• Why is the District changing the current student assignment plan?
• How does the District assign students today?
• How will student assignment work under the new plan?
• Why is this approach to student assignment better than the old plan?
• Will the new student assignment plan be implemented all at once or in phases?
• Will all students be able to attend their attendance area schools immediately?
• How is the plan affected by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding high school assignment?
  

Why is the District changing the current student assignment plan?

There are several reasons:

• The current Open Enrollment application process is cumbersome, requiring families to choose among multiple schools, rank their choices, fill out forms, and wait to see where their children will attend.
  
• This process also puts some families at a disadvantage, since those who apply during the Open Enrollment period have priority over those who apply at other times or move into or within the District after the enrollment period closes.
• Most of the reference areas used to make student assignments have not been updated in decades. As a result, they do not reflect demographic and population shifts that would make the most of District facilities and better serve families with school-aged children.
• High transportation costs use resources that could better be spent on educating children.
• Finally, processing thousands of applications and applying the many exceptions that make up the current plan is a massive logistical and administrative undertaking, as well as a costly one.

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How does the District assign students today?

Families can apply for a seat at any District school; however, families are not guaranteed a seat at any school. Those who apply during the annual Open Enrollment period receive a higher priority than those who apply at other times or who move into the District after the Open Enrollment period closes.

If students are currently enrolled and families do not wish to seek a new assignment for them, they do not need to apply again. Otherwise, during the Open Enrollment period, families fill out a form, ranking schools in order of preference. Using a series of tiebreakers, applicants are assigned to schools based on the number of seats available at each school. Students who apply after the Open Enrollment period are assigned on a space-available basis.

The following steps are part of the current assignment process for the students we serve in advanced learning, bilingual, or special education programs.

In the area of advanced learning, there are three available programs: Spectrum, the Accelerated Progress Program (APP) and the Advanced Learning Opportunities (ALO) program.
The Spectrum program requires that a student demonstrate specific cognitive abilities through a District testing process. Students may apply for assignment to any school that offers the Spectrum program.

The APP also requires that a student demonstrate specific cognitive abilities through a District testing process. Currently enrolled fifth- and eighth-grade APP students do not have to submit an application when advancing to the next grade; they are assigned automatically to the regional APP site that serves their residence address. Eligible students in other grades who apply during the Open Enrollment period are admitted into the program and assigned to their regional APP sites.

The ALO program serves students identified as academically highly gifted, academically gifted, and/or identified as advanced learners. Students do not need to be found eligible through a District testing process to participate in an ALO program. To participate, students enroll as general education students at sites offering an ALO program.

In the area of bilingual services, we provide language support for English Language Learners (ELL) at many schools around the District.

In the area of special education, we provide a continuum of services to meet the needs of students who are eligible for special education services. For more information about special education at Seattle Public Schools, please visit the portion of our Web site devoted to those services at: http://www.seattleschools.org/area/speced/index.dxml.

How will student assignment work under the new plan?

When fully implemented, students will have an initial assignment at an elementary, middle, or high school in their area based on new attendance area boundaries. Families can then choose to pursue an assignment at an option school, or another attendance area school, if they wish.

Why is this approach to student assignment better than the old plan?

The new student assignment plan is equitable, predictable, and easy for families to understand—as well as more feasible and cost-effective to implement.

The assignment plan also reflects the interdependencies among capacity management, construction planning, and student enrollment. The development of attendance area boundaries is directly linked to availability of appropriate facilities that are located where students live now, and where enrollment changes are expected in the future. The boundary planning process for student assignment will reflect where additional capacity will be needed, for what grade levels, and when. This information, in turn, will inform the District’s capital spending recommendations, including those related to school construction.

Will the new student assignment plan be implemented all at once or in phases?

After the Board’s adoption of new attendance area boundaries, we will develop a transition plan to carry forward the new student assignment plan in a phased manner.

Will all students be able to attend their attendance area schools immediately?

To provide predictability for families, the District will phase in the new student assignment plan beginning with grades K, 6, and 9 in the 2010-11 school year. These entry grade students will be assigned to their attendance area schools (or to another school through Open Choice). During this transition period, the District cannot guarantee that non-entry grade students will be able to attend their attendance area schools.

How is the plan affected by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding high school assignment?

In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that there is a compelling interest in creating diverse student populations and that students and society at large benefit from integrated public schools. The Court ruled that there are limits to what a district can do to voluntarily pursue racially integrated schools. After the second year of high school assignments under this plan, the Superintendent will report to the School Board and the public on high school enrollment demographics. Based on that analysis, a determination will be made as to whether an economic diversity tiebreaker should be instituted in a subsequent year.

Comments or questions on the New Student Assignment Plan - Background and History?

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