Reply to What is going to happen to CAP & VAC?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I find all these changes overwhelming. Do i have this right:

--CAP program will stay the same, but will be just for in-boundary Blair students, not for students elsewhere in DCC?
--VAC: unclear, because there will be an investment in the arts at Northwood? Will in-boundary Einstein students still have a VAC? Or will they have VAC but not the arts academy?

My kid is in 8th grade, so i know both these programs will technically still be there, but i am concerned about the programs being dismantled. [/quote]

VAC remains at Esintein. From a straight enrollment perspective, it will probably be about the same, since a lot of the kids in VAC are already from nearby clusters (VAC doesn’t have transportation). Because of the way VAC classes are structured (double periods), they’re only open to magnet students, not the rest for the school.

There will be criteria based art magnets in each region but I’m doubtful that any of them will be as good as VAC, at least in the first few years.

Einstein will also have an interest-based Design pathway, which will be cool. I think those classes will be open to the full student body if there’s space after the magnet kids get their seats.

Northwood will have theatre and dance and Einstein will have music. They’ll technically be criteria programs but the baseline criteria will probably be participation in music, dance, or theatre in middle school. Again, those classes - band, orchestra, drama class-  are likely to be open to all students. I don’t think magnet kids would get automatic placement in audition-only ensembles like the jazz bands at Einstein or the dance companies at Northwood. Hopefully MCPS will let the teachers handle those details.

As for the pathways diluting each other, MCPS only plans to let 15 kids per year into each performing arts pathway of its not at their home school. There so much overlap between dance, vocal music, and theatre that kids will probably apply to both schools in the hopes of getting one of those very few spots. Instrumental music kids will probably gravitate to Einstein.

It sucks because in the DCC now, a couple hundred kids per year choose Einstein and Northwood for their arts programs. In the new model, maybe 45 kids per year will get those options.

And Loiderman kids won’t have access to either Einstein or Northwood. They’re in region 3, so they’ll all be competing for limited spots at Woodward. They rest will go to Kennedy or Wheaton.

Abundance and opportunity, my ass.[/quote]

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