Student Transfer Application Season Begins Feb. 3

January 16, 2014

Montgomery County parents/guardians who wish to request a Change of School Assignment (COSA) for their children from their home school may begin the process during the upcoming transfer season, which starts on February 3. All COSA requests must be submitted no later than April 1, 2014.

Except for students in the Northeast Consortium (NEC), Downcounty Consortium (DCC), and Middle School Magnet Consortium (MSMC) areas, students in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) are assigned to a school on the basis of their place of residence or their Individualized Education Program (IEP) and are expected to attend their home school. Assignment changes for students from one school to another are permitted under the following limited circumstances:

· An older sibling attends the requested school in the regular program, absent a boundary change
· A continuation in a feeder pattern from middle to high school, except when affected by boundary change, application program acceptance, or consortium choice guidelines
· A documented, unique hardship situation
· A student selected for an exempt program

The transfer process begins in the home school, where parents/guardians may request the Change of School Assignment Information Booklet that contains the COSA form, describes the process and provides useful information. Beginning the first week of February, the COSA booklet will be available in schools and online. The booklet will be available in English and Spanish. Exempt programs that do not fall under the transfer guidelines are listed in the information booklet.

There is a different process to access the elementary language immersion programs. Full information and copies of the Elementary Immersion Interest Forms are available at all elementary schools and online. Parents of grade 5 students currently enrolled in immersion programs should submit a COSA if they wish to continue in the immersion program at the middle-school level.

For information about assignments for students residing in the NEC, DCC, or MSMC areas, please contact the Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services at 301-592-2040 or visit the website.

For more information about the transfer process, parents/guardians are encouraged to contact the principal at their home school. Non-English speaking students and parents/guardians who may require assistance may contact ASK MCPS to get the information they need by telephone at 301-309-MCPS (6277). Telephone operators who speak English and Spanish are available from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Parents who speak languages other than English or Spanish who call the ASK MCPS telephone line and identify their language will have their questions answered through a telephone interpreter.

Change of School Assignment

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