Criteria-based HS programs have a wait pool instead of a wait list. The lottery-based ones have a waitlist, where the student receives a number that gives a relative indication of the likelihood of being offered a spot. Wait pool has no number associated with it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no lottery at the HS level.

OP] I also thought students were selected based on criteria, but a friend told me that at a RM magnet admission info session, the RM representative students mentioned that they first create a pool of top applicants and then select students from that pool through a lottery-like process.

This is incorrect.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no lottery at the HS level.

OP] I also thought students were selected based on criteria, but a friend told me that at a RM magnet admission info session, the RM representative students mentioned that they first create a pool of top applicants and then select students from that pool through a lottery-like process.

I went to RM info session and we were told nothing of the kind. Many borderline applicants appear similar so it makes sense that they would first make the first cut, pick the very best among the rest and then do another dive into a pool of strong but not very best applicants... but this is not a lottery.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no lottery at the HS level.

OP] I also thought students were selected based on criteria, but a friend told me that at a RM magnet admission info session, the RM representative students mentioned that they first create a pool of top applicants and then select students from that pool through a lottery-like process.

Rumor and hearsay. Whatever the selection method is, it's not formally disclosed and not "lottery-like" process is mandated beyond the lottery of how good the staff's mood is when they read a certain application.

Anonymous wrote:There is no lottery at the HS level.

OP] I also thought students were selected based on criteria, but a friend told me that at a RM magnet admission info session, the RM representative students mentioned that they first create a pool of top applicants and then select students from that pool through a lottery-like process.

There is no lottery at the HS level.

Does RMHS’s IB program create a top applicant pool and then select students through a lottery system? If so, does Blair’s SMACS program follow a similar process by creating a pool of applicants and selecting through a lottery? If a student doesn’t get selected, are they placed on a waitlist? If anyone is familiar with this process, I’d appreciate your insights.

Also, does having an IEP give students an advantage? My child does have an IEP, but he was initially rejected from TPMS. My son graduated from the CES program. When he attended, it wasn’t a lottery-based system.
I have no idea how much my son’s IEP status impacts magnet admissions. He scored in the top 1% on both the MAP Math and CogAT tests.

However, someone told me that having an IEP might make it easier for my child to get into Blair because they would be considered in a different pool. Is this true?