Common Lottery Algorithm
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I get what youre saying, but It's misleading to state the schools "rank" the students beyond preference. The way they'll decide post-preference who gets the spot is by the draw, the school's rank is your randomly assigned lottery number. If you're drawn before the next guy, you get the spot, he doesn't.
Neither of you have preference, sibling or otherwise, you're vying for the same spot. You were drawn first, he was drawn next. The spot is yours. We've walked a thorough circle on this one. Rank in order of preference and cross your fingers people. |
Anonymous
I don't know about New Orleans or Denver, but that's not how it works in DC. First, the schools don't do anything. It says so clearly on the FAQ:
The schools don't "create tiebreakers." Every participant is given one lottery number for the entire process. Spots at each school are given out first by order of preference, then by lottery number.
|
Anonymous
Quote one place in this whole thread where anyone says preferences are ignored? If you can find that quote (as opposed to that ranking is as important as the other preferences, which it's fine if you disagree with but is not the same as saying preferences will be ignored), then you can feel free to insult my reading comprehension. So where is it stated that preferences will be ignored? |
Anonymous
|
Not the PP who insulted you, which I think is unnecessary, but a woman yesterday stated that a person who ranked a school #1 wold keep a spot against a person with sib pref who ranked the school #2. Posters following that detailed the only way that could happen is if the sib who had ranked the school #2 had gotten into their first choice, otherwise the sib would get the spot.
Ergo, she stated that preferences would be ignored in lieu of ranking. This is not true, and it doesn't seem anyone is disagreeing at this point that preference will still be paramount. |
Anonymous
I am the PP that you (and I guess she) are referring to. I'm the one yesterday who went on and on about what I was told 3 different times by Common Lottery staff. Especially the last time I spoke to them I asked specific questions and gave specific scenarios. I'm not going to fight what seems to be everyone's understanding that sibling and proximity preference will always trump school ranking, REGARDLESS of what ranking the child with the sibling or proximity preference gave that school over someone with no sib/proximity who ranked it #1. I totally, 100% know what I was told and what I heard, and I represented that here. If that is not accurate in the end, ok, I was given wrong information. But I know what I asked and what I was told, and no, I'm not calling back again to ask so they can tell me something different. I've spoken to their staff 3 times and I'm quite confident in my understanding. At the same time, I have read through all the comments today including the quotes re: the Denver model and other models. The Denver model was mentioned to me twice as what DC's system is based on this year, so I totally understand why it's been brought up. If it's true that sibling preference and proximity will be considered by the computer BEFORE ranking, as opposed to AT THE SAME TIME as ranking (which basically is what I was told, which was why if a random child with no proximity but who ranked #1 was picked and slotted into an open slot before a child with sib preference who ranked the school #5 was even pulled would - as I was told - maintain their spot over the child with sib preference. IF IT'S TRUE THAT SIBS AND PROXIMITY APPLICANTS WILL BE LOOKED AT BY THE COMPUTER FIRST, THAT IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH WHAT I WAS TOLD ***BUT*** IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT SIBS AND PROXIMITY WILL BE LOOKED AT BY THE COMPUTER FIRST. Just as consistently as I reported what I was told 3 times, I also encouraged people to call directly and ask themselves and make their own decisions about how to handle their choices. I stand by that, and will still make mine based on what I was told. But I also have no interest in giving wrong info, and if in fact the algorithm works differently than I was told, then parents should find that out themselves and act accordingly. So, to sum up: 1. I never said preferences would be ignored. I said ranking is basically like a preference, and a #1 ranking could get a child with no other preference a spot over a #7 ranking with preference. If that is wrong, it is wrong, but that's what I was told and I reported honestly and sincerely what I was told. 2. I always said people should not take my word for any of this and call yourself. I practiced what I preached. I called and talked to Common Lottery staff at 2 events (including Ward 5 school fair). 3. It is FINE with me if you do not take my word for any of this. Matter of fact, I encourage you to NOT take my word for it. Call and talk to someone who is not an anonymous voice on an internet message board. There are many factors that will go into how this process works this year, and at the end of the day, whether I understand them correctly or not, I'm putting huge value on how I rank my schools. That is my bottom line, and I'm sticking to it. |
Anonymous
|
1. That is wrong, you heard wrong, or you were told wrong.
2. Agreed, although if they're telling you the incorrect information on THREE separate occasions I'm questioning their understanding (theirs website correctly and clearly states sib and boundary preference is considered first.) 3. Thanks for the clarification - good luck to you. |
Anonymous
|
Or alternately, you could read the FAQ:
http://www.myschooldc.org/faq/ http://www.myschooldc.org/getting-started/what-do-all-these-terms-mean/ |
Anonymous
But that FAQ doesn't address the basic single question underlying most of this debate: once all the applications are in, will the computer somehow find and consider all the applicants with sib/IB preference first and match them, then go to everyone with no preference and look at their ranking? [Because, say what you will, but one think that Common Lottery staff are ADAMANT about is that the computer will consider how applicants rank schools. The computer will NOT only look at your random lottery number in doing its "matching"]. Also, here's an example of how the FAQ kinda doesn't make sense: What is the order of the preferences in the lottery? Each public charter school can set its own order for preferences. For all DCPS schools except dual-language schools, the order is: 1.In-boundary with a sibling already enrolled at the school (PK3 and PK4 only) 2.In-boundary with a sibling who is applying at the same time and is matched to the school (PK3 and PK4 only) 3.In-boundary (PK3 and PK4 only) 4.Out-of-boundary with a sibling already enrolled at the school 5.Out-of-boundary with a sibling who is applying at the same time and is matched to the school 6.Out-of-boundary with proximity 7.No preference For DCPS dual-language schools only, the order changes for PK3 and PK4 applicants. For these applicants, all sibling preferences (including out-of-boundary with sibling enrolled and sibling matched) come before the in-boundary preference. [See bolded above] If each charter can set its own order for preference, how does that work in a single electronic lottery??? Is the computer programmed to somehow consider sibling and founder preference for one school, but only sibling for another? Do any of the charters give proximity preference? That just sounds wacky and unlikely that charters are individualizing their preferences and that that's all in the algorithm. The FAQ is important, but without a statement about how a child's school ranking is considered vs. how sib/IB preference is considered, in what order, and when in the process... it doesn't answer the questions asked here. |
Anonymous
|
Further evidence of the confusion, from Mundo Verde's admissions page:
admissions As a D.C. public charter school, Mundo Verde is free and open to all D.C. residents. Mundo Verde is participating in the My School DC common application and lottery this year. The application is now available! Visit www.myschooldc.org and mark us as your #1 option to increase your chances of being part of our community. Our grades go from PreK-3 to 5th grade. The deadline to apply is March 3, 2014. The results of the lottery will be available in April. "mark us as your #1 option to increase your chances of being part of our community"??? Hmmm, interesting... apparently I'm not the only one who thinks how you rank the schools on your application impacts your chances of admission! Again, maybe me AND MV have it wrong... but now maybe you can understand how, the issue of sib preference notwithstanding, it was totally clear to me that ranking order matters in a big way, and has in impact on your chances. If sibs get in first, maybe you still don't have a snowball's chance if you're without sibs, but stop acting like the impression that ranking a school #1 actually impacts your chances. Obviously even one of the most in-demand schools has the same impression and has put it on their website on their admissions page. http://mundoverdepcs.org/admissionsoverview/ |
Anonymous
| It's the first year this is being done in DC. There are a lot of details that are not fully understood or worked out. Confusion is hard, but understandable. |
Anonymous
|
Yes, the computer is programmed to take certain preferences into account for specific schools. Example, Tyler SI actually takes OOB sibs BEFORE IN BOUND non-SIBS, to support language learning at home. This means that Tyler SI's preferences are different than Brent's, which are different from SWS' since their only preference is sib.
Charters are not currently allowed to offer proximity preference per the charter laws. My understanding is that we are using a model closer to New Orleans, and not Denvers. The computer isn't going through such a complicated assessment of thousands of children's rankings at once. It's going student by student as they are drawn and matching them according to the WAY they've ranked schools, this is the only way the ranking matters. Say it's a coveted school like MV: Student lotto #0001 ranks it #1, he has no preference but he gets a spot because he's early. #0001 keeps that spot until #0287 pops up, who has sibling preference at MV and has ranked the school #1. There are no non-sib spots left at MV so #0001 gets moved to top of MV's wait-list and moved down to a spot that still exists in his #2 ranked school. The only people after #0001 that can take his spot are students with preference. Even if he gets moved all the way to his #6 rank (let's say ludlow Taylor), and lotto #1289 is pulled who has ranked ludlow taylor their #1, #0001 still keeps the spot at L-T. |
Anonymous
|
Folks, don't overthink. Charters don't have preferences other than sibling and founder preferences. The priority preferences have been laid out clearly; the order that the algorithm applies them does not affect your end result. (Except for the poor woman who was so badly misled on sibling preference.)
I think people are grasping at straws a little bit because they don't like the reality of the situation: unless you are in-bounds or have sibling preference at your #1 choice, your odds of getting into your #1 aren't that good. |
Anonymous
Well, they're kind of right; if you don't put it as #1, you run the "risk" of getting into a different #1. Also, the schools all want to encourage you to put them as #1 since they want to demonstrate demand for their program. I remember last year people went bonkers because someone at a SWS open house said that putting the school as #1 would help your chances. Not true. |
Anonymous
All they're saying is if you mark MV #2 and get into your #1 then you can't go to MV. Thus you "increase your chances" by putting MV #1. |
Anonymous
Why would the FAQ address something that isn't relevant? Looking at the MV example, I can see how you would be confused. If you asked, "Does ranking a school #1 increase my chance of getting into that school?" the answer is yes. However, that's the wrong question. The right question is, "does the lottery process use rankings to adjust preferences?" The answer to that is no. |