Walls Admission - No Test?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s why a lottery for any kids who wants to apply with a cumulative MS GPA above 3.0 is the only thing that makes sense.

but isn't this like 90% of all 8th graders? This has to be about 5000 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tiny violin to all the hens on here clucking about how will
My child ever get into Walls now? It’s not fair that someone without a private tutor might get in

Oh please! You don't have to be part of the discussion.

They haven't published the new requirement, so this is all speculation (and my child doesn't have a private tutor and is naturally gifted)...so take your violin elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s why a lottery for any kids who wants to apply with a cumulative MS GPA above 3.0 is the only thing that makes sense.

but isn't this like 90% of all 8th graders? This has to be about 5000 kids.

And your point is? Not all 5000 will even be interested in applying. It is one year. See what happens.

[Anonymous]

You know how to solve this problem. Schools should be open,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s why a lottery for any kids who wants to apply with a cumulative MS GPA above 3.0 is the only thing that makes sense.

but isn't this like 90% of all 8th graders? This has to be about 5000 kids.

And your point is? Not all 5000 will even be interested in applying. It is one year. See what happens.

yeah, but I bet at least 2000 apply. 1300-1500 apply when there is a test in a normal year and given the lack of a test and Covid that number will skyrocket. I don't know any kids who aren't applying this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need something to get the number of students down to 10% of the applicants.

Last year 1300+ students applied based on the qualification of a GPA of 3.0. 145 enrolled.
The school is very proud of their average SAT score, average number of APs, AP scores, and college acceptances. If they just lottery the 1300 (or 1400 or 2000 or 2500) kids who apply these will all tank.

I don’t disagree but there is no equitable way to offer an admissions test. And the PARCC is flawed, most privates don’t give it and you could argue that basing admissions to high school on your sixth grade work is unfair as well. There are no easy answers to this, unfortunately.

Easiest answer is to place more weight on GPA.

Can they ratchet up the eligible GPA to get to the number of kids they want to interview? Thousands will have a 3.0. Probably a thousand have a 3.5 given the relaxed standards of Covid. The number will get manageable if they move it up to a 3.8 or 4.0.

This will be a huge equity issue. It is a whole lot easier to do distance learning when you are doing it at a quite place with high speed and not simultaneously watching your 6 YO sibling. There are significant disparities across the city and GPA is not the answer.

+1000

I am the PP who said there are no easy answers and it’s for reasons such as these. For one year Walls should set a GPA minimum a bit higher (3.3 or 3.4) and just do a lottery. It’s one year, it won’t be the demise of the school.

[Anonymous]

Setting GPA higher is the equity issue. Keep GPA to what it always is and do a lottery.

Walls kicks out/counsels out students every year and backfills with new students in 10 and even 11th. Any ‘problem’ will right itself pretty quickly. And maybe SWW actually have to ‘deal with’ high achieving students with learning disabilities.

Win-win.

[Anonymous]

It is more likely that this will give them cover to “counsel out” (I really hate this term) kids with disabilities under the guise of righting the class in 10th and 11th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is more likely that this will give them cover to “counsel out” (I really hate this term) kids with disabilities under the guise of righting the class in 10th and 11th.

Maybe counsel out later or never admit in the first place. Charming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Setting GPA higher is the equity issue. Keep GPA to what it always is and do a lottery.

Walls kicks out/counsels out students every year and backfills with new students in 10 and even 11th. Any ‘problem’ will right itself pretty quickly. And maybe SWW actually have to ‘deal with’ high achieving students with learning disabilities.

Win-win.

grades have been so lax since Covid that any 8th grader who actually attended class has a 3.0. So a 3.0 standard is essentially straight lottery with no admission requirements at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Setting GPA higher is the equity issue. Keep GPA to what it always is and do a lottery.

Walls kicks out/counsels out students every year and backfills with new students in 10 and even 11th. Any ‘problem’ will right itself pretty quickly. And maybe SWW actually have to ‘deal with’ high achieving students with learning disabilities.

Win-win.

grades have been so lax since Covid that any 8th grader who actually attended class has a 3.0. So a 3.0 standard is essentially straight lottery with no admission requirements at all.

I think it is safe to say that we'll be able to poke holes in any alternative solution DCPS comes up with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Setting GPA higher is the equity issue. Keep GPA to what it always is and do a lottery.

Walls kicks out/counsels out students every year and backfills with new students in 10 and even 11th. Any ‘problem’ will right itself pretty quickly. And maybe SWW actually have to ‘deal with’ high achieving students with learning disabilities.

Win-win.

grades have been so lax since Covid that any 8th grader who actually attended class has a 3.0. So a 3.0 standard is essentially straight lottery with no admission requirements at all.

I think it is safe to say that we'll be able to poke holes in any alternative solution DCPS comes up with.

Sure, which is fine.

But if you select from the 3000 kids who will apply and take anyone you will have a ton of kids who never intend to take an honors or AP class in high school. You'll simply have kids apply because they want a smaller school.

I know a number of kids who have 3.0s who are 2 years behind in math and can barely read (including one of mine and several of his/her friends). These kids would never in a million years pass the Walls exam but
have 3.0s because of Covid grading. My kid can't do pre-Algebra in 8th grade!!
But they intend to apply for Walls this year.

Which again, is fine. But you're fundamentally changing the entire school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Setting GPA higher is the equity issue. Keep GPA to what it always is and do a lottery.

Walls kicks out/counsels out students every year and backfills with new students in 10 and even 11th. Any ‘problem’ will right itself pretty quickly. And maybe SWW actually have to ‘deal with’ high achieving students with learning disabilities.

Win-win.

grades have been so lax since Covid that any 8th grader who actually attended class has a 3.0. So a 3.0 standard is essentially straight lottery with no admission requirements at all.

I think it is safe to say that we'll be able to poke holes in any alternative solution DCPS comes up with.

Sure, which is fine.

But if you select from the 3000 kids who will apply and take anyone you will have a ton of kids who never intend to take an honors or AP class in high school. You'll simply have kids apply because they want a smaller school.

I know a number of kids who have 3.0s who are 2 years behind in math and can barely read (including one of mine and several of his/her friends). These kids would never in a million years pass the Walls exam but
have 3.0s because of Covid grading. My kid can't do pre-Algebra in 8th grade!!
But they intend to apply for Walls this year.

Which again, is fine. But you're fundamentally changing the entire school.

I think "fundamentally changing the entire school" is a stretch. First, it is one class of new students and not the whole school that will be entering with the changed criteria. Second, it is a big assumption that 3,000 kids will apply. Third, one could surmise that even a random lottery selection would land some of the same kids that would have done well on the test in the entering class.

[Anonymous]

I don’t have an eighth grader in DCPS this year but I feel for those kids who have worked hard the past few years hoping to earn a spot at Walls and now it could be a complete crapshoot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an eighth grader in DCPS this year but I feel for those kids who have worked hard the past few years hoping to earn a spot at Walls and now it could be a complete crapshoot.

how do you think the seniors in high school feel...