lessons learned for next year's PK3 lottery?

[Anonymous]

We're looking ahead to next spring's lottery for PK3 (2016-2017 school year), and I was wondering what advice you have based on your experiences with the most recent lottery. Here's what I've gathered--feel free to note whether you disagree with these:

1) A lot of DCPS with not-so-great test scores have really bad odds for out-of-boundary families for PK3 with no sibling preferences.

2) Take a hard look at your potential commute when you're putting together your list of schools.

3) It's possible although unlikely to get shut out of both the round 1 and round 2 lotteries.

What do you think you did well with your list of schools? What would you have done differently?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're looking ahead to next spring's lottery for PK3 (2016-2017 school year), and I was wondering what advice you have based on your experiences with the most recent lottery. Here's what I've gathered--feel free to note whether you disagree with these:

1) A lot of DCPS with not-so-great test scores have really bad odds for out-of-boundary families for PK3 with no sibling preferences.

2) Take a hard look at your potential commute when you're putting together your list of schools.

3) It's possible although unlikely to get shut out of both the round 1 and round 2 lotteries.

What do you think you did well with your list of schools? What would you have done differently?

Thanks!

on 1)

the test scores are largely irrlevant for ECE. Students don't test for DC-CAS until 3rd grade. a school with poor test results may or may not have issues. It also depends on whether you're on an 8 year plan or a 3-4 year one. the scores also take time to catch up if there is a groundswell of improvement in lower grades. Take with a grain of salt.

2) yes -- you know your 3 yr old better than anyone and some can be time challenged. Are you adding aftercare to their day? If adding an extended transit leg across town would present a real burden you should definitely weigh that into any choice.

3) have a backup plan, especially if you have not preference, you're dead set on specific schools with high demand, or your IB is a crapshoot.

[Anonymous]

The most thoughtful and reflective feedback about lotteries will occur after the start of the school year. If you are preparing for next year, I'd definitely check back in the Fall.

But... here are my initial thoughts.

I didn't understand #1 at all. Are you trying to go to a school with not-so-great test scores? I don't think so. Can you clarify?

I think you should figure out what's important to you BEFORE you start visiting schools and getting sales pitches. Is that language immersion? Short commute? Neighborhood school where your kid will go to school with kids they can have playdates with after school? Before and after school considerations?

Everyone's list will be slightly different. Some would choose language immersion over a short commute. Others care more about investing in their local community.

That said, commute is still a consideration and you should look into that. But... I know some folks that looked at commute only and didn't apply to certain charters. Then, they regretted it when their friends got into a highly-regarded school and became part of a ride share group - making the commute issue a non-issue.

[Anonymous]

Here was my PK3 lottery experience this year:

My in-bounds school is by any objective measure a terrible school. Unless it changes (and I'll work to help in any way I can), I would not keep my child there past K. However, we went to an open house and were surprised to be very impressed with the early childhood program. We ended up putting it last on our PK3 list and got a TERRIBLE lottery draw. Even though we listed quite a few schools that people on DCUM would call safety schools (that have traditionally gone through all their waitlists), we were almost always 100+ on each waitlist, sometimes as high as 400. We were among the last 10 waitlist numbers at every school we applied to. We have no shot at getting in off of any of these waitlists.

But we got into our inbounds school and are so glad we checked it out. I reached out and found quite a few other families who were matched and live nearby, and we've started having play dates to get to know one another and are already involved with the PTA at the school. My advice based on my experience, in which I would definitely not have matched anywhere had I not applied to my IB school, is to check out your inbounds school and put it on your list unless you absolutely would prefer to keep a child in private or at home instead of going there.

Best of luck to you!

[Anonymous]

The lesson learned for me was that visiting the Open House is invaluable, especially when the order in which you rank the schools matters to the degree that it does. Some schools that I was certain would be toward the top of my list dropped significantly when I had an opportunity to speak with administrators and visit a classroom, and vice versa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The lesson learned for me was that visiting the Open House is invaluable, especially when the order in which you rank the schools matters to the degree that it does. Some schools that I was certain would be toward the top of my list dropped significantly when I had an opportunity to speak with administrators and visit a classroom, and vice versa.

I would have to agree. I went to several open houses and didn’t get match with any of the schools. Next year I plan to request a school tour after we are matched (hopefully). I hope schools with have more open houses after the lottery instead of before.

[Anonymous]

For the love of all things, include your IB school! That seems like a no-brainer, but everyone who got shut out failed to do that.

Of course, if you have a super-popular IB school, you might not get in for PK3 or PK4, but you will not be shut out forever as you are guaranteed admission at K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're looking ahead to next spring's lottery for PK3 (2016-2017 school year), and I was wondering what advice you have based on your experiences with the most recent lottery. Here's what I've gathered--feel free to note whether you disagree with these:

1) A lot of DCPS with not-so-great test scores have really bad odds for out-of-boundary families for PK3 with no sibling preferences.

2) Take a hard look at your potential commute when you're putting together your list of schools.

3) It's possible although unlikely to get shut out of both the round 1 and round 2 lotteries.

What do you think you did well with your list of schools? What would you have done differently?

Thanks!

next Spring's lottery is for 2015-2016. Are you looking for next year's lottery or the following year's? Either way, it's hard to tell the future until we know what happens with boundaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the love of all things, include your IB school! That seems like a no-brainer, but everyone who got shut out failed to do that.

Of course, if you have a super-popular IB school, you might not get in for PK3 or PK4, but you will not be shut out forever as you are guaranteed admission at K.

Depending on the school, you can get shut out IB, but at least you're likely to have a decent WL position. However that may be little consolation if the list doesn't move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're looking ahead to next spring's lottery for PK3 (2016-2017 school year), and I was wondering what advice you have based on your experiences with the most recent lottery. Here's what I've gathered--feel free to note whether you disagree with these:

1) A lot of DCPS with not-so-great test scores have really bad odds for out-of-boundary families for PK3 with no sibling preferences.

2) Take a hard look at your potential commute when you're putting together your list of schools.

3) It's possible although unlikely to get shut out of both the round 1 and round 2 lotteries.

What do you think you did well with your list of schools? What would you have done differently?

Thanks!

next Spring's lottery is for 2015-2016. Are you looking for next year's lottery or the following year's? Either way, it's hard to tell the future until we know what happens with boundaries.

Oops, I meant 2015-2016. I don't think anything big will happen with boundaries for us by then. Our in-bounds is so terrible, that practially any change would be an improvement. The surrounding schools are at least marginally better. The percent proficient on the DC CAS is in the 30s for our in-bounds school, and it had unfilled seats after Round 1 this year, but apparently all were filled in Round 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're looking ahead to next spring's lottery for PK3 (2016-2017 school year), and I was wondering what advice you have based on your experiences with the most recent lottery. Here's what I've gathered--feel free to note whether you disagree with these:

1) A lot of DCPS with not-so-great test scores have really bad odds for out-of-boundary families for PK3 with no sibling preferences.

2) Take a hard look at your potential commute when you're putting together your list of schools.

3) It's possible although unlikely to get shut out of both the round 1 and round 2 lotteries.

What do you think you did well with your list of schools? What would you have done differently?

Thanks!

next Spring's lottery is for 2015-2016. Are you looking for next year's lottery or the following year's? Either way, it's hard to tell the future until we know what happens with boundaries.

Oops, I meant 2015-2016. I don't think anything big will happen with boundaries for us by then. Our in-bounds is so terrible, that practially any change would be an improvement. The surrounding schools are at least marginally better. The percent proficient on the DC CAS is in the 30s for our in-bounds school, and it had unfilled seats after Round 1 this year, but apparently all were filled in Round 2.

I am PP who had an equally failing inbounds school (CAS scores in 30s) but am really glad I checked it out and only got in there--I would not let the low scores keep you from checking out the ECE program at the school. We were quite happy with what we saw at ours, as I said earlier. Of course, if you would rather send your child to private or keep him or her at home, then don't apply to your IB school. But if I hadn't applied to mine, I would have gotten completely shut out.

[Anonymous]

We did PS3 at our IB "rising" school in Petworth. It's been a fantastic year, with a fantastic teacher. My child loves going to school every day and has learned a ton more than an older sibling who, rather than going to PS3, went to a fancy play-based private nursery school in upper NW. No regrets. The only situation that will take us away from our IB for PK next year is if we get an OOB w/sibling spot at the school where older sibling attends (highly unlikely).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the love of all things, include your IB school! That seems like a no-brainer, but everyone who got shut out failed to do that.

Of course, if you have a super-popular IB school, you might not get in for PK3 or PK4, but you will not be shut out forever as you are guaranteed admission at K.

For the vast majority of IB schools though, this isn't very helpful. Many families would only consider their IB school for the free PS/PK. By K, it's likely time to move on. You don't want to be the last family left, slowly waving good-bye to friends who are moving on to greener pastures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the love of all things, include your IB school! That seems like a no-brainer, but everyone who got shut out failed to do that.

Of course, if you have a super-popular IB school, you might not get in for PK3 or PK4, but you will not be shut out forever as you are guaranteed admission at K.

For the vast majority of IB schools though, this isn't very helpful. Many families would only consider their IB school for the free PS/PK. By K, it's likely time to move on. You don't want to be the last family left, slowly waving good-bye to friends who are moving on to greener pastures.

Sure it's helpful! At least you have something to fall back on for PK3/PK4/K while you sort out your options and play the lottery again. It's better than having your only option be to sack up for more daycare or whine incessantly on DCUM about how the lottery is unfair because you were shut out!

And there are many success stories coming out of schools where parents have taken a chance, and I think we will hear more and more of them as we get into the next school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the love of all things, include your IB school! That seems like a no-brainer, but everyone who got shut out failed to do that.

Of course, if you have a super-popular IB school, you might not get in for PK3 or PK4, but you will not be shut out forever as you are guaranteed admission at K.

For the vast majority of IB schools though, this isn't very helpful. Many families would only consider their IB school for the free PS/PK. By K, it's likely time to move on. You don't want to be the last family left, slowly waving good-bye to friends who are moving on to greener pastures.

This is really bad for the schools.