Anonymous
01/12/2025 15:16
Subject: Re:Walls application - quiet kid
Anonymous wrote:There are two things going on here:
One - could you create a "better" class (assuming better = overall higher IQ/better prepped/better test takers) if you used an entrance exam? Probably.
Two - would this make the school better? I am not at all sold on this point.
Already a substantial (majority even?) number of kids who would be accepted with an exam process are accepted under the current process (my kid is one of them; top scores, top grades, highest math). As such, IMO, there are enough top-notch students to create a great learning environment for your kid (ie, fellow students who work hard and compete and push your kid to do as well as possible).
In addition, as noted previously in this thread, it doesn't matter how high performing the cohort is, if the teachers/curriculum is not also outstanding. Here is where (a lot of) improvements could be made. There are a significant number of mediocre to bad teachers at Walls (your kid is practically guaranteed to have a couple bad ones each year). The curriculum for many classes is scattered/lacks focus and is not particularly demanding. An entry exam (leading to an allegedly "better" class cohort) wouldn't fix these problems at the school. That being said, the school is still a good place for kids to learn and grow and thrive (even if they are not pushed/challenged as much as they would be at NCS or Sidwell, for example. Which I think is fine - save that for college!).
That a school serves the students in it well is very important, obviously. But it's not the only thing. The GPA cutoff + lottery for all of the DCPS selective-admissions high schools has downstream effects on where people live (both within DC and moving out of it) and the mad rush to Latin and BASIS, even when the parents would be fine with their DCPS 5th grade/middle school.
Because of how admissions is structured, the only way to for certain get access to a high school that's appropriate for advanced kids is to be WOTP or leave DCPS in 5th grade. And that's not because DCPS doesn't have the slots for them at selective admissions high schools, that's because it's not interested in making sure it meets their educational needs.
Anonymous
01/12/2025 15:04
Subject: Walls application - quiet kid
Anonymous wrote:Interview is not necessarily about being outgoing, but it is about being prepared to verbally communicate thoughtfully (and hopefully to make a positive interpersonal impression within a short period of time). We practiced at home (informally, low-pressure) a couple times to help him get comfortable thinking on his feet and answering questions about himself. It helped him to have some examples in mind that might demonstrate the values they want to see in their students. We also practiced techniques: take a couple moments to organize your thoughts if needed but don’t over-think it; take comfort in knowing there are no wrong answers; understand why they are asking you these questions. use your answers to help them see why you belong there.
This feels like great advice. What are the interview questions like? Where did you find ones to practice on?
Anonymous
01/12/2025 07:39
Subject: Walls application - quiet kid
Anonymous wrote:Glad this community was able to stay focused on the quiet kid question!
1. I believe a GPA over ~3.87 and superlative teacher recs are key to getting an interview. Ours was something between 3.9 - 4.0 (anything within that range earns the top number of points). He also happens to be socially comfortable and kind. That’s just how it is with him and I can’t really explain it.
2. If teachers are concerned your kid is too quiet, there is a risk they might hold back a bit on the superlatives in their recs, but I don’t think being too quiet in class an issue for the interview.
3. Interview is not necessarily about being outgoing, but it is about being prepared to verbally communicate thoughtfully (and hopefully to make a positive interpersonal impression within a short period of time). We practiced at home (informally, low-pressure) a couple times to help him get comfortable thinking on his feet and answering questions about himself. It helped him to have some examples in mind that might demonstrate the values they want to see in their students. We also practiced techniques: take a couple moments to organize your thoughts if needed but don’t over-think it; take comfort in knowing there are no wrong answers; understand why they are asking you these questions; use your answers to help them see why you belong there.
Couple of final thoughts: luck probably played a big role, just as it probably played a big role in his high 7th grade GPA. His 6th grade GPA was way lower. We’ve had plenty of bad luck and so this might have been a moment of good luck.
I went to a public school in the burbs. SWW is a totally different kind of school, not because it has amazing teachers or facilities, but because everyone is bright and motivated and it seems like they all genuinely like each other. So far, we have encountered no disruptive, mean, or threatening students. It’s funny how every single DCUM threat devolves into mean and critical exchanges. I assume some of it is trolling? It seems like such a waste of energy.
Are there occasional issues with teachers and admins? Sure. Maybe my expectations of schools and educators are too low, but as long as teachers are for the most part competent and reasonable, we’re good. My kid is responsible for his own education and he knows it. An amazing teacher is a true gift but it’s not a requirement. The job of the school is to just let my kid grow, succeed, and achieve. A school with a safe, supportive, smart, and highly motivated student culture is pretty much all I care about in a school. SWW has it and that’s why so many people want to send their kids there. It’s a virtuous cycle.
OP here. Thanks for this!! I’d tuned out during all the arguments
Anonymous
01/11/2025 15:14
Subject: Walls application - quiet kid
Well said, PP.
I have one kid there and another with an excellent GPA and teachers who seemed to love them, but who didn't get an interview last year. Who knows how these things work.
I have one kid there and another with an excellent GPA and teachers who seemed to love them, but who didn't get an interview last year. Who knows how these things work.
Anonymous
01/11/2025 14:16
Subject: Walls application - quiet kid
Glad this community was able to stay focused on the quiet kid question!
1. I believe a GPA over ~3.87 and superlative teacher recs are key to getting an interview. Ours was something between 3.9 - 4.0 (anything within that range earns the top number of points). He also happens to be socially comfortable and kind. That’s just how it is with him and I can’t really explain it.
2. If teachers are concerned your kid is too quiet, there is a risk they might hold back a bit on the superlatives in their recs, but I don’t think being too quiet in class an issue for the interview.
3. Interview is not necessarily about being outgoing, but it is about being prepared to verbally communicate thoughtfully (and hopefully to make a positive interpersonal impression within a short period of time). We practiced at home (informally, low-pressure) a couple times to help him get comfortable thinking on his feet and answering questions about himself. It helped him to have some examples in mind that might demonstrate the values they want to see in their students. We also practiced techniques: take a couple moments to organize your thoughts if needed but don’t over-think it; take comfort in knowing there are no wrong answers; understand why they are asking you these questions; use your answers to help them see why you belong there.
Couple of final thoughts: luck probably played a big role, just as it probably played a big role in his high 7th grade GPA. His 6th grade GPA was way lower. We’ve had plenty of bad luck and so this might have been a moment of good luck.
I went to a public school in the burbs. SWW is a totally different kind of school, not because it has amazing teachers or facilities, but because everyone is bright and motivated and it seems like they all genuinely like each other. So far, we have encountered no disruptive, mean, or threatening students. It’s funny how every single DCUM threat devolves into mean and critical exchanges. I assume some of it is trolling? It seems like such a waste of energy.
Are there occasional issues with teachers and admins? Sure. Maybe my expectations of schools and educators are too low, but as long as teachers are for the most part competent and reasonable, we’re good. My kid is responsible for his own education and he knows it. An amazing teacher is a true gift but it’s not a requirement. The job of the school is to just let my kid grow, succeed, and achieve. A school with a safe, supportive, smart, and highly motivated student culture is pretty much all I care about in a school. SWW has it and that’s why so many people want to send their kids there. It’s a virtuous cycle.
1. I believe a GPA over ~3.87 and superlative teacher recs are key to getting an interview. Ours was something between 3.9 - 4.0 (anything within that range earns the top number of points). He also happens to be socially comfortable and kind. That’s just how it is with him and I can’t really explain it.
2. If teachers are concerned your kid is too quiet, there is a risk they might hold back a bit on the superlatives in their recs, but I don’t think being too quiet in class an issue for the interview.
3. Interview is not necessarily about being outgoing, but it is about being prepared to verbally communicate thoughtfully (and hopefully to make a positive interpersonal impression within a short period of time). We practiced at home (informally, low-pressure) a couple times to help him get comfortable thinking on his feet and answering questions about himself. It helped him to have some examples in mind that might demonstrate the values they want to see in their students. We also practiced techniques: take a couple moments to organize your thoughts if needed but don’t over-think it; take comfort in knowing there are no wrong answers; understand why they are asking you these questions; use your answers to help them see why you belong there.
Couple of final thoughts: luck probably played a big role, just as it probably played a big role in his high 7th grade GPA. His 6th grade GPA was way lower. We’ve had plenty of bad luck and so this might have been a moment of good luck.
I went to a public school in the burbs. SWW is a totally different kind of school, not because it has amazing teachers or facilities, but because everyone is bright and motivated and it seems like they all genuinely like each other. So far, we have encountered no disruptive, mean, or threatening students. It’s funny how every single DCUM threat devolves into mean and critical exchanges. I assume some of it is trolling? It seems like such a waste of energy.
Are there occasional issues with teachers and admins? Sure. Maybe my expectations of schools and educators are too low, but as long as teachers are for the most part competent and reasonable, we’re good. My kid is responsible for his own education and he knows it. An amazing teacher is a true gift but it’s not a requirement. The job of the school is to just let my kid grow, succeed, and achieve. A school with a safe, supportive, smart, and highly motivated student culture is pretty much all I care about in a school. SWW has it and that’s why so many people want to send their kids there. It’s a virtuous cycle.
Anonymous
01/08/2025 09:54
Subject: Re:Walls application - quiet kid
Anonymous wrote:There are two things going on here:
One - could you create a "better" class (assuming better = overall higher IQ/better prepped/better test takers) if you used an entrance exam? Probably.
Two - would this make the school better? I am not at all sold on this point.
Already a substantial (majority even?) number of kids who would be accepted with an exam process are accepted under the current process (my kid is one of them; top scores, top grades, highest math). As such, IMO, there are enough top-notch students to create a great learning environment for your kid (ie, fellow students who work hard and compete and push your kid to do as well as possible).
In addition, as noted previously in this thread, it doesn't matter how high performing the cohort is, if the teachers/curriculum is not also outstanding. Here is where (a lot of) improvements could be made. There are a significant number of mediocre to bad teachers at Walls (your kid is practically guaranteed to have a couple bad ones each year). The curriculum for many classes is scattered/lacks focus and is not particularly demanding. An entry exam (leading to an allegedly "better" class cohort) wouldn't fix these problems at the school. That being said, the school is still a good place for kids to learn and grow and thrive (even if they are not pushed/challenged as much as they would be at NCS or Sidwell, for example. Which I think is fine - save that for college!).
This is it and no change in entrance requirements can correct it. Walls really needs a new building. The GW partnership is non-existent and most of the kids hate GW. The 20 or so kids that do the dual enrollment can be accomplished from anywhere. A school like Dunbar is gorgeous and terribly under utilized. Looks like only half the building is being used.
Anonymous
01/08/2025 08:50
Subject: Re:Walls application - quiet kid
There are two things going on here:
One - could you create a "better" class (assuming better = overall higher IQ/better prepped/better test takers) if you used an entrance exam? Probably.
Two - would this make the school better? I am not at all sold on this point.
Already a substantial (majority even?) number of kids who would be accepted with an exam process are accepted under the current process (my kid is one of them; top scores, top grades, highest math). As such, IMO, there are enough top-notch students to create a great learning environment for your kid (ie, fellow students who work hard and compete and push your kid to do as well as possible).
In addition, as noted previously in this thread, it doesn't matter how high performing the cohort is, if the teachers/curriculum is not also outstanding. Here is where (a lot of) improvements could be made. There are a significant number of mediocre to bad teachers at Walls (your kid is practically guaranteed to have a couple bad ones each year). The curriculum for many classes is scattered/lacks focus and is not particularly demanding. An entry exam (leading to an allegedly "better" class cohort) wouldn't fix these problems at the school. That being said, the school is still a good place for kids to learn and grow and thrive (even if they are not pushed/challenged as much as they would be at NCS or Sidwell, for example. Which I think is fine - save that for college!).
One - could you create a "better" class (assuming better = overall higher IQ/better prepped/better test takers) if you used an entrance exam? Probably.
Two - would this make the school better? I am not at all sold on this point.
Already a substantial (majority even?) number of kids who would be accepted with an exam process are accepted under the current process (my kid is one of them; top scores, top grades, highest math). As such, IMO, there are enough top-notch students to create a great learning environment for your kid (ie, fellow students who work hard and compete and push your kid to do as well as possible).
In addition, as noted previously in this thread, it doesn't matter how high performing the cohort is, if the teachers/curriculum is not also outstanding. Here is where (a lot of) improvements could be made. There are a significant number of mediocre to bad teachers at Walls (your kid is practically guaranteed to have a couple bad ones each year). The curriculum for many classes is scattered/lacks focus and is not particularly demanding. An entry exam (leading to an allegedly "better" class cohort) wouldn't fix these problems at the school. That being said, the school is still a good place for kids to learn and grow and thrive (even if they are not pushed/challenged as much as they would be at NCS or Sidwell, for example. Which I think is fine - save that for college!).
Anonymous
01/08/2025 07:08
Subject: Walls application - quiet kid
OK, but it's no secret that plenty of Walls students are weak in math these days. Come on, they didn't have to ace the math on the entrance exam or CAPE like applicants did pre-Covid. My own Walls student would almost certainly not have made the cut if the exams were still in place.
Anonymous
01/08/2025 05:02
Subject: Re:Walls application - quiet kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Walls is comparable to a mediocre neighborhood high school in the surrounding burbs. It is what it is.
It is not comparable to the selective and magnet high schools in the surrounding burbs.
The sooner you realize and accept that, the better. Want a mediocre school then Walls if you get in. Want a top school, move to the burbs in good school pyramid where you also get the benefit of a very good middle school.
Not true because practically 💯 of class cohort is very motivated/on task/and a large percent are quite high performing (my Walls soph just scored 1490 on October PSAT). There are no (or very very few) disruptive kids. No way this is the case for your garden variety public school in the suburbs.
Just because your kid did well on one test doesn’t mean that the school is good.
You are ignoring the critical component of my comment - that the class cohort is extremely well behaved. If you don't think that is a huge advantage over most public high schools (and a fabulous learning environment if you have a high-performing smart kid), then I don't know what to tell you.
Sorry but you exemplify the low standards in DC.
You do realize that with tracking, there are no behavior issues in the highest level classes. So you can absolutely have a well behaved class and tracking in any typical average suburban high schools.
Add in their magnets and test in, you also have standardized testing so all 3
My eyes are rolling so hard they may fall out of my head. I exemplify the low standards in DC? The walls cohort is essentially tracking writ large. Could you have a marginally higher performing group if you did some gatekeeping with an entrance exam? Sure. Is this necessary given the substantial group of extremely high performing kids in each grade? No. What is really necessary to improve the school IMO is an overhaul of the curriculum and getting rid of the sizeable number of bad/mediocre teachers. Doesn’t matter how top notch the student body is if the great teaching/demanding curriculum is not there. That being said, my kid likes it, and life is a journey not a race, so I don’t know that I would want school to be super demanding in all respects anyway. (Yeah yeah, more proof that I exemplify low standards)
No, you do have low standards because you have repeatedly failed to acknowledge that the academic performance of the cohort of the school has fallen. The bar has gone down when you don’t have some objective standardized data as part of the selection process.
The walls cohort is far from tracking a high performing group. Just look at the data, about 7% of the kids are above grade level in math. That is abysmal for what is supposed to be one of the top selective high schools in the city. As someone pointed out, about 1/3rd of the kids, specifically 35%, are below grade level.
There is NO substantial group of extremely high performing kids in any grade in math.
Just to clarify 7% of kids who took the CAPE are above grade level. There is a cohort of kids who come in HS in precalculus, so they don’t take the cape in math at all.
Anonymous
01/07/2025 22:48
Subject: Re:Walls application - quiet kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Walls is comparable to a mediocre neighborhood high school in the surrounding burbs. It is what it is.
It is not comparable to the selective and magnet high schools in the surrounding burbs.
The sooner you realize and accept that, the better. Want a mediocre school then Walls if you get in. Want a top school, move to the burbs in good school pyramid where you also get the benefit of a very good middle school.
Not true because practically 💯 of class cohort is very motivated/on task/and a large percent are quite high performing (my Walls soph just scored 1490 on October PSAT). There are no (or very very few) disruptive kids. No way this is the case for your garden variety public school in the suburbs.
Just because your kid did well on one test doesn’t mean that the school is good.
You are ignoring the critical component of my comment - that the class cohort is extremely well behaved. If you don't think that is a huge advantage over most public high schools (and a fabulous learning environment if you have a high-performing smart kid), then I don't know what to tell you.
Sorry but you exemplify the low standards in DC.
You do realize that with tracking, there are no behavior issues in the highest level classes. So you can absolutely have a well behaved class and tracking in any typical average suburban high schools.
Add in their magnets and test in, you also have standardized testing so all 3
My eyes are rolling so hard they may fall out of my head. I exemplify the low standards in DC? The walls cohort is essentially tracking writ large. Could you have a marginally higher performing group if you did some gatekeeping with an entrance exam? Sure. Is this necessary given the substantial group of extremely high performing kids in each grade? No. What is really necessary to improve the school IMO is an overhaul of the curriculum and getting rid of the sizeable number of bad/mediocre teachers. Doesn’t matter how top notch the student body is if the great teaching/demanding curriculum is not there. That being said, my kid likes it, and life is a journey not a race, so I don’t know that I would want school to be super demanding in all respects anyway. (Yeah yeah, more proof that I exemplify low standards)
No, you do have low standards because you have repeatedly failed to acknowledge that the academic performance of the cohort of the school has fallen. The bar has gone down when you don’t have some objective standardized data as part of the selection process.
The walls cohort is far from tracking a high performing group. Just look at the data, about 7% of the kids are above grade level in math. That is abysmal for what is supposed to be one of the top selective high schools in the city. As someone pointed out, about 1/3rd of the kids, specifically 35%, are below grade level.
There is NO substantial group of extremely high performing kids in any grade in math.
Anonymous
01/07/2025 16:35
Subject: Re:Walls application - quiet kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Walls is comparable to a mediocre neighborhood high school in the surrounding burbs. It is what it is.
It is not comparable to the selective and magnet high schools in the surrounding burbs.
The sooner you realize and accept that, the better. Want a mediocre school then Walls if you get in. Want a top school, move to the burbs in good school pyramid where you also get the benefit of a very good middle school.
Not true because practically 💯 of class cohort is very motivated/on task/and a large percent are quite high performing (my Walls soph just scored 1490 on October PSAT). There are no (or very very few) disruptive kids. No way this is the case for your garden variety public school in the suburbs.
Just because your kid did well on one test doesn’t mean that the school is good.
You are ignoring the critical component of my comment - that the class cohort is extremely well behaved. If you don't think that is a huge advantage over most public high schools (and a fabulous learning environment if you have a high-performing smart kid), then I don't know what to tell you.
Sorry but you exemplify the low standards in DC.
You do realize that with tracking, there are no behavior issues in the highest level classes. So you can absolutely have a well behaved class and tracking in any typical average suburban high schools.
Add in their magnets and test in, you also have standardized testing so all 3
My eyes are rolling so hard they may fall out of my head. I exemplify the low standards in DC? The walls cohort is essentially tracking writ large. Could you have a marginally higher performing group if you did some gatekeeping with an entrance exam? Sure. Is this necessary given the substantial group of extremely high performing kids in each grade? No. What is really necessary to improve the school IMO is an overhaul of the curriculum and getting rid of the sizeable number of bad/mediocre teachers. Doesn’t matter how top notch the student body is if the great teaching/demanding curriculum is not there. That being said, my kid likes it, and life is a journey not a race, so I don’t know that I would want school to be super demanding in all respects anyway. (Yeah yeah, more proof that I exemplify low standards)