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Frequently Asked Questions -
Option Schools
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What schools are
designated as option schools?
Alternative School #1 (AS #1), Jane Addams,
Cleveland, Nova, Orca, Pathfinder, Salmon Bay, South Shore, The
Center School, Thornton Creek, and TOPS are designated as option schools in
the new plan.
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Are option schools
considered attendance area schools?
No. Option schools are
not considered attendance area
schools.
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Do option schools
have feeder patterns?
No. Option schools do
not have feeder
patterns.
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Do option
schools have attendance area boundaries?
No. What distinguishes option schools is that
their buildings are not tied to an attendance area. No one is
assigned to an option school unless they apply and are assigned
based on the approved tiebreakers.
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Will every service
area contain an option school?
Many service areas will
contain an option
school under this plan. If a service area does not contain an
option school, it will be linked with one that does.
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What are the
option schools to which I would be provided
transportation?
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Middle School Attendance
Area
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Option
School
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Aki Kurose
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South Shore
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Denny International
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Pathfinder
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Eckstein
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AS #1, Jane Adams, Thornton Creek
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Hamilton
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Salmon Bay
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Madison
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Pathfinder
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McClure
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Old Hay
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Mercer
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Orca
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Washington
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TOPS
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Whitman
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Salmon Bay
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How are students
assigned to option schools?
Assignment to an option school is by
application only and is based on set tiebreakers. For more
information about tiebreakers, please click here.
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Once a student is
assigned to an option school, do they need to
reapply?
No. Once assigned, a student may remain at that
option school
through the highest grade without having to reapply as long as the
services the student needs are available at that school.
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Can a student at a
K-8 option school move to their attendance area middle
school?
Grade 6-8 students at K-8 option schools also
have a designated attendance area middle school. If they wish to
attend that school instead of staying at their option school, they
may do so by applying within specified timelines and will be
assigned to the attendance area middle school. This process also
applies to those students attending K-8 attendance area
schools. This will be applicable for students in all grades
when the plan is fully implemented, but is not assured for
non-entry grade students during the transition period.
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If a student lives
within an option school’s geographic zone are they guaranteed
admission?
No. Living within the zone does not guarantee
assignment to a requested option
school.
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Are geographic
zones subject to Board approval?
Yes. The geographic zones will be approved by the
Board. Any future changes in geographic zones would also be
approved by the Board and publicized prior to the Open Enrollment
period.
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Will the Center
School remain open under this plan?
Yes. The Center School is considered an option school under
this plan.
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Will Cleveland
High School become an option school under this
plan?
The Board has designated Cleveland High School as
an option
school. It is anticipated that as an option school, Cleveland
will have a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) focus.
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Why is South
Shore designated as an option school under the proposed attendance
area boundaries?
What distinguishes option schools is that their
buildings are not tied to an attendance area. No one is assigned to
an option school unless they apply and are assigned based on the
approved tiebreakers.
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Will TOPS
continue to reserve a portion of its kindergarten seats for
students who live near the school?
No. However, option schools such as TOPS will
have geographic zones and geographic zone tiebreakers for
applicants who live within a defined area in proximity to the
school. Please note that living within a geographic zone does not
guarantee assignment to the requested option school.
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Why not make
all International and Montessori schools option schools to create
more equitable access?
Montessori and International programs are popular
programs with families. In some cases, they are housed in buildings
that provide capacity to house students in an attendance area
efficiently. To make all International and Montessori programs
option schools would remove available capacity from a neighborhood
and force the redrawing of boundaries to ensure the students there
all had attendance area assignments.
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What
transportation is available to option schools?
Please click here to learn
more about transportation to option
schools.
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What tiebreakers
apply to option schools?
Please click here to learn more
about tiebreakers and option
schools.
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How will an
option school’s geographic zone be
determined?
Various factors will be taken into consideration
in development of the geographic zones,
and each zone will be customized for the specific option school. As
with the development of attendance area boundaries, various factors
need to be balanced in establishing the geographic zones. Some
examples are provided below.
- In the case of a school with a walk zone
encompassing a proportionately small number of students (in
relationship to the school’s target enrollment), the walk
zone might be used as the geographic zone. On the other hand, if
the number of students living in an option school’s walk zone
would largely fill the school, the geographic zone would be
smaller.
- If a service area has limited or no excess
capacity, the geographic zone might be larger to accommodate more
of the students who live in the service area. This could contribute
to a more balanced enrollment among all of the schools in the
service area.
- In the case of enrollment shifts in certain
attendance or service areas, it might be possible to revise the
geographic zone and thereby prevent or delay the need to redraw
attendance area boundaries. This provides a tool to increase the
stability of the new attendance area boundaries.
- Geographic zones could also be used to improve
the diversity of a school’s population. For instance, if an
option school has a high poverty rate, a geographic zone might be
drawn to increase the likelihood of a more economically diverse
population being assigned to the school.
The geographic zones will be approved by the
School Board. Any future changes to the geographic zones would also
be approved by the Board and publicized prior to Open
Enrollment.
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When will the
District release the geographic zones for option
schools?
Geographic zones for option schools will be
determined as part of the transition plan.
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Why has the term
alternative been dropped in favor of
option?
Over time, the term alternative was
applied to many different types of schools—from those with
non-traditional grade spans to others that served students with
discipline and attendance difficulties. It has become unclear to
families what this term means. To be clearer, for the purposes of
the new student assignment plan, we created the term
option for schools that to which students must apply. The
new student assignment plan contains a complete list of option school
types. To download a copy of the plan (PDF), please click here.
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How and where
will families apply for an option school?
The process will remain as it is today: families
may apply for an option school
during the Open Enrollment period.
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Comments or questions on the New Student
Assignment Plan - Option Schools?
Last Updated:
October 30, 2009
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