Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I am hearing from 5th grade parents whose kids applied to MS magnet, that they are fearing a higher number of applicants because of curriculum 2.0.

Anybody else heard that?

Yes

Yes! +1000. Same for high school magnets.

If it is true (1000 applicants), that makes it very competitive. For example, TP MS only takes 100 applicants + 25 (those, who are already districted for the school but got into the magnet). Last year was already quite competitive, with 800 or so applications. And even if your DC goes to an HGC, it's not a given that they would get into the magnet. Many smart kids who are not in HGCs for whatever reason (didn't apply, didn't know about them, moved, etc) get in and accept the Magnet middle school spots. And some HGC kids don't get accepted to the magnets (or don't apply).

The magnets take kids from all the schools, not just the HGCs. Many of the kids at the regular home school for 4th/5th grade are looking for the rigor a magnet middle school provides, are very qualified, have done well in their programs and are capable of getting in, without having been at an HGC (the TP math and science magnet, for example, because the focus in HGCs is not on math, but reading, writing, etc, it means that most Mont CO students have been offered the same curriculum for math even if they're not at an HGC)

I'm the PP who asked above when we would be notified. My child is in HGC and anecdotally, many parents I know did not apply to magnets, so maybe just conjecture that there will be more applicants? Without hard data hard to know one way or the other.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So, tell me please...is there any truth to this? How much tougher will getting in these programs get? The shift seems to be that instead of catering to the exceptional student with a need for more challenging coursework, it is shifting to students who want acceleration and rigor that should have been provided by the home-school!

Ok, so what extra hoops are people jumping through to get in? More coaching, tutoring, volunteering, participating and winning competitions, SSL hours? What, what, what?

Why would you conclude this? More students may (or may not) be applying. But it's still the same number of students getting admitted.

As for me, what extra hoops did my kid and I jump through to try to get in? None. Did my kid get in? I don't know yet, obviously. Would I be happy if my kid got in? Yes. Would it be a disaster if my kid didn't get in? No.

Is your kid currently in HGC?

Yes.

Will that increase your kids chances? A year of rigorous school experience at HGC is sure to make him/her better prepared than the kid in a regular school. Those kids may need more training and coaching?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So, tell me please...is there any truth to this? How much tougher will getting in these programs get? The shift seems to be that instead of catering to the exceptional student with a need for more challenging coursework, it is shifting to students who want acceleration and rigor that should have been provided by the home-school!

Ok, so what extra hoops are people jumping through to get in? More coaching, tutoring, volunteering, participating and winning competitions, SSL hours? What, what, what?

Why would you conclude this? More students may (or may not) be applying. But it's still the same number of students getting admitted.

As for me, what extra hoops did my kid and I jump through to try to get in? None. Did my kid get in? I don't know yet, obviously. Would I be happy if my kid got in? Yes. Would it be a disaster if my kid didn't get in? No.

Is your kid currently in HGC?

Yes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So, tell me please...is there any truth to this? How much tougher will getting in these programs get? The shift seems to be that instead of catering to the exceptional student with a need for more challenging coursework, it is shifting to students who want acceleration and rigor that should have been provided by the home-school!

Ok, so what extra hoops are people jumping through to get in? More coaching, tutoring, volunteering, participating and winning competitions, SSL hours? What, what, what?

Why would you conclude this? More students may (or may not) be applying. But it's still the same number of students getting admitted.

As for me, what extra hoops did my kid and I jump through to try to get in? None. Did my kid get in? I don't know yet, obviously. Would I be happy if my kid got in? Yes. Would it be a disaster if my kid didn't get in? No.

Is your kid currently in HGC?

Does MCPS share at all how many students applied for the number of seats? Or is this increase in applicants a conjecture based on anecdotal evidence?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I am hearing from 5th grade parents whose kids applied to MS magnet, that they are fearing a higher number of applicants because of curriculum 2.0.

Anybody else heard that?

Yes

Yes! +1000. Same for high school magnets.

So, tell me please...is there any truth to this? How much tougher will getting in these programs get? The shift seems to be that instead of catering to the exceptional student with a need for more challenging coursework, it is shifting to students who want acceleration and rigor that should have been provided by the home-school!

Ok, so what extra hoops are people jumping through to get in? More coaching, tutoring, volunteering, participating and winning competitions, SSL hours? What, what, what?

I don't buy this. I mean, I don't doubt that there may be more applicants, though I'd like to see numbers that back that claim up. But how does that at all correlate to a watering down of the programs? As far as I know, they're not adding seats. So there are perhaps more kids appying for those seats. There have always been far more applicants than seats. The kids have ALWAYS faced long odds getting in, maybe now they're just a little longer.

Anonymous wrote:
So, tell me please...is there any truth to this? How much tougher will getting in these programs get? The shift seems to be that instead of catering to the exceptional student with a need for more challenging coursework, it is shifting to students who want acceleration and rigor that should have been provided by the home-school!

Ok, so what extra hoops are people jumping through to get in? More coaching, tutoring, volunteering, participating and winning competitions, SSL hours? What, what, what?

Why would you conclude this? More students may (or may not) be applying. But it's still the same number of students getting admitted.

As for me, what extra hoops did my kid and I jump through to try to get in? None. Did my kid get in? I don't know yet, obviously. Would I be happy if my kid got in? Yes. Would it be a disaster if my kid didn't get in? No.

Anonymous wrote:I am hearing from 5th grade parents whose kids applied to MS magnet, that they are fearing a higher number of applicants because of curriculum 2.0.

Anybody else heard that?

Good grief. The informational meeting was in October (or September?). The applications were due in November. The testing was due in December. If there were more applicants this year because of Curriculum 2.0, shouldn't the parents whose kids applied already have figured this by now?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I am hearing from 5th grade parents whose kids applied to MS magnet, that they are fearing a higher number of applicants because of curriculum 2.0.

Anybody else heard that?

Yes

Yes! +1000. Same for high school magnets.

So, tell me please...is there any truth to this? How much tougher will getting in these programs get? The shift seems to be that instead of catering to the exceptional student with a need for more challenging coursework, it is shifting to students who want acceleration and rigor that should have been provided by the home-school!

Ok, so what extra hoops are people jumping through to get in? More coaching, tutoring, volunteering, participating and winning competitions, SSL hours? What, what, what?

Anonymous wrote:

I am hearing from 5th grade parents whose kids applied to MS magnet, that they are fearing a higher number of applicants because of curriculum 2.0.

Anybody else heard that?

Yes

Yes! +1000. Same for high school magnets.

I am hearing from 5th grade parents whose kids applied to MS magnet, that they are fearing a higher number of applicants because of curriculum 2.0.

Anybody else heard that?

Yes

I am hearing from 5th grade parents whose kids applied to MS magnet, that they are fearing a higher number of applicants because of curriculum 2.0.

Anybody else heard that?

I recall that the notification usually arrives in the mail around Feb 10.

Anyone know when we are notified?