New to DC and I'm really trying hard to figure out the lottery system. Blew it this year, need tips for next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:EH’s results are actually comparatively very good for UMC kids when sorted by subgroup (and I am using White as a proxy for UMC because it’s the closest we have):

For White ELA, the top percentages of 4+ in the city (all those over 90%) are:

Ross 95
EH 95
Ludlow-Taylor 93
Deal 93
Sojourner Truth 92
Payne 92
Stuart Hobson 91
Ellington 90
Maury 90

Now this suggests to me that the MS ELA tests are easier than the ES ones or kids really do catch up or something… But it’s very clear that EH is actually doing very well.

It doesn’t do quite as well for math, but at 79%, it’s still the second best middle school. (BASIS is just behind but may combine MS and HS scores.)

Didn’t take long for the “white kids who are heavily supplemented are doing decent at Elliot Hine so you should ignore the abysmal test scores for the other 85% of the school” poster to arrive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:EH’s results are actually comparatively very good for UMC kids when sorted by subgroup (and I am using White as a proxy for UMC because it’s the closest we have):

For White ELA, the top percentages of 4+ in the city (all those over 90%) are:

Ross 95
EH 95
Ludlow-Taylor 93
Deal 93
Sojourner Truth 92
Payne 92
Stuart Hobson 91
Ellington 90
Maury 90

Now this suggests to me that the MS ELA tests are easier than the ES ones or kids really do catch up or something… But it’s very clear that EH is actually doing very well.

It doesn’t do quite as well for math, but at 79%, it’s still the second best middle school. (BASIS is just behind but may combine MS and HS scores.)

Didn’t take long for the “white kids who are heavily supplemented are doing decent at Elliot Hine so you should ignore the abysmal test scores for the other 85% of the school” poster to arrive.

LOL! DP but my thought was exactly the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't get into a better feeder thru the lottery at this point.


If I were you, I would stay at EH, supplement, do CTY, help my kid get stellar grades in 7th, and apply to the application schools for High School. Don't despair! If you don't get into any in 9th, then seriously consider moving at that point.

Disagree. Moving in high school is very disruptive. I would move now into good 6-12 pyramid in the burbs.

Not only will your kid have a much better middle school experience, you won’t have to supplement or drive your kid to school. BTW the odds of getting into a good application high school is low and you seriously cannot count on it. So you waste 3 years of middle school for nothing.

Agree with this.

Move OP — either to upper NW if you are comfortable with those schools and can afford it or to the ‘burbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:EH’s results are actually comparatively very good for UMC kids when sorted by subgroup (and I am using White as a proxy for UMC because it’s the closest we have):

For White ELA, the top percentages of 4+ in the city (all those over 90%) are:

Ross 95
EH 95
Ludlow-Taylor 93
Deal 93
Sojourner Truth 92
Payne 92
Stuart Hobson 91
Ellington 90
Maury 90

Now this suggests to me that the MS ELA tests are easier than the ES ones or kids really do catch up or something… But it’s very clear that EH is actually doing very well.

It doesn’t do quite as well for math, but at 79%, it’s still the second best middle school. (BASIS is just behind but may combine MS and HS scores.)

Didn’t take long for the “white kids who are heavily supplemented are doing decent at Elliot Hine so you should ignore the abysmal test scores for the other 85% of the school” poster to arrive.

LOL! DP but my thought was exactly the same.

Seriously people, is it that hard to believe and accept that there are kids and teachers doing well at multiple types of schools? Both things can be true - there are still kids at EH (or similar schools) testing below grade level, but there also can be strong programs, teachers, and kids that are doing well. Many if not most of whom do not supplement. BASIS can teach great advanced classes, and there are pros and cons of their model.
Other DCPS schools and charters are doing great things, and at the same times all schools have their imperfections.
The insecurity and second guessing on this forum is too much some times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:EH’s results are actually comparatively very good for UMC kids when sorted by subgroup (and I am using White as a proxy for UMC because it’s the closest we have):

For White ELA, the top percentages of 4+ in the city (all those over 90%) are:

Ross 95
EH 95
Ludlow-Taylor 93
Deal 93
Sojourner Truth 92
Payne 92
Stuart Hobson 91
Ellington 90
Maury 90

Now this suggests to me that the MS ELA tests are easier than the ES ones or kids really do catch up or something… But it’s very clear that EH is actually doing very well.

It doesn’t do quite as well for math, but at 79%, it’s still the second best middle school. (BASIS is just behind but may combine MS and HS scores.)

Didn’t take long for the “white kids who are heavily supplemented are doing decent at Elliot Hine so you should ignore the abysmal test scores for the other 85% of the school” poster to arrive.

Ha ha.

Right on cue.

Now she says white is the same as UMC!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:EH’s results are actually comparatively very good for UMC kids when sorted by subgroup (and I am using White as a proxy for UMC because it’s the closest we have):

For White ELA, the top percentages of 4+ in the city (all those over 90%) are:

Ross 95
EH 95
Ludlow-Taylor 93
Deal 93
Sojourner Truth 92
Payne 92
Stuart Hobson 91
Ellington 90
Maury 90

Now this suggests to me that the MS ELA tests are easier than the ES ones or kids really do catch up or something… But it’s very clear that EH is actually doing very well.

It doesn’t do quite as well for math, but at 79%, it’s still the second best middle school. (BASIS is just behind but may combine MS and HS scores.)

Didn’t take long for the “white kids who are heavily supplemented are doing decent at Elliot Hine so you should ignore the abysmal test scores for the other 85% of the school” poster to arrive.

Ha ha.

Right on cue.

Now she says white is the same as UMC!

There is no UMC metric; nearly 95% of white residents of the Hill are UMC. So white is by far the closest proxy to UMC that there is. That is not to say that there aren’t UMC kids of other races, there definitely are. But it’s impossible to capture them given the available data. Also, there are some non-UMC white kids, but it’s genuinely a tiny number.

Also, most parents care about how their kid would do at a school. So if white kids are doing very well at EH, why shouldn’t that give similar parents comfort? At the very least it dispels the ridiculous notion that going to school with poor or black kids will automatically make their own kids perform worse.

[Anonymous]

Also why do people always assume EH white parents are supplementing up the wazoo but Deal white patents aren’t? It’s ridiculous. The most tiger parents of tiger parents aren’t sending their kids to EH. I’m sure some kids there supplement, no doubt; but at higher levels than elsewhere? I seriously doubt it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no realistic options for 7th grade with better feeders. You could switch to a school like SH or ITDS, which I think both occasionally take 7th graders, but neither have good feeder options (SH is the same as EH and ITDS has none). Feeder options for HS are over now for you, unfortunately.

That is what I was afraid of. So I need to bank on getting a good lottery match from here on out? It appears that the magnet system is also luck with the lottery?
I am on the waitlist for SH and ITDS does look interesting to me.
Unfortunately I don't think moving is feasible but maybe it could be pulled off.

Thanks for your reply, I'm feeling depressed about it but appreciate the feedback.

OP the website with the data you need is here so you can see which schools might have 7th grade lottery seats. https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/aaron2446/viz/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData_draft/MSDCPublicDisplay

I'm in a similar boat and considering putting DCI on the list (very long shot), Cooper (extremely long shot but in case they have more room in the new school). Stuart Hobson could be a possibility, but then you have to be ok with the high school, and ITDS could be an option but no high school. For the magnet high schools, it's tricky - my understanding is they basically rank every application they get in preferred order based on grades, interviews, interviews with family, maybe some other factors. McKinley might be easier than others to get into, but Banneker and Walls will be much harder. DC Prep might be another option?

[Anonymous]

You listed Basis in the lottery but didn’t get in?

Yes, we are 28 on the waitlist for 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also why do people always assume EH white parents are supplementing up the wazoo but Deal white patents aren’t? It’s ridiculous. The most tiger parents of tiger parents aren’t sending their kids to EH. I’m sure some kids there supplement, no doubt; but at higher levels than elsewhere? I seriously doubt it.

OP here, I would like to add that we are not UMC and my son is of mixed race. I’m just very resourceful and have smart kids. A lot of misconceptions here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:EH’s results are actually comparatively very good for UMC kids when sorted by subgroup (and I am using White as a proxy for UMC because it’s the closest we have):

For White ELA, the top percentages of 4+ in the city (all those over 90%) are:

Ross 95
EH 95
Ludlow-Taylor 93
Deal 93
Sojourner Truth 92
Payne 92
Stuart Hobson 91
Ellington 90
Maury 90

Now this suggests to me that the MS ELA tests are easier than the ES ones or kids really do catch up or something… But it’s very clear that EH is actually doing very well.

It doesn’t do quite as well for math, but at 79%, it’s still the second best middle school. (BASIS is just behind but may combine MS and HS scores.)

Didn’t take long for the “white kids who are heavily supplemented are doing decent at Elliot Hine so you should ignore the abysmal test scores for the other 85% of the school” poster to arrive.

Ha ha.

Right on cue.

Now she says white is the same as UMC!

There is no UMC metric; nearly 95% of white residents of the Hill are UMC. So white is by far the closest proxy to UMC that there is. That is not to say that there aren’t UMC kids of other races, there definitely are. But it’s impossible to capture them given the available data. Also, there are some non-UMC white kids, but it’s genuinely a tiny number.

Also, most parents care about how their kid would do at a school. So if white kids are doing very well at EH, why shouldn’t that give similar parents comfort? At the very least it dispels the ridiculous notion that going to school with poor or black kids will automatically make their own kids perform worse.

The main thing I’m worried about is my son being bored all day because he’s a fast learner in most (not all) subjects. We supplement but not heavily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would move.

Specifically to MCPS (MD) or FCPS (VA). Those two are by far the best public school systems in the larger DC/MD/VA area.
And commute into DC isn't that bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You listed Basis in the lottery but didn’t get in?

Yes, we are 28 on the waitlist for 6th grade.

No chance for 6th grade. You didn’t try to lottery to Basis for 5th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:EH’s results are actually comparatively very good for UMC kids when sorted by subgroup (and I am using White as a proxy for UMC because it’s the closest we have):

For White ELA, the top percentages of 4+ in the city (all those over 90%) are:

Ross 95
EH 95
Ludlow-Taylor 93
Deal 93
Sojourner Truth 92
Payne 92
Stuart Hobson 91
Ellington 90
Maury 90

Now this suggests to me that the MS ELA tests are easier than the ES ones or kids really do catch up or something… But it’s very clear that EH is actually doing very well.

It doesn’t do quite as well for math, but at 79%, it’s still the second best middle school. (BASIS is just behind but may combine MS and HS scores.)

Didn’t take long for the “white kids who are heavily supplemented are doing decent at Elliot Hine so you should ignore the abysmal test scores for the other 85% of the school” poster to arrive.

Ha ha.

Right on cue.

Now she says white is the same as UMC!

There is no UMC metric; nearly 95% of white residents of the Hill are UMC. So white is by far the closest proxy to UMC that there is. That is not to say that there aren’t UMC kids of other races, there definitely are. But it’s impossible to capture them given the available data. Also, there are some non-UMC white kids, but it’s genuinely a tiny number.

Also, most parents care about how their kid would do at a school. So if white kids are doing very well at EH, why shouldn’t that give similar parents comfort? At the very least it dispels the ridiculous notion that going to school with poor or black kids will automatically make their own kids perform worse.

What is your source for saying that nearly 95% of white residents of Capitol Hill are UMC? And how are you defining UMC? Please provide citations for your statements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You listed Basis in the lottery but didn’t get in?

Yes, we are 28 on the waitlist for 6th grade.

No chance for 6th grade. You didn’t try to lottery to Basis for 5th?

I moved to DC in the summer last year and didn’t do my homework on the lottery system. To be honest, I feel a little dumb and have regret but also it’s insane and nerve wracking how the lottery system works. I had no idea it would be like this. Other places I have lived have had charter schools and waitlists and I have navigated them.

I wish I read this forum months before I moved here. I can be naive Iguess. I’m hoping to learn quickly now.

I was very happy with Payne though and I’m sad he has to leave that school. What a gem of a school.