Sibling Preference and Inspired Teaching

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ITS did not move its wait list for several weeks over the summer ... I wonder if they are trying to manipulate their WL to create a more stable cohort.

It may not violate the specific rules of the system, but it does seem to be drifting away from its intent

Not gonna work.

--Underwhelmed mom whose kid was admitted in early Oct.

Could you share more about your experience? Why underwhelmed?

Maybe it is just our teacher, but the math is not very differentiated and I rarely see any science projects. I also dislike the lack of a real gym because the kids are less active when it rains. It is a fine school, but aside from test scores doesn't seeem really any better than nearby IB schools. I wonder why there is not more economic diversity.

What grade is your kid in? I have seen varied level of science exposure for sure, but I'm not sure how much kids get district wide at younger ages. I see it increasing as kids get older. The facility is what it is, I'm sorry to say - they do try to use that second floor space on rainy days, too. I think kids across the city have been cooped up from all of this year's rain. I know everyone is waiting for the rec construction to be over so overall there is more space for kids to run and move.

There are a lot of opinions here about lack of economic diversity at the school. I think it comes down to the location perhaps not working for a lot of families who live east of the river. It's a walk from the metro stops, and the school doesn't have a lot of the wraparound social services seen at schools like KIPP if you need/want those. The head of school has been part of a group of charters and other school leaders who are trying to advocate for an "at risk" lottery weighting which would give a preference (similar to sibling) to families who are economically at risk. Unfortunately it seems like it's hard to gain traction but hopefully we will see some movement there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: if your second kid matches at another school that you prefer, even with sibling weighting at ITS,, why would it be ITS’s responsibility to take your kid ahead of another family who ranked it higher (in the first round!)? I would imagine that, unless your older is in a grade where the other school rarely accepts kids, your odds are as good that your older kid will get pulled in as for any sibling preference at the other school.

Almost every other school is fine with it. What's special about ITS?

I wouldn’t be surprised if others followed suit. Why would a school want to prioritize you if you didn’t even want them. I don’t agree with the “lol at gaming the system” poster. It is gaming the system. You’re trying to hold your spot in line at the same time as getting in another line you think is going to check out faster.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ITS did not move its wait list for several weeks over the summer ... I wonder if they are trying to manipulate their WL to create a more stable cohort.

It may not violate the specific rules of the system, but it does seem to be drifting away from its intent

Not gonna work.

--Underwhelmed mom whose kid was admitted in early Oct.

Could you share more about your experience? Why underwhelmed?

Maybe it is just our teacher, but the math is not very differentiated and I rarely see any science projects. I also dislike the lack of a real gym because the kids are less active when it rains. It is a fine school, but aside from test scores doesn't seeem really any better than nearby IB schools. I wonder why there is not more economic diversity.

What grade is your kid in? I have seen varied level of science exposure for sure, but I'm not sure how much kids get district wide at younger ages. I see it increasing as kids get older. The facility is what it is, I'm sorry to say - they do try to use that second floor space on rainy days, too. I think kids across the city have been cooped up from all of this year's rain. I know everyone is waiting for the rec construction to be over so overall there is more space for kids to run and move.

There are a lot of opinions here about lack of economic diversity at the school. I think it comes down to the location perhaps not working for a lot of families who live east of the river. It's a walk from the metro stops, and the school doesn't have a lot of the wraparound social services seen at schools like KIPP if you need/want those. The head of school has been part of a group of charters and other school leaders who are trying to advocate for an "at risk" lottery weighting which would give a preference (similar to sibling) to families who are economically at risk. Unfortunately it seems like it's hard to gain traction but hopefully we will see some movement there.

My kid is in middle elementary grades.

The school is choosing not to offer wraparound services. It's a choice. It grosses me out how people at this school think they are progressive and woke but turn a blind eye to actual needs of the children they could be serving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ITS did not move its wait list for several weeks over the summer ... I wonder if they are trying to manipulate their WL to create a more stable cohort.

It may not violate the specific rules of the system, but it does seem to be drifting away from its intent

Not gonna work.

--Underwhelmed mom whose kid was admitted in early Oct.

Could you share more about your experience? Why underwhelmed?

Maybe it is just our teacher, but the math is not very differentiated and I rarely see any science projects. I also dislike the lack of a real gym because the kids are less active when it rains. It is a fine school, but aside from test scores doesn't seeem really any better than nearby IB schools. I wonder why there is not more economic diversity.

What grade is your kid in? I have seen varied level of science exposure for sure, but I'm not sure how much kids get district wide at younger ages. I see it increasing as kids get older. The facility is what it is, I'm sorry to say - they do try to use that second floor space on rainy days, too. I think kids across the city have been cooped up from all of this year's rain. I know everyone is waiting for the rec construction to be over so overall there is more space for kids to run and move.

There are a lot of opinions here about lack of economic diversity at the school. I think it comes down to the location perhaps not working for a lot of families who live east of the river. It's a walk from the metro stops, and the school doesn't have a lot of the wraparound social services seen at schools like KIPP if you need/want those. The head of school has been part of a group of charters and other school leaders who are trying to advocate for an "at risk" lottery weighting which would give a preference (similar to sibling) to families who are economically at risk. Unfortunately it seems like it's hard to gain traction but hopefully we will see some movement there.

My kid is in middle elementary grades.

The school is choosing not to offer wraparound services. It's a choice. It grosses me out how people at this school think they are progressive and woke but turn a blind eye to actual needs of the children they could be serving.

There are a number of families who are directly advocating for services like this. Particularly if the school wants to adopt an "at risk" lottery weighting. We need to be far better prepared to welcome and serve current and prospective families who need support like this as well as richer academic support to narrow achievement gaps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ITS did not move its wait list for several weeks over the summer ... I wonder if they are trying to manipulate their WL to create a more stable cohort.

It may not violate the specific rules of the system, but it does seem to be drifting away from its intent

Not gonna work.

--Underwhelmed mom whose kid was admitted in early Oct.

Could you share more about your experience? Why underwhelmed?

Maybe it is just our teacher, but the math is not very differentiated and I rarely see any science projects. I also dislike the lack of a real gym because the kids are less active when it rains. It is a fine school, but aside from test scores doesn't seeem really any better than nearby IB schools. I wonder why there is not more economic diversity.

What grade is your kid in? I have seen varied level of science exposure for sure, but I'm not sure how much kids get district wide at younger ages. I see it increasing as kids get older. The facility is what it is, I'm sorry to say - they do try to use that second floor space on rainy days, too. I think kids across the city have been cooped up from all of this year's rain. I know everyone is waiting for the rec construction to be over so overall there is more space for kids to run and move.

There are a lot of opinions here about lack of economic diversity at the school. I think it comes down to the location perhaps not working for a lot of families who live east of the river. It's a walk from the metro stops, and the school doesn't have a lot of the wraparound social services seen at schools like KIPP if you need/want those. The head of school has been part of a group of charters and other school leaders who are trying to advocate for an "at risk" lottery weighting which would give a preference (similar to sibling) to families who are economically at risk. Unfortunately it seems like it's hard to gain traction but hopefully we will see some movement there.

My kid is in middle elementary grades.

The school is choosing not to offer wraparound services. It's a choice. It grosses me out how people at this school think they are progressive and woke but turn a blind eye to actual needs of the children they could be serving.

There are a number of families who are directly advocating for services like this. Particularly if the school wants to adopt an "at risk" lottery weighting. We need to be far better prepared to welcome and serve current and prospective families who need support like this as well as richer academic support to narrow achievement gaps.

How can I join? And what exactly is the obstacle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ITS did not move its wait list for several weeks over the summer ... I wonder if they are trying to manipulate their WL to create a more stable cohort.

It may not violate the specific rules of the system, but it does seem to be drifting away from its intent

Not gonna work.

--Underwhelmed mom whose kid was admitted in early Oct.

Could you share more about your experience? Why underwhelmed?

Maybe it is just our teacher, but the math is not very differentiated and I rarely see any science projects. I also dislike the lack of a real gym because the kids are less active when it rains. It is a fine school, but aside from test scores doesn't seeem really any better than nearby IB schools. I wonder why there is not more economic diversity.

What grade is your kid in? I have seen varied level of science exposure for sure, but I'm not sure how much kids get district wide at younger ages. I see it increasing as kids get older. The facility is what it is, I'm sorry to say - they do try to use that second floor space on rainy days, too. I think kids across the city have been cooped up from all of this year's rain. I know everyone is waiting for the rec construction to be over so overall there is more space for kids to run and move.

There are a lot of opinions here about lack of economic diversity at the school. I think it comes down to the location perhaps not working for a lot of families who live east of the river. It's a walk from the metro stops, and the school doesn't have a lot of the wraparound social services seen at schools like KIPP if you need/want those. The head of school has been part of a group of charters and other school leaders who are trying to advocate for an "at risk" lottery weighting which would give a preference (similar to sibling) to families who are economically at risk. Unfortunately it seems like it's hard to gain traction but hopefully we will see some movement there.

My kid is in middle elementary grades.

The school is choosing not to offer wraparound services. It's a choice. It grosses me out how people at this school think they are progressive and woke but turn a blind eye to actual needs of the children they could be serving.

There are a number of families who are directly advocating for services like this. Particularly if the school wants to adopt an "at risk" lottery weighting. We need to be far better prepared to welcome and serve current and prospective families who need support like this as well as richer academic support to narrow achievement gaps.

How can I join? And what exactly is the obstacle?

I think at this point it's people reaching out individually. Perhaps you can try to see if others would want to join in? I haven't gotten a clear answer re: the wraparound services. They have talked a lot (like at the PARCC meeting this fall) about the work they are doing to identify students who are lagging and coach teachers to accelerate improvement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ITS did not move its wait list for several weeks over the summer ... I wonder if they are trying to manipulate their WL to create a more stable cohort.

It may not violate the specific rules of the system, but it does seem to be drifting away from its intent

Not gonna work.

--Underwhelmed mom whose kid was admitted in early Oct.

Could you share more about your experience? Why underwhelmed?

Maybe it is just our teacher, but the math is not very differentiated and I rarely see any science projects. I also dislike the lack of a real gym because the kids are less active when it rains. It is a fine school, but aside from test scores doesn't seeem really any better than nearby IB schools. I wonder why there is not more economic diversity.

What grade is your kid in? I have seen varied level of science exposure for sure, but I'm not sure how much kids get district wide at younger ages. I see it increasing as kids get older. The facility is what it is, I'm sorry to say - they do try to use that second floor space on rainy days, too. I think kids across the city have been cooped up from all of this year's rain. I know everyone is waiting for the rec construction to be over so overall there is more space for kids to run and move.

There are a lot of opinions here about lack of economic diversity at the school. I think it comes down to the location perhaps not working for a lot of families who live east of the river. It's a walk from the metro stops, and the school doesn't have a lot of the wraparound social services seen at schools like KIPP if you need/want those. The head of school has been part of a group of charters and other school leaders who are trying to advocate for an "at risk" lottery weighting which would give a preference (similar to sibling) to families who are economically at risk. Unfortunately it seems like it's hard to gain traction but hopefully we will see some movement there.

My kid is in middle elementary grades.

The school is choosing not to offer wraparound services. It's a choice. It grosses me out how people at this school think they are progressive and woke but turn a blind eye to actual needs of the children they could be serving.

There are a number of families who are directly advocating for services like this. Particularly if the school wants to adopt an "at risk" lottery weighting. We need to be far better prepared to welcome and serve current and prospective families who need support like this as well as richer academic support to narrow achievement gaps.

How can I join? And what exactly is the obstacle?

I think at this point it's people reaching out individually. Perhaps you can try to see if others would want to join in? I haven't gotten a clear answer re: the wraparound services. They have talked a lot (like at the PARCC meeting this fall) about the work they are doing to identify students who are lagging and coach teachers to accelerate improvement.

Honestly, I feel like they would say yes, it's so important, and then not actually allocate the funds. Is there a budget committee or anything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I emailed MySchoolDC and they called back in just a few minutes! I was amazed.

They said if DC2 matches somewhere she ranked higher, she loses sibling preference at ITS and can not add it back as a sibling. Bummer.

MySchoolDC is an example of how the newly created government orgs are much better run than the old school agencies (who will never ever ever answer the phone or call back).

Let's hope OSSE doesn't screw it up - MSDC was transferred there from the DME starting this year.

It's the same team. I work at a school and interact with them a lot. They are amazing. Eventually they will turn over, but nothing has changed from my perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If DC2 gets into a school other than ITS, wouldn't DC1 be #1/super high on that school's waitlist? (That's how it works for twins.) Are you worried because this other school doesn't generally accept students at DC1's grade?

I get the feeling that schools generally try to make sure siblings are at the same school, but I could be wrong.

Yes, DC1 would be high, but maybe not high enough. If it's Yu Ying or Stokes.

Unless there is another family who has a kid match and is trying to get a sibling into the same grade as DC1, I feel like even YY or Stokes could make it work because DC1 would be #1 on the waitlist. But I guess it's not a sure thing. If I were in OP's position, I'd probably just rank ITS #1 for DC2. Because in the alternative, even if DC2 gets a good draw and matches with another school, it's just going to cause stress about getting DC1 in.

Do siblings jumping into the Sibling Enrolled category rank by lottery number or by the date their sibling enrolled?

Good question. I don't know. I think I assumed by lottery number.

I e mailed MSDC on this. It must be by date enrolled because I asked what would happen if I sought to enroll my child in a school with sibling preference despite him being matched to another school. They said this: In this case, you would need to put the student back on the WL for the sibling school and ask for the sibling preference. There is no guarantee of a seat for PK, the sibling preference will put him on the waitlist behind the lottery applicants with preferences but above the post lottery applicants who do not have a preference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If DC2 gets into a school other than ITS, wouldn't DC1 be #1/super high on that school's waitlist? (That's how it works for twins.) Are you worried because this other school doesn't generally accept students at DC1's grade?

I get the feeling that schools generally try to make sure siblings are at the same school, but I could be wrong.

Yes, DC1 would be high, but maybe not high enough. If it's Yu Ying or Stokes.

Unless there is another family who has a kid match and is trying to get a sibling into the same grade as DC1, I feel like even YY or Stokes could make it work because DC1 would be #1 on the waitlist. But I guess it's not a sure thing. If I were in OP's position, I'd probably just rank ITS #1 for DC2. Because in the alternative, even if DC2 gets a good draw and matches with another school, it's just going to cause stress about getting DC1 in.

Do siblings jumping into the Sibling Enrolled category rank by lottery number or by the date their sibling enrolled?

Good question. I don't know. I think I assumed by lottery number.

I e mailed MSDC on this. It must be by date enrolled because I asked what would happen if I sought to enroll my child in a school with sibling preference despite him being matched to another school. They said this: In this case, you would need to put the student back on the WL for the sibling school and ask for the sibling preference. There is no guarantee of a seat for PK, the sibling preference will put him on the waitlist behind the lottery applicants with preferences but above the post lottery applicants who do not have a preference.

No, I mean if DC2 matches at a higher ranked school and enrolls, bringing DC1 onto the waitlist as a Sibling Enrolled. Does DC1's position in that category depend on her lottery number or on the date she joined the category?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I think at this point it's people reaching out individually. Perhaps you can try to see if others would want to join in? I haven't gotten a clear answer re: the wraparound services. They have talked a lot (like at the PARCC meeting this fall) about the work they are doing to identify students who are lagging and coach teachers to accelerate improvement.

Providing struggling learners with individualized support isn't a wrap around service. That's is (or at least should be) a basic function of elementary education. A wrap around service is having a mobile dental unit visit the school so kids that can't access dental care have an opportunity for a cleaning. Etc.

Has ITS shown any real interest in building a school community that would serve high risk kids? It's okay if they haven't. Janney hasn't either. But it is hard to swallow the talk of community and diversity given what actually happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I think at this point it's people reaching out individually. Perhaps you can try to see if others would want to join in? I haven't gotten a clear answer re: the wraparound services. They have talked a lot (like at the PARCC meeting this fall) about the work they are doing to identify students who are lagging and coach teachers to accelerate improvement.

Providing struggling learners with individualized support isn't a wrap around service. That's is (or at least should be) a basic function of elementary education. A wrap around service is having a mobile dental unit visit the school so kids that can't access dental care have an opportunity for a cleaning. Etc.

Has ITS shown any real interest in building a school community that would serve high risk kids? It's okay if they haven't. Janney hasn't either. But it is hard to swallow the talk of community and diversity given what actually happens.

Actually it isn't ok.

As a charter, they have to be prepared to serve anyone and everyone who enrolls. Also, they certainly claimed underserved and at-risk children would benefit from their school when they applied for a charter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I think at this point it's people reaching out individually. Perhaps you can try to see if others would want to join in? I haven't gotten a clear answer re: the wraparound services. They have talked a lot (like at the PARCC meeting this fall) about the work they are doing to identify students who are lagging and coach teachers to accelerate improvement.

Providing struggling learners with individualized support isn't a wrap around service. That's is (or at least should be) a basic function of elementary education. A wrap around service is having a mobile dental unit visit the school so kids that can't access dental care have an opportunity for a cleaning. Etc.

Has ITS shown any real interest in building a school community that would serve high risk kids? It's okay if they haven't. Janney hasn't either. But it is hard to swallow the talk of community and diversity given what actually happens.

A mobile dental unit does visit the school - usually in the spring, I think? I agree with you Inspired could do a better job of recruiting and serving at-risk kids and families. But I also think that drawing conclusions about how the school serves the kids it has based on a couple months of attendance probably doesn't give you a full picture on which to judge how the school is meeting the needs of its families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I think at this point it's people reaching out individually. Perhaps you can try to see if others would want to join in? I haven't gotten a clear answer re: the wraparound services. They have talked a lot (like at the PARCC meeting this fall) about the work they are doing to identify students who are lagging and coach teachers to accelerate improvement.

Providing struggling learners with individualized support isn't a wrap around service. That's is (or at least should be) a basic function of elementary education. A wrap around service is having a mobile dental unit visit the school so kids that can't access dental care have an opportunity for a cleaning. Etc.

Has ITS shown any real interest in building a school community that would serve high risk kids? It's okay if they haven't. Janney hasn't either. But it is hard to swallow the talk of community and diversity given what actually happens.

A mobile dental unit does visit the school - usually in the spring, I think? I agree with you Inspired could do a better job of recruiting and serving at-risk kids and families. But I also think that drawing conclusions about how the school serves the kids it has based on a couple months of attendance probably doesn't give you a full picture on which to judge how the school is meeting the needs of its families.

There are multiple PPs here. I am the newly joined one and I did not write the above remarks. But I will say I think an at-risk lottery preference wouls be excellent.

I also notice that the aftercare activities are quite expensive. Hope they are giving some scholarships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I think at this point it's people reaching out individually. Perhaps you can try to see if others would want to join in? I haven't gotten a clear answer re: the wraparound services. They have talked a lot (like at the PARCC meeting this fall) about the work they are doing to identify students who are lagging and coach teachers to accelerate improvement.

Providing struggling learners with individualized support isn't a wrap around service. That's is (or at least should be) a basic function of elementary education. A wrap around service is having a mobile dental unit visit the school so kids that can't access dental care have an opportunity for a cleaning. Etc.

Has ITS shown any real interest in building a school community that would serve high risk kids? It's okay if they haven't. Janney hasn't either. But it is hard to swallow the talk of community and diversity given what actually happens.

A mobile dental unit does visit the school - usually in the spring, I think? I agree with you Inspired could do a better job of recruiting and serving at-risk kids and families. But I also think that drawing conclusions about how the school serves the kids it has based on a couple months of attendance probably doesn't give you a full picture on which to judge how the school is meeting the needs of its families.

There are multiple PPs here. I am the newly joined one and I did not write the above remarks. But I will say I think an at-risk lottery preference wouls be excellent.

I also notice that the aftercare activities are quite expensive. Hope they are giving some scholarships.

NP: Sliding scale costs are available, but if it isn't clear to folks that might be a deterrent. (similar to how full sticker price at the college level often deters folks who don't realize the full amount of financial aid available).

FWIW my kid has received quality differentiated instruction at ITS, but I can't speak to the experience of families as a whole.