Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
MCPS explains next steps for families invited to Centers for Enriched Studies
Loading...
Summary
Montgomery County Public Schools staff told a caller that families whose children are selected by lottery for the Centers for Enriched Studies should weigh program fit, transportation from centralized bus stops, sibling COSA requests, and that CES attendance does not affect middle-school magnet lottery chances.
Montgomery County Public Schools staff member Bonnie told a caller that a student invited to a Centers for Enriched Studies (CES) site was placed through the central review lottery and that families must decide whether to accept the placement and follow the instructions on the invitation.
Bonnie said CES is a regional, humanities-based program that brings students from several schools together for reading, writing, science and social studies. "Each of the sites has 2 or 3 classes at fourth and fifth grade, and each class has 28 students," she said, describing the program's typical grade structure and class size.
The caller asked how CES differs from enrichment at a local elementary school. Bonnie said CES groups students from a geographic area into a specialized program and uses above-grade-level, research-based reading and language-arts materials. Instruction may be faster paced and include more reading, longer projects and interdisciplinary units that connect curricular areas.
Transportation is provided to CES sites from centralized bus stops, Bonnie said; these stops may be further from a family's home than a neighborhood stop. She advised parents to check the MCPS website or the specific CES school page for "magnet bus route" information and stop locations.
On whether CES attendance affects later middle-school magnet selection, Bonnie said, "Being part of the Centers for Enriched Studies does not change your chances for being part of the middle school magnets." She explained that middle-school selection is handled through a separate central review in fifth grade with its own criteria and lottery.
Bonnie also outlined sibling options: families may request a chain-of-school assignment (COSA) so siblings can attend the same CES site by submitting a COSA form; transfer-office staff review those requests for hardship and space availability. If openings appear after the school year begins, additional lotteries draw from the wait pool and families chosen are notified by email.
She closed by telling the caller to follow the directions on the invitation to notify both the CES and the current school, and provided an MCPS contact email (dccaps@mcpsmd.org) for additional questions. Bonnie encouraged families to weigh academics, logistics and social-emotional fit as they decide.
Families invited in the spring of third grade will finish that school year at their current school and start fourth grade at the assigned CES site; MCPS posts additional frequently asked questions and program details on the CES website.
