Reply to So is the Walls cut-off this year a 4.0?

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "So is the Walls cut-off this year a 4.0?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]are electives (art, music, gym) included in the calculation?

or just the 5 core classes?

-math
-ELA
-history
-science
-foreign language[/quote]

Everything that has a grade is input into GPA.[/quote]

Here is how they calculated GPA: https://enrolldcps.dc.gov/sites/dcpsenrollment/files/page_content/attachments/SWW%20GPA%20Scale_SY%2022-23%20Admissions%20Update%20FINAL.pdf[/quote]

It doesn't make a difference a SWW since the cutoff was almost 4.0, but the footnote infuriates me.

[i]*Note: In response to the COVID-19 health emergency DCPS has prioritized equity and rigor in our
grading policies to ensure all students are supported academically as they navigate the challenges of the
pandemic. For SY19-20, SY20-21, and SY21-22 DCPS has modified its grading policy so that students who
earn a “C” and/or “D” grade will see it displayed on their transcript as passing grades of “P,” indicating
that a student demonstrated proficiency in the course.[/i]

Homogenizing a C and D and pretending like both "demonstrated proficiency" illustrates the degree to which DCPS is just passing kids along in the system and setting them up for failure.

[/quote]

Sample 7th grade report report card for DCPS:

Grade-level Math: D (shows up as "P")
Grade-level English: D
Grade-level Science: D
Grade-level Social Studies: D
Grade-level Foreign Language: D
Art: A
PE: A

[b]For “equity” reasons, this student has a 4.0 GPA and receives an interview at Walls.	[/b]

Sample 7th grade report card for DC charter school:

Advanced Math: 90% (A-)
Advanced English: 90% (A-)
Advanced Science: 90% (A-)
Advanced Social Studies: 90% (A-)
Advanced Foreign Language: 90% (A-)
Art: 98% (A)
PE: 98% (A)
[b]
This student receives no “equity” bump and has a 3.7 GPA and is denied an interview at Walls.[/b]

Does anyone really think that Walls is accepting the best and brightest in DC under the current admission system?
[/quote]

:)  :)  :)  :)  :) ....Not the way it works.[/quote]

The current system is used as a proxy for behavior/learning disabilities. They are using grades to get kids who are well behaved and who don't need supports.  They are NOT getting the best or highest achieving from an academic standpoint.  And they are fine with that.  They actually prefer it--as a parent of two students who have gone through the school, what they want is "easy" kids.  [b]Kids who are very high achievers are not easy to educate.[i[/b][/quote]

Oh my..Tell that to teachers that have to deal with disruptions daily. High Achieving and well behaved are normally traits that appear together. Very bizarre...[/quote]

No, you're missing my point...achievement and behavior are correlated.  But very high achieving kids are not easy to educate--not because of their behavior but because they demand more from their educators (they need to be challenged).  Wallls is not interested in those very high achieving kids...it takes too much work.

So, they just use GPA to proxy for behavior...it helps them screen out the "problem" kids under the ruse of academic merit.  If they really wanted the smartest or hardest workers or most resilient (or name your superlative), they would use other factors in their admissions policy.[/quote]

So what?  Walls doesn’t need to admit the smartest students—merely smart is good enough.  You may also be interested to know that personality plays a much bigger part than IQ in financial success.  Walls’ admissions process seems to embody this fact.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lawrencelight/2017/06/13/why-the-secret-to-getting-rich-isnt-being-smart/?sh=408cb506589a[/quote]

I have some negative thoughts about the SWW admissions processes, but the idea that they're intentionally not serving the brightest kids because they're optimizing for financially successful graduates instead-- now that is just some bizarre conspiracy shit. So, ok, that is not what's happening here. All that is happening is that, given the national pushback against standardized tests, DCPS doesn't want to reinstate them for admissions. So Walls has GPA and interviews. The latter are totally arbitrary and there are a lot of complaints about. The higher the GPA cutoff, the less you're picking your class via the interview. The difference between a 3.8 and a 3.9 may be nothing, but at least no one can accuse you of using GPA requirements to discriminate on the basis of appearance or whatever. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics