Admissions

MSTC INFORMATION NIGHT

Thursday, September 25th at 6pm in the PLD Auditorium

Any family (parents and students) interested in learning about the MSTC program and how to apply should plan to attend.

APPLICATION PROCESS

WHO CAN APPLY

Any eighth or ninth grade student identified GT in math and/or science who is a resident of Fayette County and who will complete Algebra 1 by the end of the eighth grade is welcome to apply by completing the online application at https://www.fcps.net/apply. Students must have another piece of data; a MAP math score (or equivalent achievement test) or have taken the MSTC admissions test.

Students must have all of the required criteria completed prior to applying. There will not be any testing available during or after the application window.

SELECTION

Students will be ranked for available spots based on the following criteria:

•Gifted identifications (math and/or science)

•Math Achievement test data (MAP or I-ready) from 8th or 9th grade

(Students without access to MAP tests will need to take the MSTC admissions test)

•Current math class

To be eligible to apply for the MSTC program:

Students must be identified gifted in Math and/or Science

Students interested in attending a gifted and talented high school program will need to complete any necessary testing or auditions THIS FALL. If your student is interested in a GT high school program (Liberal Arts Academy or MSTC), please complete the District Gifted Programs Interest Form by September 26th. Completion of the form allows the district to assess if students qualify for placement testing, identify which tests may be necessary, and allows communication between GT programs and parents throughout the school year. The testing window runs from October 6 - November 21, 2025.

The district application window for special programs has not yet been announced.

Students must take a MAP math or equivalent achievement test at their current school or schedule to take the MSTC admissions test.

MSTC Admissions test request

All GT testing must be completed in November, 2025. All testing must be completed before the application window. Winter MAP scores may be used (testing would occur at current school in December.)

IOWA EXAMS

The IOWA math and IOWA science exams are the tests given for gifted identification. They will cover the following topics:

The IOWA-14 math exam consists of 75 items, split into 2 - 30 minute tests and covers number sense and operations (perform operations, compare and order numbers, properties of numbers, estimating and rounding real numbers), algebraic patterns and connections (solving equations and inequalities, numerical patterns, use operational and relational symbols, use equations to model situations), data analysis, probability and statistics (interpret data and make predictions, apply measures of central tendency and variability), geometry (estimate geometric measurements, geometric properties-patterns-relationships, concepts of perimeter-area-volume, identify-classify-compare geometric figures), and measurement (measure length/distance – time-temperature – weight – mass – and volume, apply rate, estimate measurements with proper precision).

The IOWA-14 science exam consists of 43 questions given in 35 minutes and covers life science (organisms and their habitat, human body-health-safety, interactions in an ecosystem, changes in organisms), earth and space science (climate and weather, structure of earth, natural events), and physical science (types and properties of matter, forces and motion, forms of and changes in energy).

8th grade students will be given the IOWA-14, 9th grade students will be given the IOWA-15

MSTC ADMISSIONS TEST

MSTC Admissions Test

The admissions test will only be given to students wishing to apply that DO NOT have access to a MAP math or equivalent achievement test at their current school

For those students invited to take the MSTC Admissions Test, it is strongly recommended that students review. While the test focuses predominately on Algebra, there are some computational skills assessed as well. The topics covered include:

Simplify numerical expressions with and without grouping symbols.
Solve equations with variables on one or both sides of the equation.
Graph a line and interpret graphs of lines.
Find the slope of a line given two points.
Find the equation of a line in slope-intercept form, point-slope form, or standard form given 2 points or given a point and slope or given a graph.
Determine if lines are parallel, perpendicular, or neither.
Simplify expressions involving exponents.
Set up and solve word problems involving linear functions.
Add, subtract, and multiply polynomials.
Evaluate functions using f(x) notation.

MSTC Open House 24-25

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