Dual language schools - reversal of lottery preferences still in effect?

[Anonymous]

For last year's lottery and prior years, OOB with sibling had preference over IB without sibling for PK at dual-language DCPS schools, reversing the usual order of preferences in the lottery.

I have seen several posters on DCUM state that this has ended with the new boundary and assignment changes, so that from now on, IB without sibling will have preference over OOB with sibling at these schools.

However I don't remember this issue ever being addressed during the DME process, and the FAQs here seem to suggest that the preference reversal continues for dual language:

http://www.myschooldc.org/faq/faqs/#preference-2

I tried calling myschooldc but they are on reduced holiday hours. Can anyone clarify this issue?

[Anonymous]

I haven't looked at the final proposal from DME but remember seeing it in earlier proposals. DME would of course know, but I can't imagine anyone is there anymore. I think you will just have to wait to hear back from MSDC.

[Anonymous]

I don't read that statement to mean OOB with sibling will come before IB, I just read it that Dual Language schools will have a different preference added.

[Anonymous]

Let us know what you find out

[Anonymous]

"For dual-language schools, preferences in PK3 and PK4 are ordered differently in that sibling preference is prioritized before in-boundary preference."

http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/Learn-About-Schools/Enrollment/Lottery%20Policy%20Handbook.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
"For dual-language schools, preferences in PK3 and PK4 are ordered differently in that sibling preference is prioritized before in-boundary preference."

http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/Learn-About-Schools/Enrollment/Lottery%20Policy%20Handbook.pdf

Thanks for posting this - it contradicts what I was told at Bancroft open house but my guess is that the school was still absorbing the new lottery details at that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
"For dual-language schools, preferences in PK3 and PK4 are ordered differently in that sibling preference is prioritized before in-boundary preference."

http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/Learn-About-Schools/Enrollment/Lottery%20Policy%20Handbook.pdf

Thanks for posting this - it contradicts what I was told at Bancroft open house but my guess is that the school was still absorbing the new lottery details at that time.

I think there's been a lot of confusion about this.

[Anonymous]

It looks like what Oyster-Adams has been doing for years. For pre-K lottery, sibling preference trumps everything else including language dominance, ethnicity, and boundary. But principal discretion had always trumped lottery and policy at the school. There are still quite a few siblings of OOB kids of non-Spanish speaking, non-Hispanic parents who were admitted under the previous regimes. But there is no way to guarantee that any student stays at the school. Some say Powell is the new Oyster and that it, along with charters, will siphon off a lot more bilingual students and Spanish-dominant families from O-A. It's already been happening, but the previous principal didn't seem to want to acknowledge it publicly. It's not clear if the new principal understands how defection has accelerated among the large population of OOB siblings. O-A maintains its capacity and reputation with a combination of IB lower elementary students who are mostly not from Spanish-dominant families, and have a high attrition rate, and OOB Spanish-proficient students entering 4th through 8th. That has not be a bad thing academically and socially in the recent past before the rapid spread of language immersion charter schools. But it's not sustainable in this day and age.

However things work out at Oyster-Adams, the good news is that there are more and higher quality language immersion options in the city.

[Anonymous]

correction. That has not BEEN a bad thing

[Anonymous]

You can't compare O-A with the other DCPS dual-language schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It looks like what Oyster-Adams has been doing for years. For pre-K lottery, sibling preference trumps everything else including language dominance, ethnicity, and boundary. But principal discretion had always trumped lottery and policy at the school. There are still quite a few siblings of OOB kids of non-Spanish speaking, non-Hispanic parents who were admitted under the previous regimes. But there is no way to guarantee that any student stays at the school. Some say Powell is the new Oyster and that it, along with charters, will siphon off a lot more bilingual students and Spanish-dominant families from O-A. It's already been happening, but the previous principal didn't seem to want to acknowledge it publicly. It's not clear if the new principal understands how defection has accelerated among the large population of OOB siblings. O-A maintains its capacity and reputation with a combination of IB lower elementary students who are mostly not from Spanish-dominant families, and have a high attrition rate, and OOB Spanish-proficient students entering 4th through 8th. That has not be a bad thing academically and socially in the recent past before the rapid spread of language immersion charter schools. But it's not sustainable in this day and age.

However things work out at Oyster-Adams, the good news is that there are more and higher quality language immersion options in the city.

Oyster has an ethnicity preference?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like what Oyster-Adams has been doing for years. For pre-K lottery, sibling preference trumps everything else including language dominance, ethnicity, and boundary. But principal discretion had always trumped lottery and policy at the school. There are still quite a few siblings of OOB kids of non-Spanish speaking, non-Hispanic parents who were admitted under the previous regimes. But there is no way to guarantee that any student stays at the school. Some say Powell is the new Oyster and that it, along with charters, will siphon off a lot more bilingual students and Spanish-dominant families from O-A. It's already been happening, but the previous principal didn't seem to want to acknowledge it publicly. It's not clear if the new principal understands how defection has accelerated among the large population of OOB siblings. O-A maintains its capacity and reputation with a combination of IB lower elementary students who are mostly not from Spanish-dominant families, and have a high attrition rate, and OOB Spanish-proficient students entering 4th through 8th. That has not be a bad thing academically and socially in the recent past before the rapid spread of language immersion charter schools. But it's not sustainable in this day and age.

However things work out at Oyster-Adams, the good news is that there are more and higher quality language immersion options in the city.

Oyster has an ethnicity preference?

No. There is a language (Spanish) preference for OOB families. The pp is woefully misinformed on many accounts. Btw, envious people have been predicting Oyster's demise/diminished reputation/implosion for decades. Yet it still remains the gold standard by which all other public dual immersion schools (within DC and the larger DC Metro area) are measured. No one at Oyster is losing sleep over the proliferation of dual immersion schools in DC. I actually welcome it. Perhaps then, people will stop trying to lie, cheat and steal their way into Oyster. Please take those desperate schemes across town to other dual immersion schools that need a test score, reputation or enrollment boost.

[Anonymous]

And you PP post the "people have been predicting oysters demise...." Comment on every single oyster thread. And each time you are snooty.

[Anonymous]

I am cheering for Powell and wish no ill will on oyster, that is possible. It is not a zero sum game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And you PP post the "people have been predicting oysters demise...." Comment on every single oyster thread. And each time you are snooty.

I'm not the PP whom you are calling snooty, but when you look at the DCPS profile pages for Oyster and Powell you have to admit she/he has a point. I am all for Powell and other up and coming schools doing well, but it's pretty ridiculous to compare the two schools at this point and draw the conclusion that Powell has somehow caught up to Oyster or Oyster has slipped at all.