Reply to SF and Boston votes on changing admissions criteria for magnet schools this week

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The Boston model is interesting.

1) Rank all students based on admission criteria.  Since there are multiple exam schools, students also rank their first choice school.

2) For the first 20% of the seats, offer admission to the top ranking students.  (Caveat: If a student in the top 20% overall chose school A, but wasn't in the top 20% of students who chose school A, they would not be offered admission in this round, but would go back in the pool for the next round.)

3) Group the remaining 80% of students by zip code.  Allocate seats for each zip code proportional to the number of enrolled students in that zip code.  Offer admission based on top ranking students in the zip code.[/quote]

That sounds great. [/quote]

Yes, this sounds reasonable. A lot more intelligent than the stupid lottery proposed by stupid Brabrand.[/quote]

This is another way to come close to what MCPS has done by dividing their schools into three SES groups and ranking student magnet test scores against only the students within their Similar SES Set of MCPS schools.  Except you just compete in your zip code.[/quote]

The problem with the MCPS system is the use of the cloudy "peer cohort" criteria to exclude groups of students.

The Boston solution is better.  Clear and transparent.[/quote]
Using zip code to force Chinese American students in Boston's Chinatown to compete against each other. Brilliant idea for race norming.[/quote]

Boston's system still allows in the top 20% from anywhere.  Then the remaining 80% get a chance based by district.  I think it's reasonable.

It's based on merit.  You still have a chance to earn your spot.  It's clear and transparent.[/quote]
Why 20%?

Do you want to allot 80% of doctors, writers, mathematicians, physicists... by zip code?[/quote]

Because many people who did not attend STEM Magnet schools or magnet schools for the gifted become doctors, writers, mathematicians, physicists. I earned a PhD and a good number of the people I went to school with would not have landed at the Magnet schools that we are discussing and yet most of my cohort have earned tenure and served as Department Chairs in their respective fields. I have worked with legit rocket scientists and I have no clue if they would have attended STEM Magnet schools or not.

Parents are putting way too much weight on these schools and what type of trajectory their kids are being launched on because they attend these schools. In the same way that many people put too much weight on their kids getting into the Ivies. There are lots of people who are very successful and end up as engineers or doctors or mathematicians or what ever field you think requires this type of pressure who attend regular high schools, state colleges that are not the flagships, or even small liberal arts colleges.

Kids can be very successful without being seen as young geniuses and going to TJ or Harvard or Princeton or Yale. I know that there are people on this board who refuse to believe this, but it is possible.[/quote]

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