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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think that Walls admissions are a mess now because the test was scrapped. The process used to work sort of because the test was a[b] first screening tool that eliminated many applicants who were not a good fit for Walls[/b]. The interview process was never great but it worked ok to sort through the remaining applicants. Also, applicants were sorted on how well they did on the test.

DCPS as usual did not think things through. They scrapped the test in the name of equity but gave no further thought to how applicants will be chosen. This has created a mess with interviewers implicit bias reigning supreme. I’m guessing Walls is short staffed and doesn’t have the time or manpower to sort this out within the limitations imposed on them by DCPS [/quote]

And by "good fit" this once only applied to academic test taking acumen.  It's not everything but it's [i]something[/i]. Now who knows what "good fit" means?[/quote]

Being able to take a test well matters for, you know, school.

They should bring back the test. [/quote]

PP here. Yes I agree test should be back, but taking a high stakes test well isn't the only thing that matters for school and it's not the end all be all of academic potential.  The current alternatives here are far inferior. It's not like  colleges with optional SATs where instead there's a rigorous process for screening applicants.  It's test or ¯\_(ツ)_/¯[/quote]

They frequently have other tests, like AP tests, and there's more variation in coursework at the high school than the middle school level. For exam schools, it's been very common - until the last few years - to use test scores either exclusively or in a very heavy way, and it's produced incredibly high-performing and desirable schools. And part of the appeal is transparency and planning. In DC, even if you have a kid who consistently gets good grades and top scores, you have no idea whether they're going to get into a top high school. [/quote]

Those AP tests aren't always high stakes and there's some discretion at most schools over which tests to take and when they are taken.  Agree that any competitive HS will have this component. NYC is an interesting case study -- the most competitive schools are predominantly East and South Asian and that's because applicants dominate testing, but the schools are struggling to address diversity and equity, even for black and brown students who could  thrive at those schools.

I don't know if that's the goal for Walls but an entrance exam sets a reasonable floor to select the most deserving applicants.[/quote]

The Chicago magnet admissions model is the one to admire and copy, not NYC's.  Chicago goes with great transparency and stability in magnet admissions, along with a comprehensive, college admissions-style applications. In Chicago, low SES applicants with high GPAs are entitled to good support from the school system to apply.

At the rate the DCPS is going in muddying the waters with Walls admissions, nobody should be surprised if the District is sued. Boston Latin (7th-12th grades) was sued in the late 1990s by a white family with a 6th grader who was rejected despite a higher exam score than many successful minority applicants. The result was a settlement agreement forcing Boston to scrap a 30% minority admissions set-aside/quota.  [/quote]

PP here and +1.  NYC is more cautionary shooting for the highest bar and then having it politicized and entrenched however problematic. Similar could be said of TJHSST prior to dropping test (still rigorous and requires successful completion of advanced courses as prereq).   Chicago is a far better model.[/quote]

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