Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, first year. DCPS was concerned that the prior year's standardless "interviews" might not be watering down the applicant pool quite enough. I heard the prompts under consideration are:

Tell us why you think academic merit and objective tests are bad? Bonus points if you can explain why diversity is more important than what you learn.

This is a joke, right? At EdFest, the principal said the essays would be based on PARC, but I don't know what that means...

In elementary school, there are PARCC aligned rubrics for grading writing on a 4 point scale that is based on concept mastery and proficiency. There is probably an equivalent for middle/high school so he's probably talking about this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just sounds like an anxious parent of an eighth grader trying trying to figure out what to tell her kid to help him get ready for the essay test. Maybe grab a little intel from DCUM or crowdsource a halfway decent guess.

Nope. Just a DCPS parent sick and tired of watching DC destroy the few good schools we have in the name of equity.

NP. Wow, overt racism. Really? I pray I don't know you IRL. Whatever privilege you were handed in life and subsequently handed that privilege over to your child, does not mean you or your child are better than anyone else. I get it. You are afraid of equity because it means you can't just use your privilege to succeed. You actually have to use merit.

Your child was allowed to start the race before the flag went down. Now, a referee is saying "Wait, the race was rigged. It is not fair that your kid started to run before the race actually began. We need equity. You are furious. But even still neither you nor your child will be penalized. Just stay where you are, but I'm going to stop the timer for a few seconds to try to let the other kids try to catch. Don't worry. I will not let them catch up because I can't start the game over, but they can try. " Now, your child is STILL in the lead but you are complaining that the race was slowed down to allow the others a "fairer" chance at a better score.

Equity is not a bad word. Racism is. Learn that now. Teach your child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why adding an essay would water down the applicant pool. Or was this an attempt at a (bad) joke?

Tests are objective. But they didn't yield the demographics desired. So they moved on to subjective measures like interviews and essays.

Want me to explain it with smaller words and slower?

Haha. you need to test something in yourself. Standardized tests are not necessarily objective -- unless you mean testing, sometimes, who can afford to get their kids better prepped or afford to live in a better school district etc etc. Having a more diverse school filled with kids who want to be there is a good thing. And if it means my white upper class kid doesn't get in, so be it.

Anonymous wrote:Just sounds like an anxious parent of an eighth grader trying trying to figure out what to tell her kid to help him get ready for the essay test. Maybe grab a little intel from DCUM or crowdsource a halfway decent guess.

Nope. Just a DCPS parent sick and tired of watching DC destroy the few good schools we have in the name of equity.

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why adding an essay would water down the applicant pool. Or was this an attempt at a (bad) joke?

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why adding an essay would water down the applicant pool. Or was this an attempt at a (bad) joke?

Tests are objective. But they didn't yield the demographics desired. So they moved on to subjective measures like interviews and essays.

Want me to explain it with smaller words and slower?

I don’t disagree in the abstract, but timed, in-person essays are definitely a step up from just interviews, especially when some kids were getting 5-8 minute interviews that were being counted as 70% of who got admitted. So, while I’d rather go back to a test, no doubt… essays >>> no essays by a lot UN my book.

I went to Walls open house last night and walked away extremely unimpressed.

Just sounds like an anxious parent of an eighth grader trying trying to figure out what to tell her kid to help him get ready for the essay test. Maybe grab a little intel from DCUM or crowdsource a halfway decent guess.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why adding an essay would water down the applicant pool. Or was this an attempt at a (bad) joke?

Tests are objective. But they didn't yield the demographics desired. So they moved on to subjective measures like interviews and essays.

Want me to explain it with smaller words and slower?

Tell me you're mad your kid didn't get into Walls without telling me you're mad your kid didn't get into Walls.

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why adding an essay would water down the applicant pool. Or was this an attempt at a (bad) joke?

Tests are objective. But they didn't yield the demographics desired. So they moved on to subjective measures like interviews and essays.

Want me to explain it with smaller words and slower?

Anonymous wrote:Yes, first year. DCPS was concerned that the prior year's standardless "interviews" might not be watering down the applicant pool quite enough. I heard the prompts under consideration are:

Tell us why you think academic merit and objective tests are bad? Bonus points if you can explain why diversity is more important than what you learn.

This is a joke, right? At EdFest, the principal said the essays would be based on PARC, but I don't know what that means...

Not sure why adding an essay would water down the applicant pool. Or was this an attempt at a (bad) joke?

Not sure why adding an essay would water down the applicant pool. Or was this an attempt at a (bad) joke?

Yes, first year. DCPS was concerned that the prior year's standardless "interviews" might not be watering down the applicant pool quite enough. I heard the prompts under consideration are:

Tell us why you think academic merit and objective tests are bad? Bonus points if you can explain why diversity is more important than what you learn.

So SWW will give kids who make the first cut an in person 30 minute essay writing challenge. Is this the first year they are doing this? Any thoughts/guesses on what sort of prompts they might give?