Asking for Advice - Rejection from Oyster-Adams Preschool

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[Post New]06/07/2019 15:23
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:This thread is ridiculous.

OP, is it possible that your child, who sounds truly bilingual, panicked during the test and was not able to demonstrate a level of Spanish dominance that resulted in a passing score of whatever the test is?

I get the concern regarding transparency of the test itself, but in this area, if DCPS were to make the content of the test known, inevitably some parent would spend a bunch of time coaching their child to pass the test without regard to actual Spanish dominance.


Yes, no point in seeking advice to get it from the school.
[Post New]06/07/2019 16:16
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Anonymous
.....

If true, I have no idea why your friend was given a second chance to prove his child's fluency, and others were not. There is also another side to this story.

Btw, why do YOU think that some of your native speaking friends, acquaintances, etc. are being accepted, and other are not? What differences have you observed personally?


Please refer to 5 reasons to get in. Answer is 3.
[Post New]06/07/2019 17:14
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I think a lawyer will be really helpful. The previous Principal lost his/her job for choosing who to accept. This one is doing the same thing but with different criteria. It will be not too long before someone with money chooses to do something about it.


Wow, of all the silly claims I've seen on this thread, this is the most egregious.
[Post New]06/07/2019 17:23
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Thank you but I am in boundary, with sibling preference and Spanish proficiency. It hurts to see that they accept whoever they want and that what they sell as a "rigorous admission process" is that a personal decision, not sure based on what. I am not so much interested in trying to appeal the decision as in making sure that the process becomes open and fair, which it is not at the moment. Glad to hear that parents are doing something and I believe that the more complaints they get, the more likely they are to be forced to do something. Will a lawyer help?


Sorry, you misunderstood me. What I meant when I said "this type of issue comes up all the time" had NOTHING TO DO WITH OYSTER. I meant that in my professional life working with DD kids, litigation is very common and FERPA/FOIA requests are sometimes part of that as parents of special needs kids try to get clarity about school district decisions about how their kids will be served. I am not aware of any litigation or threat of litigation whatsoever related to Oyster.
[Post New]06/07/2019 17:29
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:.....


If true, I have no idea why your friend was given a second chance to prove his child's fluency, and others were not. There is also another side to this story.

Btw, why do YOU think that some of your native speaking friends, acquaintances, etc. are being accepted, and other are not? What differences have you observed personally?


Please refer to 5 reasons to get in. Answer is 3.

Then your friend should try one of the other four options.
[Post New]06/07/2019 21:04
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Yes, 5 ways to get in: 1. Fluent Spanish speaker with 2 native Spanish speakers at home 2. Talk nicely to Berrocal or PP 3. Ask Berrocal or PP for a second chance (private interview in which they do whatever they want) 4. Get a teacher to help you. 5. Get a lawyer to uncover a few things of the internal process.


#5 needs to be done ASAP.
[Post New]06/09/2019 13:25
quote
Orwell52
Member Offline
Anonymous wrote:I believe it's totally possible that two children, each with 1 native Spanish speaking parent and 1 native English speaking parent, could have different levels of Spanish fluency.





Of course. There are many misconceptions about learning a language (including from inside O-A). Some parents may make an extra effort and others may have more resources, knowledge or even expertise on the issue, but if they are not testing for it (or not properly and/or fairly) it does not make a difference.
[Post New]06/09/2019 15:56
quote
Orwell52
Member Offline
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ok. Maybe was not the previous one. I was told about one who accepted children of diplomas only and had to be stopped. I was referring to that one. But is not the point. The point is that we need a fair process in the face of preferential treatment for whatever reason.


"I was told about one..."

You deal in rumor and innuendo like the rest of the posters, who are not Oyster parents, on this thread. You do NOT have any first hand knowledge of what's going on at Oyster, and your information is wrong.

But please hire a lawyer to get to the bottom of this "conspiracy," and waste your time and money.


Oral history as an argument is stronger than the dominant discourse of the power elite (which just tries to discourage change). The more stories from people from different backgrounds, experiences...the stronger it gets.
[Post New]06/09/2019 16:08
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Thank you but I am in boundary, with sibling preference and Spanish proficiency. It hurts to see that they accept whoever they want and that what they sell as a "rigorous admission process" is that a personal decision, not sure based on what. I am not so much interested in trying to appeal the decision as in making sure that the process becomes open and fair, which it is not at the moment. Glad to hear that parents are doing something and I believe that the more complaints they get, the more likely they are to be forced to do something. Will a lawyer help?


Probably not, but why don’t you hire a lawyer and see what happens. You won’t be the first person to (unsuccessfully) sue Oyster because you don’t like the admissions result.

You’re also NOT an IB parent.


On the bright side, you may be better off staying away from Oyster the upcoming year as there will be changes that nobody can explain to you (90% Spanish copy cat from Marie Reed for instance). Do I want my child to be a guinea pig? I attended a parent meeting for kinder and decided to look for another school. My IB friend has not made up her mind either and parents who know about language learning will have doubts. Watch the spots for changes and report back....
[Post New]06/09/2019 18:18
quote
Anonymous
Can you explain this 90% Spanish thing? Is that for kinder?
[Post New]06/09/2019 18:23
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Can you explain this 90% Spanish thing? Is that for kinder?


Yes. This is an approach common in other dual immersion programs including Marie Reed and Mundo Verde here in DC. As they lay the foundation for the acquisition of Spanish the initial focus is on Spanish.
[Post New]06/09/2019 22:16
quote
Anonymous
But why not 100%? Or why did the prior post make it seem like a change? Just don’t follow if it is new.
[Post New]06/09/2019 23:19
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:But why not 100%? Or why did the prior post make it seem like a change? Just don’t follow if it is new.


Yes, it is new. 90% because some “specials”, such as music, are in English.
[Post New]06/10/2019 18:56
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Thank you but I am in boundary, with sibling preference and Spanish proficiency. It hurts to see that they accept whoever they want and that what they sell as a "rigorous admission process" is that a personal decision, not sure based on what. I am not so much interested in trying to appeal the decision as in making sure that the process becomes open and fair, which it is not at the moment. Glad to hear that parents are doing something and I believe that the more complaints they get, the more likely they are to be forced to do something. Will a lawyer help?


Probably not, but why don’t you hire a lawyer and see what happens. You won’t be the first person to (unsuccessfully) sue Oyster because you don’t like the admissions result.

You’re also NOT an IB parent.


On the bright side, you may be better off staying away from Oyster the upcoming year as there will be changes that nobody can explain to you (90% Spanish copy cat from Marie Reed for instance). Do I want my child to be a guinea pig? I attended a parent meeting for kinder and decided to look for another school. My IB friend has not made up her mind either and parents who know about language learning will have doubts. Watch the spots for changes and report back....


Oyster’s switch to a 90/10 (Spanish/English) model in PK4 and K is based on research and best practices: https://carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol10/may2007_researchminority.html

“ELL students in 90:10 programs attain the same levels of proficiency in English and the same or higher standards of achievement in reading/language arts and math (measured in English) as ELL students in 50:50 programs. Thus, more exposure to instructional time in English does not lead to an improvement in English language proficiency or achievement in reading/language arts and math as measured in English.“

Btw, WIS follows the 90/10 model in PK and K as well. At WIS, 1st through 5th is 50/50.

[Post New]06/13/2019 11:45
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Thank you but I am in boundary, with sibling preference and Spanish proficiency. It hurts to see that they accept whoever they want and that what they sell as a "rigorous admission process" is that a personal decision, not sure based on what. I am not so much interested in trying to appeal the decision as in making sure that the process becomes open and fair, which it is not at the moment. Glad to hear that parents are doing something and I believe that the more complaints they get, the more likely they are to be forced to do something. Will a lawyer help?


Probably not, but why don’t you hire a lawyer and see what happens. You won’t be the first person to (unsuccessfully) sue Oyster because you don’t like the admissions result.

You’re also NOT an IB parent.


On the bright side, you may be better off staying away from Oyster the upcoming year as there will be changes that nobody can explain to you (90% Spanish copy cat from Marie Reed for instance). Do I want my child to be a guinea pig? I attended a parent meeting for kinder and decided to look for another school. My IB friend has not made up her mind either and parents who know about language learning will have doubts. Watch the spots for changes and report back....


Oyster’s switch to a 90/10 (Spanish/English) model in PK4 and K is based on research and best practices: https://carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol10/may2007_researchminority.html

“ELL students in 90:10 programs attain the same levels of proficiency in English and the same or higher standards of achievement in reading/language arts and math (measured in English) as ELL students in 50:50 programs. Thus, more exposure to instructional time in English does not lead to an improvement in English language proficiency or achievement in reading/language arts and math as measured in English.“

Btw, WIS follows the 90/10 model in PK and K as well. At WIS, 1st through 5th is 50/50.





You can always find evidence for anything (50:50, 80:20, 90/10...) if you look for it. Nothing convincing was given to us and this "research" you linked is just a summary (no references) more than 10 years old intended for ELL (English Language Learners) not to drop out of school (in San Jose, California?). Would you try a treatment that a doctor gives you based on so called "evidence" that is not up to date? I would not.
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