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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Lottery to Basis or Latin 2nd Street.  If you fail for 5th, move.[/quote]

I would also lottery for better DCPS feeders that 4th grade year, just to add some more options. We just lived this and my kid got two interesting offers (good middle charter and a decent DCPS middle feeder).

It was a very very stressful process (knowing that our IB middle was not an option) but it worked out in the end.[/quote]

Agree.  DCI feeders are an option if you want more foreign language focus (Spanish, French, or Chinese).  But the academics are less strong.[/quote]

Can anyone speak to the experience of transferring to a DCI feeder in late elementary if you have a kid who is overall very bright with some language exposure (Spanish as a special every year since PK) but nothing even close to resembling immersion?

We would never have considered this before but we've struck out on the lottery three years running and therefore are in the unexpected position of looking for alternatives for 3rd or 4th grade that have better middle school and high school feeds. I understand the immersion programs are no longer teaching core subjects in the immersion language by late elementary so maybe it wouldn't be as big of an adjustment as coming over in 1st or 2nd? I truly have no idea.

I also worry about the academics in any school we can get a spot at in 3rd or 4th. That means people are leaving despite the middle school feed right?[/quote]

I think it really just depends how much you're willing to trade off in exchange for DCI access. And how much supplementing you're willing to do. If you're willing to make it a whole-family priority for YEARS, then go for it. It really depends on how you think your kid will cope.

The DCI feeders vary widely in quality. I will say people move away for all kinds of reasons, including that their child is struggling with the language, so the mere possibility of getting a spot isn't itself a red flag. But if you see really significant attrition like at Mundo Verde P St, then yes that's a problem. You can look at the OSSE enrollment spreadsheets to trace a cohort survival rate over time.

You also need to be very, very clear on your DCI status-- will it be a right or merely a preference for your child's year? Because if it's only a preference, then a lot of the class will be siblings and get matched, and the remaining spots will go to non-siblings and access might be like 50%, hard to predict. If you don't get a DCI spot it's because you have a bad lottery number, and then what will you do?

I think it would be reasonable to put DCI feeders on your 5th grade lottery list after Latin (and BASIS if you like BASIS). You could also look at Stuart-Hobson feeders and Deal and Hardy feeders-- often times it's not too hard to get an upper grades spot at one of those.[/quote]

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