Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 20:52     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Blair median MAP score has been around 280 for the past few years so kids below that certainly get in. All As in STEM subjects are necessary too. A good rule of thumb is above 99th percentile. I wouldn’t bother below that.

I’m shocked that middle schools are helping with applications. Or at least at one middle school. That doesn’t happen elsewhere.


JW feeds into RM and there are 25 seats in the RMIB program specifically set aside for JW cluster students so it makes sense for that middle school.


These local set-asides in excess of the ratio of seats-to-overall-student-population for the rest of the county -- one-school CESs, Potomac ES Mandarin Immersion, Takoma Park MS magnet, etc. -- need to go away. Inequitable on their face.

You can have a set-aside to ensure students from that school get in, but not any more seats than would give the local students a similar overall chance of selection as the non-locals.

The local set-aside seats still have to meet the program criteria. The set aside ensures that students already inbound don’t take away seats from out of area. In other words, they are extra program seats for students already attending the school and don’t impact staffing by bringing in students from outside the school boundaries.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 20:32     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Anonymous wrote:How do I know if my rising 8th grader is a contender for the Blair and RMIB magnet programs? Is there a certain MAP-M (for Blair) or MAP-R (for RMIB) minimum threshold? Do accepted students have to have all As for all 4 marking period?

Is there anything published about the stats of accepted students or is it all conjecture about kids one knows who are accepted?

Thanks in advance.


How will they know all four marking periods' grades when decision is made? Aren't results out in second or third quarter?
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 20:28     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Blair median MAP score has been around 280 for the past few years so kids below that certainly get in. All As in STEM subjects are necessary too. A good rule of thumb is above 99th percentile. I wouldn’t bother below that.

I’m shocked that middle schools are helping with applications. Or at least at one middle school. That doesn’t happen elsewhere.

How can you be above 99 pct in MAP? That’s literally impossible.


They mean (at or) above the RIT score at which the 99th percentile begins.

Rarely is anyone right at 99 percentile. Usually if you are 99 percentile, you will be above it, so it’s really a waste of words to say “above” 99 pct.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 20:13     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Blair median MAP score has been around 280 for the past few years so kids below that certainly get in. All As in STEM subjects are necessary too. A good rule of thumb is above 99th percentile. I wouldn’t bother below that.

I’m shocked that middle schools are helping with applications. Or at least at one middle school. That doesn’t happen elsewhere.

How can you be above 99 pct in MAP? That’s literally impossible.


They mean (at or) above the RIT score at which the 99th percentile begins.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 20:12     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Blair median MAP score has been around 280 for the past few years so kids below that certainly get in. All As in STEM subjects are necessary too. A good rule of thumb is above 99th percentile. I wouldn’t bother below that.

I’m shocked that middle schools are helping with applications. Or at least at one middle school. That doesn’t happen elsewhere.


JW feeds into RM and there are 25 seats in the RMIB program specifically set aside for JW cluster students so it makes sense for that middle school.


These local set-asides in excess of the ratio of seats-to-overall-student-population for the rest of the county -- one-school CESs, Potomac ES Mandarin Immersion, Takoma Park MS magnet, etc. -- need to go away. Inequitable on their face.

You can have a set-aside to ensure students from that school get in, but not any more seats than would give the local students a similar overall chance of selection as the non-locals.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 19:31     Subject: Re:RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what the stats are. But if you are at Julius West and are a contender, you'll know.

My oldest was rejected from all high school programs. Got no encouragement from JW to apply despite regularly being in 98 - 99th percentile on MAP.
My youngest was accepted to RMIB, stats are very similar to older siblings but had done Barnsley before it was changed to lottery. JW office reached out to me via email and said he should apply. He and about 30 other kids were pulled from class for a special meeting with current IB students. He was offered and given help on his essay. Not everyone in that cohort of kids who got the special attention was accepted to the IB but I think it's a much harder road if you're not in that preselected group. If I'd known that this happens, I wouldn't have wasted my oldest's time on the application.


My kid was accepted to RMIB from JW and received no special invite or help. Went to Blair..
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 19:19     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Anonymous wrote:Blair median MAP score has been around 280 for the past few years so kids below that certainly get in. All As in STEM subjects are necessary too. A good rule of thumb is above 99th percentile. I wouldn’t bother below that.

I’m shocked that middle schools are helping with applications. Or at least at one middle school. That doesn’t happen elsewhere.

How can you be above 99 pct in MAP? That’s literally impossible.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 19:19     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Anonymous wrote:Blair median MAP score has been around 280 for the past few years so kids below that certainly get in. All As in STEM subjects are necessary too. A good rule of thumb is above 99th percentile. I wouldn’t bother below that.

I’m shocked that middle schools are helping with applications. Or at least at one middle school. That doesn’t happen elsewhere.


JW feeds into RM and there are 25 seats in the RMIB program specifically set aside for JW cluster students so it makes sense for that middle school.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 19:15     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Blair median MAP score has been around 280 for the past few years so kids below that certainly get in. All As in STEM subjects are necessary too. A good rule of thumb is above 99th percentile. I wouldn’t bother below that.

I’m shocked that middle schools are helping with applications. Or at least at one middle school. That doesn’t happen elsewhere.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 18:57     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:98% is not going to cut it for MAP scores. I am pretty sure most/all of kids are solid 99% kids. So something in these ranges:

SMCS MAP-M 280+
RM-IB MAP-R 250+


What’s your source for this information?


PP probably knows one admitted kid with those scores and decided that they must be true for all admitted kids.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 18:42     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Anonymous wrote:98% is not going to cut it for MAP scores. I am pretty sure most/all of kids are solid 99% kids. So something in these ranges:

SMCS MAP-M 280+
RM-IB MAP-R 250+


What’s your source for this information?
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 18:37     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

98% is not going to cut it for MAP scores. I am pretty sure most/all of kids are solid 99% kids. So something in these ranges:

SMCS MAP-M 280+
RM-IB MAP-R 250+
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 18:23     Subject: Re:RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Not sure what the stats are. But if you are at Julius West and are a contender, you'll know.

My oldest was rejected from all high school programs. Got no encouragement from JW to apply despite regularly being in 98 - 99th percentile on MAP.
My youngest was accepted to RMIB, stats are very similar to older siblings but had done Barnsley before it was changed to lottery. JW office reached out to me via email and said he should apply. He and about 30 other kids were pulled from class for a special meeting with current IB students. He was offered and given help on his essay. Not everyone in that cohort of kids who got the special attention was accepted to the IB but I think it's a much harder road if you're not in that preselected group. If I'd known that this happens, I wouldn't have wasted my oldest's time on the application.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 18:13     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

Meeting minimum thresholds doesn’t guarantee admission. I also wonder if each school has different minimum thresholds.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 18:06     Subject: RMIB and Blair criteria for HS program acceptance

How do I know if my rising 8th grader is a contender for the Blair and RMIB magnet programs? Is there a certain MAP-M (for Blair) or MAP-R (for RMIB) minimum threshold? Do accepted students have to have all As for all 4 marking period?

Is there anything published about the stats of accepted students or is it all conjecture about kids one knows who are accepted?

Thanks in advance.