Magnet Selection Criteria

I've mentioned here before that the magnet 'lottery' isn't a true lottery. It's weighted--certain nodes of students have a better chance of getting into a magnet than others do. WCPSS has released the selection criteria for this year.

SELECTION CRITERIA – ELEMENTARY MAGNET
Siblings of present magnet students identified on the intent form

After assigning the students who meet the criteria above, the school will determine the number of vacancies available.

90% of these vacancies will be filled from valid applications in the following order:

ROUND ONE (For 2008-09 only)
· M or B from 413, 476, 524, or 548 This translates to magnet or base from Forestville, Root, Olds and Lincoln Heights. Those are 4 of the schools that were demagnetized this year. In the case of Forestville, it was supposed to get a magnet program but then the board decided against it AFTER families had applied for the program. Note that Wake Forest Elementary isn't included on this list because it was an equity magnet, meaning that it was entirely base, no applications. I don't have a problem with them not getting priority for magnet programs, but why do the base populations at the other 4 schools get priority?

ROUND TWO
· Live in a node where the SES percentage for elementary aged children is at least 5% below the county average AND
· Assigned to a base school where the SES for elementary aged children is at least 5% below the county average AND
· Assigned to a base school where the 2-year average of level 1 and 2 percentage students tested is 20% or less AND
· Assigned to a base school that has a current crowding factor above 100% of the adjusted building capacity AND
· Submitted a valid application for the same program the previous year

ROUND THREE
· Same as Round Two with deletion of previous year’s application

ROUND FOUR
· Same as Round Three with the revision of the crowding factor to be above 85% of the adjusted building capacity.

ROUND FIVE
· Assigned to a base school that has a crowding factor above 85% of the adjusted building capacity AND
· Assigned to a base school where the SES for elementary aged children is less than 40% AND
· Assigned to a base school where the 2-year average of level 1 and 2 percentage students tested is 20% or less.

Ten percent (10%) of vacancies identified above will be filled randomly from all remaining valid applications.

SELECTION CRITERIA – SECONDARY MAGNET
The selection process for secondary schools is the same as elementary with the addition of the second priority which states that students currently attending a magnet school and have magnet status have a priority to attend a magnet school in the next grade configuration: middle school or high school.