Montgomery County Public Schools

CES Admission Process:  Overview and Frequently Asked Questions

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CES Programs and Admission Process Overview

• The Centers for Enriched Studies (CES) provide a learning environment for Grade 4 and Grade 5 students that enriches, accelerates, and extends the MCPS curriculum. It is designed to meet the needs of highly able and motivated learners in language arts. The program focuses on critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and communication skills.  MCPS offers 13 CES programs throughout the county.  There are nine regional programs and four local programs.  
• Grade 3 students go through a central review process. Students who demonstrate a need for enriched and accelerated programming in literacy will be placed into a lottery pool.  Students in this pool will receive enrichment and acceleration in either the CES program or local enriched programming/courses.
• For students with missing data and private/home schooled students, an expert panel will review academic profiles to determine if students demonstrate a need for enriched and accelerated literacy instruction, if so students will be placed in the lottery pool.
• Once students demonstrating a need for literacy enrichment and acceleration have been entered into the lottery pool, placement into the regional or local enriched programming/courses will be through a random lottery.  All other  students in the lottery pool will receive enrichment at their local elementary school and remain in the waitpool.

FAQs

1. Who is eligible to be considered for the program?  

All Grade 3 students who are residents of Montgomery County are eligible to be considered for the lottery pool.  Students who are home schooled or attend private school and interested in the process may call the Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services (DCCAPS), at 240-740-2540, for more information.  Grade 3 students will be considered for the regional CES program serving their home address.  The CES curriculum is the same for both regional and local programs.

2. What data will be used to review Grade 3 students?  

Multiple measures  including Grade 3 marking period 2 report cards, locally-normed percentile ranks for the winter 2023 Measures of Adequate Progress in Reading (MAP-R), instructional reading level and student services including: special education services, ELD- English Language Development, Section 504 accommodations plan and Free and Reduced-priced Meals.  Students who meet the following academic criteria will receive enriched literacy services in Grade 4:

• Grade 3 Marking Period 2 Reading ‘A’ and
• Grade 3 Marking Period 2 Writing  or Social Studies ‘A’
• Reading level ‘On’ or ‘Above’
• 85th Percentile Local Norm on MAP- R

Enriched literacy services may be delivered at your student’s current school or in a regional CES program.  Students who meet the academic criteria will be placed into a lottery pool for potential placement in a CES program.   Placement in the regional CES program is by lottery only.  

3. What are locally normed scores?

Gifted and talented experts recommend the use of local norms of assessment scores as an equitable approach to ensure equity and access in identification of students for programs. Additionally, the current draft of Gifted and Talented Definitions from the Maryland State Department of Education includes the use of local norms as part of the gifted and talented identification process. MCPS locally normed scores are designed to examine test takers in relation to one another within MCPS. As part of the CES identification process, scores obtained on the MAP R assessment will be locally normed.  The socioeconomic status of elementary schools is used to establish local norms for the MAP R. In establishing local norms, students in schools with similar FARMS  rates are grouped together for comparison.  

4. What are the benefits of using a lottery to place students into the Centers for Enriched Studies?  
   The central review process reviews all Grade 3 students and their need for enriched and accelerated literacy instruction for Grade 4 and 5.  This process has revealed thousands of students in need of enrichment.   All students who are identified as needing enriched services are guaranteed to receive them locally or in a regional program.  Due to the limited seats in regional programs, MCPS will use a lottery system.  Implementing a lottery--

• Removes subjectivity of committee members
• Reduces a “splitting hairs” review of students within similar academic ranges of each other
• Increases opportunity for students
• Is an easier and a more transparent process for the community to understand
  

5. How will students who have missing data or private/homeschooled students be reviewed?  
   Parents/guardians of students in these groups will be able to upload documents helpful to the review using the form available here. Parents can visit this link for more information.  Students with missing data and private/home schooled students will have their data reviewed by an expert panel to determine if students demonstrate a need for enriched and accelerated literacy instruction.  If students demonstrate a need, they will be placed in the lottery pool.   Once all students identified for needing literacy enrichment have been entered into the lottery pool, placement into the regional or local CES will be conducted through a lottery.  Students remaining in the lottery pool will receive literacy enrichment at their local elementary.
   
6. How will families be notified about the results of the central review and the lottery?

Families will receive a letter in the US Mail and on ParentVue the week of March 27, 2023.  The letter will note if the student met the criteria to be in the lottery pool and if the student is in the lottery pool, whether or not the student was chosen in the lottery to be in the program.  Invitations from the waitpool will come by email.  It is helpful if families keep their contact information, including email address, up to date in ParentVue.

7. If my student is placed in the CES program and we change our mind, can we return to our home school and access the local enriched instruction?  
   Students may return to their home school at any time.  Home school is defined as the school for which your home address is zoned.   It is recommended that students who start a new program at a school participate in the program for at least one marking period.  Making new friends, learning new routines, traveling to a new school, meeting new teachers and engaging in an enriched program are all new transitions for which students need time to adjust.  The majority of students remain in the program for Grades 4 and 5.  
   
8. What are the transportation options? 

Transportation is provided from centralized stops as determined by MCPS Department of Transportation. Centralized stops are typically at elementary schools; they are not neighborhood stops and may not be close enough for your student to walk to.  It is the responsibility of parents/caregivers to provide transportation to central stops.  The length of bus rides from pick-up sites to the assigned centers vary, and may take up to an hour. When considering your decision to attend the program, please consider your child’s ability to endure a longer day. Although the bus stops may shift each year based on enrollment in programs, parents can review the current central stops on this website:  https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/transportation/busroutes/.  On the page, click on the tab “MAGNET.”

9. If my student is placed in the regional program, can my other elementary student attend the same school?  
   Families may submit a Change of School Assignment (COSA) form for the sibling to attend the CES school. More information is located on the MCPS website: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/transfers/.  COSA requests are reviewed by the transfer office- space in the building, grade level and hardship are criteria considered in the process.
   
10. My student has an IEP or ESOL Plan or Best Interest Meeting and was invited to the CES but recommended for a different placement by the team. What is the next step?
    The Educational Management Team including school staff, special education staff, and the family should work together to determine the best placement to meet the academic, instructional, and social emotional needs of the student.  Placement decisions made through the Individualized Education Process, English for Speakers of Other Languages, Best Interest Meeting or other instructional processes may supersede a CES placement.  
    
11. If my student attends the CES, are they automatically eligible to attend that feeder middle or the magnet middle school?  
    All grade 5 students go through another central review process similar to the process in grade three. Students who meet the criteria are placed in a lottery of the criteria based magnet programs.   Students may also  participate in the Middle School Magnet Consortium (MSMC) interest based lottery. Students are not guaranteed a space in the middle school magnet program. Placement in middle school magnet programs is done by lottery. Students not chosen by lottery to attend a magnet program will attend the middle school assigned by their home address.

12. What factors besides academic ability should I consider in making a decision to accept or decline the regional magnet program?
    Consider your student’s feelings about their home school and friends, their readiness to adjust to a new school, and their schedule of extracurricular activities. Some students feel isolated or have difficulty making new friends when starting a new program. Will your student have the maturity to enjoy the intellectual challenge of the program and to make friends? It takes energy and stamina to transition to an enriched and accelerated curriculum. Consider your student’s ability to accept that they may no longer be one of the top performing students in the class. Also, consider your student’s feelings and reactions to a possible lengthy bus ride.
    
13. What instructional opportunities are available to students who choose to stay at the home/current school or are not invited to the center program?   
    Literacy enrichment is available in the MCPS Grade 4 and Grade 5 core curriculum through the Benchmark Advance with Enrichment which is available in every elementary school at this time. In addition, many schools offer the Enriched Literacy Curriculum (ELC).  The ELC is designed for students that demonstrate a need for enriched and accelerated instruction and includes learning experiences similar to those in the Centers for Enriched Studies (CES).  The program content is enriched, quick-paced, based on the Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards, and designed to meet the unique instructional needs of diverse, highly-able learners.
    
14. Is mathematics placement part of the Centers for Enriched studies?
    ​No, mathematics placement is not part of the Centers for Enriched Studies (CES). The CES program is a humanities-based program and does not include a specific mathematics course recommendation. Mathematics course placements are made independently of CES placement. MCPS students in grade 4 typically take Mathematics 4 or Mathematics 4/5.  Both courses are offered at all CES schools.  Schools make mathematics placements based on guidance from the central office and local school data.  Mathematics is not part of the CES curriculum or program.
    
15. What happens if we move during the year?
    Eligibility for the regional CES program  may be impacted due to an address change. Contact your current school to notify them of an address change. Once an address change has been made in the MCPS system, contact the Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services (DCCAPS@mcpsmd.org) .   If the admission process has already taken place and your student is placed in the program serving your former address, attempts will be made to transfer your student to the center serving your new home address.  Note: This may not always be possible. Capacities for each classroom are maintained and monitored. Movement after the first quarter of each year will not be considered.
    
16. What if I have more questions?

Parents can learn more about the program and admission by:

• Visiting the website:  https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/elementary/highly-gifted-centers.aspx 
• Contacting the school’s GT liaison.  
• Contacting Bonny Chambers-Sadler, instructional specialist, DCCAPS and Accelerated and Enriched Instruction, at 240-740-2540, or via email at dccaps@mcpsmd.org with questions about the central review and lottery process.
• Contacting  Elise Antoine, instructional specialist, Accelerated and Enriched Instruction, at 240-740-3110, or via email at aeiquestions@mcpsmd.org with questions about the CES program overview and curriculum.

17. Which CES programs serve which areas?  

18. Can my student who was placed in a CES program get a transfer to a different CES site?  

MCPS offers 13 regional and local programs for which students are eligible based on their address. There are limited seats at each site and each is preserved only for those whose addresses are part of the catchment for that  site.  Central transportation is provided based on these feeders. MCPS recognizes that for some families, a change in the center site may help with daily living— closer to work, after school programs, etc.  Students are eligible only for their catchment - the regional program to which their address feeds.  Requests for a different site must be made through the COSA process.  

19. How will vacancies be filled in the CES program?  
    Vacancies into the CES program will be filled by lottery from the students who are in the lottery pool. This process will begin within two weeks (Mid-may) after the initial deadline for students who were invited.  The deadline to accept a spot from the first round of invitations is April 24, 2023. As seats become available additional lotteries will be run. The lottery pool remains active until the end of the first marking period for when the student reaches 5th grade.  
    
20. If I decline a seat in the CES program may I ask for a seat at a later time?
    No, once a family declines a seat the space is offered to another student.  As a result the seat will no longer be available.  This includes declining the seat to attend the MCPS Virtual Academy.
    
21. If I withdraw from MCPS may I return to the CES program?   
    No, once a student withdraws from MCPS the seat in the program will be offered to another student.    As a result the seat will no longer be available.
    
22. What happens if my student is not identified to be in the lottery pool?  
    Parents have the option to accept the result and discuss local enrichment with their elementary school staff, or appeal the decision.  The appeal process considers hardships or errors that may have impacted the student’s academic record.
    
23. Who can appeal?
    Parents/guardians of students who were not placed in the lottery pool may appeal the results. The appeal process is designed for parents/guardians to request a review of their student’s academic profile because their student did not get identified for enriched literacy instruction and the CES Lottery Pool due to one of the following:

• A unique hardship impacted a student’s academic profile
• Errors or missing information in the student’s academic profile    

The appeal committee will consider the submitted information as it relates to a student’s academic profile.  The committee is unable to review student work samples, teacher recommendations, awards, external enrichment program information, or additional testing (for current MCPS students). The appeals process does not place students into a regional program, it may place them in the lottery pool–students may only be placed into a regional program through a lottery. Parents who are interested in submitting an online appeal may submit it at: http://bit.ly/MCPScesLevel1.  Appeals are due on April 24, 2023.

24. My student is in the wait pool, can I appeal?

Students in the lottery pool are not eligible to appeal for placement into the regional program. Placement into the regional program is by lottery only.  As seats become available in each of the programs, MCPS/DCCAPS will run additional lotteries.  If your student is invited from a later lottery you will be notified via email.  Please ensure your email address is up to date in ParentVue.

25. My student was not identified for enriched literacy services for Grade 4, can I appeal?

Yes, parents of students who are not placed in the lottery may appeal.   The appeals committee reviews submitted information from the parent/guardian to determine if the student has a need for enriched literacy services in Grade 4.  Appeals can be filed for one of the following reasons:

• There was an error in the original information during the central review. Documentation that can be verified must be attached.
• There is new information, a hardship, or unique circumstance that impacted a student’s performance data that was not available at the time of the central review.  Please note that the committee is asked to review data and any information provided that would have affected the data at the time of review, new information that occurred after marking period 2 is not considered.

The appeals committee is not able to review additional data such as, but not limited to: Johns Hopkins CTY data, teacher recommendations, or certificates awarded to the student, please do not include these items with your appeal.  The appeals committee can move students into the lottery pool but does not place students into the program.

26. If an appeal is submitted, when will a response be provided?

Appeal responses are emailed one month after the appeals deadline of April 24, 2023

27. My student was in the lottery pool, but not placed at a CES program, how will their needs be met?

All students in the lottery pool, not placed in a CES program, will receive enriched services at their local school.  Families are encouraged to work closely with their student’s elementary school.  

28. What if my student is new to MCPS and did not receive an MCPS quarter 2 report card or had missing grades?

Families of newly enrolled students, or those who may have missing data used for the central review, may submit documents for review by an expert panel.  These students will be reviewed for centrally recommended local enrichment and placement in the waitpool. Parents may submit documents for review by April 24, 2023 on the appeal link provided.  Any submissions after this date will be handled during the summer.  Appropriate documents for this process include copy of report card, reading level and external testing report.  

29. I received my letter and my student is in the lottery pool but we would like to stay at our assigned elementary school.  Can I come out of the lottery pool?

Parents/guardians interested in being removed from the lottery pool can submit their request here https://bit.ly/MCPScesWPexit (Link is for students in the waitpool and will be opened after results letters are sent)