not getting recommended for accelerated math by your 5th grade teacher means you miss out on your last chance to make it to algebra in MS and calculus in HS unless you take summer classes or take two math classes the same year or do some non-standard skipping that requires you to miss some math content in MS (none of which most kids will do.)

Can folks clarify how big of a disadvantage this puts you at for UMCP? Will high schools not check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they run out of time? Does UMCP care about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself?

DP.

Alg1 in 8th is on track - this gets you to calc in 12th grade
Alg 1 in 7th is advanced - this gets you to calc in 11th grade (that's both my kids)
Alg 1 in 9th is behind

Please explain how kids can get to Algebra 1 in 8th grade without taking either compacted math in ES (advanced, combines 3 years of math into 2) or AMP 6+/7+ in middle school (advanced, combines 3 years of math into 2.)

You take compacted math and either do AMP or skip it and go directly to algebra.

Yes, but again, you are mentioning advanced and accelerated tracks that you must bet recommended into no later than 5th grade. If your 5th grade teacher does not think you need acceleration you will be recommended for Math 6, 7, and 8 in middle school which means you can't get to Algebra in MS or Calculus in HS. The PP claimed that Algebra 1 in 8th is grade level and Algebra 1 in 9th means you're behind, but that's not true. You can't get to Algebra 1 in middle school unless you are selected/recommended to get on the advanced, sped-uo math track (and the fact that many kids get accelerated early enough that they take Algebra 1 two years early in 7th doesn't change that.)

But this is getting way off topic for this thread. This is only relevant because of the questions of whether high schools won't check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they don't get to Algebra 1 until 9th, and whether UMCP cares about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself. Does anyone know these answers?

Not all kids are strong in math which is why they have multiple tracks. If you don't agree with the 5th grade teacher's recommendation, you talk to the middle school and see how flexible they are. You can also have your child do summer school, but its very compacted and not easy to do that quickly. Typical is 7-8 grade for Algebra, slower track in 9th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How rigorous a courseload are they looking for? How many APs do you typically need to take to get in-- do kids sometimes get in with only a handful of AP classes or do they need to be closer to maxing them out? Do they have to be on the advanced math track/make it to calculus by senior year to get in, or is it okay to be on grade level and just do pre-calc or AP Stats senior year (if not interested in STEM)?

28:15 here, our kid had 12 APs, mostly humanities (not math/science), but also Econ, and got 5s on all AP exams, including micro and macro economics.

My MCPS Wootton grad did not have close to 12 APs. Maybe he had 7? He didn’t have all 5s for scores either. All his other courses were honors though, except the PE and art credits. UMD wants to see rigor but is not over the top in expectations. He did have a great GPA (4.7 weighted) and a good SAT and I think that in recent years both have been required for admission.

What year was this, and what subjects were his higher vs lower rigor classes in? What was his highest class in math? Thanks!

AP Precalculus.

Thanks! Was this in the last couple of years? Can anyone else confirm that kids have been getting in with grade-level math (ending in pre-calc or stats) rather than accelerated to reach calculus in HS?

For some majors and depending on the HS you are from/connections, its possible but its pretty surprising that that is considered rigor.

What do you mean? Whether or not you're going to be able to reach calculus in high school is basically already decided for you by the time you're 10 years old (if you don't get recommended for accelerated math at the end of 3rd and/or 5th grade.). Isn't rigor based on the most rigorous classes available to you (i.e. taking honors or AP math classes at the level you're currently at, whether on-grade or ahead)? Or are kids really not able to be considered as taking a highly rigorous courseload if their 5th grade teacher didn't think they were ready for accelerated math at 10 or 11 and so they can't get to Algebra 1 until 9th grade?

Algebra 1 in 8th is the on level track in MCPS. You can do Alg. 1 in 8th, leading to calculus with no summer classes, even if you didn’t do accelerated math at 10.

No, totally inaccurate. Algebra 1 comes after math 8. To get into Algebra 1 in 8th grade you need either compression of 4-6 into 2 years in ES or compression of 6-8 into 2 years in MS. (If you have acceleration/compaction in both ES and MS you will be 2 years ahead and take Algebra 1 in 7th.) Not getting recommended for accelerated math by your 5th grade teacher means you miss out on your last chance to make it to algebra in MS and calculus in HS unless you take summer classes or take two math classes the same year or do some non-standard skipping that requires you to miss some math content in MS (none of which most kids will do.)

Can folks clarify how big of a disadvantage this puts you at for UMCP? Will high schools not check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they run out of time? Does UMCP care about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself?

You obviously don't have kids in MCPS.
Algebra 1 in 8th grade is on-level in MCPS.
Algebra 1 in 9th grade is below level

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How rigorous a courseload are they looking for? How many APs do you typically need to take to get in-- do kids sometimes get in with only a handful of AP classes or do they need to be closer to maxing them out? Do they have to be on the advanced math track/make it to calculus by senior year to get in, or is it okay to be on grade level and just do pre-calc or AP Stats senior year (if not interested in STEM)?

28:15 here, our kid had 12 APs, mostly humanities (not math/science), but also Econ, and got 5s on all AP exams, including micro and macro economics.

My MCPS Wootton grad did not have close to 12 APs. Maybe he had 7? He didn’t have all 5s for scores either. All his other courses were honors though, except the PE and art credits. UMD wants to see rigor but is not over the top in expectations. He did have a great GPA (4.7 weighted) and a good SAT and I think that in recent years both have been required for admission.

What year was this, and what subjects were his higher vs lower rigor classes in? What was his highest class in math? Thanks!

AP Precalculus.

Thanks! Was this in the last couple of years? Can anyone else confirm that kids have been getting in with grade-level math (ending in pre-calc or stats) rather than accelerated to reach calculus in HS?

For some majors and depending on the HS you are from/connections, its possible but its pretty surprising that that is considered rigor.

What do you mean? Whether or not you're going to be able to reach calculus in high school is basically already decided for you by the time you're 10 years old (if you don't get recommended for accelerated math at the end of 3rd and/or 5th grade.). Isn't rigor based on the most rigorous classes available to you (i.e. taking honors or AP math classes at the level you're currently at, whether on-grade or ahead)? Or are kids really not able to be considered as taking a highly rigorous courseload if their 5th grade teacher didn't think they were ready for accelerated math at 10 or 11 and so they can't get to Algebra 1 until 9th grade?

Algebra 1 in 8th is the on level track in MCPS. You can do Alg. 1 in 8th, leading to calculus with no summer classes, even if you didn’t do accelerated math at 10.

No, totally inaccurate. Algebra 1 comes after math 8. To get into Algebra 1 in 8th grade you need either compression of 4-6 into 2 years in ES or compression of 6-8 into 2 years in MS. (If you have acceleration/compaction in both ES and MS you will be 2 years ahead and take Algebra 1 in 7th.) Not getting recommended for accelerated math by your 5th grade teacher means you miss out on your last chance to make it to algebra in MS and calculus in HS unless you take summer classes or take two math classes the same year or do some non-standard skipping that requires you to miss some math content in MS (none of which most kids will do.)

Can folks clarify how big of a disadvantage this puts you at for UMCP? Will high schools not check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they run out of time? Does UMCP care about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself?

You obviously don't have kids in MCPS.
Algebra 1 in 8th grade is on-level in MCPS.
Algebra 1 in 9th grade is below level

What are you talking about? Do *you* not have kids in MCPS? Or are middle schools across the county that different on this? At ours, you go from Math 5 into Math 6, 7, and 8 in middle school unless you get a special recommendation from your 5th grade math teacher that you should be moved up a level into the fast track which covers that same content in two years so you can get to Algebra 1 in 8th grade. Otherwise everyone's in Math 6.

[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:How rigorous a courseload are they looking for? How many APs do you typically need to take to get in-- do kids sometimes get in with only a handful of AP classes or do they need to be closer to maxing them out? Do they have to be on the advanced math track/make it to calculus by senior year to get in, or is it okay to be on grade level and just do pre-calc or AP Stats senior year (if not interested in STEM)?

28:15 here, our kid had 12 APs, mostly humanities (not math/science), but also Econ, and got 5s on all AP exams, including micro and macro economics.

My MCPS Wootton grad did not have close to 12 APs. Maybe he had 7? He didn’t have all 5s for scores either. All his other courses were honors though, except the PE and art credits. UMD wants to see rigor but is not over the top in expectations. He did have a great GPA (4.7 weighted) and a good SAT and I think that in recent years both have been required for admission.

What year was this, and what subjects were his higher vs lower rigor classes in? What was his highest class in math? Thanks!

AP Precalculus.

Thanks! Was this in the last couple of years? Can anyone else confirm that kids have been getting in with grade-level math (ending in pre-calc or stats) rather than accelerated to reach calculus in HS?

For some majors and depending on the HS you are from/connections, its possible but its pretty surprising that that is considered rigor.

What do you mean? Whether or not you're going to be able to reach calculus in high school is basically already decided for you by the time you're 10 years old (if you don't get recommended for accelerated math at the end of 3rd and/or 5th grade.). Isn't rigor based on the most rigorous classes available to you (i.e. taking honors or AP math classes at the level you're currently at, whether on-grade or ahead)? Or are kids really not able to be considered as taking a highly rigorous courseload if their 5th grade teacher didn't think they were ready for accelerated math at 10 or 11 and so they can't get to Algebra 1 until 9th grade?

Algebra 1 in 8th is the on level track in MCPS. You can do Alg. 1 in 8th, leading to calculus with no summer classes, even if you didn’t do accelerated math at 10.

No, totally inaccurate. Algebra 1 comes after math 8. To get into Algebra 1 in 8th grade you need either compression of 4-6 into 2 years in ES or compression of 6-8 into 2 years in MS. (If you have acceleration/compaction in both ES and MS you will be 2 years ahead and take Algebra 1 in 7th.) Not getting recommended for accelerated math by your 5th grade teacher means you miss out on your last chance to make it to algebra in MS and calculus in HS unless you take summer classes or take two math classes the same year or do some non-standard skipping that requires you to miss some math content in MS (none of which most kids will do.)

Can folks clarify how big of a disadvantage this puts you at for UMCP? Will high schools not check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they run out of time? Does UMCP care about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself?

You obviously don't have kids in MCPS.
Algebra 1 in 8th grade is on-level in MCPS.
Algebra 1 in 9th grade is below level

What are you talking about? Do *you* not have kids in MCPS? Or are middle schools across the county that different on this? At ours, you go from Math 5 into Math 6, 7, and 8 in middle school unless you get a special recommendation from your 5th grade math teacher that you should be moved up a level into the fast track which covers that same content in two years so you can get to Algebra 1 in 8th grade. Otherwise everyone's in Math 6.

New PP and will add one data point (MCPS -takoma park - TPMS). My kid has been in accelerated / compacted math since available in ES and is now 7th grade algebra 1. Her friend did regular ES math but got into a compacted math class in 6th grade, it doesn’t bring her to algebra 1 in 7th but I think she will get into algebra 1 in 8th. And my understanding is that there is one level below, which is purely on grade math and they will probably get to algebra 1 in 9th (but I admit that’s a guess).

My point though is that there is still a possibility to get to algebra 1 in MS if you start compacted in 6th grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nah Maryland is California’s mini me - meaning they want you to go through cc and enter as a junior.

From accidentally coming upon their graduation this year they targeted one group for traditional path at least 5 years ago: South Asians.

Seemed like they took advice from some high priced census data quant.

H1B visa reform likely will alter UMD strategy. Prediction? Look for a more normal admissions cycle in near term - still smart but not impossible admit.

International students have F1 visas, which have not been curtailed in any meaningful way.

This has nothing to do with H1B.

MAGA won't stop their MAGAying. One this is for sure - sour grapes!

[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:How rigorous a courseload are they looking for? How many APs do you typically need to take to get in-- do kids sometimes get in with only a handful of AP classes or do they need to be closer to maxing them out? Do they have to be on the advanced math track/make it to calculus by senior year to get in, or is it okay to be on grade level and just do pre-calc or AP Stats senior year (if not interested in STEM)?

28:15 here, our kid had 12 APs, mostly humanities (not math/science), but also Econ, and got 5s on all AP exams, including micro and macro economics.

My MCPS Wootton grad did not have close to 12 APs. Maybe he had 7? He didn’t have all 5s for scores either. All his other courses were honors though, except the PE and art credits. UMD wants to see rigor but is not over the top in expectations. He did have a great GPA (4.7 weighted) and a good SAT and I think that in recent years both have been required for admission.

What year was this, and what subjects were his higher vs lower rigor classes in? What was his highest class in math? Thanks!

AP Precalculus.

Thanks! Was this in the last couple of years? Can anyone else confirm that kids have been getting in with grade-level math (ending in pre-calc or stats) rather than accelerated to reach calculus in HS?

For some majors and depending on the HS you are from/connections, its possible but its pretty surprising that that is considered rigor.

What do you mean? Whether or not you're going to be able to reach calculus in high school is basically already decided for you by the time you're 10 years old (if you don't get recommended for accelerated math at the end of 3rd and/or 5th grade.). Isn't rigor based on the most rigorous classes available to you (i.e. taking honors or AP math classes at the level you're currently at, whether on-grade or ahead)? Or are kids really not able to be considered as taking a highly rigorous courseload if their 5th grade teacher didn't think they were ready for accelerated math at 10 or 11 and so they can't get to Algebra 1 until 9th grade?

Algebra 1 in 8th is the on level track in MCPS. You can do Alg. 1 in 8th, leading to calculus with no summer classes, even if you didn’t do accelerated math at 10.

No, totally inaccurate. Algebra 1 comes after math 8. To get into Algebra 1 in 8th grade you need either compression of 4-6 into 2 years in ES or compression of 6-8 into 2 years in MS. (If you have acceleration/compaction in both ES and MS you will be 2 years ahead and take Algebra 1 in 7th.) Not getting recommended for accelerated math by your 5th grade teacher means you miss out on your last chance to make it to algebra in MS and calculus in HS unless you take summer classes or take two math classes the same year or do some non-standard skipping that requires you to miss some math content in MS (none of which most kids will do.)

Can folks clarify how big of a disadvantage this puts you at for UMCP? Will high schools not check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they run out of time? Does UMCP care about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself?

You obviously don't have kids in MCPS.
Algebra 1 in 8th grade is on-level in MCPS.
Algebra 1 in 9th grade is below level

What are you talking about? Do *you* not have kids in MCPS? Or are middle schools across the county that different on this? At ours, you go from Math 5 into Math 6, 7, and 8 in middle school unless you get a special recommendation from your 5th grade math teacher that you should be moved up a level into the fast track which covers that same content in two years so you can get to Algebra 1 in 8th grade. Otherwise everyone's in Math 6.

Math 8 is a review of prealgebra content from math 6 and 7. You can go 6, 7, algebra

[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:How rigorous a courseload are they looking for? How many APs do you typically need to take to get in-- do kids sometimes get in with only a handful of AP classes or do they need to be closer to maxing them out? Do they have to be on the advanced math track/make it to calculus by senior year to get in, or is it okay to be on grade level and just do pre-calc or AP Stats senior year (if not interested in STEM)?

28:15 here, our kid had 12 APs, mostly humanities (not math/science), but also Econ, and got 5s on all AP exams, including micro and macro economics.

My MCPS Wootton grad did not have close to 12 APs. Maybe he had 7? He didn’t have all 5s for scores either. All his other courses were honors though, except the PE and art credits. UMD wants to see rigor but is not over the top in expectations. He did have a great GPA (4.7 weighted) and a good SAT and I think that in recent years both have been required for admission.

What year was this, and what subjects were his higher vs lower rigor classes in? What was his highest class in math? Thanks!

AP Precalculus.

Thanks! Was this in the last couple of years? Can anyone else confirm that kids have been getting in with grade-level math (ending in pre-calc or stats) rather than accelerated to reach calculus in HS?

For some majors and depending on the HS you are from/connections, its possible but its pretty surprising that that is considered rigor.

What do you mean? Whether or not you're going to be able to reach calculus in high school is basically already decided for you by the time you're 10 years old (if you don't get recommended for accelerated math at the end of 3rd and/or 5th grade.). Isn't rigor based on the most rigorous classes available to you (i.e. taking honors or AP math classes at the level you're currently at, whether on-grade or ahead)? Or are kids really not able to be considered as taking a highly rigorous courseload if their 5th grade teacher didn't think they were ready for accelerated math at 10 or 11 and so they can't get to Algebra 1 until 9th grade?

Algebra 1 in 8th is the on level track in MCPS. You can do Alg. 1 in 8th, leading to calculus with no summer classes, even if you didn’t do accelerated math at 10.

No, totally inaccurate. Algebra 1 comes after math 8. To get into Algebra 1 in 8th grade you need either compression of 4-6 into 2 years in ES or compression of 6-8 into 2 years in MS. (If you have acceleration/compaction in both ES and MS you will be 2 years ahead and take Algebra 1 in 7th.) Not getting recommended for accelerated math by your 5th grade teacher means you miss out on your last chance to make it to algebra in MS and calculus in HS unless you take summer classes or take two math classes the same year or do some non-standard skipping that requires you to miss some math content in MS (none of which most kids will do.)

Can folks clarify how big of a disadvantage this puts you at for UMCP? Will high schools not check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they run out of time? Does UMCP care about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself?

You obviously don't have kids in MCPS.
Algebra 1 in 8th grade is on-level in MCPS.
Algebra 1 in 9th grade is below level

What are you talking about? Do *you* not have kids in MCPS? Or are middle schools across the county that different on this? At ours, you go from Math 5 into Math 6, 7, and 8 in middle school unless you get a special recommendation from your 5th grade math teacher that you should be moved up a level into the fast track which covers that same content in two years so you can get to Algebra 1 in 8th grade. Otherwise everyone's in Math 6.

Math 8 is a review of prealgebra content from math 6 and 7. You can go 6, 7, algebra

Right, I think many school don't have "Math 8," it's AMP6+ (skipped if you do compacted), AMP7+, then Algebra 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How rigorous a courseload are they looking for? How many APs do you typically need to take to get in-- do kids sometimes get in with only a handful of AP classes or do they need to be closer to maxing them out? Do they have to be on the advanced math track/make it to calculus by senior year to get in, or is it okay to be on grade level and just do pre-calc or AP Stats senior year (if not interested in STEM)?

28:15 here, our kid had 12 APs, mostly humanities (not math/science), but also Econ, and got 5s on all AP exams, including micro and macro economics.

My MCPS Wootton grad did not have close to 12 APs. Maybe he had 7? He didn’t have all 5s for scores either. All his other courses were honors though, except the PE and art credits. UMD wants to see rigor but is not over the top in expectations. He did have a great GPA (4.7 weighted) and a good SAT and I think that in recent years both have been required for admission.

What year was this, and what subjects were his higher vs lower rigor classes in? What was his highest class in math? Thanks!

AP Precalculus.

Thanks! Was this in the last couple of years? Can anyone else confirm that kids have been getting in with grade-level math (ending in pre-calc or stats) rather than accelerated to reach calculus in HS?

For some majors and depending on the HS you are from/connections, its possible but its pretty surprising that that is considered rigor.

What do you mean? Whether or not you're going to be able to reach calculus in high school is basically already decided for you by the time you're 10 years old (if you don't get recommended for accelerated math at the end of 3rd and/or 5th grade.). Isn't rigor based on the most rigorous classes available to you (i.e. taking honors or AP math classes at the level you're currently at, whether on-grade or ahead)? Or are kids really not able to be considered as taking a highly rigorous courseload if their 5th grade teacher didn't think they were ready for accelerated math at 10 or 11 and so they can't get to Algebra 1 until 9th grade?

Algebra 1 in 8th is the on level track in MCPS. You can do Alg. 1 in 8th, leading to calculus with no summer classes, even if you didn’t do accelerated math at 10.

No, totally inaccurate. Algebra 1 comes after math 8. To get into Algebra 1 in 8th grade you need either compression of 4-6 into 2 years in ES or compression of 6-8 into 2 years in MS. (If you have acceleration/compaction in both ES and MS you will be 2 years ahead and take Algebra 1 in 7th.) Not getting recommended for accelerated math by your 5th grade teacher means you miss out on your last chance to make it to algebra in MS and calculus in HS unless you take summer classes or take two math classes the same year or do some non-standard skipping that requires you to miss some math content in MS (none of which most kids will do.)

Can folks clarify how big of a disadvantage this puts you at for UMCP? Will high schools not check the "most rigorous" box for kids who can't make it to calculus in HS because they run out of time? Does UMCP care about the "most rigorous" box and/or the lack of calculus itself?

DP.

Alg1 in 8th is on track - this gets you to calc in 12th grade
Alg 1 in 7th is advanced - this gets you to calc in 11th grade (that's both my kids)
Alg 1 in 9th is behind

No, you are incorrect. That is actually what Jack Smith tried to do, and then when so many kids struggled in HS math had to pull back. They offer acceleration to allow kids to take algebra 1 in 8th grade when appropriate, but the on-grade level class is Algebra 1 in 9th. Kids who do compacted math in 4-5 and prealgebra in 6th can take compacted math in 7, and that is the super-accelerated track.

[Anonymous]

New separate post on middle school math, can folks take this part of the conversation there? https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1295718.page

Please feel free to continue discussing whether/how much it matters to UMCP whether kids have gotten to calculus by senior year in HS, though!

[Anonymous]

What about kids with crap grades? Can they get into another Maryland state school, like salisbury? What happens to Maryland kids who aren't good students now that UMCP is for good students only? It wasn't always like that.