Data Call - HGC Medians of Admitted Students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Barnsley: V-132, Q-134, NV-127

Chevy Chase: V-137, Q-135, NV-129

Clearspring: V-129, Q-132, NV- 126

Cold Spring: V-136, Q-144, NV- 137

Fox Chapel: V-131 Q-135 NV-127

Drew: V-128, Q-131, NV -122

Pine Crest/Oak View: V-129, Q- 126, NV- 122

What did this achieve anyways?

[Anonymous]

I've been wondering that too.

[Anonymous]

Rationale and discussion of its helpfulness/legitimacy appears earlier in e thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rationale and discussion of its helpfulness/legitimacy appears earlier in e thread.

But the question wasn't answered then and still hasn't been answered -- except for that maybe somebody would decide not to move to Potomac.

[Anonymous]

The prior rationale was to provide information to interested parents. Full stop. Someone opined that it might affect residence decisions, but that was shot down.

And who cares - maybe the best answer is to provide a target for test preppers!

[Anonymous]

Bumping for he poor soul who accidentally resurrected the 2012 thread on this topic.

[Anonymous]

The process of getting into the HGC programs is BS.

1) A disproportionate number of kids take test prep courses to prepare for the testing. If your child did not take the test prep, then they are at a disadvantage in taking the test.

2) If you have connections and your teacher/school ranks your child at the top of all candidates (regardless of scores), your child normally will get in. It's all politics.

3) The county is swinging it's quotas now to favor minorities in the HGC programs. Again, making the median scores are only a small factor in consideration. The HGC won't let you view the teacher and school recommendations for your child so you don't see all the data points. Your child can be a better candidate but loses his slot because he is white or Asian.

[Anonymous]

What is your source for this information?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The process of getting into the HGC programs is BS.

1) A disproportionate number of kids take test prep courses to prepare for the testing. If your child did not take the test prep, then they are at a disadvantage in taking the test.

2) If you have connections and your teacher/school ranks your child at the top of all candidates (regardless of scores), your child normally will get in. It's all politics.

3) The county is swinging it's quotas now to favor minorities in the HGC programs. Again, making the median scores are only a small factor in consideration. The HGC won't let you view the teacher and school recommendations for your child so you don't see all the data points. Your child can be a better candidate but loses his slot because he is white or Asian.

Nothing that you've said is true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The process of getting into the HGC programs is BS.

1) A disproportionate number of kids take test prep courses to prepare for the testing. If your child did not take the test prep, then they are at a disadvantage in taking the test.

2) If you have connections and your teacher/school ranks your child at the top of all candidates (regardless of scores), your child normally will get in. It's all politics.

3) The county is swinging it's quotas now to favor minorities in the HGC programs. Again, making the median scores are only a small factor in consideration. The HGC won't let you view the teacher and school recommendations for your child so you don't see all the data points. Your child can be a better candidate but loses his slot because he is white or Asian.

Nothing that you've said is true.

If you make the appropriate request you can see the school/teacher recommendation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The process of getting into the HGC programs is BS.

1) A disproportionate number of kids take test prep courses to prepare for the testing. If your child did not take the test prep, then they are at a disadvantage in taking the test.

2) If you have connections and your teacher/school ranks your child at the top of all candidates (regardless of scores), your child normally will get in. It's all politics.

3) The county is swinging it's quotas now to favor minorities in the HGC programs. Again, making the median scores are only a small factor in consideration. The HGC won't let you view the teacher and school recommendations for your child so you don't see all the data points. Your child can be a better candidate but loses his slot because he is white or Asian.

If MCPS did this, MCPS would be breaking the law. Are you saying that MCPS is breaking the law? What is the source of your information about this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The process of getting into the HGC programs is BS.

1) A disproportionate number of kids take test prep courses to prepare for the testing. If your child did not take the test prep, then they are at a disadvantage in taking the test.

2) If you have connections and your teacher/school ranks your child at the top of all candidates (regardless of scores), your child normally will get in. It's all politics.

3) The county is swinging it's quotas now to favor minorities in the HGC programs. Again, making the median scores are only a small factor in consideration. The HGC won't let you view the teacher and school recommendations for your child so you don't see all the data points. Your child can be a better candidate but loses his slot because he is white or Asian.

lol... wrong on all 3 points:

1. DC did not prep at all, and actually, we didn't even know that that day dc was taking the test because it got rescheduled so many times due to snow days (dc is not very good about giving me papers from school); dc came home and told me dc took the test
2. we were new to mcps, so no political connection at all
3. dc is asian; there are more asian/whites that probably take the test than other urm. There are only so many spots, so the chance of any child getting in is low, regardless of race.

[Anonymous]

No matter how I put this, you are going to think I'm bragging. So be it...

The point is that it really is more about who applies rather than if they prep or if they are connected or their race.
This is why the new report is suggesting what to do to get more kids to apply to see who really is in the broader population.

From a few years back and a HGC not mentioned yet.
V-150, Q-152, NV-158

None of my DSs 6 (7 total kids) closest friends did any prep nor did any of them have any individual score below 140 and no two scores below 146. (Kids talk and compare ALL grades/scores.)
They found each other long before the HGC test. They are three different races and have different levels of social/athletic/musical skills but they grouped together to have someone their own age to talk to.
One of them has the charisma of JFK but will seek out the violin master because she can make her laugh and her A group friends have too much charisma of their own to be together all the time.

You could say that their educated parents prepped them but really their interactions with each other prepped them. That is why it is important to cast a wide net for the HGCs so they can prep each other
for MS and HS. None of them had any problem getting into either the MS nor HS magnets, never even waitlisted.

"There are only so many spots, so the chance of any child getting in is low, regardless of race."

My guess is that there is a group of kids whose chances of getting in are not low. This makes the rest of the spots twice as hard to get if any of your scores are near the medians. This idea has been
written about regarding college applications but it also seems to apply to magnets in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No matter how I put this, you are going to think I'm bragging. So be it...

The point is that it really is more about who applies rather than if they prep or if they are connected or their race.
This is why the new report is suggesting what to do to get more kids to apply to see who really is in the broader population.

From a few years back and a HGC not mentioned yet.
V-150, Q-152, NV-158

None of my DSs 6 (7 total kids) closest friends did any prep nor did any of them have any individual score below 140 and no two scores below 146. (Kids talk and compare ALL grades/scores.)
They found each other long before the HGC test. They are three different races and have different levels of social/athletic/musical skills but they grouped together to have someone their own age to talk to.
One of them has the charisma of JFK but will seek out the violin master because she can make her laugh and her A group friends have too much charisma of their own to be together all the time.

You could say that their educated parents prepped them but really their interactions with each other prepped them. That is why it is important to cast a wide net for the HGCs so they can prep each other
for MS and HS. None of them had any problem getting into either the MS nor HS magnets, never even waitlisted.

"There are only so many spots, so the chance of any child getting in is low, regardless of race."

My guess is that there is a group of kids whose chances of getting in are not low. This makes the rest of the spots twice as hard to get if any of your scores are near the medians. This idea has been
written about regarding college applications but it also seems to apply to magnets in MCPS.

Your child's scores are well above the mean, therefore it would be hard to deny a spot. However, if most kids in the program are testing like your child, then why is the mean so low? Not everyone is getting those type of scores and still make it into the program.

MCPS should be looking at not only the racial mix of those who get into the program but the success rate of those who are able to complete the program. Not everyone they admit is up to the challenge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, the only outlier is Coldspring.... Differences in all the other centers aren't really significant.

And CS HGC is something like 90% Asian.

That's untrue. Stop spreading the rumor. Another Myth is that HGCs are mostly girls.

This is true, not an unfounded rumor. CS has more boys than girls.