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[quote=Anonymous][quote]But setting the threshold by zip code and income level doesn't serve the mission of the magnet program, or at the end of the day, the students in the program. Life is tough, and when you constantly rely on a crutch, when reality hits, you won't be able to stand on your own. When that kid leaves HS, do you imagine that kid will continue to have MCPS level the playing field for that kid for life?
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I think folks on this thread are conflating the three levels of "magnets" and it muddies the waters.

This thread is about magnet High Schools, which have not adopted any sort of local norming or zip code-based criteria. I think that is the correct choice, even as someone who is a big proponent of leveling the playing field in the earlier grades.

If we assume that giftedness is not perfectly correlated with parental income, we have to accept the idea that there are gifted kids (and bright hard workers) distributed throughout the county. Maybe not perfectly randomly distributed, but distributed enough that it makes sense to try to identify them. So, it makes a lot of sense to have regional CES programs and local norming to find kids who would not otherwise have access to either acceleration or enrichment. It also makes sense to continue Saturday School, ELO, and other enrichment opportunities in high needs schools/communities.

I'd say the same for middle school, although I think there is a strong argument for expanding the number of magnets.

Then, by high school, I think MCPS is correct to get rid of local norming. By this point, the opportunities provided in earlier grades should have helped to identify talent and there are no high schools in MCPS where a smart and motivated kid can't find a peer cohort. [/quote]

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