Reply to Does anyone know the status of the Proposed BASIS Expansion

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Eastern is already running some super-non-transparent application program for kids who apply. Typical DCPS fashion of being really secretive and subjective about admissions.

https://www.easternhighschooldcps.org/pdf/2023_EPIC_edition1_newsletter.pdf[/quote]

yes but that's for kids who already got in (by living in-bounds, going to a feeder, or getting a space through the lottery). There's a lot DCPS could do at the middle school level to increase the number of in-boundary kids who want to go to Eastern and getting kids more prepared for high school by the time they enroll in Eastern. [/quote]

I don't think the issue is intentional secrecy, if you go to an open house or reach out to the school they are happy to explain it. I think it is a newer program and it has some overlap  with criteria to other selective programs. They talked about it when I went to an open house last year. This could be a separate thread in itself, but as someone with a child in one of the feeder middle schools, I am curious to hear how that program is for the kids who are enrolled.[/quote]

If they said publicly "we give an admissions test, this is for students who are working above grade level, and you will be in tracked classes for all of your core academic subjects", the response would be intense both from opponents of that approach as as well as from parents who wanted to send their kids. (Which would be a problem if this became the destination for UMC kids on the hill, attracting more of that first kind of attention.) Being vague about what they're doing reduces that attention. I don't think that's nefarious, but it sure makes it a lot less helpful in terms of letting parents plan high school options. [/quote]

I think it is-- it's DCPS trying to look out for their own insiders by making the process as opaque and accountability-free as possible.[/quote]

Like one of the prior poster says - email the people on the flier, visit the school, talk to parents currently in the program, lots of ways to get these questions answered. From my understanding there is a component that is based on GPA and other assessment data, and an application (since my child is still in middle school I have not personally clicked through it to see what it consists of). Then students meet with a counselor to determine if they are a good fit for the program. I assume things can change as enrollment grows, or from lessons learned. [/quote]

But why does it have to be requested? Why isn't it on MySchoolDC, which exists for the purpose of providing this kind of information?

"We might tell you eventually if you ask" is not transparency. Just put it online like the other selective schools do. Not that complicated.[/quote]

Lots of schools have internal programs you have to apply for and that are not explained in detail on MySchoolDC (e.g., all the JR academies). MySchoolDC only deals with admission to the school itself not programs within it.[/quote]

Not true, there's a whole section on Early College at Coolidge.

https://www.myschooldc.org/schools/profile/414[/quote]

That is a separate program that admits directly via the lottery. The Eastern program, like the J-R academies, is not. [/quote]

Are the J-R academics academically selective though?[/quote]

Yes. There are also other similar programs. SH has a drama program (actual graded classes, not just an afterschool extracurricular), which is selective, for instance. There is tracking for individual subjects that affects your entire schedule at some schools (DCI is a prime example of that, where a high level language means you have other high flyers in all of your classes). Obviously these are all shades of gray, but Eastern's program is only available to students already at Eastern and doesn't affect admission to the school, which is the key for MySchoolDC. It is much more akin to tracking than a separate school.[/quote]

And are the J-R and SH programs equally as hide-the-ball? It's bizarre to think no prospective parents would be interested.[/quote]

So "everyone" at LT knows about the SH drama program because a bunch of our alums do it; LT's musical theatre program is one of the best/most popular clubs at the school, so there's natural synergy; and many folks have heard from families with older kids there/younger sibs still at LT that it's a great way to get your kids a good cohort at the school even if they aren't a natural theater kid (i.e., because it affects scheduling and is selective, do it for your smart kid even if they hate the stage... they can always do costumes or lighting or whatever). All that said, I've done a tour of SH and it wasn't clear to me at all from that tour alone that drama was admissions based or even that it was an actual class, let alone that it affects scheduling for all classes. All of which is to say, yeah, I think the details of the programs are probably a little hard to come by at most schools unless you go digging. If you're interested in a school though... go digging![/quote]

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