Anonymous wrote:So how is race read into the folders? Stop making excuses for not getting in. Its meritt based pure and simple.

The selection committee is made of 20 staff members. Ten of the members come from Central Office and 10 are from PHS. Every folder is read twice. If the student is applying to all three programs the folder is ready six times. The contents of the folder are used as the criteria for selection. The folder contains: the application with an essay for each house that is written at home, 7th and 8th
grade (first nine weeks) report cards, 4 confidential teacher recommendations–English, math, social studies, science,scores from the Pearson math and verbal test given on the testing day, and a writing sample that was
created on the testing day.In addition MAPR and MSA scores are used.

Anonymous wrote:So my kid has a 4.0 and is an all-around outstanding student at a MoCo middle school. But the kid was only wait listed at CAP. Not in a middle school magnet as we moved into the district from far away while she was in middle school.

Kid asks 'what more could I do'.

Honey, I have no idea. Given they don't reveal the test scores, I can't even give any insight there ...

Rather bemused that everyone who posts talks about acceptances (usually to both CAP and IB at Richard Montgomery). So just thought I'd introduce some diversity here.

Also, thank you CAP for saying you mailed the letters 31 January, they're postmarked Feb 3rd ... just in case this wasn't stressful enough.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So how is race read into the folders? Stop making excuses for not getting in. Its meritt based pure and simple.

The selection committee is made of 20 staff members. Ten of the members come from Central Office and 10 are from PHS. Every folder is read twice. If the student is applying to all three programs the folder is ready six times. The contents of the folder are used as the criteria for selection. The folder contains: the application with an essay for each house that is written at home, 7th and 8th
grade (first nine weeks) report cards, 4 confidential teacher recommendations–English, math, social studies, science,scores from the Pearson math and verbal test given on the testing day, and a writing sample that was
created on the testing day.In addition MAPR and MSA scores are used.

Thanks so much for this! There are a lot of qualified students in the area!

Anonymous wrote:So how is race read into the folders? Stop making excuses for not getting in. Its meritt based pure and simple.

The selection committee is made of 20 staff members. Ten of the members come from Central Office and 10 are from PHS. Every folder is read twice. If the student is applying to all three programs the folder is ready six times. The contents of the folder are used as the criteria for selection. The folder contains: the application with an essay for each house that is written at home, 7th and 8th
grade (first nine weeks) report cards, 4 confidential teacher recommendations–English, math, social studies, science,scores from the Pearson math and verbal test given on the testing day, and a writing sample that was
created on the testing day.In addition MAPR and MSA scores are used.

Anonymous wrote:Encouraging a child of color to apply doesn't mean they were targeted because of race. Maybe the teacher just thought highly of your DD.

14:34 I don't think PP was saying the other kids who got in were not good students. She was saying her DD was maybe not as good as the kids who got in.

You never know what metric people are thinking about. PP your DD maybe really stood out to this teacher on some dimension she thought was important for CAP, even though other students may have been strong on other dimensions.

Anonymous wrote:Don't know if targeted group is of lower quality. My DD was targeted because of race (I think because we are black) and asked to apply-she was told she would get in. She decided in favor of the home school and didn't apply. She is a good student though not like the kids who got in.

Anonymous wrote:You are wrong. I don't know if the had authority or not and I don't really care if the assurance was of any value. I don't wish to paint any picture other than state what I know. Don't tell me about my life till you live in my shoes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Don't know if targeted group is of lower quality. My DD was targeted because of race (I think because we are black) and asked to apply-she was told she would get in. She decided in favor of the home school and didn't apply. She is a good student though not like the kids who got in.

Somehow this doesn't ring true to me.

At the very least, your DD misheard a teacher who was just being encouraging. Heck, a teacher encouraged my white DS to apply to CAP. The teacher offered no guarantees of admission, although he got in and is doing great.

My point is, nobody with a grain of sense tells any kid, even the most fabulously qualified kid, that "you will get in if you apply." You don't say who did the so-called "targetting." But whoever it was, they had no authority to make such a guarantee. It's like telling a kid he's "guaranteed" to get into Cornell (takes maybe 20% of applicants, like CAP). This is because no single teacher, not even a single individual on the magnet admissions panel, carries enough weight to sway the panel's decision. Until the test scores and all the recommendations are in, there's just no way to guarantee admission. If you're trying to paint a picture of the magnet admissions committees being solid blocks of PC-blinded folks who jump at the chance to let in underqualified kids, let me just say, I hope that's beneath you. Not to mention, following a court case maybe 19 years ago involving two Asian families and a MoCo immersion program (I worked with one of the moms and actually the two families had a point) and in the wake of a few Supreme Court cases about affirmative action in public colleges, MoCo folks are very, very careful about saying anything that implies affirmative action in the magnets.

And the slap at admitted kids of color -- just don't.

Anonymous wrote:It is really hard and painful -- hugs to you and your child.

I have one kid who has been admitted to all levels of magnet and one who has been rejected from ES and MS magnets. It does really hurt.

The one thing I believe is that any high school in MCPS will afford opportunities for challenge, due to AP and other classes, and your kid will have the opportunity to be a big fish in a small pond, which has its advantages.

Anonymous wrote:

Don't know if targeted group is of lower quality. My DD was targeted because of race (I think because we are black) and asked to apply-she was told she would get in. She decided in favor of the home school and didn't apply. She is a good student though not like the kids who got in.