Help understanding DCI-French waitlists & feeder likelihood

[Anonymous]

Coming from Stokes-Brookland French, I'm looking at the data here:
https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/aaron2446/viz/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData_draft/MSDCPublicDisplay

For "DCI-French language program - EW Stokes - Brookland" - - it looks like there has been no waitlist for past years in sixth grade, and everyone who applied matched, given that DCI was offering around 16-20 seats and this roughly equaled the level of interest from Stokes French track students. But this year it looks like DCI was only offering 10 seats and thus there is a waitlist for the first time. Am I reading this correctly? Does anyone know why the change? Given spring break, Stokes hasn't answered my email about it.

I'm also confused because if you look at the overall "DCI-French language" data, it looks like historically they've offered around 30 seats for sixth grade, but this year they only offered 2 seats? Is that possible?

Thanks! Trying to decide whether to stay at Stokes given the possibilities (or lack thereof) of a DCI feeder in coming years...or transfer to our in-bounds school (Ludlow).

[Anonymous]

This is the first year Stokes East End has had a 5th grade class to send to DCI. So you'll see the 20 spots allocated to Stokes are divided across Brookland and East End. So some Stokes French kids got waitlisted. And there would only be non-feeder French spots after all the Stokes kids get offers.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. That’s what I was wondering. Does anyone know how large the French cohorts are at DCI - and why I seemingly can’t find that easily online?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. That’s what I was wondering. Does anyone know how large the French cohorts are at DCI - and why I seemingly can’t find that easily online?

I would also like to know this … and what are the odds of DCI with no sibling at DCI in a few years going to be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. That’s what I was wondering. Does anyone know how large the French cohorts are at DCI - and why I seemingly can’t find that easily online?

I would also like to know this … and what are the odds of DCI with no sibling at DCI in a few years going to be?

Stokes is allotted 20 French and 20 Spanish seats. Spanish may use un-used seats from other feeders, but after this year, odds aren't great of that happening.

Non-siblings odds are hard to say, it just depends on how many feeder kids apply or decline. Definitely not something to count on.

[Anonymous]

Another Stokes parent here (not 5th grade). Stokes informed parents that in working with DCI, they were able to guarantee spots for everyone who wants to attend DCI this coming year. So the initial waitlist data may not be the full story. Next year may be different and will also depend on how popular DCI ends up being with East End families, many of whom live very far away from DCI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another Stokes parent here (not 5th grade). Stokes informed parents that in working with DCI, they were able to guarantee spots for everyone who wants to attend DCI this coming year. So the initial waitlist data may not be the full story. Next year may be different and will also depend on how popular DCI ends up being with East End families, many of whom live very far away from DCI.

Was that just for french? Because in the posted data it seems some Spanish kids were waitlisted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another Stokes parent here (not 5th grade). Stokes informed parents that in working with DCI, they were able to guarantee spots for everyone who wants to attend DCI this coming year. So the initial waitlist data may not be the full story. Next year may be different and will also depend on how popular DCI ends up being with East End families, many of whom live very far away from DCI.

Thanks for this - I definitely didn’t get that memo from the school and will ask them about this on Monday because it does look like a number of kids were waitlisted from Stokes French, this is why I was wondering how to find out the size of the entire French class, and where those kids are coming from if not Stokes, since it looks like almost none came from the regular lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Stokes parent here (not 5th grade). Stokes informed parents that in working with DCI, they were able to guarantee spots for everyone who wants to attend DCI this coming year. So the initial waitlist data may not be the full story. Next year may be different and will also depend on how popular DCI ends up being with East End families, many of whom live very far away from DCI.

Thanks for this - I definitely didn’t get that memo from the school and will ask them about this on Monday because it does look like a number of kids were waitlisted from Stokes French, this is why I was wondering how to find out the size of the entire French class, and where those kids are coming from if not Stokes, since it looks like almost none came from the regular lottery.

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/aaron2446/viz/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData_draft/MSDCPublicDisplay

None would be from the regular lottery, because the regular lottery is separate. Kids do get waitlisted at schools where they have a sibling, so if a kid had a sibling at DCI French but ranked some other school higher, you would see them on the wait-list for DCI.

[Anonymous]

Please update us when you hear back from stokes. As a French parent of a rising 5th grader I am very worried DC will not get a spot for next year. The messaging from stokes has been confusing on this issue.
Many of DCs friends have older siblings at DCI so for those kids in stokes French who don't have a sibling like my kid I fear they are SOL and since each stokes campus just gets 10 slots at least 6 of those will go to stokes kids with siblings there for the Brookland campus. So very unfair to the kids who want to continue the language development. If east end doesn't use their allocated 10 slots - will remaining EE slots go to stokes Brookland kids? I'm not sure what our back up option is at this point. It's so frustrating. Will DC just have to give up all their language development if they don't get into DCI? DCI and stokes need to address this issue asap - not fair to these students/families who have invested so much time into the language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please update us when you hear back from stokes. As a French parent of a rising 5th grader I am very worried DC will not get a spot for next year. The messaging from stokes has been confusing on this issue.
Many of DCs friends have older siblings at DCI so for those kids in stokes French who don't have a sibling like my kid I fear they are SOL and since each stokes campus just gets 10 slots at least 6 of those will go to stokes kids with siblings there for the Brookland campus. So very unfair to the kids who want to continue the language development. If east end doesn't use their allocated 10 slots - will remaining EE slots go to stokes Brookland kids? I'm not sure what our back up option is at this point. It's so frustrating. Will DC just have to give up all their language development if they don't get into DCI? DCI and stokes need to address this issue asap - not fair to these students/families who have invested so much time into the language.

I understand the frustration 100% but also there are other bilingual elementary schools in the city without a language focused feeder (Sela, Bethune, etc.) I know its not what you signed up for but its what the school chose when they opened the new campuses.

There will be a lot of pressure -- for better or worse -- on DCI to expand. The issue is going to start hurting feeders and they will get behind it happening.

One thing I don't understand is how the french and Chinese programs differentiate with so few students. I know Spanish track has multiple options for level of Spanish and I think social studies. Do the other tracks lump kids more?

[Anonymous]

Well at least you were lucky for the younger years to get a French spot-(Francophone family with no luck getting into Stokes for five years and disliking having to take the kids to heritage school every Saturday)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please update us when you hear back from stokes. As a French parent of a rising 5th grader I am very worried DC will not get a spot for next year. The messaging from stokes has been confusing on this issue.
Many of DCs friends have older siblings at DCI so for those kids in stokes French who don't have a sibling like my kid I fear they are SOL and since each stokes campus just gets 10 slots at least 6 of those will go to stokes kids with siblings there for the Brookland campus. So very unfair to the kids who want to continue the language development. If east end doesn't use their allocated 10 slots - will remaining EE slots go to stokes Brookland kids? I'm not sure what our back up option is at this point. It's so frustrating. Will DC just have to give up all their language development if they don't get into DCI? DCI and stokes need to address this issue asap - not fair to these students/families who have invested so much time into the language.

I understand the frustration 100% but also there are other bilingual elementary schools in the city without a language focused feeder (Sela, Bethune, etc.) I know its not what you signed up for but its what the school chose when they opened the new campuses.

There will be a lot of pressure -- for better or worse -- on DCI to expand. The issue is going to start hurting feeders and they will get behind it happening.

One thing I don't understand is how the french and Chinese programs differentiate with so few students. I know Spanish track has multiple options for level of Spanish and I think social studies. Do the other tracks lump kids more?

There is already pressure on DCI to expand but I see no actual progress happening.

Spanish track kids have, at least in theory, MacFarland and CHEC as possible options. But there's nothing for French or Hebrew.