How do you think this year's high school magnet selection process ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It opened the door to much more students who wouldn't have applied to the magnet if the application was not so simple as this year (and last year?).

The magnet program used to be an exclusive club for well-informed students/families with resources. But it will change.

This was a good thing. The cohort at magnet schools used to be a good security net to fall back on because everyone was at least good at so e of the subjects and could complement each others’ weaknesses. Now they are picking based on home school cohorts, resulting in random kids who could care less about school getting into blair because of “diversity” and lowering the collective gpa of the magnet, making it less favorable to colleges looking for kids from good high school programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It opened the door to much more students who wouldn't have applied to the magnet if the application was not so simple as this year (and last year?).

The magnet program used to be an exclusive club for well-informed students/families with resources. But it will change.

This was a good thing. The cohort at magnet schools used to be a good security net to fall back on because everyone was at least good at so e of the subjects and could complement each others’ weaknesses. Now they are picking based on home school cohorts, resulting in random kids who could care less about school getting into blair because of “diversity” and lowering the collective gpa of the magnet, making it less favorable to colleges looking for kids from good high school programs.

Pretty impressive rant, except that Blair acceptances don’t take cohort into account. So you’re talking about some sort of high school program that doesn’t actually exist.

And no high school kid signs up for that volume of work or spends hours on the bus every day if they don’t care about school. Where on earth would you get the idea that diversity = apathy?

[Anonymous]

They do not use cohort criteria in HS applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a friendly reminder that the so-called cohort criteria is not being used for high school admissions and probably should be discussed in another thread, lest people get confused

when did the heavily weighted peer cohort criteria start for MS magnets or HS magnets in MCPS?

and why if MoCo is 500 square miles and 220 schools are they located on the north and east fringes of the county? I presume many families work in downtown Bethesda, DC, Arlington, Tysons and thus live west and south.

Germantown, Takoma Park, and Montgomery Knolls may be north and/or east of you, but that doesn't mean they're in the "north and east fringes of the county."

In my experience, it's easy for people in the west/upcounty to fail to understand how many people live in the east/down county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It opened the door to much more students who wouldn't have applied to the magnet if the application was not so simple as this year (and last year?).

The magnet program used to be an exclusive club for well-informed students/families with resources. But it will change.

This was a good thing. The cohort at magnet schools used to be a good security net to fall back on because everyone was at least good at so e of the subjects and could complement each others’ weaknesses. Now they are picking based on home school cohorts, resulting in random kids who could care less about school getting into blair because of “diversity” and lowering the collective gpa of the magnet, making it less favorable to colleges looking for kids from good high school programs.

Pretty impressive rant, except that Blair acceptances don’t take cohort into account. So you’re talking about some sort of high school program that doesn’t actually exist.

And no high school kid signs up for that volume of work or spends hours on the bus every day if they don’t care about school. Where on earth would you get the idea that diversity = apathy?

+1 Cohort criteria is not used in Blair admissions, or admissions to any of the other competitive magnet programs. Perhaps ranty PP was talking about simplifying the application, which does reduce one barrier to entry but does not mean anything about admissions standards.

Honestly, I think this thread is a little premature. Most folks only know whether their own child, and maybe some of their kids' friends, got in at this point. No one has any idea whether making the applications easier, and opening the regional IB centers, had any impact on student quality becuase these kids haven't started high school yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It opened the door to much more students who wouldn't have applied to the magnet if the application was not so simple as this year (and last year?).

The magnet program used to be an exclusive club for well-informed students/families with resources. But it will change.

This was a good thing. The cohort at magnet schools used to be a good security net to fall back on because everyone was at least good at so e of the subjects and could complement each others’ weaknesses. Now they are picking based on home school cohorts, resulting in random kids who could care less about school getting into blair because of “diversity” and lowering the collective gpa of the magnet, making it less favorable to colleges looking for kids from good high school programs.

Pretty impressive rant, except that Blair acceptances don’t take cohort into account. So you’re talking about some sort of high school program that doesn’t actually exist.

And no high school kid signs up for that volume of work or spends hours on the bus every day if they don’t care about school. Where on earth would you get the idea that diversity = apathy?

People who write crap like that were carefully taught that racial minorities are intellectually inferior and have inappropriate priorities. They can’t imagine that there are bright and hard working black and brown kids whose families value education and hard work. DH said to me last night that people move to MoCo from all over the US to work in this area and bring not on their prejudices with them, but their expectations that the system will continue to keep them on top. MCPS is very scary and infuriating to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So? I thought MCPS stated that other schools were as equally good, but even if they aren't, that doesn't mean MCPS should be favoring one side over the other for a county wide program.

It's not a county-wide program. There are the middle-school magnet programs at Clemente/MLK, and there are the middle-school magnet programs at Takoma Park/Eastern.

Also, MCPS isn't favoring one side over the other. MCPS is saying that the outliers at each school get admitted to the middle-school magnet programs.

It's county wide for the southern part of the county. Clemente is for the northern side of the county. People who live in the W clusters are zoned for TP/Eastern magnet, not Clemente, which serves the northern portions of the county.

When MCPS uses peer cohort criteria, it does favor one side of the other because one side has waaay more higher performers than the other side, but they are effective giving the other side a bump up because of where they live.

And to PP's question of "how is it penalizing w clusters".. it does so because a student who happens to live in that cluster who scores higher than another student in another cluster but doesn't get in because of "peer cohort" basically is penalized because of where that student lives. If you pluck that student out of a W cluster, and put them in a school out east, then that student would probably get in. And no... families shouldn't have to move just so their kids don't get penalized for where they live. That would be gaming the system.

I think this generalization isn't truthful. Both sides of the county have similar numbers of high-performers. The difference is one side has higher ranked schools and parents who invest in prep. The cohort criteria levels this playing field so equally high-performing students in less affluent areas get the same opportunities.

How do you know how many students on the western side prep? Mine don't.

And no.. there aren't similar numbers of high performers on each side of the county. MCPS's own numbers show this.

According to a PP the enriched classes are good enough, so why not put those classes in TP, and bring the magnet to where there is greater need?

I was told they put it near the highest concentration of high-performers to reduce busing costs. Isn't the largest cohort in the magnet from Takoma?

? LOL.. No.

Actually PP is correct. 20 percent of magnet kids at TPMS are local.

TPMS magnet has 25 seat quota for in boundary kids, out of a total of 125 seats. So, yes, 20 percent of magnet kids at TPMS will always be local.

And, no - PP is not correct as to why the programs were placed there. Please read https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/info/choice/ChoiceStudyReport-Version2-20160307.pdf, especially the section on the history of special academic programs. Programs like MBHS/TPMS magnet were instituted to improve diversity and to fight white flight.

I see this canard about why these programs were placed in Takoma Park/Silver Spring off and on in DCUM, often by Takoma Park parents. It is pretty depressing since it shows a tremendous ignorance of history - school desegregation efforts in sixties, resulting white flight, etc. Anyone who thinks that in the seventies school systems were instituting special academic programs in areas that were becoming minority majority because they were suddenly very attentive to the needs of the high-performers in that area needs to brush up on history.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So? I thought MCPS stated that other schools were as equally good, but even if they aren't, that doesn't mean MCPS should be favoring one side over the other for a county wide program.

It's not a county-wide program. There are the middle-school magnet programs at Clemente/MLK, and there are the middle-school magnet programs at Takoma Park/Eastern.

Also, MCPS isn't favoring one side over the other. MCPS is saying that the outliers at each school get admitted to the middle-school magnet programs.

It's county wide for the southern part of the county. Clemente is for the northern side of the county. People who live in the W clusters are zoned for TP/Eastern magnet, not Clemente, which serves the northern portions of the county.

When MCPS uses peer cohort criteria, it does favor one side of the other because one side has waaay more higher performers than the other side, but they are effective giving the other side a bump up because of where they live.

And to PP's question of "how is it penalizing w clusters".. it does so because a student who happens to live in that cluster who scores higher than another student in another cluster but doesn't get in because of "peer cohort" basically is penalized because of where that student lives. If you pluck that student out of a W cluster, and put them in a school out east, then that student would probably get in. And no... families shouldn't have to move just so their kids don't get penalized for where they live. That would be gaming the system.

I think this generalization isn't truthful. Both sides of the county have similar numbers of high-performers. The difference is one side has higher ranked schools and parents who invest in prep. The cohort criteria levels this playing field so equally high-performing students in less affluent areas get the same opportunities.

How do you know how many students on the western side prep? Mine don't.

And no.. there aren't similar numbers of high performers on each side of the county. MCPS's own numbers show this.

According to a PP the enriched classes are good enough, so why not put those classes in TP, and bring the magnet to where there is greater need?

I was told they put it near the highest concentration of high-performers to reduce busing costs. Isn't the largest cohort in the magnet from Takoma?

True over 20% of the seats at TPMS are local so the program is currently located where the highest concentration is but this makes parents from the W's crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So? I thought MCPS stated that other schools were as equally good, but even if they aren't, that doesn't mean MCPS should be favoring one side over the other for a county wide program.

It's not a county-wide program. There are the middle-school magnet programs at Clemente/MLK, and there are the middle-school magnet programs at Takoma Park/Eastern.

Also, MCPS isn't favoring one side over the other. MCPS is saying that the outliers at each school get admitted to the middle-school magnet programs.

It's county wide for the southern part of the county. Clemente is for the northern side of the county. People who live in the W clusters are zoned for TP/Eastern magnet, not Clemente, which serves the northern portions of the county.

When MCPS uses peer cohort criteria, it does favor one side of the other because one side has waaay more higher performers than the other side, but they are effective giving the other side a bump up because of where they live.

And to PP's question of "how is it penalizing w clusters".. it does so because a student who happens to live in that cluster who scores higher than another student in another cluster but doesn't get in because of "peer cohort" basically is penalized because of where that student lives. If you pluck that student out of a W cluster, and put them in a school out east, then that student would probably get in. And no... families shouldn't have to move just so their kids don't get penalized for where they live. That would be gaming the system.

I think this generalization isn't truthful. Both sides of the county have similar numbers of high-performers. The difference is one side has higher ranked schools and parents who invest in prep. The cohort criteria levels this playing field so equally high-performing students in less affluent areas get the same opportunities.

How do you know how many students on the western side prep? Mine don't.

And no.. there aren't similar numbers of high performers on each side of the county. MCPS's own numbers show this.

According to a PP the enriched classes are good enough, so why not put those classes in TP, and bring the magnet to where there is greater need?

I was told they put it near the highest concentration of high-performers to reduce busing costs. Isn't the largest cohort in the magnet from Takoma?

True over 20% of the seats at TPMS are local so the program is currently located where the highest concentration is but this makes parents from the W's crazy.

Also, when you consider the additional high-performers from nearby SSIMS which has as many high-performers as any MS according to the county's statistics, it makes sense that they've kept it at TPMS.

[Anonymous]

Can someone describe in a comprehensive way the selection process/criteria?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone describe in a comprehensive way the selection process/criteria?

I have an 8th header who just went through it but only applied to one magnet. But my impression of the process is that all the kids had to do to apply was check the boxes of the programs they were interested in, and all they really seem to have taken into consideration are the cogat test and grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So? I thought MCPS stated that other schools were as equally good, but even if they aren't, that doesn't mean MCPS should be favoring one side over the other for a county wide program.

It's not a county-wide program. There are the middle-school magnet programs at Clemente/MLK, and there are the middle-school magnet programs at Takoma Park/Eastern.

Also, MCPS isn't favoring one side over the other. MCPS is saying that the outliers at each school get admitted to the middle-school magnet programs.

It's county wide for the southern part of the county. Clemente is for the northern side of the county. People who live in the W clusters are zoned for TP/Eastern magnet, not Clemente, which serves the northern portions of the county.

When MCPS uses peer cohort criteria, it does favor one side of the other because one side has waaay more higher performers than the other side, but they are effective giving the other side a bump up because of where they live.

And to PP's question of "how is it penalizing w clusters".. it does so because a student who happens to live in that cluster who scores higher than another student in another cluster but doesn't get in because of "peer cohort" basically is penalized because of where that student lives. If you pluck that student out of a W cluster, and put them in a school out east, then that student would probably get in. And no... families shouldn't have to move just so their kids don't get penalized for where they live. That would be gaming the system.

I think this generalization isn't truthful. Both sides of the county have similar numbers of high-performers. The difference is one side has higher ranked schools and parents who invest in prep. The cohort criteria levels this playing field so equally high-performing students in less affluent areas get the same opportunities.

How do you know how many students on the western side prep? Mine don't.

And no.. there aren't similar numbers of high performers on each side of the county. MCPS's own numbers show this.

According to a PP the enriched classes are good enough, so why not put those classes in TP, and bring the magnet to where there is greater need?

I was told they put it near the highest concentration of high-performers to reduce busing costs. Isn't the largest cohort in the magnet from Takoma?

True over 20% of the seats at TPMS are local so the program is currently located where the highest concentration is but this makes parents from the W's crazy.

Are we not speaking about high school magnet selection process on this thread? do the highly accomplished parents have a reading comprehension problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It opened the door to much more students who wouldn't have applied to the magnet if the application was not so simple as this year (and last year?).

People who write crap like that were carefully taught that racial minorities are intellectually inferior and have inappropriate priorities. They can’t imagine that there are bright and hard working black and brown kids whose families value education and hard work. DH said to me last night that people move to MoCo from all over the US to work in this area and bring not on their prejudices with them, but their expectations that the system will continue to keep them on top. MCPS is very scary and infuriating to them.

MCPS believes the only way to level the playing field is to lower the standard and use group norm method the boost minotity enrollment in the magnet programs. It is MCPS who believes that students from certain groups are inferior acadamically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone describe in a comprehensive way the selection process/criteria?

I have an 8th header who just went through it but only applied to one magnet. But my impression of the process is that all the kids had to do to apply was check the boxes of the programs they were interested in, and all they really seem to have taken into consideration are the cogat test and grades.

No - test scores, grades, recommendations, essays.

[Anonymous]

anyone else hear from springbrook IB program waitlist today?