Asking for Advice - Rejection from Oyster-Adams Preschool

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For K & 1 according to DCPS Language Acquisition Division there isn’t a proficiency assessment. For students 2 and above there is. However if you have been at another DL school and are 2nd and above there is usually no assessment.

This is correct.

Can someone site the source for this policy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For K & 1 according to DCPS Language Acquisition Division there isn’t a proficiency assessment. For students 2 and above there is. However if you have been at another DL school and are 2nd and above there is usually no assessment.

Oyster assesses Spanish language proficiency for all grades, despite whatever the DCPS policy is now.

[Anonymous]

Ours went into OA from another DCPS dual language school and child didn’t have to take assessment. Had been in dual language since K. Our child is doing great in Spanish even though we do not speak it st home and do not supplement. Believe it or not, there are terrific native Spanish teachers st other schools too. OA has been great, but the previous school was too. Pp or Op at Bruce Monroe, watch out-/ you might love it there and stay all the way!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours went into OA from another DCPS dual language school and child didn’t have to take assessment. Had been in dual language since K. Our child is doing great in Spanish even though we do not speak it st home and do not supplement. Believe it or not, there are terrific native Spanish teachers st other schools too. OA has been great, but the previous school was too. Pp or Op at Bruce Monroe, watch out-/ you might love it there and stay all the way!

I don’t believe you. Every English dominant OOB transfer student into Oyster that I’ve spoken with (parents) has had their child assessed.

[Anonymous]

We were recently called of the 4th grade waitlist for Bancroft and was asked to come in for an assessment. Child has been at another DCPS Spanish immersion school since K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours went into OA from another DCPS dual language school and child didn’t have to take assessment. Had been in dual language since K. Our child is doing great in Spanish even though we do not speak it st home and do not supplement. Believe it or not, there are terrific native Spanish teachers st other schools too. OA has been great, but the previous school was too. Pp or Op at Bruce Monroe, watch out-/ you might love it there and stay all the way!

I don’t believe you. Every English dominant OOB transfer student into Oyster that I’ve spoken with (parents) has had their child assessed.

Wow, really? Well, I’m not lying. Why would I?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours went into OA from another DCPS dual language school and child didn’t have to take assessment. Had been in dual language since K. Our child is doing great in Spanish even though we do not speak it st home and do not supplement. Believe it or not, there are terrific native Spanish teachers st other schools too. OA has been great, but the previous school was too. Pp or Op at Bruce Monroe, watch out-/ you might love it there and stay all the way!

I don’t believe you. Every English dominant OOB transfer student into Oyster that I’ve spoken with (parents) has had their child assessed.

Wow, really? Well, I’m not lying. Why would I?

Any number of reasons.
What grade did your child come to Oyster?
Are you OOB?
Spanish or English dominant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours went into OA from another DCPS dual language school and child didn’t have to take assessment. Had been in dual language since K. Our child is doing great in Spanish even though we do not speak it st home and do not supplement. Believe it or not, there are terrific native Spanish teachers st other schools too. OA has been great, but the previous school was too. Pp or Op at Bruce Monroe, watch out-/ you might love it there and stay all the way!

I don’t believe you. Every English dominant OOB transfer student into Oyster that I’ve spoken with (parents) has had their child assessed.

Wow, really? Well, I’m not lying. Why would I?

Any number of reasons.
What grade did your child come to Oyster?
Are you OOB?
Spanish or English dominant?

I think you are confusing the PK Spanish dominance testing with the transfer student Spanish proficiency testing. In the open house, the Oyster principal herself said that older kids who transfer after first grade from another DCPS dual language school do not need to take the Spanish proficiency test, but all other kids do. Since PP said her child transferred from such a school, this is likely what she meant. This is different from Spanish dominant testing, which occurs prior, as after 1st, there are no more slots allocated by language dominance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours went into OA from another DCPS dual language school and child didn’t have to take assessment. Had been in dual language since K. Our child is doing great in Spanish even though we do not speak it st home and do not supplement. Believe it or not, there are terrific native Spanish teachers st other schools too. OA has been great, but the previous school was too. Pp or Op at Bruce Monroe, watch out-/ you might love it there and stay all the way!

I don’t believe you. Every English dominant OOB transfer student into Oyster that I’ve spoken with (parents) has had their child assessed.

Wow, really? Well, I’m not lying. Why would I?

Any number of reasons.
What grade did your child come to Oyster?
Are you OOB?
Spanish or English dominant?

I think you are confusing the PK Spanish dominance testing with the transfer student Spanish proficiency testing. In the open house, the Oyster principal herself said that older kids who transfer after first grade from another DCPS dual language school do not need to take the Spanish proficiency test, but all other kids do. Since PP said her child transferred from such a school, this is likely what she meant. This is different from Spanish dominant testing, which occurs prior, as after 1st, there are no more slots allocated by language dominance.

I’m not confused at all. I’m referring to Spanish proficiency testing (in upper grades), not Spanish dominance testing in PK and K. I know from firsthand conversations with parents that their children in higher grades were tested for Spanish proficiency. I’m not saying that Oyster turns students with lower proficiency away (I don’t know one way or another), but these students are definitely tested—probably for placement purposes. However, I know for a fact that no OOB transfer students in my children’s classes have ever come in without some level of Spanish fluency.

[Anonymous]

I’m not confused at all. I’m referring to Spanish proficiency testing (in upper grades), not Spanish dominance testing in PK and K. I know from firsthand conversations with parents that their children in higher grades were tested for Spanish proficiency. I’m not saying that Oyster turns students with lower proficiency away (I don’t know one way or another), but these students are definitely tested—probably for placement purposes. However, I know for a fact that no OOB transfer students in my children’s classes have ever come in without some level of Spanish fluency.

OK, you are not confused, you are incorrectly inferring the policy from anecdotal experience . It may be that none of the students in your childrens' classes came from other DC Dual Language schools (charters don't count). It may be the policy changed recently. But the principal was very clear in the open house, students coming from another DCPS Dual Language school do not need to take that test, everyone else does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I’m not confused at all. I’m referring to Spanish proficiency testing (in upper grades), not Spanish dominance testing in PK and K. I know from firsthand conversations with parents that their children in higher grades were tested for Spanish proficiency. I’m not saying that Oyster turns students with lower proficiency away (I don’t know one way or another), but these students are definitely tested—probably for placement purposes. However, I know for a fact that no OOB transfer students in my children’s classes have ever come in without some level of Spanish fluency.

OK, you are not confused, you are incorrectly inferring the policy from anecdotal experience . It may be that none of the students in your childrens' classes came from other DC Dual Language schools (charters don't count). It may be the policy changed recently. But the principal was very clear in the open house, students coming from another DCPS Dual Language school do not need to take that test, everyone else does.

I agree. PP is all over the place and pulling information from different anecdotal situations as well as actual policies. None of it meshes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, 5 ways to get in: 1. Fluent Spanish speaker with 2 native Spanish speakers at home 2. Talk nicely to Berrocal or PP 3. Ask Berrocal or PP for a second chance (private interview in which they do whatever they want) 4. Get a teacher to help you. 5. Get a lawyer to uncover a few things of the internal process.

#5 needs to be done ASAP.

Yes. How do we get together outside this forum to make sure the process is fair: gives everyone the same opportunities (interviewing, assessment....)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. I don't know much about lawyers (although I am familiar with the contingent fee case). I am sure you have to call a few and see what they tell you. A few parents can join together to pay and there are other ways if you don't have a big income. If I do it is not so much to get my child in (Oyster is just Oyster, not Harvard). I do not care if my child gets accepted or not as I have a backup option that I can leave with, but I think it would not be unreasonable for other parents to think that the process (not the outcome) has to be fair and that we all deserve a fair chance. Picking who gets accepted and not is something that lawyers may want to hear about (and yes, I am familiar with the use of money as payment).

I agree. Does anyone know how to identify parents interested in pursuing this further and meet outside the forum?

[Anonymous]

Btw, why do YOU think that some of your native speaking friends, acquaintances, etc. are being accepted, and other are not? What differences have you observed personally?


¿"Personally"? The admission process should have nothing to do with "personally"

[Orwell52]

I agree. Does anyone know how to identify parents interested in pursuing this further and meet outside the forum?

Interested. Can you contact me outside the forum?