Selective Admissions High Schools - Testing Requirements

[Anonymous]

Trying to gauge interest--would anyone join/support a group seeking require dcps only use objective and transparent examination process for admission to Banneker and SWW?

[Anonymous]

Yes- but I don’t think it will happen while Bowser is in charge. Unless Trump demands she change it.

[Anonymous]

What in recent dcps history leads you to think that dcps cares what parents want?

[Anonymous]

A 4.0 did not get you a Walls interview this year. How about some standardization of teachers recs, the only other metric

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What in recent dcps history leads you to think that dcps cares what parents want?

+1000. All they are about is the bottom half and equity BS. Get out while you can.

[Anonymous]

You have to be more specific in terms of seeking transparency in what part of the admission process, and in what way. How does transparency look like to you?
Currently the requirements are 1) GPA, 2) recommendation letters, 3) interview, and 4) on-site essay.

[Anonymous]

The only way this happens is if you can get Congressional Republicans to care, and the way that caring would manifest would not be otherwise pleasant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only way this happens is if you can get Congressional Republicans to care, and the way that caring would manifest would not be otherwise pleasant.

SWW would become a classics school! Which sounds great till you realize your kids are reading Boethius all day

[Anonymous]

I believe they moved away from standard testing to make the schools more equitable, no? Not all kids can afford test prep.

I get the in-person essays; they make sense. No parent or other outside help. It is 100% kid.

That said, my kid applied with a 4.0 and (according to teachers) great recs, and did not get an interview. I’m sure she looked just liked like a thousand or more other candidates in this way. No idea if what recommendation metrics look like though, e.g., if there were any actual quantitative metrics used to narrow the applicant pool. Anyone know how that works?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe they moved away from standard testing to make the schools more equitable, no? Not all kids can afford test prep.

The Walls test was not one anyone prepped for. That said, I don't think a test the kids take one morning should be dispositive in terms of admission. I do think getting rid of the 'test AND the PARCC score' qualifier in favor of teacher recommendations is a GIANT step in the wrong direction, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe they moved away from standard testing to make the schools more equitable, no? Not all kids can afford test prep.

The Walls test was not one anyone prepped for. That said, I don't think a test the kids take one morning should be dispositive in terms of admission. I do think getting rid of the 'test AND the PARCC score' qualifier in favor of teacher recommendations is a GIANT step in the wrong direction, though.

Thank you; I wasn't aware that it wasn't a test with available prep. We're new to DCPS this year, coming from DC private schools where many kids have consultants and go through major test prep.

[Anonymous]

If I ran the show, I’d let McKinley (but only McKinley) look at math CAPE scores (but only math).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I ran the show, I’d let McKinley (but only McKinley) look at math CAPE scores (but only math).

+1
This would strengthen McKinley as a STEM high school. Especially that SWW is a humanities centered high school (with the capacity to study STEM and go one to major in science later in college).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have to be more specific in terms of seeking transparency in what part of the admission process, and in what way. How does transparency look like to you?
Currently the requirements are 1) GPA, 2) recommendation letters, 3) interview, and 4) on-site essay.

An examination process with offers to the highest performers. Could just use the NYC SHSAT. Alternatively, you could use recent CAPE scores. But you might need to reconfigure the CAPE to make it more difficult (unless there are more granular scores other than the ones I see readily available).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only way this happens is if you can get Congressional Republicans to care, and the way that caring would manifest would not be otherwise pleasant.

Right. This is the opportunity. Republicans would need to save us from ourselves. My preference would be they pass something like the Hecht-Calendra Act. That was a NY state law protecting test only admissions at selective NYC high schools like Stuyvesant. We would need to start a PAC and raise some money to Lobby for this.