For Students Entering Grade 9 in 2020-2021

Welcome to the Downcounty Consortium HS

Options Fair!

Charting a Path to Your Future WhereYou can Thrive at ALL Five!

Downcounty Consortium (DCC) High Schools

Montgomery Blair HS

Albert Einstein HS

John F. Kennedy HS

Northwood HS

Wheaton HS

What do all Downcounty Consortium high schools have in common?

• Comprehensive high school curriculum

• Rigorous academic course work

• Honors & Advanced Placement (AP) courses

• Special Education & ESOL programs

• Students from at least nine middle schools

• Student activities, clubs, athletics

• Partnerships with universities, colleges, and businesses

• Academy programs

What is an academy?

• Sequence of related courses– Rigorous course work

– Variety of course offerings in the thematic area

• Focus on connecting academics and

career themes

• Appeals to students’ interests

• Small learning community

• Offers students opportunities for:– Interdisciplinary projects

– Capstone experiences

– College courses

September/October

Evening Options information Meetings:

DCC – Sept. 26

NEC – Oct 2 at Blake HS

October

DCC High School Open Houses @ 7 pm

Blair HS Thursday, October 3

Wheaton HS Thursday, October 10

Kennedy HS Thursday, October 17

Northwood HS Tuesday, October 22

Einstein HS Thursday, October 24

Grade 8 students participate in career exploration activities in school

Choice form instructions mailed to DCC students’ homes (mid-October)

Lottery Choice Process Timeline for 2019-2020

October/November - Round 1

Evening enrollment for parents of DCC non-MCPS students held at Spring Mill Field Office on Wednesday, October 30 , 2019 - from 4:00 to 7:00 pm

RSVP: Please call 240-740-2540 to find out what documents to bring.

Electronic submission of HS Choices by all DCC residing students on or before Friday, November 1.

End of January

Parents/students notified by mail of high school assignment.

Lottery Choice Process Timeline for 2019-2020

Choice Form Submission

DCC parents/students will complete a

Choice form:

• Rank the five high schools in order of

preference.

• On the form, indicate if you would like

the child to attend the same DCC

school that an older sibling will attend

in 2020-2021.

• Submit your Choices by Friday,

November 1, 2019.*

Note: DCC students who do not complete a Choice

form will be randomly assigned to a DCC high school.

A sneak preview of

the academies by

high school…

You can Thrive at ALL Five!

Entrepreneurship Human Services

Professions

Media, Music & The ArtsInternational Studies and Law

Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Math

MONTGOMERY BLAIR HIGH SCHOOL

• Meg

• Class of 2020

• MS attended: Loiederman

• Academy: Music, Media and the Arts (MMA)

• Passion: Visual and Performing Arts

• Favorite Academy Course: Studio Art

• Favorite Academy Experience: Capstone – “Exploring Gender Bias in Cosmetology”

• Future Plans: College

Bioscience AcademyBiotech – Medicine - Health

Engineering AcademyCivil – Aerospace - Digital

Academy of Information Technology

Programming – Website Development

Global Studies AcademyHumanities – Fine Arts

WHEATON HIGH SCHOOL

• Picture of Student or picture of academy students

• Name: Lani

• Class of 2020

• MS attended: Parkland MS

• Academy: Biomedical

• Passion: Bioengineering and Social Justice Issues

• Favorite Academy Course: Medical Interventions

• Favorite Academy Experience: Program to Enhance Participation in Research (PEPR)

• Future Plans: Enhance personalized medicine to improve quality healthcare

NJROTC

Health Professions

Broadcast Journalism

and Communications

Business Administration and

Management

Teacher Academy of

Maryland

Leadership Training Institute International Baccalaureate

JOHN F. KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL• Name: Faith

• Class of: 2020

• MS attended: A. Mario Loiederman

• Academy: Business Administration & Management Academy; Leadership Training Institute

• Passion: Dancing, writing, uplifting others and giving back to my community

• Favorite Academy Course: Software Application Design and Entrepreneurship

• Favorite Academy Experience: Attending the Women in Business Conference at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business.

• Future Plans: Attend college to pursue a degree in Broadcast Journalism

The Academy of Finance,

Marketing, Accounting and

Education

The Academy of Music,

Theatre, and Dance

The Academy of Politics, Advocacy,

and Law

Montgomery College

Middle College at Northwood

The Academy of Humanities, Art,

and Media

The Academy of Technological,

Environmental, and Systems

Sciences

NORTHWOOD HIGH SCHOOL

• Ayiana

• Class of 2020

• MS attended: Loiederman

• Academy: Finance, Accounting, Marketing, and Education Academy (FAME)

• Passion: Teaching kids

• Favorite Academy Course: AP Psychology

• Favorite Academy Experience: Going to the “Say Yes to Teaching” expo!!

• Future Plans: Major in Early Childhood Education and begin my teaching career

International

Baccalaureate

Academy

Visual

and Performing

Arts Academy

Academy of Finance and

Business

Renaissance Academy of

College Readiness

ALBERT EINSTEIN HIGH SCHOOL

• Lauren

• Class of 2021

• MS attended: Silver Spring International Middle School

• Academy: Visual & Performing Arts Academy

• Passion: Lighting for STAGE Crew

• Favorite Academy Course: Studio Art II

• Favorite Academy Experience: The nights at school where the dance concerts and art exhibitions intersect

• Future Plans: Live in the city of DC, attend a college or university and pursue a career in lighting design or psychology

How are students assigned to a high school?

A computerized lottery assignment

system is used to assign students to

a high school. A variety of factors are

considered when running the lottery.

• A student’s base high school is determined by the home address.

• Assignment to the base high school is guaranteed if it is selected as:

FIRST choice on the Choice form

OR

Second choice on the Choice form if the first choice school is not available.

• Base high school is not guaranteed if a student changes his/her mind after the lottery has been run and an assignment has been made.

• To identify your base area school, visit the school locator website:

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/SchoolAssignmentTool2/Index.xhtml

Base High School Selection

What variables may impact school

assignment?

• School capacity as determined by MCPS

• Ranking of school choices

• Number of students selecting their base high school

• Sibling link, if indicated on the Choice form

• Socioeconomic status (number of students who receive free or reduced meals)

• Gender

Are students guaranteed assignment

to the same DCC high school as an

older sibling?

Every effort will be made to assign siblings to the same DCC school ifindicated on the Choice form. Sibling link is only considered, however,when the sibling is in the comprehensive program (not application ormagnet programs) at that high school. School assignments alsoconsider space availability.

How does the high school assignment process work?

1st Choice = Base

1st Choice

Older Sibling

1st Choice

Non-Base/Lottery

Transportation is provided for students who live within the Downcounty Consortium attendance area, beyond walking distance of their assigned DCC high school.

Walking distance is determined by MCPS and is approximately two miles for high school students.

Will transportation be provided?

How do students who live outside the DCC area and are on a transfer into a DCC middle school participate in

the Choice process?

• Applies to students who participate in special programs at DCC middle schools but reside outside of the DCC (immersion, magnet, MSMC)

• Transfer students have the options of participating in Round 2 of the Choice process

• They will receive Choice form instructions in the mail at the end of January and will submit choices electronically in mid February

• Any students attending DCC middle schools who reside outside the DCC attendance area will have the option of submitting choices in mid-February

*Note: Transfer students are also eligible to apply to the DCC-only application programs.

February

– Choice Process – Round 2 (Deadline: Friday, February 14, 2020)

• Choice forms due from Grade 8 students who enroll in a DCC middle school after Round 1

• Choice forms due from Grade 8 students on transfer into a DCC middle school who choose to

participate in the process

• Round 2 resubmit forms due from parents of students who did not get their first

choice in Round 1 asking for original school choices to be resubmitted in Round 2

• Changes to the Choice form will not be accepted

Note: Students who receive their first choice in Round 1 may NOT participate in Round 2.

March

– Round 2 high school assignment letters mailed to participants’ homes

April/May

– Appeal letters due early April

– Appeals reviewed (late April – May)

DCC Choice Timeline After Round 1

• In February of each school year, Grades 9-11 students

have the opportunity to request a change of DCC high

school assignment for the following school year.

• Change of Choice forms will be available in DCC high

school counseling offices in late January/early February.

• The completed form, signed by the parent, must be

returned by Friday, February 14, 2020, in order to be

considered

• Change of Choice results may consider the number of

seats available, base high school, socioeconomic status

and gender.

High School Change of Choice

What high school application-only programs are available to students?

DCC Application Only Programs*

• Communication Arts Program (CAP) at Blair HS

• Leadership Training Institute (LTI) at Kennedy HS

• The Biomedical and Engineering Application Programs at Wheaton HS

Other Application-Only Programs

• Regional IB Programme at Kennedy HS

• Countywide IB Programme at Richard

Montgomery HS

• Montgomery College Middle College

Program (MC2) – Northwood & Northwest HS

• Science, Mathematics, Computer Science

Magnet at Blair HS

• IB Career Related Programs at Rockville HS

• Global Ecology House at Poolesville HS

• Visual Art Center (VAC) at Einstein HS

• Wheaton/Edison High School College & Career Readiness Programs

*Grade 8 students must reside inthe DCC or attend a DCC middle school in order to apply.

- DCC students who apply for application-only programs must also submit a

completed Choice form by Friday, November 1, 2019.

Please complete your evaluation form and

return it to one of the students at our table fair.

If you are interested in learning about interest-based

or criteria-based application-only programs, there

will be an 8 pm presentation in the auditorium.

Thank you for coming this evening!

I can THRIVE at ALL 5! 5 Great Schools! 5 Great Choices!