Joyce Szuflita, of NYC School Help is our School Expert and always has the scoop on what’s going on with schools. Joyce sent me a massive list of updates on schools, timelines and deadlines! She also breaks any school news on her blog here so make sure you check it out.
From Joyce:
Elementary School
First: Subscribe to the DOE’s alerts
Check: The DOE calendar is here.
For Kindergarten, you apply to individual programs. You have to go to each school that you are interested in to apply. Bring your photo id, your proofs of address and child’s birth certificate between Jan. 9 and March 2. This is NOT a first come, first served process. I think that the registration secretaries are usually in during the morning. Be warned: if you try to apply to a highly sought after school that has a zoned wait-list or only has room for in-zone children, you might be laughed out the door.
This is NOT a centralized application, where you need to rank your choices. Prek is a DIFFERENT PROCESS from K! You can apply to many schools if you want. When you are notified that you have been offered a seat, you can chose to register or not. If you are registered at a school and subsequently notified that you have a seat at a school that you like better – you get to choose which one you want to opt for. You can’t be registered at more than one school at a time. If this is all confusing to you or you want to find out about all your choices, you can always come to one of my talks or hire me.
Intro to Public School: Prek and Kindergarten Talk
This talk is for families who didn’t grow up here, or just feel like they didn’t because they don’t understand what the heck is going on with prek and k options.
Wed. Dec. 14 7-8:30pm at Kumon Prospect Heights.
Thurs. Dec. 15 7-8:30pm at Hootenanny Art House in the South Slope.
Monday Jan. 9 7-8:30pm at Madison Rose in Carroll Gardens.
Tues. Jan. 10 7-8:30pm at Hootenanny Art House in the South Slope.
RSVP for all talks here.
Middle School
Check: MS Calendar
Look over: MS Directories
12/16 Deadline to return MS Choice Application
1/21-2/12 Mark Twain MS Talent Testing
Jan-Feb Student interviews and testing at selected Middle Schools
May 2012 Decision letters distributed to families
June 2012 Appeal decision letters distributed to families
High School
I would sign up for the DOE’s email alerts to keep posted on the calendar.
In 2012 all public high school students will be notified of their placements on the same day in February!
High School Choice Rant
Forgive me for too many CAPS ahead of time.
I have been hearing a lot about the “second round” this year, like you get another shot at the choice you want late in the spring. GUYS! the DOE doesn’t work that way!! The “supplemental round” is for students who have NOT RECEIVED ANY CHOICE in the main round. Your placement in the main round is where your child will attend for freshman year, no ifs ands or buts. The students in the supplemental round get to choose from the schools that have seats still available.
But “ah ha!”, you say, “what about the Specialized HS kids who get to choose between a two schools?! Aren’t the schools that they don’t take from the main round left over in the supplemental round?” NO!!! everyone (who has placed a seriously good number of good fit schools) is placed in the main round and all the schools get “over offers” -many more students than they can hold. The DOE has historical data from years of experience how many kids are going to take their Specialized HS seats (or private school, etc.) and how many are taking their 1-12 list seats. If a few more kids choose the Specialized HS, the classes are a little fuller there, but all the seats at the highly sought after, selective schools are still full, full, full. The essentials this year are NO DIFFERENT than previous years (with the exception that they are letting everyone know their placement at the same time). The DOE always ran the WHOLE algorithm before the Specialized round placements where announced. They have always known in early Feb. where EVERYONE is placed. They just didn’t release the info, because they did that New School Fair, and students had the option to add a new program to their list before they got their results. The problem was that the conspiracy theories abounded AND it pushed the supplemental and appeals process way too late in the year. This is a process that handles upwards of 90,000 kids a year. They will not entertain picking and choosing in a second round and if you are banking on getting no choice so that you can pick off Beacon or another favorite in a “second round” you are taking a bad gamble with your child’s future.