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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Magnet programs were (15 years ago, before AEI ruined the program) supposed to be for the kids that surpassed CES-level work that the school couldn't provide.  I'm not sure that's true anymore.

It's true that Magnet programs may have Linear Algebra or Robotics at HS, but there are programs at other HS to take that as well.  Anyone supplementing with tutors can take it off-books at an after-school programs.  MCPS has no control over that.  The one thing positive MCPS did these past two years is offer on-line tutoring to all students.  Not sure who used it, but it was the only positive step in the right direction.

MCPS could take a class at each school and change the curriculum at that school in clusters of 25-30 students.  They could do that without much trouble.  Field trips, special subjects, specialized supplies, etc. would be the main difference that need to be funded, and doesn't cost that much.  I think is already done at W school ES/MS feeders, where the majority of students are in CES programs.

But MCPS won't do it.  Having control over a limited number of trophy slots is the only way to push personal or social agendas by MCPS CO staff.  I believe this is why the Magnets are physically located in remote corners of the county that are less accessible for everyone not already living there, ex. Poolesville and Silver Spring.

But it doesn't matter much anyway.  I think the more MCPS tinkers with the Magnets, the more watered down they become.  Parents of top students will keep tutoring or supplementing anyway, the overall reputation of Magnet will diminish over time.

The end result is that chokehold will backfire on the CO.  The FARMS demographic groups will be pushed further and further away from 'equity' all thanks to the MCPS CO.[/quote]

While I think that some of the conclusions may hold (the approach backfiring on equity, likely watering down of programs, possibility that less-appropriate agendas are influencing the approach, tutoring available to all being good), I think that some of the  thoughts may have presented in a confusing way.

Perhaps you are talking about HS magnets on one hand and ES/MS on the other.  MS & HS magnet programs might have drawn from CES/HGC populations more prevalently in the past than today, but they should be available to anyone, as gifted ability/need can develop at a later age for some than for others.

Centers for Enriched Studies [i]are[/i] the elementary magnets, so talking about magnets being for those who have surpassed CES might only make sense in the MS/HS regard, and it shouldn't really be so (see above).  These used to be called Highly Gifted Centers, with more of an idea of an entirely separate cohort across all subjects, though current CES implementations may effectively do the same.  While some areas of the county have more children who might benefit from magnets (debatable, though I'd definitely grant that there very likely are more who might be prepared for them at the outset), there are just about the same percentage of seats vs. population covered available to one area as to others (with noteable local-only exceptions like Stonegate ES and the local-catchment reservations at the criteria-based MS magnets -- these I find inappropriate).  Whether CES-type instruction is given more prevalently at the local school in one area vs. another is unclear, but, again, I wouldn't be surprised if this were the case (again, if that means a difference in what is available to one student vs. another based solely on the location of their home, I find that inappropriate).

Changing the curriculum and providing the necessary finding/supports, especially for one group, is a much harder challenge than suggested.  Ensuring equal access to any across the county who demonstrate need would simply be one factor, there.[/quote]

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