All high schools offer a wide range of Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) level courses from which students may select. Honors and AP courses are open to all students who demonstrate the motivation or potential to perform at high levels in multiple content areas. All students with the ability, motivation, or potential to perform at high levels are encouraged to enroll in honors or advanced placement courses offered at every Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) high school (HS), with some courses allowing students to earn college credit while in high school. Students who participate in rigorous coursework in high school are better prepared for post-secondary education and careers.

Additional advanced-level options for high school (HS) students include—

• Honors or Advanced Placement courses
• Dual enrollment at colleges and universities (Grade Point Average (GPA) Dependent)
• Internship opportunities
• Career Pathway programs

Choice Options for Consideration:

• Magnet Programs (Application)
  • Focus: A Whole School Magnet: (Poolesville HS)
    •  Global Ecology; Humanities and Communication; Science, Mathematics Computer Science; and Independent Studies  
  • Focus: International Baccalaureate Magnet Program: Richard Montgomery HS
  • Focus: Math, Science, Computer Science Magnet Program: Montgomery Blair HS
• Application Programs
  • Focus: Biomedical Magnet Program: Wheaton HS (*)
  • Focus: Engineering Magnet Program: Wheaton HS (*)
  • Focus: Leadership Training Institute: John F. Kennedy HS (*)
  • Focus: Technology: Thomas Edison High School of Technology
  • Focus: Visual Arts and Performing Arts: Albert Einstein HS

*Downcounty Consortium (DCC) residents or students attending a DCC middle school

• Gifted and Talented/Learning Disabled Centers (GT/LD) Programs (Individualized Education Program (IEP) Process)
  • Northwood HS, Walter Johnson HS, Watkins Mill HS
• International Baccalaureate (Grades 9–10) (Residence)
  • Middle Years Programmes (MYP) and Diploma Programmes (DP)
    • Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS
    • Richard Montgomery HS
    • Springbrook HS
    • Watkins Mill HS
  • Diploma Programmes (only)
    • Albert Einstein HS
    • John F. Kennedy HS
    • Rockville HS
    • Seneca Valley HS 
  • International Baccalaureate Career Certificate Program (IBCC)
    • Rockville HS
    • Watkins Mill HS

All middle schools offer a diverse range of engaging courses and programs that will prepare students for the challenges of the 21st Century, college, and the workplace. All students with the ability, motivation, or potential to perform at high levels are encouraged to enroll in advanced-level courses offered at every Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) middle school (MS), with some courses allowing students to earn high school credit while in middle school. Students who participate in such challenging coursework deepen and enrich their understanding of content and collaborate with peers on rigorous tasks.

Course Enrichments include:

• Advanced-level courses for English and Social Studies 
• Accelerated and Enriched courses in World Studies
  • Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 6 - This course is built around the core Grade 6 social studies curriculum, Historical Inquiry in World Studies 6, which includes historical content from early civilizations, the empires of Greece and Rome, the dynasties of China, and civilizations of the first millennium. Cohort students will go beyond this core as they learn additional content, explore deeper connections to today, engage in investigative inquiry to strengthen their writing through Document-Based Questions, and enhance their learning through relevant literature connections. They also will participate in a culminating Model UN simulation at the end of the year.
  • Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 7- This course is built around the core Grade 7 social studies curriculum, Historical Inquiry in World Studies 7, which includes historical content from civilizations of Latin America, Africa, and medieval Europe as well as global interactions following the Columbian Exchange. Cohort students will go beyond this core as they learn additional content, explore deeper connections to today, engage in investigative inquiry to strengthen their writing through Document Based Questions, and enhance their learning through relevant literature connections. They also will participate in the National History Day (NHD) competition to research historical topics related to a NHD annual theme. (2019-2020 available at 20 middle schools)
• Accelerated and Enriched courses in Math
• Applied Investigation in Math 6: (Applied IM) - Applied IM extends students’ understanding of mathematical concepts aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS), accelerating the pace of instruction while diving deeper into concepts at an equal level of intensity. This course compacts all of the Grade 7 Common Core Sate Standards and much of the Grade 8 Common Core State Standards into a single year. However, this is much more than an accelerated mathematics course as the program offers access to many academic competitions and the opportunity to conduct fieldwork. Students work with an academic cohort to conduct independent inquiries using mathematics computer science, and the scientific process to solve real-world problems
• Course advancement in mathematics
• High School course work (Student Performance Dependent)

Choice Options for Consideration:

• Magnet Programs
  • Focus: Humanities and Communication Magnet Program: Eastern MS, Martin Luther King MS (6th and 7th grade), Roberto Clemente MS (8th grade for 2019-2020 school year)
  • Focus: Math, Science, Computer Science Magnet Program: Takoma Park MS, Roberto Clemente MS
• Choice Programs (Lottery)
  • Focus: Digital Design and Development: Argyle Ms
  • Focus: Creative and Performing Arts: A. Mario Loiederman MS
  • Focus: Aerospace Technology: Parkland MS
• Gifted and Talented/Learning Disabled Programs (Individualized Educational Program (IEP)
  • Roberto W. Clemente MS, Col. E. Brooke Lee MS, North Bethesda MS
• Immersion Programs (Access: Participation at the elementary school or entrance test into the program (Space Dependent)
  • Chinese: Herbert Hoover MS
  • French: Gaithersburg MS, Silver Spring International MS
  • Spanish: Silver Spring International MS, Westland MS

There are also challenging opportunities available as extracurricular activities. The Maryland State Department of Education designs a variety of Summer Center Programs that appeal to students in the middle school years and Montgomery College offers both Saturday programs as well as summer course work at many of its campuses.  See Beyond the Classroom.

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All elementary schools provide the following opportunities for advanced-level instruction to students with the ability, potential, or motivation to perform at high levels.

Program/Course Enrichments in Literacy:

• Enriched instructional opportunities within  Benchmark Advance- Benchmark Advance Enrichment Overview
• Curriculum program extensions based on skill:
• Junior Great Books (Questioning, Inquiry, Discourse) Grades K– 8
• William and Mary Units (Advanced Novels, Writing, Research, Theme-Based Integration) Grades 2–5
• Jacob’s Ladder Program (Critical Thinking, Questioning, Scaffolding, Discourse) Grades 2–5 
• Enriched Literacy Curriculum in Grades 4 and 5 for identified students in centrally identified schools

Program/Course Enrichments in Mathematics:

• Acceleration and enrichment within the grade level curriculum for students who consistently demonstrate proficiency of mathematics concepts (Grades 1–5)
•  Math 4/5 and Math 5/6 (Grades 4-5)

Selective Admissions Programs:

• Centers for Enriched Studies (Selective Admissions; Grades 4-5)
• Regional Centers
  • Barnsley ES
  • Chevy Chase ES
  • Clearspring ES
  • Cold Spring ES
  • Dr. Charles Drew ES
  • Fox Chapel ES
  • Mill Creek Towne
  • Oak View ES
  • Pine Crest ES
   
• Local School Centers 
  • Rachel Carson
  • Piney Branch ES
  • Spark M. Matsunaga ES
  • Stonegate ES
         

• Gifted and Talented/Learning Disabled (GT/LD) Programs (Individualized Educational Program (IEP), Grades 3–5) 
  • Lucy V. Barnsley ES
   

There are also challenging opportunities available as extracurricular activities.  The Maryland State Department of Education designs a variety of Summer Center Programs that appeal to students in the elementary school years and Montgomery College offers both Saturday programs as well as summer course work at many of its campuses. See Beyond the Classroom.

All Grade 2 students are screened for gifted and talented identification during the second semester of the school year. Students in grades 3, 5 and 7 who are new to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) or who have been recommended for re-screening are also screened each school year. Gifted and talented screening occurs at the student's school. The data gathered for each student through the screening process is used to make instructional recommendations for the following school year and for GT identification.

All students have an equal opportunity to be considered for identification regardless of special needs, linguistic, or cultural differences. Advocacy is a vital component of the professional decision making process.

 Find out more about the screening process on the Policy and Processes page.