Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you need the assigned middle school? It's really spread out this year and releasing that information would be a violation of privacy for much of the student population since it could easily lead to student/score discovery.
Then again, this is about you and your "sour grapes"--not the process.

+1

In quite a few of our students are the sole student or one of only 2 or 3 from their ES. That information would definitely be identifying.

Yes, because so few were admitted from the W feeders. So give the number of students admitted from each home ES (I can tell you exactly 0 were admitted from my 10-ranked home ES), and then give a list of test scores of admitted students that are not broken down. Would be very helpful information for parents whose kids might be interested in the magnet. If no-one or only 1 is getting in from a home ES then you're clear your chances are virtually nil. Test scores would give you a range, though I suspect they will be quite variable.

Aren't most people's chances virtually nil? I mean, I don't see the point of banking on magnet admissions. Go through the process, see how it goes, and if you have the option, wonderful, decide whether your family can make the transportation/logistics work and how you think it will impact your kid socially (positively or negatively). That is the attitude we took with CES admission. Our daughter was admitted, and is going, but we are proceeding with the assumption that she will return to her home MS for 6th grade. If she has additional options, then we'll consider them, but our expectation and hers is that she will return to the home MS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you need the assigned middle school? It's really spread out this year and releasing that information would be a violation of privacy for much of the student population since it could easily lead to student/score discovery.
Then again, this is about you and your "sour grapes"--not the process.

+1

In quite a few of our students are the sole student or one of only 2 or 3 from their ES. That information would definitely be identifying.

Yes, because so few were admitted from the W feeders. So give the number of students admitted from each home ES (I can tell you exactly 0 were admitted from my 10-ranked home ES), and then give a list of test scores of admitted students that are not broken down. Would be very helpful information for parents whose kids might be interested in the magnet. If no-one or only 1 is getting in from a home ES then you're clear your chances are virtually nil. Test scores would give you a range, though I suspect they will be quite variable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you need the assigned middle school? It's really spread out this year and releasing that information would be a violation of privacy for much of the student population since it could easily lead to student/score discovery.
Then again, this is about you and your "sour grapes"--not the process.

+1

In quite a few of our students are the sole student or one of only 2 or 3 from their ES. That information would definitely be identifying.

Yes, because so few were admitted from the W feeders. So give the number of students admitted from each home ES (I can tell you exactly 0 were admitted from my 10-ranked home ES), and then give a list of test scores of admitted students that are not broken down. Would be very helpful information for parents whose kids might be interested in the magnet. If no-one or only 1 is getting in from a home ES then you're clear your chances are virtually nil. Test scores would give you a range, though I suspect they will be quite variable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you need the assigned middle school? It's really spread out this year and releasing that information would be a violation of privacy for much of the student population since it could easily lead to student/score discovery.
Then again, this is about you and your "sour grapes"--not the process.

+1

In quite a few of our students are the sole student or one of only 2 or 3 from their ES. That information would definitely be identifying.

Anonymous wrote:Why do you need the assigned middle school? It's really spread out this year and releasing that information would be a violation of privacy for much of the student population since it could easily lead to student/score discovery.
Then again, this is about you and your "sour grapes"--not the process.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember seeing this in a previous thread and found it both funny and probably closer to the truth than people want to believe....

Administrator #1: "Wow, look at those SAT scores over there at Blair. It's really amazing isn't it? We need to send out a press release!"
Administrator #2: "Definitely! Hold on a second, all these names of Intel Scholars sound Asian. Let me see the full list of Magnet students. All these names sound Asian and White."
Administrator #1: "Yea, they've been gaming the system for years. Sending their kids to tutors, supplementing education, and actually filling out the application"
Administrator #2: "Oh no, we can't have that! That isn't fair"
Administrator #1: "I know. We send parents information and leave phone mail message constantly in both English and Spanish but Hispanics and African Americans don't apply"
Administrator #2: "It sounds like we need try and make the application easier."
Administrator #1: "I've got a better idea! Lets get rid of the application all together. Test everyone."
Administrator #2: "Brilliant! But what about the fact that Black and Hispanics test lower across the board on all standardized tests, how do we overcome that?"
Administrator #1: "We should just set up quotas by race."
Administrator #2: "I wish. They passed a stupid law against quotas."
Administrator #1: "Let's think, how can we get around the law. Most Whites and Asians like to live in the same snobby rich areas, right?"
Administrator #2: "Right... God I hate those Whites and Asians!"
Administrator #1: "Then lets say that if you live in an area where your home school has other really smart kids then you get penalized in the admissions process."
Administrator #2: "Great Idea! That way, we can say that we aren't giving preference to race, we can disguise it as preference by opportunity."
Administrator #1: "Wait, but won't that make the SAT scores at Blair go down? Won't that make us look bad?"
Administrator #2: "Of course it will but we are doing it for the greater good. Plus, we work for the Government. What are they going to do fire us?
Administrator #1: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Administrator #2: "Ha ha ha ha he he ha ha!"

OMG.

That is spot on! I could definitely see that happening.

This is so obnoxious. There is no evidence provided that the kids accepted this year through the universal screening process are somehow inferior to prior cohorts. The quality should go up since McPS is screening a much larger pool rather than just kids nominated by their parents/teachers.

We live in a high performing area. There are a higher percentage of above average kids here who prep way more than those random smart kids in this now larger pool. I mean the competition was already fierce at our elementary school. It’s not enough to be rich and bright. You have to prep prep prep. I just don’t think a random smart Hispanic kid is going to score higher than our kids who have been competing with each other for years. That’s how I know the larger pool did not actually yield kids smarter than my kid (who worked her ass off.)

That’s what you think happened because that’s your own biases coming into play. But you have no evidence to support your view.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Such sour grapes!

lol I don't even have kids. Overall quality and rigor has gone down

I teach in a MCPS MS Magnet and disagree. Give me specific examples from the Magnet classes you are teaching this year to support your argument.

It's great to hear from a magnet teacher. I suspect that there aren't enough magnet seats in MCPS and there are probably many students who could be magnet students without lowering the overall quality and rigor? What do you think?

Also, do you have any opinion on the programs being installed in local middle schools so that those with a gifted local peer group don't need the magnet?

Thanks for the great work you do. Both my kids went through a magnet middle school (don't know if it's yours) and had a fantastic experience. It challenged them and gave them an excellent foundation. I'm often a critic of MCPS, but the magnet program was great.

I’m uncertain about adding another 20-25 students to my current load. Whether that would be a fifth class or simply four larger classes, I’m sure it would change some instruction and assessment options currently very doable. I would be happy to see at least two more Magnet programs open. This would allow many more seats (200) and ease the burden of the long bus ride for some families. However, to recruit the Magnet teachers needed, MCPS needs to do a better job in how it treats its professional staff, especially new hires.

I attended the summer training for the enriched course in my subject area and continue to follow developing lessons. I think that if executed faithfully by the selected teachers, it will be both fun and rigorous for students in schools with a large gifted cohort. I question a school deciding to offer it to the entire sixth grade. That seems a parent-pleasing move rather than having carefully assessed student needs. I will definitely touch base with relevant people next week to see if this is truly what is happening. I suspect the poster may have confused the Advanced course with the enriched one.

Thank you. I’m glad it was a worthwhile experience for your children. The past two weeks, I’ve carefully watched the students that some posters here don’t think deserve to be in my classroom. These kids are not just holding their own, they are excited and already greatly contributing to our learning community. They are as curious, hard-working, delightfully smart, and quirky as the present-seventh graders who were admitted under the old system. The only sixth grade student I have concerns about handling the rigor is one who would have come from the traditional pool.

I am genuinely curious - how do you know that one particular kid would have come from the "traditional pool"? What is "the traditional pool?" (And how can you be sure that none of the others would have come from the "traditional pool?")

We formerly received a large number of our students from a few specific schools. That is not the case this year.

The overall student quality is lower this year

This really looks like trolling, when you quote a poster who says they're a teacher. Nothing to prove your statement, not even punctuation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Such sour grapes!

lol I don't even have kids. Overall quality and rigor has gone down

I teach in a MCPS MS Magnet and disagree. Give me specific examples from the Magnet classes you are teaching this year to support your argument.

It's great to hear from a magnet teacher. I suspect that there aren't enough magnet seats in MCPS and there are probably many students who could be magnet students without lowering the overall quality and rigor? What do you think?

Also, do you have any opinion on the programs being installed in local middle schools so that those with a gifted local peer group don't need the magnet?

Thanks for the great work you do. Both my kids went through a magnet middle school (don't know if it's yours) and had a fantastic experience. It challenged them and gave them an excellent foundation. I'm often a critic of MCPS, but the magnet program was great.

I’m uncertain about adding another 20-25 students to my current load. Whether that would be a fifth class or simply four larger classes, I’m sure it would change some instruction and assessment options currently very doable. I would be happy to see at least two more Magnet programs open. This would allow many more seats (200) and ease the burden of the long bus ride for some families. However, to recruit the Magnet teachers needed, MCPS needs to do a better job in how it treats its professional staff, especially new hires.

I attended the summer training for the enriched course in my subject area and continue to follow developing lessons. I think that if executed faithfully by the selected teachers, it will be both fun and rigorous for students in schools with a large gifted cohort. I question a school deciding to offer it to the entire sixth grade. That seems a parent-pleasing move rather than having carefully assessed student needs. I will definitely touch base with relevant people next week to see if this is truly what is happening. I suspect the poster may have confused the Advanced course with the enriched one.

Thank you. I’m glad it was a worthwhile experience for your children. The past two weeks, I’ve carefully watched the students that some posters here don’t think deserve to be in my classroom. These kids are not just holding their own, they are excited and already greatly contributing to our learning community. They are as curious, hard-working, delightfully smart, and quirky as the present-seventh graders who were admitted under the old system. The only sixth grade student I have concerns about handling the rigor is one who would have come from the traditional pool.

I am genuinely curious - how do you know that one particular kid would have come from the "traditional pool"? What is "the traditional pool?" (And how can you be sure that none of the others would have come from the "traditional pool?")

We formerly received a large number of our students from a few specific schools. That is not the case this year.

The overall student quality is lower this year

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember seeing this in a previous thread and found it both funny and probably closer to the truth than people want to believe....

Administrator #1: "Wow, look at those SAT scores over there at Blair. It's really amazing isn't it? We need to send out a press release!"
Administrator #2: "Definitely! Hold on a second, all these names of Intel Scholars sound Asian. Let me see the full list of Magnet students. All these names sound Asian and White."
Administrator #1: "Yea, they've been gaming the system for years. Sending their kids to tutors, supplementing education, and actually filling out the application"
Administrator #2: "Oh no, we can't have that! That isn't fair"
Administrator #1: "I know. We send parents information and leave phone mail message constantly in both English and Spanish but Hispanics and African Americans don't apply"
Administrator #2: "It sounds like we need try and make the application easier."
Administrator #1: "I've got a better idea! Lets get rid of the application all together. Test everyone."
Administrator #2: "Brilliant! But what about the fact that Black and Hispanics test lower across the board on all standardized tests, how do we overcome that?"
Administrator #1: "We should just set up quotas by race."
Administrator #2: "I wish. They passed a stupid law against quotas."
Administrator #1: "Let's think, how can we get around the law. Most Whites and Asians like to live in the same snobby rich areas, right?"
Administrator #2: "Right... God I hate those Whites and Asians!"
Administrator #1: "Then lets say that if you live in an area where your home school has other really smart kids then you get penalized in the admissions process."
Administrator #2: "Great Idea! That way, we can say that we aren't giving preference to race, we can disguise it as preference by opportunity."
Administrator #1: "Wait, but won't that make the SAT scores at Blair go down? Won't that make us look bad?"
Administrator #2: "Of course it will but we are doing it for the greater good. Plus, we work for the Government. What are they going to do fire us?
Administrator #1: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Administrator #2: "Ha ha ha ha he he ha ha!"

OMG.

That is spot on! I could definitely see that happening.

This is so obnoxious. There is no evidence provided that the kids accepted this year through the universal screening process are somehow inferior to prior cohorts. The quality should go up since McPS is screening a much larger pool rather than just kids nominated by their parents/teachers.

We live in a high performing area. There are a higher percentage of above average kids here who prep way more than those random smart kids in this now larger pool. I mean the competition was already fierce at our elementary school. It’s not enough to be rich and bright. You have to prep prep prep. I just don’t think a random smart Hispanic kid is going to score higher than our kids who have been competing with each other for years. That’s how I know the larger pool did not actually yield kids smarter than my kid (who worked her ass off.)

That’s what you think happened because that’s your own biases coming into play. But you have no evidence to support your view.

Um this is all related to High SES. When you have kids at High SES areas staying at their base school vs going to the magnet program of course the overall quality is going to go down. Are you that obtuse.

No I’m not obtuse. And I’m not a bigot blaming a “random smart Hispanic kid” for my own kid’s failure to perform the way you are.

For your informatio, the random smart Hispanic or Africa kids are from well educated families, whose parents are scientists, bankers, or nurses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember seeing this in a previous thread and found it both funny and probably closer to the truth than people want to believe....

Administrator #1: "Wow, look at those SAT scores over there at Blair. It's really amazing isn't it? We need to send out a press release!"
Administrator #2: "Definitely! Hold on a second, all these names of Intel Scholars sound Asian. Let me see the full list of Magnet students. All these names sound Asian and White."
Administrator #1: "Yea, they've been gaming the system for years. Sending their kids to tutors, supplementing education, and actually filling out the application"
Administrator #2: "Oh no, we can't have that! That isn't fair"
Administrator #1: "I know. We send parents information and leave phone mail message constantly in both English and Spanish but Hispanics and African Americans don't apply"
Administrator #2: "It sounds like we need try and make the application easier."
Administrator #1: "I've got a better idea! Lets get rid of the application all together. Test everyone."
Administrator #2: "Brilliant! But what about the fact that Black and Hispanics test lower across the board on all standardized tests, how do we overcome that?"
Administrator #1: "We should just set up quotas by race."
Administrator #2: "I wish. They passed a stupid law against quotas."
Administrator #1: "Let's think, how can we get around the law. Most Whites and Asians like to live in the same snobby rich areas, right?"
Administrator #2: "Right... God I hate those Whites and Asians!"
Administrator #1: "Then lets say that if you live in an area where your home school has other really smart kids then you get penalized in the admissions process."
Administrator #2: "Great Idea! That way, we can say that we aren't giving preference to race, we can disguise it as preference by opportunity."
Administrator #1: "Wait, but won't that make the SAT scores at Blair go down? Won't that make us look bad?"
Administrator #2: "Of course it will but we are doing it for the greater good. Plus, we work for the Government. What are they going to do fire us?
Administrator #1: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Administrator #2: "Ha ha ha ha he he ha ha!"

OMG.

That is spot on! I could definitely see that happening.

This is so obnoxious. There is no evidence provided that the kids accepted this year through the universal screening process are somehow inferior to prior cohorts. The quality should go up since McPS is screening a much larger pool rather than just kids nominated by their parents/teachers.

We live in a high performing area. There are a higher percentage of above average kids here who prep way more than those random smart kids in this now larger pool. I mean the competition was already fierce at our elementary school. It’s not enough to be rich and bright. You have to prep prep prep. I just don’t think a random smart Hispanic kid is going to score higher than our kids who have been competing with each other for years. That’s how I know the larger pool did not actually yield kids smarter than my kid (who worked her ass off.)

That’s what you think happened because that’s your own biases coming into play. But you have no evidence to support your view.

Um this is all related to High SES. When you have kids at High SES areas staying at their base school vs going to the magnet program of course the overall quality is going to go down. Are you that obtuse.

No I’m not obtuse. And I’m not a bigot blaming a “random smart Hispanic kid” for my own kid’s failure to perform the way you are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember seeing this in a previous thread and found it both funny and probably closer to the truth than people want to believe....

Administrator #1: "Wow, look at those SAT scores over there at Blair. It's really amazing isn't it? We need to send out a press release!"
Administrator #2: "Definitely! Hold on a second, all these names of Intel Scholars sound Asian. Let me see the full list of Magnet students. All these names sound Asian and White."
Administrator #1: "Yea, they've been gaming the system for years. Sending their kids to tutors, supplementing education, and actually filling out the application"
Administrator #2: "Oh no, we can't have that! That isn't fair"
Administrator #1: "I know. We send parents information and leave phone mail message constantly in both English and Spanish but Hispanics and African Americans don't apply"
Administrator #2: "It sounds like we need try and make the application easier."
Administrator #1: "I've got a better idea! Lets get rid of the application all together. Test everyone."
Administrator #2: "Brilliant! But what about the fact that Black and Hispanics test lower across the board on all standardized tests, how do we overcome that?"
Administrator #1: "We should just set up quotas by race."
Administrator #2: "I wish. They passed a stupid law against quotas."
Administrator #1: "Let's think, how can we get around the law. Most Whites and Asians like to live in the same snobby rich areas, right?"
Administrator #2: "Right... God I hate those Whites and Asians!"
Administrator #1: "Then lets say that if you live in an area where your home school has other really smart kids then you get penalized in the admissions process."
Administrator #2: "Great Idea! That way, we can say that we aren't giving preference to race, we can disguise it as preference by opportunity."
Administrator #1: "Wait, but won't that make the SAT scores at Blair go down? Won't that make us look bad?"
Administrator #2: "Of course it will but we are doing it for the greater good. Plus, we work for the Government. What are they going to do fire us?
Administrator #1: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Administrator #2: "Ha ha ha ha he he ha ha!"

OMG.

That is spot on! I could definitely see that happening.

This is so obnoxious. There is no evidence provided that the kids accepted this year through the universal screening process are somehow inferior to prior cohorts. The quality should go up since McPS is screening a much larger pool rather than just kids nominated by their parents/teachers.

We live in a high performing area. There are a higher percentage of above average kids here who prep way more than those random smart kids in this now larger pool. I mean the competition was already fierce at our elementary school. It’s not enough to be rich and bright. You have to prep prep prep. I just don’t think a random smart Hispanic kid is going to score higher than our kids who have been competing with each other for years. That’s how I know the larger pool did not actually yield kids smarter than my kid (who worked her ass off.)

That’s what you think happened because that’s your own biases coming into play. But you have no evidence to support your view.

Um this is all related to High SES. When you have kids at High SES areas staying at their base school vs going to the magnet program of course the overall quality is going to go down. Are you that obtuse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Such sour grapes!

lol I don't even have kids. Overall quality and rigor has gone down

I teach in a MCPS MS Magnet and disagree. Give me specific examples from the Magnet classes you are teaching this year to support your argument.

It's great to hear from a magnet teacher. I suspect that there aren't enough magnet seats in MCPS and there are probably many students who could be magnet students without lowering the overall quality and rigor? What do you think?

Also, do you have any opinion on the programs being installed in local middle schools so that those with a gifted local peer group don't need the magnet?

Thanks for the great work you do. Both my kids went through a magnet middle school (don't know if it's yours) and had a fantastic experience. It challenged them and gave them an excellent foundation. I'm often a critic of MCPS, but the magnet program was great.

I’m uncertain about adding another 20-25 students to my current load. Whether that would be a fifth class or simply four larger classes, I’m sure it would change some instruction and assessment options currently very doable. I would be happy to see at least two more Magnet programs open. This would allow many more seats (200) and ease the burden of the long bus ride for some families. However, to recruit the Magnet teachers needed, MCPS needs to do a better job in how it treats its professional staff, especially new hires.

I attended the summer training for the enriched course in my subject area and continue to follow developing lessons. I think that if executed faithfully by the selected teachers, it will be both fun and rigorous for students in schools with a large gifted cohort. I question a school deciding to offer it to the entire sixth grade. That seems a parent-pleasing move rather than having carefully assessed student needs. I will definitely touch base with relevant people next week to see if this is truly what is happening. I suspect the poster may have confused the Advanced course with the enriched one.

Thank you. I’m glad it was a worthwhile experience for your children. The past two weeks, I’ve carefully watched the students that some posters here don’t think deserve to be in my classroom. These kids are not just holding their own, they are excited and already greatly contributing to our learning community. They are as curious, hard-working, delightfully smart, and quirky as the present-seventh graders who were admitted under the old system. The only sixth grade student I have concerns about handling the rigor is one who would have come from the traditional pool.

I am genuinely curious - how do you know that one particular kid would have come from the "traditional pool"? What is "the traditional pool?" (And how can you be sure that none of the others would have come from the "traditional pool?")

We formerly received a large number of our students from a few specific schools. That is not the case this year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Such sour grapes!

lol I don't even have kids. Overall quality and rigor has gone down

I teach in a MCPS MS Magnet and disagree. Give me specific examples from the Magnet classes you are teaching this year to support your argument.

It's great to hear from a magnet teacher. I suspect that there aren't enough magnet seats in MCPS and there are probably many students who could be magnet students without lowering the overall quality and rigor? What do you think?

Also, do you have any opinion on the programs being installed in local middle schools so that those with a gifted local peer group don't need the magnet?

Thanks for the great work you do. Both my kids went through a magnet middle school (don't know if it's yours) and had a fantastic experience. It challenged them and gave them an excellent foundation. I'm often a critic of MCPS, but the magnet program was great.

I’m uncertain about adding another 20-25 students to my current load. Whether that would be a fifth class or simply four larger classes, I’m sure it would change some instruction and assessment options currently very doable. I would be happy to see at least two more Magnet programs open. This would allow many more seats (200) and ease the burden of the long bus ride for some families. However, to recruit the Magnet teachers needed, MCPS needs to do a better job in how it treats its professional staff, especially new hires.

I attended the summer training for the enriched course in my subject area and continue to follow developing lessons. I think that if executed faithfully by the selected teachers, it will be both fun and rigorous for students in schools with a large gifted cohort. I question a school deciding to offer it to the entire sixth grade. That seems a parent-pleasing move rather than having carefully assessed student needs. I will definitely touch base with relevant people next week to see if this is truly what is happening. I suspect the poster may have confused the Advanced course with the enriched one.

Thank you. I’m glad it was a worthwhile experience for your children. The past two weeks, I’ve carefully watched the students that some posters here don’t think deserve to be in my classroom. These kids are not just holding their own, they are excited and already greatly contributing to our learning community. They are as curious, hard-working, delightfully smart, and quirky as the present-seventh graders who were admitted under the old system. The only sixth grade student I have concerns about handling the rigor is one who would have come from the traditional pool.

I am genuinely curious - how do you know that one particular kid would have come from the "traditional pool"? What is "the traditional pool?" (And how can you be sure that none of the others would have come from the "traditional pool?")

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Such sour grapes!

lol I don't even have kids. Overall quality and rigor has gone down

I teach in a MCPS MS Magnet and disagree. Give me specific examples from the Magnet classes you are teaching this year to support your argument.

It's great to hear from a magnet teacher. I suspect that there aren't enough magnet seats in MCPS and there are probably many students who could be magnet students without lowering the overall quality and rigor? What do you think?

Also, do you have any opinion on the programs being installed in local middle schools so that those with a gifted local peer group don't need the magnet?

Thanks for the great work you do. Both my kids went through a magnet middle school (don't know if it's yours) and had a fantastic experience. It challenged them and gave them an excellent foundation. I'm often a critic of MCPS, but the magnet program was great.

I’m uncertain about adding another 20-25 students to my current load. Whether that would be a fifth class or simply four larger classes, I’m sure it would change some instruction and assessment options currently very doable. I would be happy to see at least two more Magnet programs open. This would allow many more seats (200) and ease the burden of the long bus ride for some families. However, to recruit the Magnet teachers needed, MCPS needs to do a better job in how it treats its professional staff, especially new hires.

I attended the summer training for the enriched course in my subject area and continue to follow developing lessons. I think that if executed faithfully by the selected teachers, it will be both fun and rigorous for students in schools with a large gifted cohort. I question a school deciding to offer it to the entire sixth grade. That seems a parent-pleasing move rather than having carefully assessed student needs. I will definitely touch base with relevant people next week to see if this is truly what is happening. I suspect the poster may have confused the Advanced course with the enriched one.

Thank you. I’m glad it was a worthwhile experience for your children. The past two weeks, I’ve carefully watched the students that some posters here don’t think deserve to be in my classroom. These kids are not just holding their own, they are excited and already greatly contributing to our learning community. They are as curious, hard-working, delightfully smart, and quirky as the present-seventh graders who were admitted under the old system. The only sixth grade student I have concerns about handling the rigor is one who would have come from the traditional pool.