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Anonymous wrote:Takoma also didn’t make any offers for 1st, 2nd or 5th grade and only opened 4-7 lottery seats for each of those grades so it isn’t just prek.

It blew through the entire waitlist in third grade, though--that was a surprise to us. My kid had a very bad lottery number (last spot on each waitlist) and we still were offered a place. It just goes to show that this isn't a predictable process.

That’s likely because many families left after 2nd, typical of poorly performing schools when the achievement gap gets real

Or because they want to secure a middle school pathway. I know more Takoma families that move to DCI feeders in middle and upper elementary because it’s walkable and better than the feeders, despite being perfectly happy with Takoma itself.

First of all, if families are happy with elementary, they would stay till upper elementary like 4th which is typical of the schools in Capitol Hill, not leave so early.

Second of all, this must be a troll because many families would not move their kid to a language immersion school in 3rd and up with no language background. That would be a disaster and their kid would not understand 1/2 the instruction taught in the language.

False. People leave when they get a spot in a more desirable feeder. For capitol hill, basis is that option and starts at 5th so people leave then. Closer to dci feeders, people leave sooner to get the ms/hs they want.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma also didn’t make any offers for 1st, 2nd or 5th grade and only opened 4-7 lottery seats for each of those grades so it isn’t just prek.

It blew through the entire waitlist in third grade, though--that was a surprise to us. My kid had a very bad lottery number (last spot on each waitlist) and we still were offered a place. It just goes to show that this isn't a predictable process.

That’s likely because many families left after 2nd, typical of poorly performing schools when the achievement gap gets real

Or because they want to secure a middle school pathway. I know more Takoma families that move to DCI feeders in middle and upper elementary because it’s walkable and better than the feeders, despite being perfectly happy with Takoma itself.

First of all, if families are happy with elementary, they would stay till upper elementary like 4th which is typical of the schools in Capitol Hill, not leave so early.

Second of all, this must be a troll because many families would not move their kid to a language immersion school in 3rd and up with no language background. That would be a disaster and their kid would not understand 1/2 the instruction taught in the language.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Takoma also didn’t make any offers for 1st, 2nd or 5th grade and only opened 4-7 lottery seats for each of those grades so it isn’t just prek.

It blew through the entire waitlist in third grade, though--that was a surprise to us. My kid had a very bad lottery number (last spot on each waitlist) and we still were offered a place. It just goes to show that this isn't a predictable process.

That’s likely because many families left after 2nd, typical of poorly performing schools when the achievement gap gets real

Or because they want to secure a middle school pathway. I know more Takoma families that move to DCI feeders in middle and upper elementary because it’s walkable and better than the feeders, despite being perfectly happy with Takoma itself.

First of all, if families are happy with elementary, they would stay till upper elementary like 4th which is typical of the schools in Capitol Hill, not leave so early.

Second of all, this must be a troll because many families would not move their kid to a language immersion school in 3rd and up with no language background. That would be a disaster and their kid would not understand 1/2 the instruction taught in the language.

You must not live in the neighborhood because families do this all of the time. MV, Stokes, and DCB get significantly easier to get into in upper elementary, and many families either have some language at home or know that the immersion is light at all of these schools. It's a few years then they get on the lowest track at DCI and have a walkable middle and high school.

This is hilarious. We are at one of the schools above and the immersion is not light. If any family with no language background are telling you otherwise, then they are not giving you the full picture.

The kid won’t understand anything and will not advance academically like they would at a non-immersion school. And your a few years of 3 or whatever is huge and a big deal as losses pile up.

I know 3-5th graders at DCI feeders from different families that still can’t have a basic conversation with me after 5+ years of immersion. Their comprehension is very poor. Maybe it depends on the school, but it’s obvious the school either translates or they tune out.

So your anecdotal of +3 makes you assume that the school might translate? That’s a huge jump in assumption. You have no personal experience at the school. You have not been in the classroom. Maybe these kids are the weakest kids in the class. Maybe their families don’t prioritize or support the language.

I can tell you from personal experience that there is no translation going on where we are. It gets much more difficult higher in the grades as the expectations ramp up a lot. You will see some families leave in the upper grades because their kid is struggling in the language and thus struggling academically overall. It’s not a coincidence that the kids strongest in the language are also the kids strongest overall in all academic subjects. Yes, the kids weak in the language will fall further behind. Throwing a kid in there who knows nothing at all is going to make that kids life miserable. Then they get frustrated, act out, give up, etc…. Ask me how I know. And getting a tutor once a week isn’t going to cut it at all.

PP above does a big disservice to imply that it’s just a piece of cake to throw a kid into an immersion school in the upper grades and upend that kids life not only socially but also emotionally and academically. It’s sad that families are willing to do that to their kid because they are desperate for a shot at a middle school. I hope their kid doesn’t hate them for it.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma also didn’t make any offers for 1st, 2nd or 5th grade and only opened 4-7 lottery seats for each of those grades so it isn’t just prek.

It blew through the entire waitlist in third grade, though--that was a surprise to us. My kid had a very bad lottery number (last spot on each waitlist) and we still were offered a place. It just goes to show that this isn't a predictable process.

That’s likely because many families left after 2nd, typical of poorly performing schools when the achievement gap gets real

Or because they want to secure a middle school pathway. I know more Takoma families that move to DCI feeders in middle and upper elementary because it’s walkable and better than the feeders, despite being perfectly happy with Takoma itself.

First of all, if families are happy with elementary, they would stay till upper elementary like 4th which is typical of the schools in Capitol Hill, not leave so early.

Second of all, this must be a troll because many families would not move their kid to a language immersion school in 3rd and up with no language background. That would be a disaster and their kid would not understand 1/2 the instruction taught in the language.

You must not live in the neighborhood because families do this all of the time. MV, Stokes, and DCB get significantly easier to get into in upper elementary, and many families either have some language at home or know that the immersion is light at all of these schools. It's a few years then they get on the lowest track at DCI and have a walkable middle and high school.

This is hilarious. We are at one of the schools above and the immersion is not light. If any family with no language background are telling you otherwise, then they are not giving you the full picture.

The kid won’t understand anything and will not advance academically like they would at a non-immersion school. And your a few years of 3 or whatever is huge and a big deal as losses pile up.

I know 3-5th graders at DCI feeders from different families that still can’t have a basic conversation with me after 5+ years of immersion. Their comprehension is very poor. Maybe it depends on the school, but it’s obvious the school either translates or they tune out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma also didn’t make any offers for 1st, 2nd or 5th grade and only opened 4-7 lottery seats for each of those grades so it isn’t just prek.

It blew through the entire waitlist in third grade, though--that was a surprise to us. My kid had a very bad lottery number (last spot on each waitlist) and we still were offered a place. It just goes to show that this isn't a predictable process.

That’s likely because many families left after 2nd, typical of poorly performing schools when the achievement gap gets real

Or because they want to secure a middle school pathway. I know more Takoma families that move to DCI feeders in middle and upper elementary because it’s walkable and better than the feeders, despite being perfectly happy with Takoma itself.

First of all, if families are happy with elementary, they would stay till upper elementary like 4th which is typical of the schools in Capitol Hill, not leave so early.

Second of all, this must be a troll because many families would not move their kid to a language immersion school in 3rd and up with no language background. That would be a disaster and their kid would not understand 1/2 the instruction taught in the language.

You must not live in the neighborhood because families do this all of the time. MV, Stokes, and DCB get significantly easier to get into in upper elementary, and many families either have some language at home or know that the immersion is light at all of these schools. It's a few years then they get on the lowest track at DCI and have a walkable middle and high school.

This is hilarious. We are at one of the schools above and the immersion is not light. If any family with no language background are telling you otherwise, then they are not giving you the full picture.

The kid won’t understand anything and will not advance academically like they would at a non-immersion school. And your a few years of 3 or whatever is huge and a big deal as losses pile up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma also didn’t make any offers for 1st, 2nd or 5th grade and only opened 4-7 lottery seats for each of those grades so it isn’t just prek.

It blew through the entire waitlist in third grade, though--that was a surprise to us. My kid had a very bad lottery number (last spot on each waitlist) and we still were offered a place. It just goes to show that this isn't a predictable process.

That’s likely because many families left after 2nd, typical of poorly performing schools when the achievement gap gets real

Or because they want to secure a middle school pathway. I know more Takoma families that move to DCI feeders in middle and upper elementary because it’s walkable and better than the feeders, despite being perfectly happy with Takoma itself.

First of all, if families are happy with elementary, they would stay till upper elementary like 4th which is typical of the schools in Capitol Hill, not leave so early.

Second of all, this must be a troll because many families would not move their kid to a language immersion school in 3rd and up with no language background. That would be a disaster and their kid would not understand 1/2 the instruction taught in the language.

You must not live in the neighborhood because families do this all of the time. MV, Stokes, and DCB get significantly easier to get into in upper elementary, and many families either have some language at home or know that the immersion is light at all of these schools. It's a few years then they get on the lowest track at DCI and have a walkable middle and high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma also didn’t make any offers for 1st, 2nd or 5th grade and only opened 4-7 lottery seats for each of those grades so it isn’t just prek.

It blew through the entire waitlist in third grade, though--that was a surprise to us. My kid had a very bad lottery number (last spot on each waitlist) and we still were offered a place. It just goes to show that this isn't a predictable process.

That’s likely because many families left after 2nd, typical of poorly performing schools when the achievement gap gets real

Or because they want to secure a middle school pathway. I know more Takoma families that move to DCI feeders in middle and upper elementary because it’s walkable and better than the feeders, despite being perfectly happy with Takoma itself.

First of all, if families are happy with elementary, they would stay till upper elementary like 4th which is typical of the schools in Capitol Hill, not leave so early.

Second of all, this must be a troll because many families would not move their kid to a language immersion school in 3rd and up with no language background. That would be a disaster and their kid would not understand 1/2 the instruction taught in the language.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma also didn’t make any offers for 1st, 2nd or 5th grade and only opened 4-7 lottery seats for each of those grades so it isn’t just prek.

It blew through the entire waitlist in third grade, though--that was a surprise to us. My kid had a very bad lottery number (last spot on each waitlist) and we still were offered a place. It just goes to show that this isn't a predictable process.

That’s likely because many families left after 2nd, typical of poorly performing schools when the achievement gap gets real

Or because they want to secure a middle school pathway. I know more Takoma families that move to DCI feeders in middle and upper elementary because it’s walkable and better than the feeders, despite being perfectly happy with Takoma itself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma also didn’t make any offers for 1st, 2nd or 5th grade and only opened 4-7 lottery seats for each of those grades so it isn’t just prek.

It blew through the entire waitlist in third grade, though--that was a surprise to us. My kid had a very bad lottery number (last spot on each waitlist) and we still were offered a place. It just goes to show that this isn't a predictable process.

That’s likely because many families left after 2nd, typical of poorly performing schools when the achievement gap gets real

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma also didn’t make any offers for 1st, 2nd or 5th grade and only opened 4-7 lottery seats for each of those grades so it isn’t just prek.

It blew through the entire waitlist in third grade, though--that was a surprise to us. My kid had a very bad lottery number (last spot on each waitlist) and we still were offered a place. It just goes to show that this isn't a predictable process.

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Anonymous wrote:Quick glance as a ward 4 parent; Takoma and Whittier not offering one spot so far for PK3 is remarkable.

Shepherd hasn't offered one waitlist spot in any grade.

Shepherd feeds to Deal and JR. Not the same as Whittier and Takoma. It is pretty remarkable those two schools didn’t offer a waitlist spot to any PK3 yet.

Not really. Lots of families these days use ECE spots at their IB or any other schools. The real differentiator is upper elementary and percentages of IB families that stay thru upper elementary thru 4th.

Ward 3 families need to stop saying this. We're an upper elementary family leaving our EOTP IB this year ONLY because of the middle school feed. I would LOVE if DCs could stay through fifth at our elementary, but when lottery gold strikes, you have to take it. I'm really sad to leave our school and DCs will be devastated when they find out, but the reality is that there are many nice elementary schools in this city that feed into very less nice middle and high schools, and middle class families that can't afford private have to play the lottery and take the opportunity when it comes.

You are leaving just as Pp said.

Don't be dense. There's a big difference between using your IB pre-K as free daycare and deciding to stay for first, second, third grade. The ONLY "real differentiator" at many EOTP schools is the middle school feeder pattern. There are plenty of schools in DC, if you're there in second and leaving in fourth, it's because you feel like you HAVE to, not because you want to.

Sure but you are not the majority. The data says it all and the overwhelming majority of higher SES IB families at these poorly performing EOTP schools are not staying at their IB schools past K/1st. There is a big exodus and by 2nd, it’s a few families. Just look at the makeup of your 2nd, 3rd grade classes compared to ECE.

The one exception is Capitol Hill schools where majority do stay thru 4th at least.

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Anonymous wrote:165 9th grade offers at MacArthur, wow

My reaction exactly: wow. Half the waitlist blown through already.

+1. I predict they will go thru their waitlist.