The Northeast Consortium began as a unique
response to student assignment in the northeast
area of Montgomery County. As a result, three high
schools—Paint Branch, Springbrook, and James
Hubert Blake—were affiliated into a consortium to
serve the attendance and educational interests of all
the students living in the northeast area. Each year, Grade 8 students and their parents will
participate in a process known as the Choice process in which a student ranks his/her order of
preference for a high school from among three
choices—Paint Branch, Springbrook, and James Hubert Blake.
Each high school offers a comprehensive high school curriculum
plus a distinctive Signature Program.
Signature programs focus on fields of high interest to
young people of diverse ability and achievement levels and
incorporate these themes throughout the instructional program.
Springbrook - International Studies and Technology
Paint Branch - Science and Media
James H. Blake - Fine Arts and Humanities
The Northeast Consortium (NEC) Choice process is a high school lottery assignment process for Grade 8 students who live in the Northeast Consortium or attend an NEC middle school. Students and their parents participate in the process by completing a Choice form and ranking the three NEC high schools in order of preference. Factors in the lottery assignment process may include the total number of available seats, choice ranking, sibling link, socioeconomic status as indicated by participation in the Free and Reduced Meals Program (FARMS), and gender. While every effort is made to assign students to their first choice, some students may be assigned to a school other than their first choice. Grade 8 students on transfer into an NEC middle school, new Grade 8 students to the NEC, and students who did not receive their first choice in Round 1 can participate in Round 2 (February) of the Choice process.
Beginning in September, the Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services (DCAPPS)
and Signature program coordinators begin informing students
and parents about the Choice process and Signature programs. Students
receive orientation on the programs available at each high school
and the Choice process at their middle school during the school
day. High school Options meetings and open houses are held for parents and
students.
DCCAPS staff are available to help
you through this process. For more information
about the Choice process or opportunities
available to students at each of the three high
schools visit the Northeast Consortium website or
call DCCAPS office at 301-592-2040. |
