Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they need Teachers recommendations this year?

No. No Teacher Recommendations, no Map-R (for SMCSM). Just 7th grades and Q1 8th grades + Map-M + essays/statements. That's it.

What I didn't understand from last night's meeting is whether or not they know if kids went to the TPMS magnet. Transcripts clearly list that the 7th grade math class was "Mag Algebra I" which is only available at TPMS. It also indicates the math class was different (2x speed + more content). Is that scrubbed to eliminate the "Mag" - I think that would be disingenuous and unfair, only because the class is materially different. The answers were unclear.

I think they will know. It makes sense because a B in that class is very different than a B in regular Algebra.

Magnet kids aren’t getting Bs! Are they?!!!

Absolutely! Especially in Comp Sci!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they need Teachers recommendations this year?

No. No Teacher Recommendations, no Map-R (for SMCSM). Just 7th grades and Q1 8th grades + Map-M + essays/statements. That's it.

What I didn't understand from last night's meeting is whether or not they know if kids went to the TPMS magnet. Transcripts clearly list that the 7th grade math class was "Mag Algebra I" which is only available at TPMS. It also indicates the math class was different (2x speed + more content). Is that scrubbed to eliminate the "Mag" - I think that would be disingenuous and unfair, only because the class is materially different. The answers were unclear.

I think they will know. It makes sense because a B in that class is very different than a B in regular Algebra.

Magnet kids aren’t getting Bs! Are they?!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they need Teachers recommendations this year?

No. No Teacher Recommendations, no Map-R (for SMCSM). Just 7th grades and Q1 8th grades + Map-M + essays/statements. That's it.

What I didn't understand from last night's meeting is whether or not they know if kids went to the TPMS magnet. Transcripts clearly list that the 7th grade math class was "Mag Algebra I" which is only available at TPMS. It also indicates the math class was different (2x speed + more content). Is that scrubbed to eliminate the "Mag" - I think that would be disingenuous and unfair, only because the class is materially different. The answers were unclear.

I think they will know. It makes sense because a B in that class is very different than a B in regular Algebra.

Anonymous wrote:They will be moving high school magnets admission to lottery-based as well. Not sure why it is taking so long.

Maybe, but maybe not. NYC determined that maybe they should go back to actually using academic criteria rather than just a lottery algorithm.

Anonymous wrote:So is selection just based on grades, MAP scores, and the little essay? There was a reference in the description about testing, which I guess is MAP because I don't know what other tests there were.

Yes

They will be moving high school magnets admission to lottery-based as well. Not sure why it is taking so long.

So is selection just based on grades, MAP scores, and the little essay? There was a reference in the description about testing, which I guess is MAP because I don't know what other tests there were.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they need Teachers recommendations this year?

No. No Teacher Recommendations, no Map-R (for SMCSM). Just 7th grades and Q1 8th grades + Map-M + essays/statements. That's it.

What I didn't understand from last night's meeting is whether or not they know if kids went to the TPMS magnet. Transcripts clearly list that the 7th grade math class was "Mag Algebra I" which is only available at TPMS. It also indicates the math class was different (2x speed + more content). Is that scrubbed to eliminate the "Mag" - I think that would be disingenuous and unfair, only because the class is materially different. The answers were unclear.

NP with kids in elementary, so I have no dog in this fight. But, given that the middle school magnets are now lottery based, it seems unfair to give too much preference to those kids who got in, because there are plenty of equally qualified kids who weren't selected. Not sure whether that applies to this year's group of 8th graders, but it's something to consider for future years, if not.

The kids currently applying for high school were actually NOT lottery based: they were the last class under the old system. Next year, maybe your thoughts apply.

However, your comment does nothing to address the main point, which is that Regular Math and Mag Math are two different classes with different assignments, content, and paces.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they need Teachers recommendations this year?

No. No Teacher Recommendations, no Map-R (for SMCSM). Just 7th grades and Q1 8th grades + Map-M + essays/statements. That's it.

What I didn't understand from last night's meeting is whether or not they know if kids went to the TPMS magnet. Transcripts clearly list that the 7th grade math class was "Mag Algebra I" which is only available at TPMS. It also indicates the math class was different (2x speed + more content). Is that scrubbed to eliminate the "Mag" - I think that would be disingenuous and unfair, only because the class is materially different. The answers were unclear.

NP with kids in elementary, so I have no dog in this fight. But, given that the middle school magnets are now lottery based, it seems unfair to give too much preference to those kids who got in, because there are plenty of equally qualified kids who weren't selected. Not sure whether that applies to this year's group of 8th graders, but it's something to consider for future years, if not.

Anonymous wrote:Do they need Teachers recommendations this year?

No. No Teacher Recommendations, no Map-R (for SMCSM). Just 7th grades and Q1 8th grades + Map-M + essays/statements. That's it.

What I didn't understand from last night's meeting is whether or not they know if kids went to the TPMS magnet. Transcripts clearly list that the 7th grade math class was "Mag Algebra I" which is only available at TPMS. It also indicates the math class was different (2x speed + more content). Is that scrubbed to eliminate the "Mag" - I think that would be disingenuous and unfair, only because the class is materially different. The answers were unclear.

Do they need Teachers recommendations this year?

Anonymous wrote:Go to the next page. 250 word essay.

Wow... half a page? That is tough!

Anonymous wrote:And there we go again. Most if not all posts very quickly go into the "These kids got in because they prepped" or "These kids got in because their parents outsourced their essay" territory. This is nuts. Many kids get in because they just are smarter than the others.

Honestly, back in the day when there was a specific entry exam, kids would do specialized prep locally. Mine got weirded out seeing all the kids with A++ binders of hs magnet test prep in her middle school magnet. I think there was similar going on with cogat. This seems better, though I guess people will start prepping for map. Who knows. There are probably some paying for essay help as well.

So much of this is about the enrichment students have gotten along the way, which may or may not include specific prep. Yes, intelligence plays a big role, but it's not just about being smart.

Anonymous wrote:This year’s 8th graders are the last kids who took the COGAT via universal testing in 5th grade. During the admissions process, is there a look back at old COGAT scores or are they completely irrelevant?

And this year's 7th graders are the last ones who took the COGAT via universal testing in 3rd grade... Nevertheless, their past CogAT scores are not part of the selection process. The criteria is clearly outlined on the MCPS website.

Anonymous wrote:As far as I can tell, this is the same application my now 10th grader used 2 years ago.

if it ain't broken...