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Choice Policy Frequently Asked Questions
The Red Clay Consolidated School District has prepared the list of questions below in an effort to give parents and the community a clearer understanding of choice policies in Red Clay schools, which follow state and Board of Education guidelines. If you have further questions about choice at a Red Clay school, you can contact the Choice Office at 552-3789 or the charter school in question.
Thank you.
Q: How are children selected/invited to school?
For all Red Clay schools (other than magnet programs at Cab Calloway School of the Arts and Conrad Schools of Science), students are selected strictly based on seats available. Each school/grade has a capacity number that they can serve. If they are projected to be at or near capacity, then no seats are available hence, no invitations can be issued. If they are projected to be under capacity then invitations are sent. If more students want a school/grade then there are seats, a computer generated lottery randomly selects the “invites” and places the remainder on a wait list.
Q: How long is a child on a wait list? Can I learn where on the wait list my child is?
Wait lists are arranged by a random number assigned to every application. If you live in the district you remain on the wait list until August. As seats become available, the choice office will call you and ask if you are still interested in the “invite”. If you already accepted another invitation you can choose to change that acceptance to get the invitation from the school where you were wait listed. Out of district students on a wait list will not be invited to a Red Clay school after April 19th. So if you are out of district and do not hear anything from the choice office by April 19th you can assume there will be no invitation.
You may call the choice office at 552-3789 to find out what number you are on the wait list.
Please have confidence in the fact that if a seat becomes available and you are next on the list that we will contact you.
Q: Can I apply for “Special Permission”?
As a practice, special permission will only be considered in extreme circumstances that were not covered during the regular open choice period. Special permission can only be considered if seats are available in a school/grade. Special permission cannot be granted at a school that has a wait list.
Q: Do my child’s accomplishments have any weight in getting an invitation?
Excluding Cab and Conrad, test scores, grades, athletic abilities, school and community activities do not have any influence on a random generated computer lottery to determine who gets invited or selected.
Q: My child did not get their choice…what can I do?
If you did not get an invitation to your choice school please contact the choice office about other options that are available in Red Clay. Be positive and encourage your student to be positive and hopeful regarding the next school year.
Q: Why were some schools closed to Choice this year?
At the elementary level, three schools (Brandywine Springs, North Star and Linden Hill) were at or above their instructional capacity. At A.I. High School, a wait list was created due to the attendance pattern of students filling available seats. If seats become available at AIHS, the wait list will be used to fill the seats.
Delmar DustPan: A Day In The Garden
2 weeks ago
47 comments:
Kim it has been reported on Kilroy and grumblings around town that some 6th graders in the old Conrad feeder were not accepted --yet there are a few out of district kids who got in. I thought this was against the policy of the Conrad magnate?
I have already spoken to John and I have not received a phone call or an email about this, so I would have to say they are just grumblings.
could you maybe ask a question of the super or principal? granted i'm sure they will use some administrativespeak but...
these grumblings as you put it are true but the lack of trust out there precludes some from contacting the right people.
If someone wants to contact me, I will be more than happy to speak to them.
How do Cab and Conrad use test scores to screen students? Do they have a cut off like private schools do on there admissions test?
I do not know how private schools admit children. Children do not take a test when applying to Conrad or Cab.
They do audition at CAB if I'm not mistaken. They both interview students as well. At Conrad they have to bring work samples--they are also questioned about their school discipline record... great questions for a freaking 6th grader! unbelievable!
Marbrook was not closed to choice at the beginning of the process like BW Springs, Linden Hill and North Star. But only siblings of current students got seats in the choice process in Marbrook. What is the situation there? Is there any real possibility of seats opening up for those on the wait list for Marbrook?
Q: Do my child’s accomplishments have any weight in getting an invitation?
Excluding Cab and Conrad, test scores, grades, athletic abilities, school and community activities do not have any influence on a random generated computer lottery to determine who gets invited or selected.
What test scores is this referring to? It does not say anything about disciplinary record.
conrad and cab do not use a lottery. do not kid yourself. if your kid is a high achiever and 'not a problem' they are in. its the red clay way.
Anonymous said: What test scores is this referring to? NWEA, DSTP, Terranova
Anonymous said: conrad and cab do not use a lottery.
Conrad and Cab do use a lottery.
Red Clay Now said...
Anonymous said: What test scores is this referring to? NWEA, DSTP, Terranova
So they do use test scores to sreen students. This is the same as an admissions test.
They use a 'lottery' based on your interview score, your grades and discipline record or of course if a certain ex-board member puts in a good word for you.
Anonymous said...
They use a 'lottery' based on your interview score, your grades and discipline record or of course if a certain ex-board member puts in a good word for you.
LOL sounds about as unbiased as figure skating!
If they truly used a lottery there would be NO INTERVIEW! No review of grades, no request to see a science project. All applications should be placed in a box and picked out blindly-- thats the definition of a lottery!
IT IS NOT A LOTTERY!
Heh, I have a feeling Cab admissions are a lot like figure skating.
It is hilarious that 'they' portray these two schools as a lottery! A lottery is a random drawing, unbelievable arrogance for sure.
Here's my experience with Cab admissions. My older son is very talented in Art but has a disability with a hearing loss. Because of his hearing loss, he has struggled with the DSTP testing - basically the language of the questions trip him up. He applied to Cab and was not admitted. I really felt that because of his DSTP test scores, he was denied admissions and it was not based on his Art ability - which is excellent. Fastforward the next year, I asked my second son to apply, who has NO artistic abilities to see how he was rated. He attends a private school, academically is very advanced, tests very highly but on his adition, he did "rat a tat tat" on the snare drum and scribbled out an art portfolio on the morning it was due. Guess what? He got in! Fair? No, way. Did he attend? No, we had no intention to enroll him since he has no interest in the arts. My only conclusion was test scores and grades counted much higher in the admissions process than any display of art ability.
RC Now says its a lottery-- if its a true lottery why are there auditions and a review of applications etc? as stated earlier a true lottery is a random drawing. A red clay lottery is like having the winning powerball numbers before the drawing!
"if a certain ex-board member puts in a good word for you."
What an absolutely dumb statement.
how is that dumb? The Hockessin Honeys still have pull!
"they are also questioned about their school discipline record... great questions for a freaking 6th grader! unbelievable!"
What does this mean? You find this objectionable?
It seems entirely appropriate to discuss student discipline as part of an interview. I wish that the rest of our schools had such a luxury. If nothing else, it communicates to kids that this is an important issue at this school.
"if your kid is a high achiever and 'not a problem' they are in. its the red clay way."
Gee, it sounds like this might just be the way of the world. Who gets picked first for the baseball game? The goodball who pays little attention to the game and picks daisies in left field or the kid with skills and motivation?
Hmm,.. that's not fair.
For Conrad, I think it might be recommnedation of Peg Vavalla not Yvonne. I do not believe that Y. is all that involved in Conrad School of Science.
Anon 2:24 - Thanks for sharing your experiences with your sons' assessments. My son, who is currently waitlisted for Cab, does just OK with testing, and attends a non-elite Red Clay Elementary school. I didn't think any of that would matter, because he's an artist - and when I say that, I mean he's compelled to make art every day on his own (and he will continue to, with or without Cab). He worked hard on his assessment, going outside of his comfort zone for some of the requirements. I certainly didn't think it would score below a 70 on the rubric. Unless zero out-of-district kids were placed in his major, he must have. Right?
I hate to be the mom who bitches about assessments because her kid didn't get in, but I feel some families are using Cab as a private school alternative more than an art school, and getting in. That was certainly my impression overhearing the conversations of other parents on assessment day.
gg- the point is that a board member has told us that you get in via a lottery. interviewing and screening is not lottery.
if its a selective process just admit it
For the two of you complaining about Cab assessments, I would like to know who you believe runs them? This is a serious question, I would like to know who you think is in charge of these assessments?
Anon 9:33 - I thought the teachers made the assessments, based only on portfolio/auditions. That was my understanding from Open House.
Do I think the administration takes other factors into consideration? Sure.
The principal for sure runs them. She gets input from a committee or a district cronie in the case of a 'connected' parent.
i wonder why rc now hasn't responded to the false lottery claims?
'Lottery'- any action or process determined by chance.
these schools DO NOT USE A LOTTERY-- I respectfully ask that representatives of RC stop using that word when describing admissions to these programs!
"i wonder why rc now hasn't responded to the false lottery claims?"
It's not her job. I'm surprised she is letting people post so honestly. Killroy would have deleted half of this. Did anyone really think that Cab or Conrad admissions were unbiased?
OK, so it's naïve to think that Conrad and Cab are not biased in their admissions. Let's call it common knowledge, then, and stop pretending that students have equal advantage going in to the assessments (or that it's mostly advantaged kids who have the interest and talent to qualify for these programs).
It looks like Conrad and Cab use the Red Clay Choice lottery for filling slots via the waiting lists, and that's about all.
I believe that Cab uses auditions/interviews to put together a qualified applicant pool for each major, consisting of both in and out of district kids. Then preferences are applied with Red Clay students and siblings getting priority over out of district students. If any remaining seats are left after applying preferences, the rest of the "qualified" students are put into a lottery for that major. The end result of this is that each year approx. 50% of the seats are offered to out-of district kids, and Red Clay kids who don't do as well in their audition or interview are shut out. Perhaps Red Clay administration will share the actual scoring rubric - it should be made available to the public.
Not sure about Conrad's process, but I believe it is similar.
Lewis is a magnet school as well. But it has a feeder. The students who do not want dual language need to choice out if they do not want to be there.
Why not do this for Conrad? It would show that the school is really dedicated to the surrounding community. Students not interested in the science/math focus can choice out. Cab never had a feeder but may they could create one.
I wonder how many suburban parents would be pushing their kids to develop an interest in arts or science in order to get them into the lottery?
Given the costs of bussing these kids around I think it's worth considering.
@ 11:30, that's how they say they do it - theoretically, 100% of Red Clay applicants who are qualified in their chosen majors are accepted, otherwise there would be no room for out of district kids at all. It also would mean that Red Clay applicants who did not pass the assessment have priority over out-of-district kids who did pass in the wait list lottery. That's not right, either - unless the assessment numbers have little meaning.
I agree, make the rubrics public.
N.B.: Kim is not RC. She cannot speak for the school district. She is one of the RC school board members and may repsond as an individual.
And, Kilroy would not have deleted this--he leaves everything up unless it is malicious, evil, or decidedly offensive to an individual's family. Pay attention.
Red Clay kids should get priority over any outside of district kid. Flat out. Conrad and CCSA are RC district schools.
All "acceptable" RC students who meet established criteria should be then placed into a pool and selected from that pool. If spaces remain, then any "acceptable" outsider could be selected from a similar pool.
CCSA cannot have an attendance zone or a feeder pattern--it is a magnet school for THE ARTS, so Johnny cannot go there if he ain't got some kind of and a certain level of talent--real talent. We do not want some kind of faux-arts school to evolve.
Your questions and concerns are all quite appropriate. Come to the next board meeting on March 17 at BSS and speak out about your concerns.
I think the fact that we have a choice is a great thing.
You people need to read the choice law. If Kim had read it, she might point out to you that the choice law does not require a district to use a lottery. The law also says that "(selection) criteria shall be reasonably related to the nature of the program or school for which the application is submitted." That means that the methods used by Cab and Conrad seem to comply with all aspects of the law.
You people need to read the choice law. If Kim had read it, she might point out to you that the choice law does not require a district to use a lottery. The law also says that "(selection) criteria shall be reasonably related to the nature of the program or school for which the application is submitted." That means that the methods used by Cab and Conrad seem to comply with all aspects of the law.
You people need to read the choice law. If Kim had read it, she might point out to you that the choice law does not require a district to use a lottery. The law also says that "(selection) criteria shall be reasonably related to the nature of the program or school for which the application is submitted." That means that the methods used by Cab and Conrad seem to comply with all aspects of the law.
Johnny cannot go there if he ain't got some kind of and a certain level of talent--real talent. We do not want some kind of faux-arts school to evolve.
Just as long as Johnny from private school with the high test scores is held to the same artistic standards - because if he's not, it's already a faux arts school.
"CCSA cannot have an attendance zone or a feeder pattern--it is a magnet school for THE ARTS'
So why does Lewis have an attendance zone?
It would be hard at Cab because they never had an attendance zone and they are close to AI Middle.
But they could do it at Conrad, just like they do at Lewis.
Lewis unfortunately has never been given the attention or status of the other RC magnet programs. As a matter of fact, the district took away their "magnet school" designation a few years ago. They took the words off of the school wall--literally. The staff was rather surprised. When they questioned why this happened and why they were getting neighborhood, non-Spanish speaking students, and why their very successful dual-languiage program was not being highlighted and more rigorously advertised, they were told to back off.
I am so deeply disturbed by Choice I can barely articulate it. I want absolute transparency in the process. Primarily, I want to see data on where the children attending our elite charter schools are coming from. As a taxpayer I am not going to see resources funneled into creating a free private school experience for children with driven parents who could create other opportunities, while the poor continue to be shut out. It's outrageous, and it's getting more out of control with every year. I'd love to see choice & charters abolished, to be quite honest. It's both a symptom and a further cause of the deepening social injustice & void of community in this state. Argh!!
4:52 PM
" Selock said...
I am so deeply disturbed by Choice I can barely articulate it. I want absolute transparency in the process. Primarily, I want to see data on where the children attending our elite charter schools are coming from. As a taxpayer I am not going to see resources funneled into creating a free private school experience for children with driven parents who could create other opportunities, while the poor continue to be shut out. It's outrageous, and it's getting more out of control with every year. I'd love to see choice & charters abolished, to be quite honest. It's both a symptom and a further cause of the deepening social injustice & void of community in this state. Argh!!"
I'd like to see charter's and magnate schools abolished. We should start focusing our time and money on traditional public schools that support the neighborhoods they are located in. Why does red clay support charter's. I've never understood this, no other district does.
I know that choice is a state law and the district can't tell people they can't choice anymore. But if they would support all schools, people would stay in their own neighborhood.
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