Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here.
Thanks for all the info. Mcps has so many options/pathways compared to howard or pg, that it overwhelming trying to figure it out.

If you give us some info - the age of your kids, what type of magnets they might be interestedl.

Kids are under 5 (one just barely). We have commutes to downtown dc and college park and are trying to identify areas to move to where we would have access to good safe schools and reasonable commutes outside of places like bethesda which would be beyond our budget. We love the idea of immersion and strong science programs.

Anonymous wrote:Good morning,
We are contemplating a move to montgomery county and am trying to figure out some of the school choice options. From what I can gather it seems some areas have an advantage in some of the magnet lotteries when it coincides with their boundaries. What are some areas where this is the case?
Woodside residences zoned to blair aren't more likely to get into the blair magnet than people zoned to other schools, right? but i've read takoma park has some advangtages. Thanks!

TPMS students have an advantage getting into the TPMS magnet because there are about 25 out of 125 seats set aside specifically for TPMS students only. Some think that means that a TPMS student can get into the TPMS magnet with lower scores than those applying from outside TPMS, but there is no hard data publicly available to support this.

I have heard that about half of the TPMS students go on to Blair magnet. It is assumed that TPMS magnet students have an advantage in getting into Blair magnet only in the sense that TPMS magnet students have had access thru the magnet program to higher and deeper levels of math and science instruction, so people assume that that means that a TPMS magnet student will find it easier to score well on the Blair magnet exam. Of course, an alternative explanation might be that kids who are naturally good testers will get into TPMS and that same natural testing ability means that they would have also gotten into Blair. There is no hard data publicly available to know whether there is something about the TPMS magnet program instruction that gives those kids a special knowledge advantage in applying for Blair; it is just an assumption.

Anonymous wrote:Op here.
Thanks for all the info. Mcps has so many options/pathways compared to howard or pg, that it overwhelming trying to figure it out.

If you give us some info - the age of your kids, what type of magnets they might be interested in etc. we might be able to narrow things down.
In general there are:
1) Language Immersion programs you apply to by lottery before kindergarten. As of now if one kid gets in their younger siblings are guaranteed a spot.
2) Test-in programs for gifted children. You apply in 3rd grade for highly gifted centers, 5th grade for middle school magnets and 8th grade for high school magnets. These programs are meant to accommodate the top 3-5% of the school population and selection is primarily determined by magnet test results and the child's academic record..

3) The Middle school magnet Consortium, and at the high school level the Down County Consortia and the NE Consortia. This is very confusing to me - not clear how they decide who gets in. I am copying and pasting a brief excerpt from the choice study which describes the selection process. god help us if this is what they do to the (currently) academically competitive magnets.

"The three regional consortia were developed between 1998 and 2005,
in response to growing
enrollments across the district and concerns about the potential impact of opening new schools
on increasing racial isolation within schools. The Northeast Consortium (NEC) and
Downcounty Consortium (DCC) at the high school level and the Middle School Magnet
Consortium (MSMC) attract students through distinct thematic programs and utilize random
lottery processes that take into consideration student preferences, socioeconomic status, and
other demographic factors."

If you are interested in learning more about the many choices your child has in MCPS you may want to look at the executive summary of the choice study:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/info/choice/ChoiceStudyExecutiveSummaryFinal20160331.pdf
Bear in mind though that transportation can be complicated. There are magnet bus routes but they don't have tons of stops and many kids have bus rides in excess of an hour each way- after their parent drives them to the magnet bus stop at a MCPS school.

Op here.
Thanks for all the info. Mcps has so many options/pathways compared to howard or pg, that it overwhelming trying to figure it out.

Anonymous wrote:
MCPS puts the magnets in the less desirable school districts and less desirable neighborhoods. Unless you cannot afford to live elsewhere, it is a huge risk to take, because nobody is kidding themselves that living inbounds is going to give them a fighting change at entering these extremely selective magnets.

Now if you're talking about the Parklawn, Loiderman, Argyle middle schools, they are called magnets but in reality accept students by lottery. Not the same standards of excellence AT ALL. MCPS created these to revitalize student interest in areas of high need.

Those of us who live in-bounds for these schools disagree.

::shrug::

Anonymous wrote:What selective magnet is located in an undesirable area?!

Eastern, Takoma, and Blair were once considered undesirable areas. If they are not viewed that way now, it is partly due to the magnets.

What selective magnet is located in an undesirable area?!

RM is a Great School 8...not exactly a big risk.

MCPS puts the magnets in the less desirable school districts and less desirable neighborhoods. Unless you cannot afford to live elsewhere, it is a huge risk to take, because nobody is kidding themselves that living inbounds is going to give them a fighting change at entering these extremely selective magnets.

Now if you're talking about the Parklawn, Loiderman, Argyle middle schools, they are called magnets but in reality accept students by lottery. Not the same standards of excellence AT ALL. MCPS created these to revitalize student interest in areas of high need.

Anonymous wrote:Kids zoned for TPMS (so, Takoma Park and East Silver Spring) Jane a slight advantage in that lottery. As PP said, RM also has preference at the level.

There are also all school magnets (so, no application) but I don't know much about those.

TPMS Math and Science magnet and RMIB magnet are not lotteries. You have to take tests, write application essays, get letters of recommendation etc. But it is easier if you are zoned for these schools because TPMS has a certain number of slots for local kids - 20 or 25. I can't remember the number but it is a lot. I don't know how many kids are admitted from Julius West Middle School into RMIB but again it is a lot - around 20 or more.

The only all school magnet I am aware of is Poolesville but I don't know how that application process works. I know they have different learning communities you have to apply to (Math and Science, Global Ecology and maybe something else) but I don't know if you are guaranteed admission to at least one if you live in the catchment area. this should be easy to google.

Kids zoned for TPMS (so, Takoma Park and East Silver Spring) Jane a slight advantage in that lottery. As PP said, RM also has preference at the level.

There are also all school magnets (so, no application) but I don't know much about those.

Julius West also have preference with the RMIB magnet and then again when RM kids can enter the program non competitively as juniors.

I think this is only true with the Takoma middle school magnet. There are some slots reserved for neighborhood kids, but it's an application not a lottery.

O.o here correction. Woodmoor not woodside

Good morning,
We are contemplating a move to montgomery county and am trying to figure out some of the school choice options. From what I can gather it seems some areas have an advantage in some of the magnet lotteries when it coincides with their boundaries. What are some areas where this is the case?
Woodside residences zoned to blair aren't more likely to get into the blair magnet than people zoned to other schools, right? but i've read takoma park has some advangtages. Thanks!