As we wrap up the school year, the bulk of the questions I receive are about testing (it's over) and the waitlist ("difficult to see ... always in motion is the future."  Wisdom from Yoda, in the movie The Empire Strikes Back).  

The plan is to return to this blog in late September, when applications are about to go live again.  By that time, I will be in the thick of starting school, my yearly tug-of-war with buses, and recruiting.  I'm sure there will be stories.

Until then, I am working on a new book, fiction this time:  Ring of the Tax Collector.  (If everything goes as it should, it will be available in August).

Thank you, faithful readers.  Have a fantastic summer, and I'll see you on the flip side.

Parent:  This paper says my child is not G/T.

Me:  The matrix.  Yes, it says that.

Parent:  I don't believe it is correct.

Me:  On the matrix, what, specifically, do you believe is wrong?

​Parent:  The part where it says he's not G/T.

To the non-sport types among us, the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are professional basketball teams.

In the 2014-15 season, when playing against each other, the Spurs won 3 regular season games and the Rockets won 1 regular season game.  It was the Rockets that won the first game of the four, and the Spurs that won the remaining 3.

In the 2015-16 season, when playing against each other, the Spurs again won 3 regular season games and the Rockets won 1 regular season game.  Again, the Rockets won the first game of the four, the Spurs won the remaining 3.

In the 2016-17 season, when playing against each other, the Spurs, yet again, won 3 regular season games and the Rockets won 1 regular season game.  And, yet again (ironically), the Rockets won the first game of the four, and the Spurs won the remaining 3.

For the first time in 22 years, the Spurs and the Rockets are playing against each other in the playoffs.  In their history, the Rockets have beaten the Spurs all three times they have played each other in the playoffs.  As things stand now, the playoff series is tied 2-2.  Will the Spurs pull off two more wins to beat the Rockets, as they have in regular season?  I have no idea.  Will the Rockets repeat history and beat the Spurs in the playoffs, as they have always done thus far?  Again, I have no idea.

This is an illustration of why past performance (on the waitlist) cannot predict what will happen to the waitlist in the future.  The past doesn't matter.  The only thing that matters for a given waitlist is what is happening right now.  And that is why the best question to ask a coordinator is not "how far did you get on your waitlist last year," but rather "how likely are you to get to my child's waitlist number?"

Parent:  I want you to look at my child's matrix and correct it.

Me:  As I have told you, every day, for the last 10 days, your child's matrix does not need to be corrected.  They qualified as G/T.

Parent:  I want the report card section fixed.

Me:  You did not submit a numerical report card when you applied.  They qualified as G/T without it.  There is nothing to fix.

Parent:  I gave you a numerical report card last week.

Me:  Yes, I understand​.  However, they qualified as G/T without the report card.  There was no mistake made on the original matrix.  There is no correction necessary.

Parent:  I want you to add in the report card score.

Me:  I'm very sorry; no.

What the parent was asking, whether they realized it or not, was for a G/T Admissions Committee to meet to verify a matrix on a child that was already deemed as G/T.  This would have been an unnecessary waste of time for everyone involved.

The parent was persistent, I'll give them that.  They asked multiple people, several times per day over a two week span.  The answer remained no.

 Parent:  The matrix I received said my child is not qualified as G/T.

Me:  Okay?

Parent:  I don't understand.  They have tested every year for the past five years, and every year it says they are not qualified.

Me:  Some students never qualify as G/T.

Parent:  It is just a test - surely after so many attempts they could pass it!

Me:  You understand that the test advances as they get older, right?  That they are not taking the exact same test every time, right?

Parent:  They aren't?

Parent:  What number did you get to on the waitlist last year?

Me:  It doesn't matter.

Parent:  Why not?

Me:  Because we will either get to your child's number, or we won't.

An Example of Jack:

Jack was a great kid ... kind, polite, fun, but he was not particularly well suited for the academic intensity of my program.  In fact, he was on a Growth Plan every year at my campus.  And every year, he was able to pull his grades up just enough to squeak by another year.

Jack has applied to one of the most challenging high schools in the district.

Because I know Jack personally, I have been watching his waitlist number since the lottery was run.  (I'm human, so of course I am going to keep up with kiddos with whom I have an interest).

The lottery is run with everyone in it - qualified or not, because we get the test scores back very late, and we cannot mark students qualified or not qualified until we have the test scores in hand.  Jack's original waitlist number for School X was 289.

Lotteries for other schools were held over the few days, and as students were accepted to higher ranked schools, Jack's waitlist number decreased.  By the end of the lotteries, he was waitlisted at 173 - parents never see this, because it is all pre-Notification.

Once test scores came in, students were marked not qualified and struck off the list.  By the Magnet deadline to have everyone coded, Jack's waitlist number was 112 - parents never see this either, because it is all pre-Notification.

Essentially, Jack moved 177 spaces, before Notification even happened.  What the parents get is a letter with the waitlist number of 112.

When parents ask me the waitlist question, they are going by the waitlist number they are given at Notification, not realizing that their child's waitlist number has already changed, several times.

At School X, several students had been accepted to private schools and they declined their space.  A few others had been accepted at campuses not in the system, and they, also, declined their space.  So, shortly after Notification, Jack's waitlist number is 14.

Now, the waitlist for School X seems pretty stable.  There may be some students who switch out schools over the next four months, but probably not enough to get Jack into the program.  But I don't know that for sure, because people are unpredictable, as is life.  

To be clear, I want to point out that Jack moved 275 spaces ... not just the 98 spaces his parents saw after Notification.

There is no way for a coordinator to predict how far we will get on any waitlist on any given year.  - And no averages will help either, because an average doesn't explain what will happen *this* year.  And *this* year is the only year that matters to parents.  

So, when you ask "How far did you get on the waitlist," and I answer, "It doesn't matter," as hard as it is to hear, please understand, I am not being evasive.  I am giving you the best answer there is.  We will either get to your child's number, or we won't, regardless what happened any other given year.

The better question from parents would be:  "Are you likely to get to my child's waitlist number?"  That allows me, as a coordinator, to gauge current waitlist movement and give you some kind of estimate based on what is happening right now.

Parent:  I have a matrix from you stating that my child is not qualified as G/T and I have a matrix from his school that says he is.  :: Hands me both matrices. ::

:: Takes a minute to study both matrices. ::

Me:  Your child is currently applying to second grade, correct?

Parent:  Yes.

Me:  I see the problem with the campus matrix.  They used the semester report card from first grade, and they should not have done that.  The back of the matrix clearly states that we have to use the final quarter grades from kindergarten.  :: Flips over the matrix and shows the parent where it says which report card to use. ::

Parent:  But he didn't go to kindergarten.

Me:  I know.  That is why my matrix has "No Data" there.  The campus one should have said that also.

Parent:  So my child is not G/T?

Me:  Not at this time, no.  I'm very sorry.

Being G/T in this district opens up more possibilities regarding schools.  For that reason alone, the label seems to hold great value to parents.  ... I sympathize with the parents that this is not the news they wanted, but I wish they could just be happy their their child is safe, healthy, and whole - all other labels aside.

Parent:  I have twins.  We want both twins to go to the same school.  To better their chances to get in somewhere, we decided to not share a lottery number.

Me:  Okay.

Parent:  For Twin #1, we ranked School A #1 and School B #2.  For Twin #2, we ranked School A #2 and School B #1.

Me:  You were hoping to better your odds further by doing so?

Parent:  Yes.  However, Twin #1 was selected for School A and Twin #2 was selected for School B.

Me:  Ranking defaults to the highest accept.  The system definitely worked as advertised.  Congrats for being selected to two great programs!

Parent:  That does not solve my problem.

Me:  Both twins attending the same school?  No.  It does not solve that problem.  Unfortunately, unless one of them is the campus to which you are zoned, it looks like you will be sending your kids to different schools next year.

Parent:  Can't we put one on the lottery list of the other's school, and, with sibling for entry grade levels, pop them up to the top of the waitlist?

Me:  Unfortunately, no.  You applied during Round 1 of applications.  Each child had one opportunity to be accepted during the round.  Neither school will accept students during Round 2, as they have extensive waitlists.  ... I'm very sorry, but both students will be attending different campuses next year.

Parent:  And there is no way around it?

Me:  Well, they could both go to their zoned school.

Parent:  That's not a solution.

Me:  Then no, there is no way around it.  I'm sorry.

Word to the wise:  Do not try to game the application system without talking to a knowledgeable coordinator who can explain all the possible outcomes for each potential action.

Parent:  My child was #1 on the waitlist, and I received notification that they are now #3.  This is completely unfair.  I demand you change it back.

Me:  Unfortunately, I cannot.  Your child is on the waitlist to an entry level grade.  In the course of parents accepting seats, two students became siblings -

Parent:  Then they should get in line behind my child.  My child was a sibling first!

Me:  I am very sorry, but it doesn't work that way.  Siblings are listed in the order of their general lottery number.  The two children who became siblings had a lower general lottery number than your child.

Parent:  Who is your supervisor?

Me:  In regard to the sibling policy?  You would need to talk to the Magnet Office :: gives the parent the name of the person to contact there ::

Parent:  You haven't heard the last of this!

Two days later ...

Parent:  :: triumphantly :: It was fixed!  My child is now number 1 on the waitlist again.

What the parent doesn't know is that I had a couple people decline spaces and I was able to accept the two siblings that were in front of their child.  If I tell the parent that, they will get upset about their child not being selected.  Moreover, I have no way of knowing if anyone else will decline and make space for their child, or if anyone else will become siblings and move them backwards on the list again.  In the short run,  it is easier for me to let them think that the Magnet Office moved their child up the waitlist, even though I know full well that's not what happened.  In the long run, if I do that, they will go on mistakenly believing that rules were changed in their favor.  

Decisions, decisions ...

Parent:  When Notifications came out, we were told that our child did not qualify as G/T.  However, yesterday, the teacher sent home paperwork that says he is qualified.  Could you take a look?  :: hands me a copy of both the qualified matrix and the not qualified matrix ::

Me:  I believe I know what happened ... your child was in a grade where we test everyone for G/T.  The results are generated on the matrix for us.  We call those pre-printed.  From the numbers we had at the time, your child did not qualify. -- This was the matrix that was used to determine that your child did not qualify for the G/T Magnet program to which you applied.  :: I show him the not qualified matrix. ::

Parent:  Okay.  I can see that.

Me:  When the third quarter report card came out, the G/T coordinator at their current campus used that score, which improved your child's overall score enough to qualify.  :: I show him the qualified matrix. ::

Parent:  Okay.  So, can he get back on the list at the G/T Magnet?

Me:  Unfortunately, no.  Everyone that applied to G/T Magnets during the first round of applications had one initial chance to qualify as G/T.  Your child did not qualify at that time.  The G/T Magnet to which you applied does not take round two applicants.  You can, however, apply to G/T Magnet schools that do take applications for round two.

Parent:  But he is nowly qualified! He should be considered!

Behind the Curtain:  Everyone applying to grades 1 through 12 goes in the lottery, because the lottery is run before we get the test scores needed to write matrices.  When this child did not qualify, his name was struck out from the list.

As a coordinator, I can see where this child would have been, if they were still active on the list.  From what I can see, his waitlist number would have been in the triple digits for a campus that has  not yet taken anyone for the grade to which he applied (and likely won't, or, if they do, maybe only take one or two students).

It is always a dilemma whether or not to share that information with parents.  ... In the end, I rarely do, because it doesn't matter.  The parent wants their child back on the list, but I can't do that because their child did not initially qualify and no mistake was made in calculating the initial matrix.  As bad as I feel about not being able to meet the parent's request, being "nowly" qualified doesn't change the fact that they had one shot at qualifying for round one, and they didn't.

This is the fourth year my district has used the online application system.  The first and second year, there were a lot of ... unexpected consequences ... of things the Magnet Office asked the system to do - some good, and some very not.

Now, however, the system has relatively few problems.  Coordinators that have been using the system for awhile know that action A causes result B.  Of course, the Magnet Office continues to tweak things, and that has a ripple effect, but most of the regular / mundane processes go off without a hitch.  Except when they don't ...

Me:  Hey, I think we have a problem.

Magnet Office:  What happened?

Me:  The twin-sharing-a-lottery-number feature doesn't seem to be working.

Magnet Office:  Send us some names and IDs and we will look into it.

Me:  Check your email.

Aftermath:  Sure enough, parents that opted for their twins to share a lottery number were not actually sharing the lottery number.  It took Magnet a while to hook them all and get them correctly placed (which meant, to be most fair, moving them up the waitlist to the twin that got the better lottery number).  Which, of course, resulted in a ton of phone calls wanting to know why some other child had been moved backwards on the waitlist.  -- Sometimes making the system work as advertised means taking the heat from disappointed parents.

Parent:  My child was not offered the opportunity to test.

Me:  I can see on the application that you signed up for testing -

Parent:  We couldn't attend.  We had a family emergency.

Me:  Right, I have notes about that also, and you were offered another testing date, but you declined.

Parent:  I'm sorry that we couldn't make testing at your convenience, I would like my child tested now.

Me:  Unfortunately, the window closed in January - 

Parent:  Those points could cause my child to qualify!  I demand testing!

Me:  Let's do a little math here ... they did take one test, and they scored 7 points.  Their report card gives them 5 additional points.  Their teacher recommendation gives them another 8 points.  That is a total of 20 points.  Even with a perfect score on the test they are missing, they would still not qualify as G/T.

Parent:  I want them tested anyway.

Me:  Oooookaay.  I will submit your request to the district's G/T department ...

Parent:  On the matrix, I see that my child has been awarded an 83% for their report card.  This must be a mistake, they are a straight "A" student.

Me:  They attended private school last year, correct?

Parent:  Yes.

Me:  The private school report card that you gave us had a 6 point scale.  One being in dire need of help, six being the best possible score.

Parent:  Yes.

Me:  Your child earned all fives for quarters of all their core classes.

Parent:  Yes, they did very well.

Me:  5 divided by 6 is 83%.

Parent:  But my child is a straight "A" student!

​Me:  Not according to the report card you submitted from last year.  I'm very sorry.

Background Information:  My spouse is going through Match.  It is the medical school version of the lottery; it tells us where Residency will be, and, basically, it will define the next few years of our lives.  On Match Day, before Notifications happened, the following conversation took place:

Me:  You know, I was all cool about this Match thing ... until now.

My Spouse:  Oh?  How so?

Me:  Well, I know there is nothing either of us can do to influence anything.  You did everything you could do - got the grades, passed the tests, and went on the interviews.  Match has already happened, the results will be whatever they are.  I know this.  In my head, I know this.

My Spouse:  And?

Me:  And I'm going nuts!  I just feel like there *has* to be something I can do to make this go our way!

My Spouse:  What you are telling me is that you have become exactly like your applicant's parents.

Me:  Yes.  I am now them.  For sure.

Afterthoughts:  The whole Match process has given me a newfound respect and understanding for my applicant's parents, most of whom I consider normal with their level of frantic / crazy about their child's results.  (And to their benefit, perhaps, I am a bit more sympathetic now).  ... It's the ones that go way, way out-of-bounds with the crazy that cause me concern.  

For those awaiting news of the results, just know that everything is done.  There is nothing you can do now to influence anything.  And best wishes!  I hope your news is as good as ours was!

In certain, very small circles, I am known.  I'm not anywhere near a celebrity, not even a very minor one, but for parents who come to my tours and recruiting events every year, trying everything they can to get their kids into my program, to those parents - I am a known person.

This past weekend I was at a very large city event and I was approached at two different times by two different sets of parents (this is not common, but it is also not so very unusual for me):

Parent:  Excuse me, how do I know you?

Me:  I'm the Magnet Coordinator at <names my school.>

Parent:  Yes!  Thank you!  I saw you and it was bugging me.  This coming week is going to be very exciting!

Me:  Yes, it will be.  Notification is always a wild time for coordinators.

Parent:  Can you give us any hints?

Me:  I'm sorry, I cannot.  I can really only tell you that I wish you the best of luck!

What the parent may not realize is, while they may feel like they know me personally, to me, they are one of 3,600 other applicants.  -- There is no way for me to know, at the top of my head, where their child falls in all of that.  Not that I could tell them, even if I did know.  

Best wishes to all applicants this week!

Parent:  Can you tell me how many of your students get in to Ivy League schools?

Me:  We are a Kindergarten through 8th grade campus.

Parent:  I know.

Me:  Generally, kids do not skip from 8th grade to college.

Parent:  I know that too.

Me:  We really do not track where kids who attend this school attend college.

​Parent:  I just wanted to know where your kids go from here.

Me:  High school.  They go to high school.

Parent:  On the matrix, there is "No Data" for this score here.

Me:  Yes, I see that.  They qualified without the score though.

Parent:  We understand.  She was sick on the day that section was given, which is why there was no score on the original score sheet.  However, she took that section later, and has this supplemental score sheet.  :: Hands me the additional paperwork. ::

Me:  And so she did.

Parent:  We would like you to re-write the matrix with the additional scores.

Me:  Why?  She qualified without it.  The district only takes qualification into consideration - not the matrix score, so there is no benefit.

Parent:  We want the scores added anyway.

Me:  I'm afraid I'm not going to do that for you.  They are qualified as G/T.

Parent:  We know she qualified, but we want to tell people that she qualified with a higher score.

Parent:  I would like to know if my child was selected for any magnet programs for next year.

Me:  To what programs did you apply?

​Parent:  I had to apply?

Parent:  I would like to file an appeal.

Me:  What, exactly, would you like to appeal?

Parent:  My child's matrix states they are not qualified as G/T.  I disagree.

Me:  Did you find a mistake with the scores on the matrix?

Parent:  No.

Me:  Do you have new scores to present?

Parent:  No.

Me:  Then I'm very sorry, but there is nothing to appeal.

Parent:  My child was just accepted at <names prestigious private school> and I want to know if they were accepted at your school also.

Me:  Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that.  Notifications go out on March X.

Parent:  If they were accepted to your school, we will turn down the private school, but if they were not placed at your school, we definitely want to accept the private school spot.

Me:  I understand.  You will find out in two weeks, on March X.

Parent:  The private school requires a deposit - which is due next week.

Me:  I am very sorry, I am not able to tell you anything before March X.

Parent:  Then I guess we will just accept the private school.

Me:  Okay.

Parent:  You are losing out on a fantastic student!

Me:  I am sure we are.  Best wishes.

A significant number of private schools in the city requires parents put down money before our Notifications go out on March X.  This leads me to believe the timing is intentional, to place parents in the position of (maybe) having to choose.  While I feel bad, I still am not allowed to give out any information before Notifications are released by the Magnet Office.

Of the 10,000+ individuals that applied for a G/T Magnet spot this year, approximately 8,000 of them have been identified as either qualified or not qualified.  G/T Coordinators are still working to push the last 2,000 through Admissions.  Some of those 2,000 files have been completed, and are waiting on the G/T coordinator.  Some of those 2,000 files are somewhere in the Admissions process (on campus being written, on the table being signed, in a box awaiting the next step, and so forth).  And, inevitably, there is a parent who wants to have this conversation with me:

Parent:  I would like to know if my child was identified as G/T.

Me:  (looking at all the files on all the tables)  I have no idea.

Parent:  What do you mean?

Me:  (looking files piled high on the tables, and the boxes of files stacked next to the tables that have yet to be started)  I mean I have no idea.  You will find out on March X.

New Coordinator:  I keep trying to make a list of who I've accepted, but it keeps changing!

Me:  You're a little early for that.

New Coordinator:  How long should I wait?

Me:  To have an accurate list?

New Coordinator:  Yes.

Me:  After the magnet transfer deadline in August.

One of the hardest things for new coordinators to wrap their heads around is that the lottery lists are ever-evolving.  

This morning, I "pulled" 30 kids off of my waitlists for various grades.  My "pull" caused some kids to drop off of other program's accept lists.  Those programs will now have space available and, sooner or later, they will "pull" kids from their waitlists to fill those spaces.  That action will cause some kids to drop off of other program's lists (including mine!).  This domino effect of "pulls" will continue as long as any magnet program has space available.

In general, there is a ton of movement that the parents never see before Notification (which is what is happening right now).  After Notification, there will be some movement on the lists as parents make a decision about their magnet option.  The pace and number of movement slows down significantly after May.  There may be a short burst in August as schools work to fill spaces before the magnet transfer deadline, but *most* parents should know by June where their child is going to school in August.

Parent:  How can I ensure my child is selected for your program?

Me:  You can't.

Parent:  How are students selected for your program?

Me:  They apply, qualify as G/T, and are selected in the lottery.

Parent:  How can I ensure my child is selected in the lottery?

Me:  You can't.

Parent:  What is your job exactly?

Me:  Officially, my title is Magnet Coordinator.  But if you are asking what I do, the short answer is that I do everything necessary to to make Admissions happen on this campus.  After students are enrolled here, I work to ensure they are given every opportunity to succeed and thrive at this school.  And buses.  I also do buses.

Parent:  And you cannot ... influence ... a particular outcome of the lottery?

Me:  Very no.  The lottery is completely random.

Parent:  So what is your part of the lottery?

Me:  I get the applicant files ready for the lottery by marking students as either qualified or not qualified for my program.

Parent:  That's it?  Nothing else?  You don't "flag" a student as being exceptional to get priority or select certain students to be selected in the lottery?

Me:  Not even a little bit.

Parent:  So how do students get into your school?

Me:  The apply, qualify as G/T, and are selected in the lottery.

I know it is difficult for parents to believe this, but there is absolutely no way to "influence" the lottery.  I've heard parents brag to others about getting in because they know someone or did something, but, at least in my school district, that isn't even a remote possibility for students that apply for a Magnet transfer, because the lottery selects qualified applicants completely at random.

Parent:  How many classes do you have of each grade level?

Me:  Kinder through fourth grade, we have three.  Each class has 22 kids.  66 total per class -
 
:: parent whips out a notebook ::
 
Parent:  According to my count, your current Kindergarten has 25 girls and 41 boys.
 
Me:  Okay.
 
Parent:  And your first grade has 36 girls and 30 boys.
 
Me:  Okay.
 
Parent:  And your second grade has 27 girls and 39 boys.
 
Me:  Okay?
 
Parent:  And your third grade has 43 girls and 23 boys.
 
Me:  I’m not sure I understand your point.
 
Parent:  I want to know why the numbers of boys and girls are not more even.
 
Me:  Because the lottery is random.  All qualified students have equal chance of getting selected.
 
Parent:  There is nothing in the algorithm that accounts for gender?
 
Me:  Nope.
 
Parent:  What about race, ethnicity, or matrix score?
 
Me:  Not even a little bit.  All qualified applicants are treated equally in the system.
 
Parent:  So, how are student’s selected?
 
Me:  Randomly.

Every year there are tons of misconceptions surrounding "The Lottery."  Here are a few "behind-the-curtain" truths:

1.  "The Lottery" is actually several lotteries run at different times and over different days.  (It is still referred to in singular form because the lotteries are all interdependent upon each other).  

2.  The results of the lotteries are as random as the algorithm can make it. 

3. Other than coding a student as either qualified or not qualified, Magnet Coordinators have zero influence on the results of the lotteries.

4.  Even after the lotteries have been run, the lottery list for every school will continue to morph and evolve as the G/T and Fine Arts coordinators finalize who does and does not qualify for their programs.

5.  Because I'm human, there are always a few kids for whom I pay great attention in regard to their lottery results.

6.  If you have submitted your application (on time), if you have turned in any documents requested, if you have attended any auditions or testing - if you have done all those things, the lottery is going to run and it will be whatever it is, and the only thing you can really do is wait for Notifications.