Helping parents navigate their K-12 public school choices in Los Angeles, including neighborhood schools, magnets, charters, dual language programs, gifted options, permitting and more.
You’ve been asking, and I heard you. Introducing a fresh new GoMamaGuide Webinar series just in time for fall admissions season.
I’d like to think I’ve got you covered with all of these. There are TWO dates coming right up THIS WEEK for my most popular topic, Kinder 101: Know Your Public School Options. This is the talk I’ve been giving to LA parents for over a decade. I’ve scheduled one for this Wednesday at noon, and the other one for this Thursday at 7p. But if you can’t make either date, no worries, a pre-paid ticket will get you the replay for a full 7 days afterward, so you can watch or review at your leisure.
[Each image links to its corresponding registration page, so click on the one you want.]
And if you’ve mastered elementary school admissions, but are already starting to panic about your Middle School options, this one’s for you. Middle School Madness. I’ll walk you through the process because it’s never too early to work on your long-range strategy.
Gearing up for the upcoming eChoices application in October, I’ll be leading my thoroughly informative Mastering Magnets webinar, where we go through that weighted points system step-by-step and break it all down, so even YOU can understand how to do it.
Rounding up the series this month is the webinar on Understanding Gifted Options, and how to navigate that world. Yes, even for Kindergarteners. We’ll break down those acronyms…LAUSD LOVES their acronyms!
As with all of these webinars, there’ll be a live Q&A during the event, or you can email me your related questions in advance. Watch from the comfort of your own home or office, and check out the replay* for a full 7 days afterwards at your convenience. I love the no driving, no parking, no need to coordinate childcare factor with these webinars. Makes it super easy for both of us!
To register for a webinar, just click on the corresponding image.
A pre-paid ticket* gets you the replay for a full 7 days afterward. *(Replay only available to pre-paid ticket holders. Tickets not available once the webinar starts.)
Oh, and for those of you who are asking, I am currently working on the latest up-to-date edition of “The GoMamaGuide to LAUSD” guidebook. Stay tuned for a fall release date announced soon and thanks for your patience.
Hope to see you on one of these events! As always, if you find you need immediate assistance, we can always set up a phone or in-home consultation.
The GoMamaGuide “Lunch & Learn” Webinar Series has officially launched and I want to thank everyone who has participated so far! I am loving the no-driving part, seriously. Brilliant.
Since it’s eChoices season and several of you weren’t able to jump on those first few webinars, I’ve added two more that will directly help you with your eChoices application.
An additional Mastering Magnets webinar is scheduled for this Thursday, October 11…
And since SAS joins Gifted Magnets as part of the eChoices app this year, you might want to also check out Understanding Gifted Options next Tuesday, October 16 where we cover all your GIFTED worries, and break down the goods on SAS, GATE, and that string of acronyms: GHA, HG, HGA, IHP.
All Webinars start at 12p and run 60 mins. But if you can’t make it live, don’t sweat it, as long as you sign up BEFORE the start of the webcast, you’ll get the replay for another 7 days afterward. To sign up, just CLICK ON THE PICTURE (above) of the event you’d like to attend. If you have related questions you’d like me to cover, you can email them to me in advance, or use the live interactive Q&A feature during the webinar. Learning has never been so easy, informative, and focused on just what you need to hear. It’s like we’re together, but without all the LA hassle.
So grab a snack and your burning school questions, and join me for aLunch & Learn Webinar. Book your spot today!
If you are considering applying to an SAS or Schools For Advanced Studies(gifted) program for next year, LAUSD has moved the application deadline from March (when it had previously been due), to the newly revamped Oct/Nov eChoices application.
That means SAS apps are DUE by Friday, November 9, 2018 by 5p.
FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS EARLIER THAN LAST YEAR!
Yep.
This is causing a slight last-minute panic, both for SAS schools AND parents, however I have gathered everything you will need to get this done on time.
Here are the bullet points:
• You will have up to 3 choices for SAS on the eChoices application, so choose and sequence them wisely. You will have a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice, so think about which SAS school you want the most, and also consider which one is most likely to have space as residents will have priority enrollment in the school before SAS applicants.
• You only have the potential to draw one SAS offer from the eChoices lottery, however you could also apply and get drawn for a Magnet AND a Dual Language Program AND an Admissions Criteria School (new category) as well. In fact, you could ostensibly win all 5 program categories on the eChoices application. Then you will have to make a choice between programs.
• So to recap, if you want to apply to some SAS programs, you will do it in Oct/Nov on the online eChoices application while you’re also applying for Magnets, Dual Language Programs, an Admission Criteria School, and also Permits With Transportation (if your school is a sending school.)
• If the SAS program you are interested in is also an Affiliated Converted Charter School, you cannot use this process. You must apply directly through the school’s onsite non-resident lottery. At a later date. Set by each school. (Valley, Palisades peeps, we’re mainly talking about you here!)
• There are NO POINTS for any program EXCEPT the Magnet program. (That’s a relief!)
• Additionally, in order to apply to an SAS program, your child must meet the GIFTED eligibility threshold and submit the necessary paperwork by the Nov 9th deadline.
• There are multiple ways to meeteligibility, however probably the easiest method is to have your child’s Teacher and Principal or Director fill out the Verification of Eligibility Form, especially if your child is coming from preschool, private school, a charter, or another non-LAUSD program.
• In addition, for incoming Kindergarten SAS applicants, you will also need your child’s current Teacher and/or Director to fill out and sign the SAS Kindergarten Readiness Checklist Form.
To repeat, you’ll need BOTH these forms (linked below) filled out and signed:
Send the signed completed forms either by mail or deliver in person BEFORE the Friday, November 9, 2018 5p deadline:
U.S. Mail: Unified Enrollment P.O. Box 513307
Los Angeles,CA90051
or Hand Deliver:
L.A. Unified Headquarters/Unified Enrollment
25th Floor Reception Desk
333 South Beaudry Ave
Los Angeles, CA90017
Don’t you love a good paperwork scramble? Yeah. I thought so.
• If your child is already enrolled in an LAUSD school and has already been identified as GATE, the District will automatically check the student’s eligibility through the school’s records so in that case you won’t need to submit these forms.
SAS-eChoices Commentary: (Warning! Tanya’s getting on her soapbox. Hey, my blog, my soapbox!)
I’ve been calling around to various SAS schools for the past week to gather as much intel as possible ahead of this October 1st eChoices/SAS launch, and I can tell you after speaking with more than half a dozen SAS school office personnel, they are just as “in the dark” about these new application changes as “we the people” are. One Office Manager from a prominent SAS program asked me to call her back once I found out what the new policy was! Really? So instead of the SAS School being the source of intel, the parent has to be? Really? Another SLC Coordinator from an equally high profile SAS school in another part of town echoed similar sentiments. She just kind of sighed and resolved herself that this year “we’ll just figure it out as we go.”
Oh great. Tell that to the parents who were not informed of the changes, who will show up in March and have completely missed the SAS deadline.
Well yes, there’s a late application starting in February, but your child will then be placed at the bottom of the already sequenced waitlist. Result? Well…you do the math.
True to LAUSD form, this notion of consolidating a number of program applications onto a “common app” and moving the deadline a good 4.5 months earlier than usual should have been rolled out and announced widely monthsbefore we all found ourselves at the start of the application cycle. However that simply was not the case. It appears that some SAS schools are literally just now finding out about these new changes right at the same time you are, creating unnecessary stress and confusion in what could have been a smoother, more inclusive rollout. Or maybe the Principal or Magnet Coordinator knew about it, but the office staff fielding parent phone calls had no idea at all. I guarantee there will be disappointed parents who “didn’t get the memo” (since as far as I can tell there wasn’t one) who will bring their paper SAS apps to the schools in March just like in previous years, only to find they will now be placed hopelessly far down the waitlist and have little chance of enrollment. Because. No. Notice.
And shall I continue?
You know what’s great about producing a list of all 288 SAS programs all cutely colored and listed in alphabetical order?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing is great about that. Except for, um, at least there’s a list.
You’ve got elementaries along with middles and high schools, all mashed together in one long alphabetical list of schools that span over 720 square miles across this vast behemoth of a city. Clearly no one on the “eChoices Common App Graphics and Strategic Planning Team” has ever ACTUALLY had to find a school for their kid within a reasonable commuting distance from where they live.
Ok LAUSD. Let me break it down for you.
For a parent seeking a school for their children, this is absolutely not helpful. I mean, if my 2nd grader needs an SAS program and I live in Van Nuys, why the heck do I want to wade through a 3-column multi-page list of hundreds of schools I’ve never heard of, mixing San Pedro schools with Silver Lake schools with schools in Cheviot Hills and KTown? And how the heck am I going to know the difference if I’ve never even heard of these schools to begin with? It doesn’t work, folks.
I feel like that scene in Spinal Tap, where Nigels’s backstage playing with his “mini” baloney sandwich….
“I’ve been working with this now for about half an hour… I can’t figure out….”
So in conclusion, parents, here is your memo.
The SAS application is now going to be part of the eChoices application which means it, and all the necessary supporting eligibility documentation, will be due by Friday, November 9th before 5p. Do this at the same time you are applying for Magnets, and Dual Language Immersions, and that other new category, ACS, and Permits with Transportation if you qualify for those.
Should you find you need assistance with this or any of your K-12 Los Angeles public school choices, please know I am available for phone and in-home consultations, and I would be more than happy to work with you to come up with your very own personalized public school plan based on your specific needs and what makes sense for your family.
Hey folks, heads up! They moved the SAS date up a month!
If your child qualifies, NOW is the time (March 1-30, 2017) to apply for LAUSD’s Schools For Advanced Studies (SAS) programs for next fall. The deadline to apply for the 2017-18 school year is March 30, 2017. Acceptance notifications come out April 21st.
In order to apply to an SAS school, students must meet specific eligibility requirements, either by being identified as Gifted and Talented (GATE), verified by their teacher and principal, or by meeting specific testing thresholds.
What is an SAS school? It is a specialized program for qualified students that (hopefully and depending on the strength of the program and staff) delves deeper into course material at an accelerated pace. From the LAUSD website: “Gifted/Talented Programs creates high end learning opportunities which allow students to flourish in stimulating academic and social environments. In designing challenging educational opportunities, we strive to raise the floor, remove the walls and eliminate the ceiling on learning.”
If your gifted child is wait listed at their magnet choice and you haven’t yet heard if they got into that charter school, the possibility of an SAS program can be another school option to consider. You can apply to more than one SAS program, you apply directly at your desired SAS school site, and the school will determine which applicants get accepted or not by the end of the application period. Some schools handle applications on a first-come first-served basis, and most schools base student acceptance on a more selective criteria which might include a student interview plus review of work samples, cumulative grades, teacher recommendations and SBAC test results.
*Note: For middle and high school, they will look at your child’s grades going back 2-3 years, making your child’s grades and test scores from 3rd, 4th and the 1st semester of 5th grade particularly important when applying for middle school, and 6-8th grade outcomes critical for high school applications.
The 2016-17 Magnet Application Highlights
by Tanya Anton | GoMamamGuide.com
Hey LAUSD Residents: With just under three weeks left, it’s time to get your Magnet applications in!
What’s a Magnet?
Magnet programs are court-ordered voluntary integration programs that provide a diverse, enriched, theme-based educational environment for lucky lottery winners. With 210 magnet programs throughout LAUSD, there are lots of specialized school opportunities to apply to, with transportation provided if you qualify.
Additionally, since it’s based on a weighted lottery system, there are those confounded POINTS! If you’ve picked up one of my guidebooks or attended one of my talks, you should be well-versed in the ins and outs of magnet point collection and selection strategy: How to get in. How NOT to get in. How to maximize your options for future years.
In any case, between Oct 1st and Friday, November 13th, 2015 BEFORE 5p, LAUSD residents can apply online to the Magnet programs of their choosing for the following year. Visit echoices.lausd.net to apply. It’s paperless. It’s easy. And it’s free.
The Basics:
– Must be an LAUSD resident to be eligible. Falsified applications will be disqualified and removed from the program.
– No longer accepting late applications. But you can amend your online app up until the Nov 13th 5pm deadline.
– First round of Notification letters will go out by the end of March and will be sent via email if applied online. After that, additional admissions opportunities will be offered in the order of the wait list until all seats are full.
– If you “Don’t Answer” the call/email it’s still considered a pass – and you lose all accumulated wait list points.
– Students MAY be contacted with an opening up until the 4th week of school.(This DOES happen. The late notification.) Waitlist points will finalize after the 4th week of school if you haven’t gotten an offer.
So, let’s get those Magnet apps in!
The Highlights:
– You can select UP TO 3 MAGNET Choices on the application. Points will only attach to your 1st choice.(Optional 2nd and 3rd choices will be entered with 0 points.) If you aren’t selected in any of your choices during the initial automated lottery, you are placed back on the waitlist of only your 1st choice.
– You are not required to select 3 choices. If accepted to ANY magnet program at any point and turn it down, you will lose ALL accumulated waitlist points.
– Only submit ONE application per child. (Check with other parent to make sure you didn’t both apply.) Must be applying for the correct and appropriate grade for 2016. State Law governs age eligibility: 5 by Sept 1st for Kinder, 6 by Sept 1st for 1st Grade.
– You may change your selection(s) every year. The points follow the child.
– Student info (address, telephone, grade) MUST MATCH info at child’s current LAUSD school. Any changes of address must be made at your child’s LAUSD school of attendance before the application deadline to be considered for the assignment of priority points. It’s the Parents’/Guardians’ responsibility to verify student info.
– Twins are treated as individuals and require separate apps. There is a space to enter sibling info on each app. If only one gets in, sibling points will apply the following year.
– If currently attending a Magnet and wish to stay there…DO NOTHING! If you apply elsewhere and are selected into another magnet, you will be unceremoniously dropped from your current magnet program and auto-enrolled in the new one. (This has happened to folks trying to collect points while attending a magnet program. No! That’s what Matriculation points are for.)
If this seems overwhelming or you want to discuss strategy or how the points work, please contact me for a consultation. Or sign up for one of my upcoming Magnet Webinars HERE. I’m happy to help. Magnets are just one of many public school options.
– Tanya Anton | gomama@mac.com
If your child qualifies, NOW is the time (April 1-30th) to get those Schools For Advanced Studies, (SAS) applications in. The deadline to apply for the 2014-15 school year is April 30, 2014.
Acceptance notifications come out in early May. In order to apply to an SAS school, students must meet specific eligibility requirements, either by being identified as Gifted and Talented (GATE), verified by their teacher and principal, or by meeting specific testing thresholds.
What is an SAS school? It is a specialized program for qualified students that (hopefully and depending on the strength of the program and staff) delves deeper into course material at an accelerated pace. From the LAUSD website: “Gifted/Talented Programs creates high end learning opportunities which allow students to flourish in stimulating academic and social environments. In designing challenging educational opportunities, we strive to raise the floor, remove the walls and eliminate the ceiling on learning.”
If your gifted child is wait listed at their magnet choice and you haven’t yet heard if they got into that charter school, the possibility of an SAS program can be another school option to consider. You can apply to more than one SAS program, you apply directly at your desired SAS school site, and the school will determine which applicants get accepted or not by the end of the application period. Some schools handle applications on a first-come first-served basis, other schools base student acceptance on a more selective criteria which might include a student interview plus review of work samples, cumulative grades, teacher recommendations and test results.
*Note: For middle and high school, chances are excellent they will look at your child’s grades going back 2-3 years, making your child’s 3rd, 4th and 1st semester 5th grade grades particularly important when applying for middle school, and 6-8th grade grades critical for high school applications.
For more on SAS (Schools for Advanced Studies) programs, see: New LAUSD GATE website! achieve.lausd.net/gate
The site is LIVE. The 2014-15 Magnet/eChoices brochure is now available and the application window has officially opened. Apply online now!
Beginning today, Tuesday, October 1, 2013 through the deadline Friday, November 15, 2013 at 5p, LAUSD residents may apply to the Magnet Program or Permits With Transportation (PWT) program for next year.
– No longer accepting late applications. But you can make changes to your online app up until the final Nov 15 deadline. You’ve got 6 weeks to do this folks. Don’t be late. Do this now, get those apps in on time!
– NO NCLB PSC Program! No Option B Magnet/PSC Program Combo! Due to LAUSD’s NCLB waiver being approved by the US Dept of Ed in August 2013, the NCLB PSC option for students enrolled in PI (Program Improvement) schools is no longer available and will be phased out for current PSC students. (Don’t know what I’m talking about? Don’t worry. It’s not available anymore.)
– Notification letters will go out by the end of March and will be sent via email if applied online.
– Students MAY be contacted with an opening up until the 4th week of school. (This DOES happen. The late notification. It happened to us this year.) Waitlist points will finalize after then. *Students may also be called during the first 2 weeks of the spring semester. (I don’t personally know anyone who got this call, but beware, it’s in the fine print.)
The Basic Highlights: (Covered in much more detail in my Guidebooks)
– Must be an LAUSD resident to be eligible. Falsified applications will be disqualified and removed from the program.
– Can select UP TO 3 MAGNET Choices. Points will only attach to your 1st choice. 2nd and 3rd choices will be entered with 0 points. If you aren’t selected in any of your choices during the initial automated lottery, you are placed back on the waitlist of your 1st choice.
– You are not required to select 3 choices. If accepted to ANY magnet program at any point and turn it down, you will lose ALL accumulated waitlist points.
– Only submit ONE application per child. (Check with other parent to make sure you didn’t both apply.) Must be applying for the correct grade for 2014. State Law governs age eligibility: 5 by Sept 1st for K, 6 by Sept 1st for 1st.
– Student info (address, telephone, grade) MUST MATCH info at child’s current LAUSD school. (Think robo-call info.) It is the parent’s responsibility to complete the application correctly or it will be rejected.
– Twins are treated as individuals with separate apps. There is a space to enter sibling info on each app. If only one gets in, sibling points will apply the following year.
– If currently attending a Magnet and wish to stay there…DO NOTHING! If you apply elsewhere and are selected into another magnet, you will be dropped from your current magnet program. (This has happened to people I know trying to collect points while attending a magnet program. No, No, NO! That’s what Matriculation points are for.)
– If NOT currently in a Magnet and would like to be for next year, apply now. Apply every year until you get in. Waitlist points only go back 3 consecutive years.
– To find more detailed info about each Magnet program, click on the 7 digit school code. To find out which Magnet programs are near you, use my School Finder maps.
If this seems overwhelming or you want to discuss strategy, please contact me for a consultation. I’m happy to help. Magnets are just one of many public school options.
– Tanya Anton | gomama@mac.com
If your child qualifies, NOW is the time to get those SAS applications in. (SAS stands for Schools For Advanced Studies.) The deadline to apply to an SAS school is Tuesday, April 30th for the 2013-14 school year. Acceptance notifications will come out May 6-10th.
In order to apply to an SAS school, students must meet eligibility requirements, either by being identified as GATE (Gifted and Talented), verified by their teacher and principal, or by meeting specific testing thresholds.
If your child is wait listed at their magnet choice and you haven’t yet heard if they got into that charter school, SAS programs (if they qualify) can be another school option to consider. You may apply to more than one SAS program, you apply directly at the school site, and the school will determine which applicants get accepted or not at the end of the application period. Sometimes its handled on a first-come first served basis, other schools base student enrollment on a more selective criteria and student review.
For more on SAS (Schools for Advanced Studies) programs, including eligibility requirements and the list of school programs in each local area, see:
SAS, (which stands for Schools For Advanced Studies), will open their application window April 1-April 30th for the 2013-14 school year. Acceptance notifications will come out May 6-10th.
In order to apply to an SAS school, students must meet eligibility requirements, either by being identified as GATE (Gifted and Talented), verified by their teacher and principal, or by meeting specific testing thresholds.
For more on SAS (Schools for Advanced Studies) programs, including eligibility requirements and the list of school programs in each local area, see:
It also helps to tour specific programs, as each SAS program varies significantly from school to school depending on who runs it, how they run it, and how many students they have in the program.
**Also, since April 1st is Cesar Chavez Day and technically a holiday, SAS apps will actually be accepted beginning April 2nd, not April 1st.
Between now and December 16th, getting in that Magnet application choice is on many of our minds…
Which Magnet should I choose, how many points do I have, how many points gets you in, what’s the best way to bank points, what are my odds, am I trying to get in, am I trying to NOT get in, what if I do get in, what if I don’t get in, what if… So. Much. Angst!!!
Take a deep breath and trust you’ll get through this. The Magnet lottery is the first in a series of public school options one can apply to with its application window opening November 1st for the following fall. (Charter and other applications typically become available after the new year.) The hard part is you only get to choose ONE magnet school to apply to, and after that, there’s nothing you can do but sit back and wait to see how you did.
New for 2012 – The Choices Highlight Reel
The Magnet/Choices applications are (finally) online! Some old-school paper applications were sent to local schools and some public libraries, however most parents are encouraged to apply online. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s paperless! And did I mention that it’s online?!
Deadline to get that application in is Friday, December 16, 5pm. After that, most LAUSD schools will close for a 3-week Winter Break.
Magnet tours are happening now folks, so get out there and tour!
Your child must be 5 by November 1, 2012 to enter Kindergarten in Fall 2012.
Remember, LAUSD’s Fall 2012 school calendar will now start on August 14, 2012.
Overcrowded points are becoming virtually extinct. Only 2 schools (Del Olmo EL and Cahuenga EL) will remain on a concept 6 (3 track) calendar by 2012, making those students the only ones eligible for the additional 4 Overcrowded points. For everyone else, it means the most points we could possibly accumulate is: 12 Waitlist or 12 Matriculation + 4 Phbao + 3 Sibling = 19 points max. A more even playing field.
According to the new brochure, “students may be contacted regarding an opening up through the first month of school.” (Used to be the first 10 days of school.)
Any LAUSD resident can apply to a regular Magnet program but for Gifted/High Ability or Highly Gifted Magnet programs one must meet eligibility requirements either through being tested or identified prior to application deadline. If applying from a charter or private or pre-K school, the verification process can be found here. (It’s different than if currently attending an LAUSD school.)
Some Basics
Must be a resident of LAUSD.
You only get to choose ONE program (Magnet or NCLB PSC or PWT if eligible).
You only get to choose ONE Magnet school.
No early applications – apply in the winter before the fall of age-appropriate enrollment.
It’s a weighted lottery so the more points you have the better your chances are.
If you are offered a spot and turn it down you lose all your accumulated wait list points.
If you are currently attending a Magnet school, you don’t need to re-apply each year unless you are matriculating or wish to enter the lottery for another magnet school (from EL to MS, MS to HS, or to switch to another magnet program.)
It’s a random lottery so anything can happen.
For NCLB-PSC or Public School Choice – you must be currently enrolled in a PI school to take advantage of that program.
Transportation is available if you live outside a 2 mile radius from the magnet school’s attendance boundary for K-5, or 3 mile radius for grades 6-12.
Stumped on all this Magnet talk? Come to my last-minute seminar, Navigating The School System: Know Your Public Options, Sunday, December 11th at 5p in WLA and we’ll go over all this and more.
— Want to use this article? You can as long as long as you include this complete blurb with it:
Tanya Anton is the creator of GoMamaGuide.com helping parents demystify and navigate their public school options in Los Angeles. To read more articles by Tanya or to learn about her Guidebooks, House Chats, Consultations, and popular Seminars, visit GoMamaGuide.com or email us at GoMama@mac.com.
Heads Up Everyone.
SAS-eChoices Commentary:
GoMamaGuide 