SWoW - What's it really like?"
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Anonymous
Here's a ranking of local public and private high schools, FWIW. https://www.lotusprep.com/best-high-schools-dc/ The consensus, as far as I can tell, is that SWW has a lot of bright kids but it's still DCPS. |
Anonymous
| Consensus? |
Anonymous
That actually looks pretty good to me. Although SWW is ranked 24th in the area, the vast majority of those above it are private schools. There are only 6 public schools ahead of it (including other magnet schools). Wilson also looks surprisingly good (in 31st place). |
Anonymous
| For a magnet to be outranked by Wooton and Whitman is not so great. |
Anonymous
Having gone through the admissions process twice, both children admitted, I would agree with this. Interviewing is a skill. The kids don't have it. |
Anonymous
I don't know. What percentage of kids take the SATs these days? Is it pretty much the whole school? I imagine that the share of poor kids in any DCPS (including Wilson and SWW) is considerably higher than in many suburban schools. |
Anonymous
That's an understatement. SWW is 47% African American and 23% FARMS. |
Anonymous
Not a true magnet in the MOCO sense. The process is very different. |
Anonymous
What is the difference between a MOCO magnet and SWW? The curriculum is different - but both have admissions tests and SWW can expel any student who doesn't maintain his/her grades. |
Anonymous
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The Application Process: 1. Kids must have a certain GPA - at least a cumulative B in all core classes; in the past they also need to be at least proficient on DC CAS (don't think they will use PARCC Scores this year).
2. If meet grade and test score criteria, they are invited to take the test (the cut off for the test score varies by year and is dependent on the number of kids they school believes it will need to fill the class (around 140-150); 3. Students must decide where to rank SWW in the lottery. If it is not first and they are matched with there 1st school, they will not be considered by SWW. This is true of all the application schools. Therefore, because SWW is among if not the most competitive it is important to decide whether you really want to attend, but if it is not ranked 1st chances of consideration are quite low. 4. Students who "pass the test" are asked to interview. Interviews are conducted by teachers/administrators and students. Contrary to PP there are no interview panels with only students. Part of the Walls experience is participation, therefore ability to speak to interviewers is an important skill. In addition, it is important to determine whether the kid really wants to be there or is being forced by a parent. SWW is for kids who want to be there. As indicated above, there are many who do not. It is very important that kids understand that it is a lot of work and kids who are intellectually interested and motivated are much more likely to succeed. 5. Students are offered a spot and the waitlist is created. 6. The waitlist is implemented through DCPS so schools can longer play with it, i.e. take number 10 ahead of number 2. They do not allow tours of the building or shadowing before admission due to the size of the school and disruption it would create. In addition, I notice above that many talked about the lack of extracurriculars. It is true there are not as many as Wilson (I also have a child there), but there is plenty to keep a kid engaged after school. Because the school is small, most sports do not cut and if you want to participate you will have the opportunity to do so. If there is a sport, i.e. football that a kid wants to play that is not offered at Walls, a student may participate at another DCPS high school that has a program. There is no disputing that there is a lot of work, and teachers are a mixed bag. Still, my highly motivated student has loved it. My not so motivated student is at Wilson and it is also a mixed bag when it comes to teachers. The lack of a full-time principal is still a sore spot and the whiners (me included) are still whining about it. The most significant differentiating factor between Walls and other DCPS schools are the students; their interest in their education and motivation to succeed. |
Anonymous
| I can't figure out how SWW has just 0.7% special needs enrollment. There are many 2E children who could handle the workload with some minimal IEP supports. |
Anonymous
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"4. Students who "pass the test" are asked to interview. . .. In addition, it is important to determine whether the kid really wants to be there or is being forced by a parent. SWW is for kids who want to be there. "
The above is BS. Wouldn't it be amazing if every school was only filled with kids who wanted to be there? The interview process is extremely fishy. |
Anonymous
Does the school really get to see how you ranked them? That would go against everything the common lottery stands for, which is always rank schools in your true order of preference -- no gaming the system. |
Anonymous
If the interview weeded out applicants that didn't want to be there, SWW wouldn't have to go deep into its waitlist every year. |
Anonymous
All of the application HS have an interview. |