3rd grader entering Bancroft from a non-Spanish school

[Anonymous]

Bancroft is a regular DCPS, in-boundary school that is also bilingual. They cannot deny you admissions if you are in-boundary at any grade level. It is on them support your child and catch her up. I have no idea who is posting about her “passing a test” to get in- if they are requiring that, you should push back. It’s not a magnet school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bancroft is a regular DCPS, in-boundary school that is also bilingual. They cannot deny you admissions if you are in-boundary at any grade level. It is on them support your child and catch her up. I have no idea who is posting about her “passing a test” to get in- if they are requiring that, you should push back. It’s not a magnet school.

Bilingual programs can deny entry after certain grades if the student doesn’t speak the language of instruction. They provide an alternative school to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bancroft is a regular DCPS, in-boundary school that is also bilingual. They cannot deny you admissions if you are in-boundary at any grade level. It is on them support your child and catch her up. I have no idea who is posting about her “passing a test” to get in- if they are requiring that, you should push back. It’s not a magnet school.

Bilingual programs can deny entry after certain grades if the student doesn’t speak the language of instruction. They provide an alternative school to attend.

+1. That’s why each DL school has an alternative in bounds school. You aren’t being denied rights to an inbound school. I would definitely have a plan B if you are not confident she can pass the test (can she read and speak on grade level in Spanish). How about trying for a charter? There is no proficiency test and it’s fairly easy to get a seat in the upper grades because most people do not want to start a language that late with minimal language background.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm going to try to call the school on Monday but wanted to gain any other intel here as well.

Did the school end up responding? From knowing a kid in the neighborhood in a similiar grade who did this with no prior Spanish, this business about passing a test doesn't sound accurate, unless they updated the policy in the past 1 year. I don't know any inbounds family who actually got required to send their kid to Tubman, just that the school wouldn't "recommend" them enrolling. FWIW, these were families ALREADY residing inbounds, not perspective families they could scare away in advance. And the Spanish at Bancroft gets less in the older grades, not more.

I also know few fluent Bancroft kids who aren't spanish speaking at home. It would not break your kid if they will allow her to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm going to try to call the school on Monday but wanted to gain any other intel here as well.

Did the school end up responding? From knowing a kid in the neighborhood in a similiar grade who did this with no prior Spanish, this business about passing a test doesn't sound accurate, unless they updated the policy in the past 1 year. I don't know any inbounds family who actually got required to send their kid to Tubman, just that the school wouldn't "recommend" them enrolling. FWIW, these were families ALREADY residing inbounds, not perspective families they could scare away in advance. And the Spanish at Bancroft gets less in the older grades, not more.

I also know few fluent Bancroft kids who aren't spanish speaking at home. It would not break your kid if they will allow her to go.

Most people do not want to start a dual language program in 3rd grade so they probably opt for a different school.

But OP see page 39-40 of this document. Looks like you can enroll your kid but must sign a waiver that you are aware of the challenges of enrolling in a DL program with very little academic Spanish.

https://enrolldcps.dc.gov/sites/dcpsenrollment/files/page_content/attachments/SY23-24%20Enrollment%20and%20Lottery%20Handbook%20FINAL.pdf

[Anonymous]

Also buyer beware about Bancroft -- take a very good look at the test scores (might be trending downward) and several current parents tell me the Math instruction is not strong.

Make sure it's a step up from wherever you are coming from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bancroft is a regular DCPS, in-boundary school that is also bilingual. They cannot deny you admissions if you are in-boundary at any grade level. It is on them support your child and catch her up. I have no idea who is posting about her “passing a test” to get in- if they are requiring that, you should push back. It’s not a magnet school.

Bilingual programs can deny entry after certain grades if the student doesn’t speak the language of instruction. They provide an alternative school to attend.

No, they cannot. If a school has an English only track (which Bancroft does not), then they can be placed in that, or the school can suggest the monolingual alternative, but it is an in-boundary school. They cannot deny a student entry. This is misinformation.

[Anonymous]

I am the OP. I talked to the principal at Bancroft and I wanted to reply here for everyone's awareness: there is NO test requirement. The principal assured us that if we live in bounds, we are guaranteed a spot regardless of language proficiency.

Many parents use this forum to make significant life decisions and it is not helpful when people spread misinformation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the OP. I talked to the principal at Bancroft and I wanted to reply here for everyone's awareness: there is NO test requirement. The principal assured us that if we live in bounds, we are guaranteed a spot regardless of language proficiency.

Many parents use this forum to make significant life decisions and it is not helpful when people spread misinformation.

That's good news, OP! Good luck with the move. Mount Pleasant is the perfect neighborhood, in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Idk if you should use an anonymous, not fact checked forum, to base your life decisions off of lol

[Anonymous]

We were told there was a screening test at older grades, I guess that’s changed.

I’m disappointed to hear that as it holds the whole class back when you throw in a kid that is that far behind. I guess it’s better for the incoming family who wants Spanish exposure, but it’s not good for the other students or the teachers. And I say this from seeing it happen. I wouldn’t do it past 1st grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were told there was a screening test at older grades, I guess that’s changed.

I’m disappointed to hear that as it holds the whole class back when you throw in a kid that is that far behind. I guess it’s better for the incoming family who wants Spanish exposure, but it’s not good for the other students or the teachers. And I say this from seeing it happen. I wouldn’t do it past 1st grade.

I was also told that by the previous Bancroft principal, so it's less misinformation and more that the policy seems to have changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were told there was a screening test at older grades, I guess that’s changed.

I’m disappointed to hear that as it holds the whole class back when you throw in a kid that is that far behind. I guess it’s better for the incoming family who wants Spanish exposure, but it’s not good for the other students or the teachers. And I say this from seeing it happen. I wouldn’t do it past 1st grade.

I was also told that by the previous Bancroft principal, so it's less misinformation and more that the policy seems to have changed.

No. They could never exclude you. The old principal was more aggressive about trying to dissuade families. Could not ultimately have denied a spot if the family pressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were told there was a screening test at older grades, I guess that’s changed.

I’m disappointed to hear that as it holds the whole class back when you throw in a kid that is that far behind. I guess it’s better for the incoming family who wants Spanish exposure, but it’s not good for the other students or the teachers. And I say this from seeing it happen. I wouldn’t do it past 1st grade.

+1. It typically takes 5 years of a language to achieve native proficiency, so I think you are underestimating the time your child will lose in overall instruction while they are focused on learning Spanish. Plus, most of the kids have been together since prek/ k so it will be difficult socially.