https://www.denverpost.com/2020/01/0...-choice-guide/
"If finding the perfect gift for your kid wasn’t hard enough, you’ve got another challenge coming up: choosing the right school and navigating the process to get your child into it.
In most Denver-area districts, if you do nothing beyond enrolling your child in the district for kindergarten, you’ll be assigned to whatever school serves your neighborhood. It gets a little more complicated in Denver Public Schools and Mapleton Public Schools, which you can read about in the guide below.
However, Colorado allows parents to send their children outside of their neighborhoods for school, or even across district lines. The caveat is that there must be space available after serving all students living in the neighborhoods assigned to a school, and the school must have a program that can meet the student’s needs — an issue that mostly comes up for students who need special education services.
Districts also can refuse to accept choice applications from students with bad discipline records in their previous schools.
Most Denver-area districts begin accepting choice applications in January, but each has a slightly different timeline and process.
To learn more about what to expect in your district, read on.
How do I start?
Keely Buchanan, who owns a business called Preparing for Denver Kindergarten that guides parents through the school choice process, said she generally advises parents to check out their neighborhood school, if they have one. The “gut feeling” from visiting a school can be valuable, as can conversations with people working in the building, she said.
Parents also should consider whether their child does best in small or large environments, and their goals for their child’s education, Buchanan said. If they aren’t sure, their child’s preschool teacher may be able to give some insight into the type of environment where their child might thrive, she said.
Nhu Nguyen, an education professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, advised parents to check out the teacher biographies posted on most schools’ websites, to find out if they have relevant degrees and how long they’ve taught there.
“If there’s a high turnover rate, that probably gives you some insight,” she said.
For older kids, parents can look up the range of classes and extracurricular activities offered, as well as what students do after graduation, Nguyen said. While sports and clubs may seem like a frill, working on something they enjoy with a supportive coach or mentor can help teens to develop independence and motivation, she said.
When you visit a school, you can start to gauge safety issues, like whether a school resource officer is present and how students react to any anti-bullying messages you see, Nguyen said. For some questions, like how the school administration responds to student and parent complaints, the best strategy is to talk to a variety of families, including some with a child who’s like yours, she said.
Parents can consider things like how test scores are trending, what supports are available for gifted and special needs children, how much recess time children get and whether after-school care is offered, Buchanan said. Even if one data point seems to raise concerns — for example, high teacher turnover — it’s worth asking more questions to find out if you’re looking at a blip or a problem, she said.
“I don’t really have red flags. I just have questions,” she said.
Districts aren’t required to provide transportation to students who use school choice, and Mapleton is the only one that sends buses to choice students in all parts of the district — though Westminster Public Schools is also studying the idea. Parents need to consider how transportation will work, because in Denver students can only take a bus to their boundary school or one in their enrollment zone, Buchanan said. People who live in a boundary neighborhood are assigned to one specific elementary, middle and high school, while those who live in an enrollment zone could be assigned to one of several schools serving their general area.
If you live in Denver, you can let a computer narrow down your choices by using the School Finder mapping tool, which sorts schools by distance from your home, specific programs and academic performance, though it could still be overwhelming — a search for schools offering kindergarten and after-school care turned up more than 100 results. Jeffco Public Schools has a similar tool, with which you can search by geography, special programs and other factors.
If you like data, you can look up a school’s test scores, growth rates and graduation rates on the Colorado Department of Education website. You can also check how different student groups — based on race, special education and English language learner status, gender and socioeconomic status — did on measures the state tracks, to get a rough idea of how kids who are most like your child are doing at each school.
Buchanan urged parents to think beyond test scores and state quality rankings, however. They tell you more about a school’s demographics, like its poverty rate, than about what students are learning, she said.
“Scores are really tricky,” she said. “I tell them that’s one of a hundred things to consider.”
What if I like my neighborhood school?
Congratulations: You don’t have to do anything, because your assigned school is required to have a seat available. The exception is if your child attended a different school through choice last year. In that case, you’ll have to go through the choice process and request a seat. That’s easier in some districts than others, because some make placing students who are returning to their school a top priority.
It gets a little more complicated if you live in an enrollment zone in DPS. In that case, you’re guaranteed a spot at one of several schools in your general area. You have to list your preferences of the schools in your enrollment zone through the choice process, and the district’s lottery system will match your child with a school. You also can list schools outside your zone.
What if I want to use choice to get into a different school?
Each district has slightly different rules about how to use the choice process, but most require an online application. Some districts have multiple rounds of choice, while others have waiting lists for anyone who misses the sole deadline. Districts are required to find a place in some school for any child who lives within their boundaries, but they don’t have to accommodate kids who are trying to use choice to cross their borders — so if you don’t like any of the schools in your district, pay very close attention to the choice rules wherever you want your child to go.
If your child has an Individualized Education Plan due to a disability, contact the school to be sure it can accommodate his or her needs.
Here’s when the different Denver-area districts accept choice applications:
Adams 12 Five Star Schools: The deadline is Jan. 31 for “priority consideration.” A second round ends March 30, and a third round is held in August and September for any remaining seats. Certain high school programs, like those focused on science or International Baccalaureate courses, handle their own admissions and have different criteria, so check directly with the school if your child is interested.
Adams County School District 14: Parents can enroll their children in any school through the beginning of the school year. The district encourages parents who want to attend somewhere other than their neighborhood school to register early, in case slots fill up.
Aurora Public Schools: Open enrollment runs from Jan. 15 to May 1. Unlike some districts, Aurora doesn’t have a centralized open enrollment process. You apply directly to the school you want your child to attend.
Boulder Valley School District: The deadline for open enrollment is Jan. 8. Students applying from outside the district have to wait until the second round, if seats are available, unless they have a sibling attending school in the district or a parent working there.
Cherry Creek School District: District residents can apply for school choice Jan. 1 to Feb. 1. Families living outside the district can apply from April 1 to Aug. 1. For preschool or magnet programs, apply directly to the school.
Denver Public Schools: Open enrollment runs Jan. 15 to Feb. 18. Parents of preschool students must participate in choice every year, because there aren’t enough seats to reserve one for all children in the district. Families can list up to 12 schools in order of preference for each child, though they don’t have to choose that many.
Douglas County School District: The first round of open enrollment ended Dec. 2. The second round opens Jan. 22, and runs through Aug. 3. During the second round, spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, after clearing the waiting list from the first round.
Englewood Schools: The first round opened Jan. 1 and runs through Jan. 31. The second round starts March 1 and lasts through the beginning of the next school year.
Jeffco Public Schools: The open enrollment window closes Jan. 15. A second round starts Jan. 22. Parents can apply to as many schools as they like.
Littleton Public Schools: The first open enrollment period ended Nov. 15. The second will end Jan. 10. Students must be in “good standing” when it comes to attendance, grades and behavior at their current school.
Mapleton Public Schools: The first round of open enrollment for families living in Mapleton runs from Jan. 16 through 31. Families that apply later are taken on a first-come, first-served basis where space is available. Families wanting to send a child across district lines can apply starting in March. Mapleton doesn’t have neighborhood schools, so all parents need to make a choice when their children reach transition grades. Families can list up to three schools.
Westminster Public Schools: When families log in for open enrollment, they can either choose their neighborhood school or fill out an application for a different school. Two schools have academic requirements, including a minimum grade point average. Open enrollment starts in January and runs through the beginning of the next school year, though schools can begin to fill up over the summer.
Students in Pomona High School social ...AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver PostStudents in Pomona High School social studies teacher Dale Munholland’s American history class learn about the freedom riders, while also discussing current topics like DACA and school shootings on Friday, Feb. 23, 2018.
How do districts decide where students go?
Schools have to take students from their assigned neighborhoods first, so if you’re trying to choice into a popular neighborhood school from a different part of your district, your odds may not be great. Some schools fill nearly all of their seats each year with kids in the surrounding houses.
If you have a younger child, you’ll have to plan to be flexible with your school choices. The Denver Post analyzed DPS’s choice data for 2018-2019 and found waitlists are more common for preschool and kindergarten than for students moving into middle school or high school.
Preschool (3-year-olds): 59 programs total, 8 had no waitlist, 23 waitlisted more than a quarter of applicants, and 12 waitlisted more than half
Preschool (4-year-olds): 97 programs total, 34 had no waitlist, 27 waitlisted more than a quarter of applicants, and 6 waitlisted more than half
Kindergarten: 119 programs total, 59 had no waitlist, 22 waitlisted more than a quarter of applicants, and 2 waitlisted more than half
Sixth grade: 65 programs total, 34 had no waitlist, 10 waitlisted more than a quarter of applicants, and none waitlisted more than half
Ninth grade: 40 programs total, 26 had no waitlist, 6 waitlisted more than a quarter of applicants, and none waitlisted more than half
Source: DPS choice data
If a school has leftover seats, it opens them up through the choice process. Schools fill all available seats with students from their own district first, so if you’re trying cross district lines, it might be difficult to get into your first choice. Most districts use lottery systems, but they differ somewhat in how they prioritize applicants living in the district.
Say, for example, your district prioritizes children who have siblings in a school, and you already used choice to get your older child into a school other than the one you’re zoned to. Your younger child would be in the second priority group (behind kids living in the neighborhoods zoned to that school).
Most districts use a lottery system, in addition to priority groups. In the example above, all students with siblings in the school you’re trying to get into would receive numbers, and those who got luckier numbers would have the right to the first seats available. The school would then go down the list until it ran out of either seats or applicants. If it still had seats left over, it would move to the next priority group — say, children of employees.
Districts also reserve the right to determine if a school can accommodate students with special needs, and to refuse out-of-district transfers if a student had significant discipline problems.
Here’s how the different Denver-area districts choose where students go:
Adams 12: Kids who live in-district and have an older sibling who would be attending the school at the same time have first priority, followed by those whose older sibling currently attends the school but will move up next year (for example, an incoming sixth-grader whose sibling will move to ninth grade) and then all other in-district students. Students crossing district lines then follow the same pattern.
Adams 14: Children attending a school via choice are taken on a first-come, first-served basis, provided the school can meet each student’s needs.
Aurora: Children who are accepted into a magnet or specified program have top priority, followed by children of district employees; students facing displacement due to school boundary changes; students who go to child care in the school’s area; and all other district residents.
Boulder Valley: Students who moved out of their school’s boundaries, but still live in the district, get first priority. They’re followed by students with a sibling in the school they want; children of employees; students who left their neighborhood school but want to go back; all other resident students; and former residents who moved outside the district. A few programs also give preferences to low-income families, those living within certain cities and, in the case of some charter schools, the children of board members and school founders.
Cherry Creek: Children who have a sibling in the school have top priority, followed by kids of regular district employees (which doesn’t include hourly workers, substitutes and coaches, among other exemptions). All other kids then receive a lottery number and are matched with schools in order.
DPS: Denver schools set their own admissions priorities, so where your child will rank depends on the school you select. Each child is assigned a lottery number between 1 and 1 million. An algorithm then puts the kids in lottery number order, within their priority group. Schools will go through the top priority group (say, students with siblings in the school) before moving into the next group, regardless of what lottery number students receive. Students who don’t get into their top choices can go on a waitlist, but will start out at a less-preferred school.
Douglas County: All students who live within a school’s boundaries can have a seat there, even if they previously choiced out (though those who left will need to complete a form to return). Families who move to a different address in the district, but want to stay in their previous school, also can request to keep their seat if they fill out a form. If a school has more applicants than space available, students with a sibling in the school have first priority, followed by students who were reassigned by a school boundary change, dependents of district employees, and all other district residents. Some charter schools may have different priorities.
Englewood: Students living in the district who want to use choice are placed on a first-come, first-served basis, but district officials say it’s rare for a school not to be able to accommodate everyone. Principals have some discretion in admitting students from across district lines.
Jeffco: Students returning to their neighborhood school after having choiced out the previous year are at the top of the list, followed by students with siblings in a certain school, those whose parents work in that school and all other Jeffco residents. Children who live outside the district but have a sibling in a certain school or attended a school that would typically “feed” them into the next level have priority over other non-residents. Some charter schools may have different priorities, however.
Littleton: Both of the district’s enrollment windows involve a lottery drawing. Children with siblings in a school get first priority, followed by all other students in the district. Out-of-district students who have a parent working for the district are prioritized over other kids crossing district lines. If any seats are still available after both enrollment windows, they’re filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Mapleton: Mapleton doesn’t have neighborhood schools, so geography isn’t a factor. Schools can consider whether students have a sibling in the school.
Westminster: Capacity isn’t generally an issue since most students go to their neighborhood schools, though there are three innovation schools that cater to students with particular interests, district officials said.
Josue Bonilla, 13, left, gets a ...Helen H. Richardson, The Denver PostJosue Bonilla, 13, left, gets a high five from his teacher Wendi Sussman, right, after completing a hard reading lesson in his Multi-Intensive class at Strive Prep on Dec. 20, 2016 in Denver.
My child has been assigned a school. Now what happens?
If it’s a school you want, congratulations. If circumstances have changed and that school is no longer a good fit, you have to contact the district to decline a seat, and your child will be assigned to a different school.
In most cases, your child can continue in the same school for as many grades as it has available, unless you move out of your neighborhood school’s boundaries — though you might still be able to choice back in. You won’t have to go through the choice process again unless you want to change schools, or until your child reaches the next level (i.e. middle school or high school).
If you live in DPS and didn’t get your first choice, there’s a chance a seat will open up over the summer. Jim Carpenter, executive director for choice and planning, said boundary and enrollment zone schools hold some seats open for kids who may move into the neighborhood after the first round of choice closes. The schools gradually release those seats for kids on their waiting lists over the summer if they don’t get many additional students, he said.
Districts aren’t required to provide transportation, so if your child isn’t able to walk or ride the bus to their new school, you’ll need to make arrangements. (Ideally, you started considering this early in the process.)
If your child is attending Aurora Public Schools, you’ll also want to pay close attention to his or her attendance. The district requires choice students to attend 85% of school days each semester, to be on track to earn enough credits to graduate and to have no more than one out-of-school suspension each year. If your kid doesn’t follow those rules, you could be looking for a new school next year.
How big a deal is picking a school?
Perhaps surprisingly for someone who has a business consulting with parents worried about school choice, Buchanan thinks some of the stress surrounding school choice isn’t necessary.
“A lot of parents think there’s only one right answer, and that’s not the case,” she said. “The vast majority of kiddos are going to thrive in any school with any teachers.”
Nguyen said the most motivated kids tend to succeed even in under-resourced schools with poor test scores, but average students and those who need more pushing may be more sensitive to their environment, especially in the higher grades. If you know your child is falling behind and is going to need more individualized attention, for example, it might make sense to specifically seek out a school with small classes, she said.
Ultimately, parents have to try to balance competing priorities, Nguyen said. Ideally, high school will provide both academic challenges and chances to practice social and “soft” skills, like persisting in an activity where they’re not being graded, she said. Lack of transportation and the need to get multiple kids to school can limit choices, however.
“Picking the best high school in the state or the best college money can buy is, in my opinion, not the most fiscally sound” decision, she said. “The most important thing is, do they have the skills to be an independent learner?”
Where can I get some help with this?
Check your district’s rules and resources on the websites below.
Adams 12: adams12.org/choice
Adams 14: Call Jeremy Jimenez, director of student intervention services, 720-322-8154, or email
jjimenez@adams14.org. Some information is available at adams14.org.
Aurora: admissions.aurorak12.org/open-enrollment/
Boulder Valley: bvsd.org/parents-students/enrollment/open-enrollment
Cherry Creek: cherrycreekschools.org/Page/1769
DPS: The district has two walk-in enrollment centers and a school choice hotline, 720-423-3493. Resources also are available at schoolchoice.dpsk12.org/schoolchoice-round-1/.
Douglas County: dcsdk12.org/about/our_district/departments/choice_programming/open_enrollment
Englewood: englewoodschools.net/choice
Jeffco: jeffcopublicschools.org/schools/enrollment/enrolljeffco
Littleton: littletonpublicschools.net/open-enrollment
Mapleton: mapleton.us/Page/5015
Westminster: mywps.org/enrollment"
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