Student Assignment Plan Changes Coming

The Board will be having the Operations Committee meeting on Thursday, the 17th, from 4-7:15 pm.  Why such a lengthy committee meeting?  For one, it's a packed agenda but there are a couple of high profile issues that could take some time.

They are:
-Approval of the Student Assignment Plan for 2017-18 (F. Herndon)

- Transportation service standards and contract (P. McEvoy)

As well, there will be a COW (Committee of the Whole) session for Special Education Placement Update.  That they want the entire Board at this meeting must mean something.  (Frankly, it would be great if the entire Board was there to hear about the other two big issues as well.)

I have not read thru the SAP info but reader Lynn has:

 The purpose of this action is to update information in the Student Assignment Plan. The Plan for 2017-18 continues most of the assignment rules in effect during 2016-17, but some highlights and changes are:
  • Opening Cedar Park Elementary, Meany Middle, and Robert Eagle Staff Middle (attendance area) schools; 
  • Truncating grades at Madrona: this school becomes a K-5, instead of a K-8; 
  • Establishing a GeoZone for Licton Springs K-8; 
  • Modifying HCC pathways; 
  • Adding Chief Sealth as the southeast dual language immersion pathway high school; 
  • Removing conflicting assignment guarantees for new to the district 6-8th grade students that live within K-8 attendance areas; 
  • Moving the date when waitlists are dissolved from August 15 to August 31;
    • Per principal feedback, moving the waitlist dissolution date to August 31 (from August 15) for the 2017-18 school year will allow for additional school staff assignment processing and planning upon return from summer break. The August 31 waitlist


              dissolution date will still provide families and schools with assignment information prior           to the start of the school year.
  • Updating school and program names and locations.

  • The following changes to HCC pathways provide predictable patterns of assignment for families, maximize efficient use of available space, and allow for projected HCC enrollment changes. 
    - Middle school HCC students living in the Eagle Staff and Whitman attendance areas would attend Eagle Staff. 
    - Elementary school HCC students living in the Eckstein middle school attendance area would attend Decatur. 
    - All other HCC pathways would remain the same. 
    - A survey regarding the HCC pathways was conducted with the Cascadia and Thornton Creek communities. Based on the feedback received, District staff have recommended the HCC pathways noted above. Implementing alternative pathways is not recommended due to capacity constraints of these schools and limited community engagement around other options. 
So the district is saying they didn't have enough community engagement to consider other options.  Seems a bit of leading parents to where the district wants HCC to go.

Reader Info Please says:

Thanks for the link, Lynn. 

It looks like Garfield is remaining the default HCC pathway for high school, with Ingraham IBX as an option (based on "space available"). 9th grade IBX parents have been told starting IB in 10th grade will no longer be the default for HCC students and they will have to opt in to an IBX pathway after meeting some yet to be defined criteria. The default will be starting IB in 11th. 

Parents should be asking what that means for current and future 9th graders. Are they suggesting students will be on their own senior year if they choose IBX? Will they continue to offer honors pre-IB classes in 9th? Will parents have complete information before open enrollment? 

To note, the district will be hosting a series of community meetings, starting next week on the Student Assignment plan changes.

Interpretation services will be available. All events are from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
  • Nov. 21, 2016: Chief Sealth Intl High School Library
  • Nov. 28, 2016: Franklin High School Library
  • Nov. 30, 2016: Nathan Hale High School Library
  • Dec. 1, 2016: Ingraham High School Lunchroom
  • Dec. 5, 2016: John Stanford Center Auditorium
Anticipated School Board Timeline
  • Nov. 17, 2016: Proposal Presented to School Board Operations Committee
  • Dec. 7, 2016: Proposal Presented to School Board for Introduction
  • Jan. 4, 2017: Proposal Presented to School Board for Action
Additional information is available on our Student Assignment Plan webpage.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Interesting that 9th grade IBX students--or more accurately, 9th graders planning to do IBX--have been told that the" default" will be IB in 11th rather than IBX in 10th, when the draft SAP says this:

HCC/IBX Program at Ingraham High School
A second advanced learning option for HCC high school students is offered at Ingraham. Highly Capable/IBX students will generally take core classes together and then enroll in International Baccalaureate classes beginning in 10th grade – a year earlier than usual. An accelerated curriculum leads to an early IB diploma, allowing seniors to complete internships, college classes, and further electives.

It seems like they need to revise that language in the SAP.

Pro-consistency
Anonymous said…
Why has Seattle Schools and Ingraham never told us how many spots are open at Ingraham for HCC students? We asked 2 years ago. No answer. We asked last year. No answer. The new student assignment plan? No. No information for us plebes.

There is no plan in "downtown planning".

North of 85th
Anonymous said…
I'd argue they need to offer the IBX program as described in the SAP and have HCC students opt out if a one year delay is best for the student.

-pro IBX
Anonymous said…
My oldest child is a Junior at Ingraham and is in her second year of the IB program (in other words, she's in IBX). I can't imagine doing the second year of IB and applying for colleges at the same time. I know there are students who do this and my hat's off to them - but I'm so glad we had the IBX option. I hope it's still a choice when my younger child starts high school.

Jane
Anonymous said…
Any changes proposed for language immersion students' pathway, specifically the existing guaranteed pathway for those students from Hamilton to Ingraham?

Concerned Cascadia and Hamilton parent
Another NW said…
As a parent of a current 9th grader at Ingraham my understanding is there is no "default", students need to make a choice either way. Some may choose to not pursue the IB diploma at all. My child enrolled in Pre-IB Honors classes (but had option not to) and will have the option of starting IB has a sophomore or as a Junior. Clear pros and cons were given to us and the choice is ours. Ingraham has added classes so that students who choose to wait will have appropriate leveled classes to take their sophomore year. Personally, I have appreciated the information & choices given - and the choice is ultimately ours. Not all students are the same and I think it is great to offer information & options for different situations due to academics, athletic participation, or just personal preference. I like that there is no "default" which would make it harder for kids to choose one or the other if the majority of the cohort were automatically on one path or the other.
Anonymous said…
You make some valid points, Another NW. It's good that students have flexibility and don't feel pushed if they realize pursuing the full IB diploma may not be the best for them academically. It's like the flexibility offered with AP classes - students can take as many as they feel they can handle. The issue is for students that chose the program with the expectation they would have 4 years of classes should they stay on the accelerated IBX pathway. If it's no longer the default, it may disappear as an option for anyone. That's been our experience with SPS. Parents should make sure there is clarity around program offerings before they make a high school choice. While IHS may have good intentions with their increased flexibility for IBX students, SPS may have intentions of eliminating any acceleration. Given the program changes elsewhere (GHS comes to mind), I would be wary.

pro-IBX
Anonymous said…
Some changes were made to the language pathway wording. From the red-lined assignment plan (words to be removed in brackets, and words added in bold):

International Schools with Dual Language Immersion
There are feeder pathways for dual language immersion students at I[i]nternational S[s]chools. [International School] Dual language immersion pathways are implemented as each cohort of students is ready to move
to the next level. Assignment pathways are based on where students attend school (not where they live):

John Stanford & McDonald > Hamilton > Ingraham
Beacon Hill & Dearborn Park > Mercer > TBD Chief Sealth
Concord > Denny > Chief Sealth

removed [John Stanford and McDonald are linked with B.F. Day, which is the guaranteed attendance area school if a family prefers that the student not participate in the language immersion program, as well as for students who are new beyond first grade and do not have the language background to be successful in
an immersion program.]

Assignment is guaranteed for non-attendance area dual language immersion students who apply for their pathway school during Open Enrollment through May 31.14 [Pathway assignments are implemented as each grade cohort reaches middle school or high school.]

-a reader
kellie said…
In the operations packet there was an attachment with a preliminary list for BEX V

John Rogers
North Beach
Northgate
Sacajawea
Salmon Bay
Montlake
Kimball
Roxhill
Lafayette
Schmitz Park ES
Alki
Rainier Beach HS
Whitman MS
Washington MS
Mercer International MS
4 TBD Elementary Schools
New Downtown School (HS)
Heidi said…
This preliminary BEX V list does not include Lincoln, which could mean many many years after Lincoln's Fall 2019 opening before Phase 2 for Lincoln happens. Phase 2 involves actually renovating (rather than cosmetic stuff) the music and theatre rooms, auditorium, gym, parking space changes, and several other items.
Please note that the list is not what they will do but what they are considering. They cannot do all that.

Plus, if they choose to build a high school at Memorial Stadium that is going to be a huge chunk of money ($100M+) so they either have to ask for more BEX dollars or do fewer projects. And, Rainier Beach would get yet another "modernization" and Queen Anne/Magnolia would get a brand new high school? The optics are not good for that. Give RBHS a building like Cleveland or Garfield and they would likely do better both in enrollment and academics.
kellie said…
Phase 2 for Lincoln was included in BTA IV.

The BEX V list is 20 projects and BEX IV was 19 projects, so I think that they are really planning on at least this many projects. As each BEX replacement levy has been a significant increase over the previous levy, I would also expect that they are planning a minimum of a 20% increase in the levy cost.
Anonymous said…
RBHS really needs to be top of the list.

HP
Anonymous said…
The list Kellie gave is not a prioritized list. It is grouped by school type and location. That said, I hope John Rogers is prioritized high for BEXV.

-North-end Mom
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