CES Decision Letters

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I already posted on this thread.

People, just because MCPS spells it out in some docs and doesn't in others... they take cohorts very much into account for the CES and all magnet programs.

You are free to disbelieve me. However I am just stating the reality.

I'm disbelieving because it seems more likely this is something that parents want to believe in order to rag on MCPS.

They'd spell it out as they do for middle school if it were the case.

Cohort doesn't matter as much for the regional CES because the catchment areas for each center are smaller and more homogenous than the MS magnet catchment areas. I found the report very interesting and hadn't seen it before so thanks to PP who posted it.

Basically it has little to no impact on CES selection but some parents need a boogeyman to blame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone received a letter yet?

Put in the mail March 29th according to woman who gave test for private school kids

[Anonymous]

During the parent meeting back in January, they did say that they consider the peer group in the existing elementary school. They said they were looking for at least 5 students, so that even in the event of illness, there would be enough students to instruct at that higher level.
So not something made up by parents, but possibly an escape route for MCPS, because it is hard to question the qualifications of other students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:During the parent meeting back in January, they did say that they consider the peer group in the existing elementary school. They said they were looking for at least 5 students, so that even in the event of illness, there would be enough students to instruct at that higher level.
So not something made up by parents, but possibly an escape route for MCPS, because it is hard to question the qualifications of other students.

Interesting... well that's great except most schools don't actually put those kids in the same class, nor have any curriculum to instruct them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:During the parent meeting back in January, they did say that they consider the peer group in the existing elementary school. They said they were looking for at least 5 students, so that even in the event of illness, there would be enough students to instruct at that higher level.
So not something made up by parents, but possibly an escape route for MCPS, because it is hard to question the qualifications of other students.

Interesting... well that's great except most schools don't actually put those kids in the same class, nor have any curriculum to instruct them.

This is very true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am sure this is the CW in DCUM, but I suspect this is correct only for Chevy Chase and Cold Spring. For Barnsley and Drew it is not true as they both serve schools with very high FARMS/ESOL as well as very low FARMS/ESOL, so peer cohort will have an impact on admissions. I would guess this would be true for most other centers as well.

This is purely anecdotal, but my child is at a regional CES that draws from a very diverse catchment zone. The lowest FARMS rate in the zone is about 10 percent. The highest is about 70 percent. So, a huge swing. Based on my child's class (current 5th) and the class that came in the next year, I do not get the impression that the higher FARMS school is sending the bulk of the kids to the program. If anything, it seems pretty evenly split.

They tried to have representation from every school. This is not in dispute. But the kids who are FARMS get an advantage over kids who are not so if a school has 4 kids that are outliers and a child with FARMS status who scores just below the 4th kid this child plus the top three scoreres might get admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I am sure this is the CW in DCUM, but I suspect this is correct only for Chevy Chase and Cold Spring. For Barnsley and Drew it is not true as they both serve schools with very high FARMS/ESOL as well as very low FARMS/ESOL, so peer cohort will have an impact on admissions. I would guess this would be true for most other centers as well.

This is purely anecdotal, but my child is at a regional CES that draws from a very diverse catchment zone. The lowest FARMS rate in the zone is about 10 percent. The highest is about 70 percent. So, a huge swing. Based on my child's class (current 5th) and the class that came in the next year, I do not get the impression that the higher FARMS school is sending the bulk of the kids to the program. If anything, it seems pretty evenly split.

They tried to have representation from every school. This is not in dispute. But the kids who are FARMS get an advantage over kids who are not so if a school has 4 kids that are outliers and a child with FARMS status who scores just below the 4th kid this child plus the top three scoreres might get admission.

I would argue that the "child with FARMS status" who scores just below the 4th "outlier" is much more of an outlier. People on this forum seem to believe that their children were just born smart and high achievers; their upbringing and family resources had absolutely nothing to do with that. Despite the mountain of evidence that says otherwise. If people want the CES program to target achievement, that's fine, but at least be honest about it. And don't cast aspersions on every FARMS kid who was able to get selected. 25 years from now, that kid likely will be eating your kid's lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone think the CES letters will come today? It came 2 days early for the Takoma/Eastern results.

Nothing coming today in my USPS Informed Delivery, and also nothing posted on the MCPS portal (for my current fifth grader, Cogat scores were posted the same day we received the magnet letter). Also, the weekly email from our elementary school (that houses a CES) said that CES letters would be mailed the week of April 1, although I'm still hoping for this week.

Doesn't look like anything coming again today (Thursday) by USPS, and nothing in the portal.

[Anonymous]

Question:

When PPs say scores were posted on the Portal the day letters were mailed, do they mean they also had the resulting decision as to whether their children were accepted, wait-listed or rejected?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Question:

When PPs say scores were posted on the Portal the day letters were mailed, do they mean they also had the resulting decision as to whether their children were accepted, wait-listed or rejected?

Thanks.

For my fifth grader, only the score report was posted. Much later - may be a month or so after we got the decision letter - the copy of the decision letter was also posted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Question:

When PPs say scores were posted on the Portal the day letters were mailed, do they mean they also had the resulting decision as to whether their children were accepted, wait-listed or rejected?

Thanks.

I think they are talking about MS and/or HS this year? Last year for CES I don't think anything went up on the portal but maybe this is the first year they posted stuff online for MS and HS too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Question:

When PPs say scores were posted on the Portal the day letters were mailed, do they mean they also had the resulting decision as to whether their children were accepted, wait-listed or rejected?

Thanks.

I think they are talking about MS and/or HS this year? Last year for CES I don't think anything went up on the portal but maybe this is the first year they posted stuff online for MS and HS too.

Yes, I'm a PP and was talking about the MS results for my 5th grader this year (Cogat results posted the same day that letters were received, but the letter was posted to the portal about a month later). Two years ago when my child was a 3rd grader and went through the pilot CES selection process, nothing was posted (did the portal even exist then? I feel like I only started to access it last year). I'm assuming results will be posted for my current third grader, but I think it would be new this year. However, the portal does show the "central review letter" for my 3rd grader (the one that said they were being considered for testing for the CES), so I expect that eventually the test and selection results will be posted there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Question:

When PPs say scores were posted on the Portal the day letters were mailed, do they mean they also had the resulting decision as to whether their children were accepted, wait-listed or rejected?

Thanks.

For my fifth grader, only the score report was posted. Much later - may be a month or so after we got the decision letter - the copy of the decision letter was also posted.

Thank you. So basically, you saw the scores and wondered (agonized about) what they might entail, until the letter came in the post?

Delightful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone think the CES letters will come today? It came 2 days early for the Takoma/Eastern results.

Nothing coming today in my USPS Informed Delivery, and also nothing posted on the MCPS portal (for my current fifth grader, Cogat scores were posted the same day we received the magnet letter). Also, the weekly email from our elementary school (that houses a CES) said that CES letters would be mailed the week of April 1, although I'm still hoping for this week.

Doesn't look like anything coming again today (Thursday) by USPS, and nothing in the portal.

Friday update -- once again, nothing in the mail, nothing on the portal. Hope they get mailed today!

[Anonymous]

This play by play is pretty funny. Thanks for the update.