Getting into Takoma Park Middle School's magnet as a boy

[Anonymous]

They explained at the recent info session that they reserve slots because the students will go to TPMS regardless of whether they are in the magnet. So they would like to include those in the school who are qualified to be in the magnet. They can't include everyone outside of the school in the magnet who is qualified because they are only given 100 spots for people outside the area.

[Anonymous]

It's unfair, though, that Eastern does not reserve spots for local students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:THey implied at the orientation session that they do some gender balancing so probably a girl has a better chance of getting in because fewer girls apply.

However. There are 800 applicants for 100 spots plus 25 additional spots that go to cluster kids. So the odds are not high. By all means apply but don't make it the only acceptable option.

Why do they have 25 additional spots for cluster kids? It is a competitive-admissions program. Makes no sense.

They had to lock some slots in as in the early days the program was dominated by kids from the W's. They still represent a large portion of the admitted kids and a majority some years

A majority? I doubt it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:THey implied at the orientation session that they do some gender balancing so probably a girl has a better chance of getting in because fewer girls apply.

However. There are 800 applicants for 100 spots plus 25 additional spots that go to cluster kids. So the odds are not high. By all means apply but don't make it the only acceptable option.

Why do they have 25 additional spots for cluster kids? It is a competitive-admissions program. Makes no sense.

They had to lock some slots in as in the early days the program was dominated by kids from the W's. They still represent a large portion of the admitted kids and a majority some years

A majority? I doubt it.

They limit the number per home middle school.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure about the limiting considering that at least over 1/3 of my grade (current 8th grade TPMS magnet) is from either barnsley or cold spring, myself included, and I will tell you that the 25 people that get easier slots because they are close to the school still have to pass all the magnet requirements, so just think of it as an 'extra group', that's in the magnet. Barnsley and Cold Spring each have over 20 of us that made it into the school so the 'limit' is completely false, however in another ES it might be different. I do agree with the fact that you have to do better than the average person at your school, because the point of the magnet is that it takes people above average, not below or on average, as what would be the point of the magnet taking below average students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure about the limiting considering that at least over 1/3 of my grade (current 8th grade TPMS magnet) is from either barnsley or cold spring, myself included, and I will tell you that the 25 people that get easier slots because they are close to the school still have to pass all the magnet requirements, so just think of it as an 'extra group', that's in the magnet. Barnsley and Cold Spring each have over 20 of us that made it into the school so the 'limit' is completely false, however in another ES it might be different. I do agree with the fact that you have to do better than the average person at your school, because the point of the magnet is that it takes people above average, not below or on average, as what would be the point of the magnet taking below average students?

Students in the HGC programs have different home middle schools. The consideration is to not take too many kids from any one home middle school. It is true that many HGC students go on to the middle school magnets but they come from a variety of home middle schools/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[b]As a takoma park student myself id like to mention that the things you are saying are not correct, they dont trim off half of the 800 applicants ( in my case 1200). what happens is they trim off 3/4 of it and the rest is on grades and reports, and the 25 cluster students really arent fair because they get a free spot even if they cant do log(10) in 6th grade like the other real applicants. Id also like to point out that all the kids that left the magnet or got C's or D's in classes were non magnets proving they shouldnt get a free spot because they bring down the average of the magnet as a whole. [b]

Just another perspective.
I had 2 kids in Takoma. One was taking Geometry in 7th grade. Both could not do log(10) in 6th or 8th grade...
There is turnover from both local and non-local kids. I know plenty from W cluster who left.
However, as far as I know if outside kid leaves the program seat will go to local kids in upper grades. (Some good local kids, sometimes ones who just moved to Takoma cluster, were added in 7th grade. One of my kids was big friend of one of such kids who just started in 7th grade.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter had scores right at the average of the accepted students but was rejected by the meganet. The reason was that they don't not accept too many, no more than 5/6, students from one middle schoo cluster! That means if you live in one of the middle school with a lot of highly archived students, your dear DC has to be better than the average accepted students.

Where did you get this information?

This is absolutely true. Magnets are not balanced by race or gender. They are balanced by Geographical Region.
It is known fact. It is official. If you want to get criteria you can do FOIA (but you will have to extract data from them, it is difficult.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter had scores right at the average of the accepted students but was rejected by the meganet. The reason was that they don't not accept too many, no more than 5/6, students from one middle schoo cluster! That means if you live in one of the middle school with a lot of highly archived students, your dear DC has to be better than the average accepted students.

Where did you get this information?

This is absolutely true. Magnets are not balanced by race or gender. They are balanced by Geographical Region.
It is known fact. It is official. If you want to get criteria you can do FOIA (but you will have to extract data from them, it is difficult.)

At the TPMS information meeting last month the coordinator says that they consider gender and that they admit 50/50 but more boys accept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure about the limiting considering that at least over 1/3 of my grade (current 8th grade TPMS magnet) is from either barnsley or cold spring, myself included, and I will tell you that the 25 people that get easier slots because they are close to the school still have to pass all the magnet requirements, so just think of it as an 'extra group', that's in the magnet. Barnsley and Cold Spring each have over 20 of us that made it into the school so the 'limit' is completely false, however in another ES it might be different. I do agree with the fact that you have to do better than the average person at your school, because the point of the magnet is that it takes people above average, not below or on average, as what would be the point of the magnet taking below average students?

You're pretty articulate for an 8th grader....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure about the limiting considering that at least over 1/3 of my grade (current 8th grade TPMS magnet) is from either barnsley or cold spring, myself included, and I will tell you that the 25 people that get easier slots because they are close to the school still have to pass all the magnet requirements, so just think of it as an 'extra group', that's in the magnet. Barnsley and Cold Spring each have over 20 of us that made it into the school so the 'limit' is completely false, however in another ES it might be different. I do agree with the fact that you have to do better than the average person at your school, because the point of the magnet is that it takes people above average, not below or on average, as what would be the point of the magnet taking below average students?

You're pretty articulate for an 8th grader....

+1 -- I wish my college students wrote this well!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure about the limiting considering that at least over 1/3 of my grade (current 8th grade TPMS magnet) is from either barnsley or cold spring, myself included, and I will tell you that the 25 people that get easier slots because they are close to the school still have to pass all the magnet requirements, so just think of it as an 'extra group', that's in the magnet. Barnsley and Cold Spring each have over 20 of us that made it into the school so the 'limit' is completely false, however in another ES it might be different. I do agree with the fact that you have to do better than the average person at your school, because the point of the magnet is that it takes people above average, not below or on average, as what would be the point of the magnet taking below average students?

You're pretty articulate for an 8th grader....

+1 -- I wish my college students wrote this well!

I am troubled that your college students don't write this well. Did they go to MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure about the limiting considering that at least over 1/3 of my grade (current 8th grade TPMS magnet) is from either barnsley or cold spring, myself included, and I will tell you that the 25 people that get easier slots because they are close to the school still have to pass all the magnet requirements, so just think of it as an 'extra group', that's in the magnet. Barnsley and Cold Spring each have over 20 of us that made it into the school so the 'limit' is completely false, however in another ES it might be different. I do agree with the fact that you have to do better than the average person at your school, because the point of the magnet is that it takes people above average, not below or on average, as what would be the point of the magnet taking below average students?

You're pretty articulate for an 8th grader....

+1 -- I wish my college students wrote this well!

I am troubled that your college students don't write this well. Did they go to MCPS?

Some are from MD, so I assume yes!