Reply to What is the real reason MCPS uses Lottery for Middle School Magnet Program

Forum Index » Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Reply to "What is the real reason MCPS uses Lottery for Middle School Magnet Program"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ask what percentage of the magnet seats were gained by students that were enrolled in test prep schools. That is the more meaningful number. I don't believe the seats are parsed out by demographics.  Many people do believe they were. Hence the lawsuits. But, again, without numbers on the pipeline between test prep classes and the magnet seats this investigative discussion is missing important details. Those along with how the process seems to have changed several times these past few years.

This debate is pointless without both tranches of data. [/quote]

Test prep is a red herring. MCPS switched to universal testing to increase participation of black and Hispanic students. Full stop. Then they switched to a “lottery” because COGAT could not be administered and they were in the midst of a discrimination lawsuit based of their use of local norming and cohorts. I (and other parents on this thread) would like some transparency around “the lottery”. How much is FARMS weighted in this lottery? Is gender being used to balance classes. How are students being pulled out of the “waitpool” to build classes.[/quote]
Have they even said FARMS is a consideration? If they haven't said it is a factor, then why even ask that? Also gender balancing has always gone on with these programs. Don't need them to tell me how that's done either. It's obvious. In fact, the term lottery makes it all clear. [/quote]

Agree, people seem to be intentionally obtuse despite the fact they've laid this out perfectly, but no matter what they say people are going to complain.[/quote]

Read the letter that was sent to families about the process on September 30, 2021. It clearly states that FARMS (along with other student services such as ESOL, IEPS, etc.) will be used in the process to identify students. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CRmtqKsA1v55uADF05lpwlbFuLpRgC12puS-6Be8GVw/edit

I'll even cut and paste the pertinent language for you.

Multiple criteria will continue to be used to identify students for enriched services and include 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 data such as report card grades, reading level, external assessments Measures of Academic Progress-Reading (MAP-R) and Measures of Academic Progress-Math (MAP-M) and student services (students who receive services in ESOL- English for Speakers of Other Languages, FARMS- Free and Reduced Meals System, IEP- Individualized Education Plan or a 504 plan). The Cognitive Abilities Assessment (CogAT) will not be administered this year.  
The universal review process will occur in December 2021 by identifying the students who demonstrate the potential to be successful in enriched services.  These students will be placed into a lottery pool.   All students in the lottery pool are guaranteed enriched instruction either in the regional magnet or local enriched courses.  Students with missing data, such as students new to MCPS for the 2021-2022 school year, private/home schooled students may be considered for placement into the candidate pool by an expert review panel pending all required data is submitted.  See below for more information.  Once the lottery pool has been identified, a lottery will be conducted for placement into a regional magnet program.
[/quote]

Thank you for finding this Gem. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics