Middle School Magnet Consortium → Choice Process
Families of Grade 5 students who reside within and attend one of the eight schools in the Middle School Magnet Consortium (MSMC) attendance area* will receive a Choice form from their teacher in mid-October. Grade 5 students who reside outside the Consortium can log in to their MCPS Google account and then to bit.ly/choiceMSMC (case sensitive) and with their parents, complete and submit their Choices. A smart phone or computer can be used, as long as the student logs into their MCPS Google account first. This link will be available in mid-October. The form provides parents with the opportunity to rank the Consortium middle schools in order of preference, considering their interest in the magnet programs associated with each school. Grade 5 students attending private schools will find a Choice form on the website.
All Grade 5 students who reside in the MSMC elementary school attendance area must return their Choice form during Round 1 (November) of the Choice process to their current elementary school by the due date. Choice forms for all other Grade 5 students who live outside the MSMC attendance area must be completed and submitted online by the due date. Private school families must submit a Choice form by the due date to the Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services (DCCAPS), Spring Mill Field Office, 11721 Kemp Mill Road, Silver Spring, MD 20902. Students who participate in the MSMC Choice process in Round 1 will be notified about their school assignment by early February. Newly interested Grade 5 and 6 students, new Grade 5 and 6 students to MCPS, and students who did not get their first choice in Round 1, may participate in Round 2 (February). For those who participate in the Choice process during Round 2, notice of the school assignment will be mailed in late March. Once Round 2 school assignments have been made, students may appeal the school assignment by sending a letter to the director of DCCAPS asking for a change of school assignment and the reason for the request. Requests for change of school assignment are granted only if attendance at the assigned school would constitute a hardship.
MCPS staff will provide information about the Choice process and magnet programs at the Parent Information Meetings and Open Houses in the fall. Information on courses, program components, and details of the Choice process will be provided and are available on this website. For additional information about the Choice process, contact the Division of Consortia Choice and Application Services (DCCAPS) at 240-740-7800.
*Attendance areas for the MSMC include addresses that feed into one of the following elementary schools: Bel Pre, Brookhaven, Georgian Forest, Harmony Hills, Sargent Shriver, Strathmore, Viers Mill, Weller Road, and Wheaton Woods.