Friday Open Thread
Below is a roundup of information/stories from the (Southeast Seattle Education Coalition) SESEC e-mail update; they do a very good job in covering youth/ed issues in South Seattle.
In January, OSPI sent a letter to schools about Native American students wearing "items of cultural significance during graduation ceremonies."
The City of Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) is an ongoing comprehensive internship program. Applications are currently open until May 2.Starting on Saturday, national parks have free entry for a week for National Park Week from April 16-24th. #FindYourPark and #EncuentraTuParque. The National Park Service is celebrating 100 years of service this year.
Seattle Opportunity Youth Fair for 16-24 year-olds not working or in school. Thursday, May 5. 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. All attendees must register online.
South Lake High School is seeking volunteers and donations for their 4th Annual Teen Parents Community Baby Shower on April 29 from 4.00-6.00 p.m.
Really good article on diversity in our neighborhoods from KUOW.
Children can earn a junior ranger badge and take part in kids' programs on Saturday, National Junior Ranger Day. Volunteers are welcome to help out in the parks on Earth Day, April 22.There's a contest for a $100K fitness center for your elementary or middle school school from the National Foundation for Governors' Fitness Councils. Nomination form for Washington State (there will be three winners from our state.) The deadline is May 31, 2016.
We welcome all public elementary and middle schools in Arizona, Ohio, Washington, and Wisconsin to participate in the 2016 National Fitness Champion campaign. Schools are selected based on their level of need, creativity in fitness offerings, and community engagement. If selected for the award, your school will receive a $100,000 fitness center.A judge in Connecticut denied a motion from gun manufacturers to throw out a lawsuit brought by 10 families of slain children who attended Sandy Hook school. The judge still needs to rule on whether the case has merit to go forward.
In January, OSPI sent a letter to schools about Native American students wearing "items of cultural significance during graduation ceremonies."
The State concludes that a student wearing an eagle feather "should not be viewed as a violation of the graduation ceremony dress codes."What's on your mind?
Comments
waiting
The assignment lookup tool for 2016-17 will be available starting at 3pm on April 15, 2016.
Sigh.
-waiting
Oh, SPS.
Still waiting
there are some popular school choices. 153 student wait list?
- MemoReader
Still waiting
Still waiting
Our experience has been that the waiting list doesn't move at all. The schools are told by the district that only the district can move the list, and the district claims that the schools should move the list. Hence, no movement.
Then, the district claims that the schools with long waitlists are under-enrolled and should lose funding, even if there are 150+ kids on the waitlist.
A completely broken system. My son was #11 for Garfield last year, and the list never moved, even though the district then said that Garfield was under-enrolled and removed headcount for teachers, causing huge uproar and the removal of a very popular teacher, while my kid was waiting to enter.
I wish you good luck, but my take is that it's likely that your daughter will remain assigned to your "neighborhood" school. The district believes this provides a reliable assignment plan based on address, and that parents supposedly want this plan.
- Seattle parent
-sleeper
From what I can tell, there is a complete disconnect between the district and the schools as to who has the authority to move kids. The schools want to move kids to advance the list and to boost enrollment, but the district has told the schools that only the district has the authority to move kids off the list.
As a result, the school does not make any list changes. At the end of the list change period, and the district states that no further list changes will be allowed, the student population is set, and X will occur, with X usually being a reduction in staff headcount and no kids let in off the waiting list.
-Seattle parent
You're guaranteed assignment at your neighborhood school as long as you submitted your forms on time and listed that as your first choice option. If so, there's no reason to call.
The issue is for kids trying to attend schools other than their neighborhood assignment school.
-Seattle parent
-sleeper
Yes, for HCC students, Garfield is still the automatic pathway. My older son was Spectrum, not HCC, so was on the waiting list for Garfield. No movement on the list, even though headcount was later reduced because of "under-enrollment."
For Ingraham, I *think* that as an HCC student you'd have priority to that program. That's what I've heard, but since none of my kids has been in the position of testing that option, I'm not sure. We're in West Seattle, so that's a long commute that we're not willing to put our kids through.
-Seattle parent
Eighth grade highly capable students enrolled at Hamilton, Washington, Madison or Jane Addams middle schools are currently automatically assigned to Garfield High School.
Highly capable eighth grade students enrolled at any school may opt for the Accelerated IB program at Ingraham (IBX). "
Now I am supposed to take a day off of work to talk to people who don't understand the assignment process. Once again SPS proves it's total disregard for families it is supposed to be serving.
-Frustrated Parent
I don't recall Ingraham ever been a guaranteed assignment for HCC, when there was space it was easy to accept everyone, now that it's become popular, well... not everyone fits.
It's such a sad story, SPS and enrollment they always seem to get someone screwed.
-Unsurprised
-Frustrated Parent
IBX was created as the relief valve for GHS. Many students choosing IBX at Ingraham have neighborhood assignments of Roosevelt, Hale, and Ballard - all overcrowded as well. To suggest that not everyone fits at IHS, well, where do they "fit?"
We had to find out for ourselves, as parents, if the school had room by contacting the Principal directly and then urge the Principal to notify the central office. The Principal did not know that she needed to do that but we called the central office and they informed us that they were waiting on word from the school. Then we told the Principal and, fortunately, she was proactive from that point on.
Welcome to SPS.
-SPSParent
-HS Parent
HCC enrollment at Garfield was 427 in 2014-15, 544 in 2015-16 and projected 712 in 2016-17
HCC enrollment at Ingraham was 249 in 2014-15, 290 in 2015-16 and projected 338 in 2016-17
This year's 11th grade HCC class is 167, 10th 238, 9th 262, 8th 324, 7th 419
2016-17 is the first year the huge classes in HCC are going to hit high school (they've been getting larger every year, but this year's 8th grade class is nearly double this year's 11th grade class). One of the reasons the program has grown so much is that people liked the location north of the ship canal. For the same reason, I'm sure the demand for Ingraham IBX is higher this year than in previous years.
If your student is HCC eligible but not at an HCC middle school do you still get preference to GHS? I thought you had to be enrolled in an HCC middle school to get that benefit. And I thought Ingraham has always been on a space available basis.
Double
SPS should give your child at Ingraham, if not then at Garfield. Wishing you and all the HCC parents a prompt response from the district. Start emailing the board members!
@ Anonymous 8:41
We all knew the bubble was coming to HS and we've been telling SPS and the board about it for years. But as usual, their response is coming a tad late with Lincoln.
Unsurprised
"The IBX (Accelerated International Baccalaureate) program at Ingraham High School is currently available to all students identified as HC. Eligible students who wish to exercise this option, need to complete a school choice form during Open Enrollment, but not later than May 31st. Students who apply during Open Enrollment, are guaranteed seats. They may also apply after Open Enrollment; however, in this case, assignment would depend on space availablility. If a student applies for this program and is not assigned, the student’s default assignment will still be in effect (unless they apply for and are assigned to another school)."
I don't know how that could be more clear -- "students who apply during Open Enrollment are guaranteed seats". Now I'm even more irritated that he's on a waitlist.
Double
I have three children at a K8 option school and my youngest entering kindergarten next year. I just found on the assignment lookup tool that my fourth child has been assigned to our neighborhood school, not the option school where his siblings attend (and he's not even listed as being on a waitlist!).
This is despite the fact that I turned in my choice form at the District office, I have the yellow copy, AND it has a big "KT" written on it, which I was told stands for "keep together".
Does anyone have a direct email address for someone with some power over there who can correct this? The website says to call or go to Admissions but I'm about to leave Monday morning to be a camp chaperone for the week!
Very often the programming of processing of Open Enrollment applications does not match the actual documented rules of what should happen. In the past, there was a huge manual effort to review the results and make manual adjustments prior to the results of Open Enrollment going live. Often there was a non understanding of enrollment rules by the people that answered the phone, but you could always appeal to Tracy Libros, who would set it all right.
Currently, there doesn't seem to be anyone that really understands all of the rules. And therefore, no big scrub of the results before they go live. You can still call Admissions and receive a few different answers, but there is no one you can appeal to who will set it all right.
This year is even more problematic as the wait list is set to dissolve only 30 days after families receive their Open Enrollment result letters. Thirty days is a very small space of time for distressed parents e-mails, phone calls, or any other attempt at contact to be ignored before the problem (distressed parents) goes away.
I would advise that if you received an admission result outside of the documented rules that you immediately lodge an appeal. I would also advise to contact all of the Board Directors and let them know what is happening. Ideally, your enrollment results will be resolved retroactively following the end of May to truly represent what your enrollment results should have been if the rules were followed.
I hope that the Board of Directors will demand a review of the Open Enrollment results based on policy, vs. just that of programming. What parents are reporting here is proof that the programming, advice given, and actual rules do not match.
-StepJ
The board agreed upon SAP, at the end, had August 15 as dissolving date; they did say they would attempt to do all moves by May 31, but that's not the same thing.
- MemoReader
HP
Double
Will you please provide the link to SPS page about IBX at Ingraham being available to HCC students. I'd like to take as much as I can with me tomorrow to admin. I will also write school board and report back as to what I learn tomorrow morning.
-Frustrated Parent
That said, the district can't just keep a lot of empty seats for that purpose.
I think Enrollment tries to manipulate who goes where using the waitlist (much to the frustration of schools like Cleveland.)
That language is here, way down at the bottom: http://www.seattleschools.org/students/academics/advanced_learning/open_enrollment_information
Also, check out the Friends of Ingraham HS Facebook page -- there is a thread there on this issue. It sounds like it might have just been an error, and easily fixed with a call to Enrollment Services. I'm hopeful that is the case!!
Concerned
Any improvement on the Smarter Balance Tests this year? I'm wondering if I should opt my younger kids out. The older one has MSP science and EOC so we're not taking the SB tests, but we don't know if we should op the younger kids out also. Any repercussions if we opt out? If this has been discussed /answered here, please let me know which date. I'd appreciate the help, really swamped right now and can't look through the blog. Thanks.
On other topic, here's an article breaking down ESSA; take a look at the staggering amount $$$ charters get!! please feel free to delete if it's been posted already.
CCA
http://www.salon.com/2016/04/16/here_comes_the_charter_school_sneak_attack_this_is_how_a_bipartisan_education_reform_bill_turns_into_a_disaster_for_our_kids/
CCA
On the SBAC, I understand that it is somewhat shorter but that your child can have as much time as they need. My take is that if you feel confident in your child's teacher to give you an honest appraisal of how your child is doing, skip the test.
Keep in mind, the district is still attempting to use it as a gate-keeper for HCC. I do believe there would be a work-around for that but fyi.
Thanks, CCA, I saw this and want to write about it.
If you are in 7th congressional district (as I am), please keep up on who runs for Jim McDermott's seat. I just got off the phone with someone from the Walkinshaw campaign about public ed. ALL the candidates - Walkinshaw, Jaypal and McDermott (Joe) - need to hear from you about this spending on charter schools.
Is there any particular person I can get in touch with? I really want to actually talk.