High School Specialty Programs Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for SY2024-2025

Spanish | French

Can I change my decision once I accept a seat in a High School Specialty Program seat?

Answer: Changing My Seat Acceptance

What criteria are used to determine student admittance into the International Baccalaureate Program?

Students are admitted into the International Baccalaureate program using the following criteria:

• Completed application, which includes:
• Explanation of extracurricular activities
• Explanation of student service activities
• Personal statement on one student service activity
• Essay
• Submission of student grades in core content courses, including World Languages
• Three teacher recommendations

What are the criteria used to determine student admittance into the P-TECH Program?

Students are admitted into P-TECH using the following criteria:

• Applicants must be a rising 9th grader 
• Completed application, which includes:
• Two teacher recommendations
• A statement of career interest
• Participation in a P-TECH interview
• Student socio-economic status is considered as 50% of the student population must receive Free and Reduced Meals.
• Eligible students are entered into a lottery for final selection

What criteria are used to determine student admittance into the 3D Scholars Program?

Student's admittance into the 3D Scholars Program is as follows: 

• Potential applicants must be a rising 9th-grade student
• Students must have 3.0 GPA using the specialty programs GPA calculation 
• Students must fill out an application to be considered for the program
• A letter of recommendation must be submitted by a teacher (Social Studies, Science, English, or Math) 
• Applicants will be screened based on requirements and then placed in the lottery

What are the criteria used to determine student admittance into the Creative and Performing Arts program?

Students are admitted into Creative and Performing Arts using the following criteria:

• Completed online application, which includes submitting the names of three teachers/individuals familiar with your child’s artistic abilities.
• GPA of at least 2.0
• Audition in the chosen discipline

The Creative Arts on the VPA At-a-Glance: https://www.pgcps.org/offices/creative-and-performing-arts

What criteria are used to determine student admittance into the Career and Technical Education Programs?

Students interested in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program must complete an application for selection to participate in Prince George’s County Public Schools CTE two, three, or four-year programs.  

Some programs are within the boundary, and there are opportunities for students to participate in programs outside their boundary school.

CTE enrollment criteria include: 

• Interest in a CTE program
• Prerequisite courses or specific requirements based on the license or certification pursued

What criteria are used to determine student admittance into the Academy of Health Sciences, Health Sciences, and Teacher Preparation @ PGCC Program?

Students are admitted to the aforementioned programs using the criteria below:

• Completed application
• Considering the physical location of residence in Prince George’s County, there is a 50% split between students admitted from the northern and southern portions of the county.
• Student socio-economic status is considered as 50% of the student population must receive Free and Reduced Meals and/or be a first-generation college student (neither parent holds a Bachelor's degree)
• Academic grades and the PSAT 8/9 test scores (highest possible score of 1440) are used in the following equation to determine a composite score out of 2880;

PSAT 8/9 Verbal Score + PSAT 8/9 Math Score + [Core Content GPA (360)] 

Maximum Possible Score = 2880

Since there is no application required, what are the criteria used to determine student admittance into the Aerospace Engineering and Aviation Technology (AEAT) Program and the Science and Technology (S/T) Program?

Students are admitted into the aforementioned programs based on the following criteria:  

• Prior year grades in core classes (English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) from all four quarters/all trimesters and first quarter/trimester grades in core classes from the current year are used to determine a Core Content GPA.
• PSAT 8/9 test scores- the combined total score from the Evidence-Based Reading and Mathematics sections of the test. 
• Using the above criteria, AEAT and each S/T Coordinator will select students to fill the number of available seats. Each program has a maximum number of students to be admitted each academic year.

Why are PSAT 8/9 scores used for admission to some High School Specialty Programs?

• The PSAT 8/9 is the first in the suite of College Board assessments that students will take throughout high school. This assessment is part of eligibility for High School Specialty Programs because the PSAT 8/9 measures the skills and knowledge (at the level of content and skill appropriate for eighth grades) that research shows are the most important for success in college and career. 
• For further information, visit the College Board site at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-8-9. 
• It is recommended that students create a College Board account to view their test scores online.

How is the core content grade point average calculated for high school specialty programs that only require these courses?

• The student GPA is calculated from grades in the core English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies classes.
• Grades are taken from all four quarters or trimesters of the prior academic year and from the first quarter or trimester of the current year. 
• Final grades and grades from elective courses are not used in the calculation.

How are the core Content GPA and PSAT 8/9 scores used to calculate a student’s overall composite score to determine student admittance into the Aerospace Engineering and Aviation Technology (AEAT) Program and the  Science and Technology (S/T) Program?

• Academic grades and the PSAT 8/9 test scores (highest possible score of 1440) are used in the following equation to determine a composite score out of 2880;
• PSAT 8/9 Verbal Score + PSAT 8/9 Math Score + [Core Content GPA (360)]
• Maximum Possible Score = 2880

How are student grades from private schools converted to a core content GPA?

• Student grades will be converted using the PGCPS Grading Policy. 

•             A: 90-100    B: 89-80    C: 79-70    D: 69-60    E: 59 and below

For example, a student who earned a grade of 89.6% at a private school falls in the category of A according to the private school’s grading scale. However, 89%, according to the PGCPS Grading Policy, falls under a letter grade of B.  

The PGCPS Grading Policy will supersede grading policies from private or home schools. There will be no exceptions to this rule.

In the High School Specialty Programs evaluation process, grades are not weighted. This includes honors and accelerated academic courses.

How can students prepare for the PSAT 8/9?

• The PSAT 8/9 (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) is designed to measure the ability to understand and process the elements of reading, writing, and mathematics and to reflect the work students are doing in the classroom.
• The PSAT 8/9 has two main categories: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Mathematics.
• Khan Academy has partnered with College Board to make test practice easy and personal. 
• Visit www.khanacademy.org/sat and set up an account for your child to access practice activities.  Students should use a non-PGCPS email account to sign up.

What programs consider my child’s PSAT 8/9 score as a part of their application?

• The PSAT 8/9 is factored into eligibility for all programs except International Baccalaureate, Visual and Performing Arts, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs.

How does my child’s PSAT 8/9 score impact their eligibility for the S/T and AEAT programs?

• The PSAT 8/9 score is 50% of the composite score used to determine program eligibility. Students who take the PSAT 8/9 see grade-level benchmarks on their score reports. 
• Grade-level benchmarks indicate whether students are on track for college and career readiness. They are based on expected student growth toward SAT benchmarks at each grade.
• Students who score within the green category for Evidence-Based Reading, Writing, and Math have higher chances of eligibility for designated specialty programs. Please see the table below for PSAT 8/9 benchmarks determined by the College Board.

Are siblings guaranteed acceptance/admission into high school specialty programs?

• No, Prince George’s County Public Schools does not offer sibling priority to any high school specialty programs.

How can I determine which programs and locations are available for my child for high school?

• To determine program locations for high school, use Use School Finder, type in your street name, and click submit.
• Examine the results to identify the high school specialty programs available for your address.  Please ensure you use the address listed in SchoolMax to determine your child’s program location. 

 How and when will I receive notification about entrance into the High School Specialty Programs?

• Parents are notified of their student’s eligibility for High School Specialty Programs via an Eligibility Letter or by Scriborder for select programs. Applications using the Scriborder platform require that a parent have an active account to receive information.  In order to accept your child’s seat, all parents must complete the steps to enroll electronically through Scriborder at https://pgcpsmdc.scriborder.com

 If my child is not granted admission into a high school specialty program as a 9th grader, will there be another opportunity for my child to apply?

• Several programs accept students for a limited number of spots as tenth graders: for example, Aerospace Engineering and Aviation Technology (AEAT), International Baccalaureate, Science and Technology, and Visual and Performing Arts.

Can my child be accepted into more than one program?

• Yes, students may be eligible for admission into one or more programs but may only accept one offer of admission.  
• How many students are eligible for each program?
• The chart below shows the number of seats available for each program. After the first set of students accept or decline their seats, each program then pulls from the waitlist.

What are the next steps after my child receives a letter in the mail or via email that indicates they are on a program waitlist for a High School Specialty program?

• After receiving notification of your child’s eligibility status in Scriborder, please adhere to the timeline for acceptance into the desired program.

 What are the next steps if my child is on a program waiting list?

• After reviewing your child’s status in Scriborder, please continue monitoring your account for eligibility updates. As students who have been marked eligible for multiple programs select their program, they will be removed from all other program lists. 
• As seats open, notification will be provided via Scriborder.

How are cut scores determined for the AEAT and S/T Programs?

• Cut scores for Aerospace Engineering and Aviation Technology (AEAT) and the Science and Technology (S/T) programs are determined by the performance of students in the applicant pool and the number of seats available for the incoming freshman class.
• To provide a hypothetical example, the following details will show how a cut score is determined:
• A Science and Technology center is accepting 150 students into the freshman class. There are 500 students in the application pool. The highest score for the student in the first space on the list is 2572.80. The student in the 150th spot on the list has a score of 2381.6. The 150th spot is where the list of accepted students will close.
• The established cut score for this particular Science and Technology Program center will stand at 2381.6. Another 50 students will be added to the waitlist for this Science and Technology center. The waitlist score will begin at 2381.5 and close with the score of the student in the 50th space down the list.

Immersion Program Questions

How does a student gain admission to high school Chinese/French/Spanish Immersion?

Current 8th-grade Chinese/French/Spanish Immersion students follow the continuity process outlined by Pupil Accounting and communicated to families by your Academic Dean.  

Students who seek to gain entrance into the high school Chinese/French/Spanish Immersion program will need to follow testing procedures.  Students will need to demonstrate expected grade-level language proficiency in all four communicative skills (Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening) in the Immersion (Chinese/French/Spanish) language.  Testing applications open on October 1 and close on March 15 of every school year. 

Where is the Immersion high school program located?

The Chinese and Spanish high school programs are still growing, and grades are added every year. For the school year 2025-2026, only grades 9-11 of Chinese, French, and Spanish will be located at Largo High School. Beginning in the school year 2026-2027, all Chinese, French, and Spanish Immersion students from grades 9-12 will be located at Largo High School.

French is the only language that currently has a 12th grade. 12th grade French Immersion is located at Central High School for the school year 2025-2026 only.  

What are the benefits of participating in an Immersion high school program?

Students continue to build on the language proficiency they have already acquired in younger grades. Students use their language in new ways and are challenged with the Immersion Language Arts curriculum, conversation, and culture classes offered in the Immersion language. Students continue to work towards achieving the Maryland State Seal of Biliteracy. The Maryland State Seal of Biliteracy is a distinction placed on a student’s high school transcript that indicates that they are highly proficient in English and another language.

What does the Immersion high school academic program look like?

Students take all of the classes that other PGCPS high school students take. In addition to their required and elective courses, Immersion high school students must take Immersion Language Arts (Chinese/French/Spanish) and a culture, conversation, or debate class in the Immersion language each year to participate in the Immersion program. Students also take international assessments to assess their language proficiency and possibly earn international language proficiency diplomas.