Reply to SWW - when do notices go out about interviews?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I just have to laugh.  This is quite a robust magnet school that DCPS is running.  Academic record has completely ceased to be a factor in admissions. 🤔🤪[/quote]

I just have to laugh at this post. Because a few parents on DCUM post their 4.0 kids didn’t get an interview the school has completely let go of academic records as a factor? Hyperbolic much? My 4.0 kid got an interview. As I’m sure many of 4.0 kids did. [/quote]

Knowing stats would be helpful. How many applicants were there?  How many had a 4.0? How many spots are there total? How many interview invites did they extend? Did all the kids being invited to interview rank school without walls as number one? I really think the recommendation letter process was not fair. This was a lot of extra unpaid work for the teachers, some of whom probably were not too happy, and it might've shown in their letters.[/quote]

Correct.  There were teachers asked to write one letter and teachers asked to write 50. 
There were kids whose parents applied in the 11th hour (for a million reasons) and I can imagine that if they asked the teacher writing 50 recs, that might have not have been viewed favorably.

there were teachers who had to be reminded by parents (a process probably also not viewed favorably by the teacher who is already over burdened).

There were kids who were the first kid to ask a teacher (and probably were also not high scorers as recommenders always tend to leave room at the top for those who come later).

All sorts of room for error and bias,  which is why recs don't typically count for everything in an admissions process like this.  But in this case they did since 4.0s were turned down.

King of crazy.  This was ultimately decided entirely by the recs!! [/quote]

So much conjecture. First of all, you don’t know what the recs say about your kid. A kid might not have gotten an interview because their rec wasn’t as good as other kids, which is valid. The recs ask about all sorts of things, including social skills. Maybe a 4.0 kid isn’t mature, or kind, or whatever….they have to differentiate between the apps, and so the recs add to the big picture.  Even if there were no recs, many 4.0 kids would not get interviews because they just can’t interview everyone. I think the system is crazy that everyone is vying for spots for what is really not even a particularly awesome school (we did apply, though), but even I can recognize that recs aren’t inherently an unfair part of the process.   [/quote]

Walls used to have an entrance exam.  Do you think that would be fairer?[/quote]

Actually, no. I’m not a fan of the entrance exam. Kids take loads of tests during middle school, all of which are factored into their grades, which make up their gpa. I know the arguments for the test, but I’ve never heard a good enough argument for it that outweighs the reasons against it. [/quote]

Grades mean different things at different schools. There are middle schools in DC where virtually no one is at grade level in math. It's not like they don't give out As there. The point of standardized testing is that it lets you compare skills across different schools.

Walls had 9 kids last year who got 1s and 2s on the Algebra PARCC. Those are kids who are substantially below grade level. Those are slots that could have gone to kids who are far enough ahead that DCPS has no ability to meet their academic needs at their neighborhood high schools. That should be the point of these high schools - to provide academic opportunities for kids who can take advantage of them and who otherwise wouldn't have appropriate curricula available. Even if a teacher thinks they don't have great social skills, they still should get an appropriate education. [/quote]

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