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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Wow, STEM magnet with a 60th percentile score. I can see giving some boost for higher FARM rates, but this seems excessive.  60th national percentile might actually be below average in MCPS.[/quote]

I'm going to ask a dumb question.  If a child is in 60th percentile and another child is in the 92% percentile, aren't' the 2 children at different levels?  How does attending the magnet program help either student?   [/quote]

They are, but the theory MCPS is working with here is that the MS magnets aren't just for kids who are already high achievers, but also for those who have the potential to excel and would not have a peer group at their home MS. The eight elementary schools with that low threshold are also *incredibly* high needs. Unlike some of the moderate FARMS schools, there really are very few MS kids in those eight schools. They exist, but these are schools with 90+ percent of kids receiving FARMS. So, there's a good chance that any random kid you pull out of that pool is experiencing real poverty, may be an English Language Learner, and has parents who may not speak English and may not have the resources to push in extensive prep.

So, the MCPS theory is that a kid hitting 60% with those disadvantages might have the same potential as a kid hitting 95% with every advantage in the world.

Of course, it's not a perfect system because it's based on averages. Not every single kid at Arcola is poor, and not every single kid at Bethesda is getting test prep on the weekends, but MCPS is looking at averages. [/quote]

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