Mundo Verde letter to parents about DCI admissions

[Anonymous]

There are several interesting pieces of information here that were new to me.

1) MV only has 58 5th graders, meaning there may be room in the DCI Spanish track for other applicants.
2) In the future, feeder kids shut out of their own feeder slots will get preference for un-used feeder slots assigned to other schools. So basically non-feeder kids don't stand a chance.
3) Six months from now there will be some sort of announcement about future DCI expansion, very squishy TBD.


Dear Fourth Grade Parents and Caregivers,
As many of you are researching what options exist for your children for middle school, we
are writing to provide you with information about how Mundo Verde students feed into DC
International.
Over the last several months, member schools of the DC International School (DCI)
consortium, including Mundo Verde, DC Bilingual, Elsie Whitlow Stokes, LAMB, and Yu Ying,
have met to research and discuss the future of our relationship. The reality is that each
member school has steadily grown (or has plans to grow) to serve more students; this can
be translated into space limitations at DCI due to reaching a ceiling in its current home in
Delano Hall located at The Parks at Walter Reed.
For the near term, the issue of limited space is one that many of you know will affect Mundo
Verde families. Below you will find information on how this plays out for our current 4th and
5th grade students.

For Current 5th Grade Students - Since Mundo Verde graduated its first class of 5th
graders in 2017, 85-90 percent of graduating 5th grade students choose DCI for their
middle school education. Based on the history of applicants from Mundo Verde to DCI for
6th grade, and the fact that the current number of Mundo Verde 5th graders/rising 6th
graders (58) is well below the 70 seats allocated in the DCI lottery for Mundo Verde, all
Mundo Verde graduates that apply in the lottery for the 2024-25 school year should be
offered a space. While this is a preference for a seat, not a guarantee, we feel confident in
the situation due to the total number of DCI seats and the size of the fifth-grade classes at
other member schools this year.

For Current 4th Grade Students - Since our Calle Ocho campus opened its doors in 2019,
we have communicated to stakeholders, including prospective and current families at both
J.F. Cook and Calle Ocho campuses that beginning in the 2025-26 school year, there would
be more demand for the 70 seats that Mundo Verde is allocated for rising 6th graders at
DCI. For 2025-26 school year, we anticipate approximately 100 Mundo Verde 5th
graders/rising 6th graders expressing interest in DCI, while we have only 70 allocated spots.
The allocation of those 70 spots will be done through the My School DC DCI Member
Lottery. That lottery has a sibling preference, so that families with a sibling already at
DCI will get preference. If there are other seats available because other member
schools have not used their seat allocation, students on the member waitlist will receive
preference for those seats - we do not anticipate that impacting many students,
however, as both E.W. Stokes and Mundo Verde will be over-subscribed.

As we move forward, executive leadership from each of the member schools will participate
in DCI’s strategic planning process to the extent to which their schedule allows - we will
make sure that we are elevating the voices of students, families, and staff through this
process. DCI anticipates completing a strategic plan within the current school year
(approximately six months). At the end of that time, DCI will share their plan and the
criteria they will use to determine expansion. It will probably not be an immediate decision,
but it will give a lot more clarity to the timeline and process for growth.
A vast majority of Mundo Verde students continue their education at DCI and perform at a
high level within their academic program. We are investing in ensuring a strong, sustainable
relationship among member schools and DCI. We are thankful to be in community with a
cohort of educators and families across DC who are dedicated to raising the future
generation of global stewards who are committed to their community. Thank you for trusting
us as partners in the education of your children.
If you have questions, please feel free to email me at [e-mail].

In community,
Kristin Scotchmer
Executive Director
Mundo Verde

Michael Rosskamm
Executive Director
DC International School

[Anonymous]

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

[Anonymous]

The allocation of those 70 spots will be done through the My School DC DCI Member Lottery. That lottery has a sibling preference, so that families with a sibling already at DCI will get preference. If there are other seats available because other member schools have not used their seat allocation, students on the member waitlist will receive preference for those seats

Am I reading this to understand that the DCI lottery will have a sibling preference within each school allocation? So MV (or other) students that already have a sibling at DCI will get a preference within the MV lottery seats? That was a big outstanding question because it means once the expansion grades start lotterying for the preference, the oldest children (without a sibling) would have much less than a 70% chance than the kids with the sibling preference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The allocation of those 70 spots will be done through the My School DC DCI Member Lottery. That lottery has a sibling preference, so that families with a sibling already at DCI will get preference. If there are other seats available because other member schools have not used their seat allocation, students on the member waitlist will receive preference for those seats

Am I reading this to understand that the DCI lottery will have a sibling preference within each school allocation? So MV (or other) students that already have a sibling at DCI will get a preference within the MV lottery seats? That was a big outstanding question because it means once the expansion grades start lotterying for the preference, the oldest children (without a sibling) would have much less than a 70% chance than the kids with the sibling preference.

That is how I read it

[Anonymous]

I'd love to know asap if DCI plans to expand. I think the school has promise, but not if it focuses on getting bigger, rather than getting better. We already saw the negative effects of that with MV.

We're trying to decide now if my kid will stay at DCI for high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to know asap if DCI plans to expand. I think the school has promise, but not if it focuses on getting bigger, rather than getting better. We already saw the negative effects of that with MV.

We're trying to decide now if my kid will stay at DCI for high school.

Since they haven't even really decided whether to try to expand, I think you'll be fine. They would need to find a building and that is sure to be a struggle.

[Anonymous]

DCI is in a MUCH more stable place than MV when it tried to expand--or, for that matter, than a lot of other schools. Yes, there are many DCI detractors on this board, but I have interacted with outstanding DCI students, teachers, and administrators through my work. I also know many satisfied parents, and the program seems in a good enough shape to replicate. I know there are growing pains with any replication, but if I had to bet on any school attracting good talent and creating a second campus that could shine, it would be DCI.

[Anonymous]

Really? I think there are wonderful students and teachers at DCI too.

But, my child started middle school with a principal who resigned shortly afterwards, and a new principal came and lasted less than a year. So, the acting HS principal stepped in to cover the vacant role for about half a year, until they finally hired a new principal, who's been in place for less than a year.

My child has had four teachers leave mid-year, and those roles were filled with long-term subs, sometimes a revolving door of them. Part of the model is to have the same ATL (homeroom) teacher for all three years, but my kid's teacher left mid year of 7th grade.

I think the school has promise, but it hasn't found its legs yet. You simply don't see this much instability at established, successful schools.

Why would they even consider replicating this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really? I think there are wonderful students and teachers at DCI too.

But, my child started middle school with a principal who resigned shortly afterwards, and a new principal came and lasted less than a year. So, the acting HS principal stepped in to cover the vacant role for about half a year, until they finally hired a new principal, who's been in place for less than a year.

My child has had four teachers leave mid-year, and those roles were filled with long-term subs, sometimes a revolving door of them. Part of the model is to have the same ATL (homeroom) teacher for all three years, but my kid's teacher left mid year of 7th grade.

I think the school has promise, but it hasn't found its legs yet. You simply don't see this much instability at established, successful schools.

Why would they even consider replicating this?

We have no preference and applied for middle school, but yikes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really? I think there are wonderful students and teachers at DCI too.

But, my child started middle school with a principal who resigned shortly afterwards, and a new principal came and lasted less than a year. So, the acting HS principal stepped in to cover the vacant role for about half a year, until they finally hired a new principal, who's been in place for less than a year.

My child has had four teachers leave mid-year, and those roles were filled with long-term subs, sometimes a revolving door of them. Part of the model is to have the same ATL (homeroom) teacher for all three years, but my kid's teacher left mid year of 7th grade.

I think the school has promise, but it hasn't found its legs yet. You simply don't see this much instability at established, successful schools.

Why would they even consider replicating this?

There has been a ton of turnover everywhere in education since 2020.

[Anonymous]

Then to clarify, I wouldn’t recommend that any of the schools with that level of turnover, including DCI, consider replicating.

Last year, a kid brought in a taser and was tasing classmates in my kid’s unsupervised ATL. And parents didn't even get a note about it from the school because the administration was in flux too.

There are hard-working and talented teachers and administrators at DCI, but if they can’t adequately staff one school, how could they possibly staff two?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCI is in a MUCH more stable place than MV when it tried to expand--or, for that matter, than a lot of other schools. Yes, there are many DCI detractors on this board, but I have interacted with outstanding DCI students, teachers, and administrators through my work. I also know many satisfied parents, and the program seems in a good enough shape to replicate. I know there are growing pains with any replication, but if I had to bet on any school attracting good talent and creating a second campus that could shine, it would be DCI.

My take on the DCI "detractors" on this board is that most of them are state simple truths about the school that new parents should hear to go in with their eyes open, particularly if their children are capable of handling advanced academics. It's much easier to be "satisfied" with DCI if you aren't aiming for real fluency in a language, up to two years of math acceleration from 7th or 8th grade, strong writing skills and elite college admissions than if you are. It's also easier to be happy with DCI if your children are on the Spanish track than if you enroll for Chinese or French. Easier still to be happy if you have the resources and a cooperative enough kid to consistently supplement for math, English and immersion language if you're aiming high, and to hire your own IBD savvy college counselor in high school (DCI's college counselors are, in MHO, woefully underperforming).

Replicate DCI? Forget it, plenty of scope to improve the program we have, starting with far more middle school challenge, better discipline, leadership, teacher retention and communications with parents. Fact is, too many of the high-performing 8th graders don't return for high school.

[Anonymous]

1. The Really? post above is worth heeding.

[Anonymous]

DCI and others are now going to have to shift their ennrollment numbers. posted on dcist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCI and others are now going to have to shift their ennrollment numbers. posted on dcist.

You're not understanding the equitable access preference. It's voluntary and DCI has not opted in.

https://www.myschooldc.org/node/49311