Bethesda-area eighth graders can rank up to eight choices in a new MCPS lottery for high school programs. The first-round application deadline is Friday, Nov. 6.

Montgomery County Public Schools unveiled the admissions process for its regional "high school center program model" at a webinar Monday, Sept. 14. Jeannie Franklin, director of MCPS consortia and application program services, walked families through a two-round, ranked-choice lottery system that will determine where rising ninth graders land next fall, Bethesda Magazine reported.

Applications open in October. Students can rank up to eight programs within the region where they live. Even students who want to attend a program at their zoned "home school" must apply.

How the lottery works depends on the program type. Students who rank interest-based programs go straight into the lottery. Students who rank criteria-based programs, such as STEM or International Baccalaureate (IB), must submit essays and other materials that are reviewed before they enter the lottery.

First-round results arrive in January. Students who are not placed, or who do not like their placement, can enter a second round that opens in February, with results in March. Franklin said students who re-enter in round two will either keep their current placement or move up to a higher-ranked choice.

BCC and Whitman program details

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and Walt Whitman High School both sit in the Southern Region, one of six regions the MCPS board created when it voted 7-1 in March to adopt the model. Board member Julie Yang cast the lone opposing vote.

Under the plan listed on the MCPS website, BCC will house a GLOBE Center offering the IB Diploma Programme and a STEM Center in engineering. Whitman will host a LEAD Center for leadership and social justice and a GLOBE Center covering humanities and Mandarin Chinese.

Admissions criteria vary by center type. STEM and medical centers weigh math and science grades, essays, and assessments including the MAP-M, MCAP and potentially the PSAT 8/9. The district also considers whether a student receives special education services, English language development or free and reduced-price meals. IB programs weigh grades in English, social studies, math and science, plus the MAP-R, MCAP, WIDA language assessment and potentially the PSAT 8/9, along with the same service factors. Arts centers skip test scores entirely, relying on artist statements, a pre-audition upload and a live task.

MCPS will also automatically review all eighth graders for IB and STEM/computer science programs in their region. "If you want to apply to the science, math, computer science program, or the International Baccalaureate program in your region, you should absolutely do it and rank it," Franklin said at the Sept. 14 webinar. Pre-qualified students may receive separate invitations.

The district will use the higher score between the PSAT 8/9 and the MAP for admissions. All eighth graders are registered to take the PSAT 8/9 on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at no cost. Chief Academic Officer Niki Porter told the board at its Sept. 10 meeting that the test "is absolutely not a make-or-break test."

The Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA) has pushed the district to slow down the programming changes. Brigid Howe, MCCPTA president, said on Sept. 10 that inconsistent communication "is really causing a lot of anxiety and uncertainty for families."

Current high school students will remain in a "legacy cohort" and can finish their existing programs. The first-round application deadline is Friday, Nov. 6.