SWW - when do notices go out about interviews?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way admissions are being handled this year will not ensure a class of 150 high achieving, on grade level students.

My kid didn't get a spot either, but please don't rain on a bunch of hard working middle school kids who got an opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:first people said there shouldn't be a test. then they said the interview and gpa process was bad. now they're saying the gpa and recomendation process is bad. Seems like no one will be happy whatever happens. I'm sad for the kids that didn't get a chance to interview. If there are quotas or whatever by ward or school, it's certainly not something that should be publicized / released.

Yes to this!

Every year Walls turns down students with great credentials. There just aren't enough spots to go around. This is good preparation for college admissions.

Sorry, that doesn’t work here.

Every college has a better process than this…. No college weights letters if rec three times more than GPA….no college ignores rigor in the courseload and treats an A in PE the same as an A in accelerated math….I could go on and on…

Also college do not require that you and all your classmates ask the same 2 teachers. Kids ask a whole variety of teachers--depending on who knows them best, who likes them, etc.

There really is very little similarity between the Walls process and the college rec process.

Can you imagine if college acceptances were 75% based on teacher recs? Grades were basically irrelevant?

You all are missing the point. This is good prep for college admissions because your "perfect grade" student is going to get rejected from some college. Every year there are kids with amazing SATs and perfect grades and amazing letters of recommendation that get rejected from certain schools. And those rejection factors can have nothing to do with the kid themselves and more to do with the things the school is looking for. It's a different process but the experience and lesson is the same.

I think the PP's kid with the 98th+ percentile scores and the non-JR neighborhood high school needs a high school which can provide them with an appropriate education a lot more than they need a lesson in the unfairness and arbitrary nature of life. And no, it is not the case that there are so many kids like that that SWW just doesn't have room for them all.

Why is that kid special? Arguably, a kid in the 5th- percentile and the non JR neighborhood high school needs a school that provides with an appropriate education. Seems like the kid you mention above will do just fine.

That kid isn't "special", they have a set of academic needs that aren't going to be met at a school with few kids at grade level. Which is nearly every DCPS neighborhood school. Whereas the kid who is profoundly behind will find a large peer group at any number of schools in DC. We can argue about whether they will receive appropriate remediation -- but they're sure not going to get that at Walls.

Why is the higher scoring kid more deserving?

Deserving of what?

All kids deserve programming at their level to drive them to the next level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:first people said there shouldn't be a test. then they said the interview and gpa process was bad. now they're saying the gpa and recomendation process is bad. Seems like no one will be happy whatever happens. I'm sad for the kids that didn't get a chance to interview. If there are quotas or whatever by ward or school, it's certainly not something that should be publicized / released.

Yes to this!

Every year Walls turns down students with great credentials. There just aren't enough spots to go around. This is good preparation for college admissions.

Sorry, that doesn’t work here.

Every college has a better process than this…. No college weights letters if rec three times more than GPA….no college ignores rigor in the courseload and treats an A in PE the same as an A in accelerated math….I could go on and on…

Also college do not require that you and all your classmates ask the same 2 teachers. Kids ask a whole variety of teachers--depending on who knows them best, who likes them, etc.

There really is very little similarity between the Walls process and the college rec process.

Can you imagine if college acceptances were 75% based on teacher recs? Grades were basically irrelevant?

You all are missing the point. This is good prep for college admissions because your "perfect grade" student is going to get rejected from some college. Every year there are kids with amazing SATs and perfect grades and amazing letters of recommendation that get rejected from certain schools. And those rejection factors can have nothing to do with the kid themselves and more to do with the things the school is looking for. It's a different process but the experience and lesson is the same.

I think the PP's kid with the 98th+ percentile scores and the non-JR neighborhood high school needs a high school which can provide them with an appropriate education a lot more than they need a lesson in the unfairness and arbitrary nature of life. And no, it is not the case that there are so many kids like that that SWW just doesn't have room for them all.

Why is that kid special? Arguably, a kid in the 5th- percentile and the non JR neighborhood high school needs a school that provides with an appropriate education. Seems like the kid you mention above will do just fine.

That kid isn't "special", they have a set of academic needs that aren't going to be met at a school with few kids at grade level. Which is nearly every DCPS neighborhood school. Whereas the kid who is profoundly behind will find a large peer group at any number of schools in DC. We can argue about whether they will receive appropriate remediation -- but they're sure not going to get that at Walls.

Why is the higher scoring kid more deserving?

What do you even mean "deserving"? DCPS should be trying to provide all high school students with an education which is at a level which is appropriate to their skills and abilities. Every kid. All kids are deserving of that. Even the really smart ones that you think are privileged jerks. DCPS is not interested in or able to do that at PP's neighborhood school. Therefore, that kid has academic needs which DCPS should be trying to meet elsewhere. The kid who is profoundly behind is going to have the same problem at SWW as PP's kid is going to have at their neighborhood school. They are both deserving of an appropriate education and letting in that second kid instead of PP's kid serves neither.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way admissions are being handled this year will not ensure a class of 150 high achieving, on grade level students.

My kid didn't get a spot either, but please don't rain on a bunch of hard working middle school kids who got an opportunity.

+1 What a terrible thing to say. And as if kids with a 3.7 - 3.9 are not going the be high achieving or on grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way admissions are being handled this year will not ensure a class of 150 high achieving, on grade level students.

My kid didn't get a spot either, but please don't rain on a bunch of hard working middle school kids who got an opportunity.

+1 What a terrible thing to say. And as if kids with a 3.7 - 3.9 are not going the be high achieving or on grade level.

Do you think there aren't a ton of kids in DCPS who get As and are below grade level?

Do you wish to be disabused of that belief?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way admissions are being handled this year will not ensure a class of 150 high achieving, on grade level students.

My kid didn't get a spot either, but please don't rain on a bunch of hard working middle school kids who got an opportunity.

+1 What a terrible thing to say. And as if kids with a 3.7 - 3.9 are not going the be high achieving or on grade level.

Actually, based on past PARCC performance, many will be below grade level, especially in math. And this year could be worse than the last few.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:first people said there shouldn't be a test. then they said the interview and gpa process was bad. now they're saying the gpa and recomendation process is bad. Seems like no one will be happy whatever happens. I'm sad for the kids that didn't get a chance to interview. If there are quotas or whatever by ward or school, it's certainly not something that should be publicized / released.

Yes to this!

Every year Walls turns down students with great credentials. There just aren't enough spots to go around. This is good preparation for college admissions.

Sorry, that doesn’t work here.

Every college has a better process than this…. No college weights letters if rec three times more than GPA….no college ignores rigor in the courseload and treats an A in PE the same as an A in accelerated math….I could go on and on…

Also college do not require that you and all your classmates ask the same 2 teachers. Kids ask a whole variety of teachers--depending on who knows them best, who likes them, etc.

There really is very little similarity between the Walls process and the college rec process.

Can you imagine if college acceptances were 75% based on teacher recs? Grades were basically irrelevant?

You all are missing the point. This is good prep for college admissions because your "perfect grade" student is going to get rejected from some college. Every year there are kids with amazing SATs and perfect grades and amazing letters of recommendation that get rejected from certain schools. And those rejection factors can have nothing to do with the kid themselves and more to do with the things the school is looking for. It's a different process but the experience and lesson is the same.

I think the PP's kid with the 98th+ percentile scores and the non-JR neighborhood high school needs a high school which can provide them with an appropriate education a lot more than they need a lesson in the unfairness and arbitrary nature of life. And no, it is not the case that there are so many kids like that that SWW just doesn't have room for them all.

Why is that kid special? Arguably, a kid in the 5th- percentile and the non JR neighborhood high school needs a school that provides with an appropriate education. Seems like the kid you mention above will do just fine.

That kid isn't "special", they have a set of academic needs that aren't going to be met at a school with few kids at grade level. Which is nearly every DCPS neighborhood school. Whereas the kid who is profoundly behind will find a large peer group at any number of schools in DC. We can argue about whether they will receive appropriate remediation -- but they're sure not going to get that at Walls.

Why is the higher scoring kid more deserving?

What do you even mean "deserving"? DCPS should be trying to provide all high school students with an education which is at a level which is appropriate to their skills and abilities. Every kid. All kids are deserving of that. Even the really smart ones that you think are privileged jerks. DCPS is not interested in or able to do that at PP's neighborhood school. Therefore, that kid has academic needs which DCPS should be trying to meet elsewhere. The kid who is profoundly behind is going to have the same problem at SWW as PP's kid is going to have at their neighborhood school. They are both deserving of an appropriate education and letting in that second kid instead of PP's kid serves neither.

If your neighborhood school doesn’t suit you, move or go to private school. It’s that simple. Everyone makes sacrifices in life. Do what’s best for your family. Borrow from your retirement for private. Sell/rent your current home and move. Take a loss on it. Pay more for housing. Send your kid to a school you’re comfortable with - you won’t regret it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:first people said there shouldn't be a test. then they said the interview and gpa process was bad. now they're saying the gpa and recomendation process is bad. Seems like no one will be happy whatever happens. I'm sad for the kids that didn't get a chance to interview. If there are quotas or whatever by ward or school, it's certainly not something that should be publicized / released.

Yes to this!

Every year Walls turns down students with great credentials. There just aren't enough spots to go around. This is good preparation for college admissions.

Sorry, that doesn’t work here.

Every college has a better process than this…. No college weights letters if rec three times more than GPA….no college ignores rigor in the courseload and treats an A in PE the same as an A in accelerated math….I could go on and on…

Also college do not require that you and all your classmates ask the same 2 teachers. Kids ask a whole variety of teachers--depending on who knows them best, who likes them, etc.

There really is very little similarity between the Walls process and the college rec process.

Can you imagine if college acceptances were 75% based on teacher recs? Grades were basically irrelevant?

You all are missing the point. This is good prep for college admissions because your "perfect grade" student is going to get rejected from some college. Every year there are kids with amazing SATs and perfect grades and amazing letters of recommendation that get rejected from certain schools. And those rejection factors can have nothing to do with the kid themselves and more to do with the things the school is looking for. It's a different process but the experience and lesson is the same.

I think the PP's kid with the 98th+ percentile scores and the non-JR neighborhood high school needs a high school which can provide them with an appropriate education a lot more than they need a lesson in the unfairness and arbitrary nature of life. And no, it is not the case that there are so many kids like that that SWW just doesn't have room for them all.

Why is that kid special? Arguably, a kid in the 5th- percentile and the non JR neighborhood high school needs a school that provides with an appropriate education. Seems like the kid you mention above will do just fine.

That kid isn't "special", they have a set of academic needs that aren't going to be met at a school with few kids at grade level. Which is nearly every DCPS neighborhood school. Whereas the kid who is profoundly behind will find a large peer group at any number of schools in DC. We can argue about whether they will receive appropriate remediation -- but they're sure not going to get that at Walls.

Why is the higher scoring kid more deserving?

What do you even mean "deserving"? DCPS should be trying to provide all high school students with an education which is at a level which is appropriate to their skills and abilities. Every kid. All kids are deserving of that. Even the really smart ones that you think are privileged jerks. DCPS is not interested in or able to do that at PP's neighborhood school. Therefore, that kid has academic needs which DCPS should be trying to meet elsewhere. The kid who is profoundly behind is going to have the same problem at SWW as PP's kid is going to have at their neighborhood school. They are both deserving of an appropriate education and letting in that second kid instead of PP's kid serves neither.

If your neighborhood school doesn’t suit you, move or go to private school. It’s that simple. Everyone makes sacrifices in life. Do what’s best for your family. Borrow from your retirement for private. Sell/rent your current home and move. Take a loss on it. Pay more for housing. Send your kid to a school you’re comfortable with - you won’t regret it.

No one was asking you for financial advice. Also, do you not think that there are really bright kids in DC whose parents can't or won't do that? Sure would be nice if there were a school they could definitely access.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:first people said there shouldn't be a test. then they said the interview and gpa process was bad. now they're saying the gpa and recomendation process is bad. Seems like no one will be happy whatever happens. I'm sad for the kids that didn't get a chance to interview. If there are quotas or whatever by ward or school, it's certainly not something that should be publicized / released.

Yes to this!

Every year Walls turns down students with great credentials. There just aren't enough spots to go around. This is good preparation for college admissions.

Sorry, that doesn’t work here.

Every college has a better process than this…. No college weights letters if rec three times more than GPA….no college ignores rigor in the courseload and treats an A in PE the same as an A in accelerated math….I could go on and on…

Also college do not require that you and all your classmates ask the same 2 teachers. Kids ask a whole variety of teachers--depending on who knows them best, who likes them, etc.

There really is very little similarity between the Walls process and the college rec process.

Can you imagine if college acceptances were 75% based on teacher recs? Grades were basically irrelevant?

You all are missing the point. This is good prep for college admissions because your "perfect grade" student is going to get rejected from some college. Every year there are kids with amazing SATs and perfect grades and amazing letters of recommendation that get rejected from certain schools. And those rejection factors can have nothing to do with the kid themselves and more to do with the things the school is looking for. It's a different process but the experience and lesson is the same.

I think the PP's kid with the 98th+ percentile scores and the non-JR neighborhood high school needs a high school which can provide them with an appropriate education a lot more than they need a lesson in the unfairness and arbitrary nature of life. And no, it is not the case that there are so many kids like that that SWW just doesn't have room for them all.

Why is that kid special? Arguably, a kid in the 5th- percentile and the non JR neighborhood high school needs a school that provides with an appropriate education. Seems like the kid you mention above will do just fine.

That kid isn't "special", they have a set of academic needs that aren't going to be met at a school with few kids at grade level. Which is nearly every DCPS neighborhood school. Whereas the kid who is profoundly behind will find a large peer group at any number of schools in DC. We can argue about whether they will receive appropriate remediation -- but they're sure not going to get that at Walls.

Why is the higher scoring kid more deserving?

What do you even mean "deserving"? DCPS should be trying to provide all high school students with an education which is at a level which is appropriate to their skills and abilities. Every kid. All kids are deserving of that. Even the really smart ones that you think are privileged jerks. DCPS is not interested in or able to do that at PP's neighborhood school. Therefore, that kid has academic needs which DCPS should be trying to meet elsewhere. The kid who is profoundly behind is going to have the same problem at SWW as PP's kid is going to have at their neighborhood school. They are both deserving of an appropriate education and letting in that second kid instead of PP's kid serves neither.

If your neighborhood school doesn’t suit you, move or go to private school. It’s that simple. Everyone makes sacrifices in life. Do what’s best for your family. Borrow from your retirement for private. Sell/rent your current home and move. Take a loss on it. Pay more for housing. Send your kid to a school you’re comfortable with - you won’t regret it.

Thanks for the advice grandpa but you forgot to tell us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:first people said there shouldn't be a test. then they said the interview and gpa process was bad. now they're saying the gpa and recomendation process is bad. Seems like no one will be happy whatever happens. I'm sad for the kids that didn't get a chance to interview. If there are quotas or whatever by ward or school, it's certainly not something that should be publicized / released.

Yes to this!

Every year Walls turns down students with great credentials. There just aren't enough spots to go around. This is good preparation for college admissions.

Sorry, that doesn’t work here.

Every college has a better process than this…. No college weights letters if rec three times more than GPA….no college ignores rigor in the courseload and treats an A in PE the same as an A in accelerated math….I could go on and on…

Also college do not require that you and all your classmates ask the same 2 teachers. Kids ask a whole variety of teachers--depending on who knows them best, who likes them, etc.

There really is very little similarity between the Walls process and the college rec process.

Can you imagine if college acceptances were 75% based on teacher recs? Grades were basically irrelevant?

You all are missing the point. This is good prep for college admissions because your "perfect grade" student is going to get rejected from some college. Every year there are kids with amazing SATs and perfect grades and amazing letters of recommendation that get rejected from certain schools. And those rejection factors can have nothing to do with the kid themselves and more to do with the things the school is looking for. It's a different process but the experience and lesson is the same.

I think the PP's kid with the 98th+ percentile scores and the non-JR neighborhood high school needs a high school which can provide them with an appropriate education a lot more than they need a lesson in the unfairness and arbitrary nature of life. And no, it is not the case that there are so many kids like that that SWW just doesn't have room for them all.

Why is that kid special? Arguably, a kid in the 5th- percentile and the non JR neighborhood high school needs a school that provides with an appropriate education. Seems like the kid you mention above will do just fine.

That kid isn't "special", they have a set of academic needs that aren't going to be met at a school with few kids at grade level. Which is nearly every DCPS neighborhood school. Whereas the kid who is profoundly behind will find a large peer group at any number of schools in DC. We can argue about whether they will receive appropriate remediation -- but they're sure not going to get that at Walls.

Why is the higher scoring kid more deserving?

Why is a kid in the 98th percentile more deserving of a seat at a supposedly academically advanced school than a kid in the 5th percentile?

Look, I think we can recognize that there are certain privileges or hardships that make academics in general easier or harder for some groups and recognize that a test score/GPA/whatever isn’t the whole story of a student’s intelligence or worth without going full “participation trophy” on school. In general, some combination of intelligence and hard work make one kid better at school than another. It is okay to celebrate and promote that kid’s achievements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way admissions are being handled this year will not ensure a class of 150 high achieving, on grade level students.

My kid didn't get a spot either, but please don't rain on a bunch of hard working middle school kids who got an opportunity.

+100

Comments like PP are just gross. You can be upset your kid didn’t get an interview and think the process is unfair. Fine. Claiming that the kids who did get an interview are not high achieving makes you an a**hole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way admissions are being handled this year will not ensure a class of 150 high achieving, on grade level students.

My kid didn't get a spot either, but please don't rain on a bunch of hard working middle school kids who got an opportunity.

+100

Comments like PP are just gross. You can be upset your kid didn’t get an interview and think the process is unfair. Fine. Claiming that the kids who did get an interview are not high achieving makes you an a**hole.

"Below grade level" is not some kind of slur. If SWW didn't want to accept kids who were below grade level, they would reinstate the test score requirement. It is not some kind of personal insult to say that SWW is turning down very high-achieving kids in favor of kids who are not at grade level. It's actually just a description of their admissions process.

[Anonymous]

Same song, same verse every year.....Try organizing and doing something about it! Our time in DCPS is up but would certainly support a movement.

[Anonymous]

We can argue about what is and is not fair until the cows come home. However, no reasonable person can make a serious argument that SWW's current admission policy favors those applicants who will obtain the greatest benefit (relative to attending another DC high school) from attending a school focused on academic enrichment. Moreover, it's unclear what the admission policy is designed to do, except - as someone else said - to limit the probability for any scrutiny of individual admissions decisions. The policy certainly would not give any comfort to any parent in DC that a child who obtains good grades and tests well can stand a reasonable chance of admission.

[Anonymous]

What sort of data IS SWW required to provide? Anything? Weird that the letter telling us our kid doesn't get an interview couldn't even be bothered to tell us how many applicants there were.