Ward 4&5 Current DPCS parents shut out of Latin/BASIS/ITS

[Anonymous]

I’m surprised more families who want BASIS and get shut out don’t consider DC Prep Edgewood Middle. Their test scores are significantly better than lots of places (EH/SH/Jefferson) that are routinely discussed as backups here. They have a more academically intense outlook that aligns more with the BASIS vibe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised more families who want BASIS and get shut out don’t consider DC Prep Edgewood Middle. Their test scores are significantly better than lots of places (EH/SH/Jefferson) that are routinely discussed as backups here. They have a more academically intense outlook that aligns more with the BASIS vibe.

Most people posting & considering SH/EH/Jefferson live on the Hill, so walking distance or close to at least 1 or 2 of them. That’s a lot of the reason people are willing to take a chance on them. DC Prep Edgewood is not walkable, has similar test scores (compared to SH, they’re worse for ELA and better for math; but also inflated by 4th & 5th grade scores) & has no white kids…

[Anonymous]

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Where are the "cohort of high achievers" who did not get into application HSs or good privates going?

(Real question, not snark -- we are considering SH but stress about HS path and want to know how this actually work for families -- we cannot afford private and I know that HS applications are a bit of a crapshoot and there are talented kids with great grades and high PARCC scores who get shut out. I am curious what they wind up doing because if we go, that could be us.)

I don't think there are talented kids with great grades getting routinely shut out of Banneker. Definitely not from McKinley. If your standard is Walls and nothing else, then yes, it is a crapshoot and you need a plan B.

McKinley definitely won't turn you away, but if you are not interested in STEM, that might be an issue.

McKinley accepted 20% of those who applied according to the stats. They're turning someone away.

They are likely turning away kids who are getting 1’s and some 2’s on PARCC. Nothing to see here.

The PARCC scores are not good where only 26% of kids are on grade level or above in math. Majority of these kids are just on grade level. I don’t really see how you can view McKinley as a good STEM school with those poor stats.

They can't look at student PARCC scores and are not allowed to consider advanced coursework. They're turning away all kinds of kids because they don't have that information.

They get report cards so they do see advanced coursework.

DCPS explicitly says the only thing they are allowed to do with transcripts is get the GPA.

There's no mechanism by which McKinley or any of the selective high schools would be identifying the kids getting 1s and 2s and rejecting them. They do not see that information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Where are the "cohort of high achievers" who did not get into application HSs or good privates going?

(Real question, not snark -- we are considering SH but stress about HS path and want to know how this actually work for families -- we cannot afford private and I know that HS applications are a bit of a crapshoot and there are talented kids with great grades and high PARCC scores who get shut out. I am curious what they wind up doing because if we go, that could be us.)

I don't think there are talented kids with great grades getting routinely shut out of Banneker. Definitely not from McKinley. If your standard is Walls and nothing else, then yes, it is a crapshoot and you need a plan B.

McKinley definitely won't turn you away, but if you are not interested in STEM, that might be an issue.

McKinley accepted 20% of those who applied according to the stats. They're turning someone away.

They are likely turning away kids who are getting 1’s and some 2’s on PARCC. Nothing to see here.

The PARCC scores are not good where only 26% of kids are on grade level or above in math. Majority of these kids are just on grade level. I don’t really see how you can view McKinley as a good STEM school with those poor stats.

They can't look at student PARCC scores and are not allowed to consider advanced coursework. They're turning away all kinds of kids because they don't have that information.

They get report cards so they do see advanced coursework.

DCPS explicitly says the only thing they are allowed to do with transcripts is get the GPA.

There's no mechanism by which McKinley or any of the selective high schools would be identifying the kids getting 1s and 2s and rejecting them. They do not see that information.

That comment was to the advanced coursework part, which they obviously see. GPAs are NOT printed on middle school report cards ever so they have to look at something on there.

[Anonymous]

Basis is not universally all that appealing. There are lots of families who really want Basis. But there are increasingly Hill middle school families who might have gone with Latin but who then opted out of Basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised more families who want BASIS and get shut out don’t consider DC Prep Edgewood Middle. Their test scores are significantly better than lots of places (EH/SH/Jefferson) that are routinely discussed as backups here. They have a more academically intense outlook that aligns more with the BASIS vibe.

BASIS middle is not why people go to BASIS. It's to get access to the high school. That is why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised more families who want BASIS and get shut out don’t consider DC Prep Edgewood Middle. Their test scores are significantly better than lots of places (EH/SH/Jefferson) that are routinely discussed as backups here. They have a more academically intense outlook that aligns more with the BASIS vibe.

It seems like inconvenient and if you stay IB at least you'll likely have some friends. And the DC Prep campus has little outdoor space and no field. It's on that weird block where Latin is temporarily, traffic is quite bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised more families who want BASIS and get shut out don’t consider DC Prep Edgewood Middle. Their test scores are significantly better than lots of places (EH/SH/Jefferson) that are routinely discussed as backups here. They have a more academically intense outlook that aligns more with the BASIS vibe.

BASIS middle is not why people go to BASIS. It's to get access to the high school. That is why.

Not true for our family. I like the middle school a lot and prefer it to most other middles (due to how much they learn and how they learn how to learn), but there are several high schools that I prefer to BASISs high school (Walls, JR).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Basis is not universally all that appealing. There are lots of families who really want Basis. But there are increasingly Hill middle school families who might have gone with Latin but who then opted out of Basis.

This was us. We matched and declined
BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Where are the "cohort of high achievers" who did not get into application HSs or good privates going?

(Real question, not snark -- we are considering SH but stress about HS path and want to know how this actually work for families -- we cannot afford private and I know that HS applications are a bit of a crapshoot and there are talented kids with great grades and high PARCC scores who get shut out. I am curious what they wind up doing because if we go, that could be us.)

I don't think there are talented kids with great grades getting routinely shut out of Banneker. Definitely not from McKinley. If your standard is Walls and nothing else, then yes, it is a crapshoot and you need a plan B.

McKinley definitely won't turn you away, but if you are not interested in STEM, that might be an issue.

McKinley accepted 20% of those who applied according to the stats. They're turning someone away.

They are likely turning away kids who are getting 1’s and some 2’s on PARCC. Nothing to see here.

The PARCC scores are not good where only 26% of kids are on grade level or above in math. Majority of these kids are just on grade level. I don’t really see how you can view McKinley as a good STEM school with those poor stats.

They can't look at student PARCC scores and are not allowed to consider advanced coursework. They're turning away all kinds of kids because they don't have that information.

They get report cards so they do see advanced coursework.

DCPS explicitly says the only thing they are allowed to do with transcripts is get the GPA.

There's no mechanism by which McKinley or any of the selective high schools would be identifying the kids getting 1s and 2s and rejecting them. They do not see that information.

That comment was to the advanced coursework part, which they obviously see. GPAs are NOT printed on middle school report cards ever so they have to look at something on there.

There is a published rubric. They calculate your GPA, award you points, and that's the only thing happening with the transcript.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I wish I had added Stuart-Hobson feeders to my 5th grade list just to have the option.

SH isn’t a good school either, for what it’s worth.

+1

Stuart-Hobson is a good school for many. Cohort of high achievers. Great drama program and very good music program. More than 10 kids going to application HSes or good privates. I think it’s actually a good option for a girl, because you don’t need to worry about getting mixed up in the majority of the (other kind of) drama.

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Zero to Walls last year.

Any this year?

You’re looking at data for the wrong school. I work at Stuart-Hobson and we definitely sent kids to Walls last year. This year, over 1/3 of our 8th grade class is going to Walls, Banneker, Ellington, or McKinley Tech.

[Anonymous]

The 6th grade waitlists for Truth and SWW@FS have moved a little bit today. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

McFarland needs a test in academic track otherwise it will continue to lose students. It was our feeder but based on some reports from other UMCP families it was a hard no. The scores are abysmal, it’s like the kids don’t even attend school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McFarland needs a test in academic track otherwise it will continue to lose students. It was our feeder but based on some reports from other UMCP families it was a hard no. The scores are abysmal, it’s like the kids don’t even attend school.

But but there 8th grade student won the National spelling bee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McFarland needs a test in academic track otherwise it will continue to lose students. It was our feeder but based on some reports from other UMCP families it was a hard no. The scores are abysmal, it’s like the kids don’t even attend school.

But but there 8th grade student won the National spelling bee.

* their