letter received today from MCPS about HGC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended. Don't have much time to write up but what I heard was encouraging. In the pilot areas the same test is administered but on computer so it can be scored faster. There are no plans to change the selection criteria. Selection for the in school HGCs will be centralized. So what we are ending up with is more seats and more kids tested which all sounds reasonable.

Math... there are 2x more kids are in math 4/5 than 5/6 this year since they softened up the criteria. This sounds like a mistake to me.

+1 They seem to be reverting back to pushing more kids to accelerate even if they are not necessarily ready to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended. Don't have much time to write up but what I heard was encouraging. In the pilot areas the same test is administered but on computer so it can be scored faster. There are no plans to change the selection criteria. Selection for the in school HGCs will be centralized. So what we are ending up with is more seats and more kids tested which all sounds reasonable.

Math... there are 2x more kids are in math 4/5 than 5/6 this year since they softened up the criteria. This sounds like a mistake to me.

So if only 10 kids meet the criteria at those schools, they will have one small class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended. Don't have much time to write up but what I heard was encouraging. In the pilot areas the same test is administered but on computer so it can be scored faster. There are no plans to change the selection criteria. Selection for the in school HGCs will be centralized. So what we are ending up with is more seats and more kids tested which all sounds reasonable.

Math... there are 2x more kids are in math 4/5 than 5/6 this year since they softened up the criteria. This sounds like a mistake to me.

So if only 10 kids meet the criteria at those schools, they will have one small class?

NP... at our school, the compacted math kids are in the same math class as on track kids. The teacher has to teach both. Not ideal iMO.

[Anonymous]

On the question of the 2017-18 HGC expansion, did the say whether those new centers or seats will also be in-school HGCs and how are those schools being chosen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended. Don't have much time to write up but what I heard was encouraging. In the pilot areas the same test is administered but on computer so it can be scored faster. There are no plans to change the selection criteria. Selection for the in school HGCs will be centralized. So what we are ending up with is more seats and more kids tested which all sounds reasonable.

Math... there are 2x more kids are in math 4/5 than 5/6 this year since they softened up the criteria. This sounds like a mistake to me.

So if only 10 kids meet the criteria at those schools, they will have one small class?

NP... at our school, the compacted math kids are in the same math class as on track kids. The teacher has to teach both. Not ideal iMO.

I was referring to the HGC seats not compacted math but that is interesting to know..not at all ideal.

[Anonymous]

What do they mean by no plans to change the selection criteria? So would the median scores be similar at that school-based center as in previous years for that cluster?
If so that really makes my mind bend because that means that maybe there are enough kids at many many schools for a full HGC class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do they mean by no plans to change the selection criteria? So would the median scores be similar at that school-based center as in previous years for that cluster?
If so that really makes my mind bend because that means that maybe there are enough kids at many many schools for a full HGC class?

I assume the median scores will be lower at the school-based centers. They said these schools were chosen because they typically have a larger than average number of admitted students. Whatever magic formula they used now (scores, grades, recommendations) remains in place.

[Anonymous]

They explained the Pine Crest/Oak View HGC by adding a fourth classroom this year. The scores were definitely lower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended. Don't have much time to write up but what I heard was encouraging. In the pilot areas the same test is administered but on computer so it can be scored faster. There are no plans to change the selection criteria. Selection for the in school HGCs will be centralized. So what we are ending up with is more seats and more kids tested which all sounds reasonable.

Math... there are 2x more kids are in math 4/5 than 5/6 this year since they softened up the criteria. This sounds like a mistake to me.

So if only 10 kids meet the criteria at those schools, they will have one small class?

NP... at our school, the compacted math kids are in the same math class as on track kids. The teacher has to teach both. Not ideal iMO.

What?? What is the point of that? Does the teacher come up with two separate lesson plans?