School Board Adopts Choice-Based Student Assignment Plan
Oct. 18, 2011 - The Wake County Board of Education today approved a new student assignment model that is driven by parental choice rather than school system control.
The vote means that families will be able to choose among schools close to their home address. Students in elementary and middle schools will advance together to middle and high schools. Families in areas where magnet seats have been set aside to reduce concentrations of poverty will have access to high-performing “regional choice” schools.
Currently-enrolled students are “grandfathered” at their schools, and may remain there with their current transportation if families are satisfied.
“I want to thank the student assignment task force and the board of education for their development and support of this family-friendly plan,” said Superintendent Tony Tata. “With this vote, our board has given parents the ability to choose the school their child will attend, while ensuring that students across Wake County have access to high-quality programs.”
Parents may choose among at least five proximate elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. All schools have aligned feeder patterns keeping students together through their school experience, unless parents wish to opt out of the feeder pattern and participate in the choice process.
Parents will receive their initial assignment notification -- confirming their current assignment or the next school in the feeder pattern -- the week of November 14.
WCPSS’s nationally-recognized magnet program remains unchanged, with the magnet choice application period beginning online on December 5. Other information about the student assignment plan and its timeline are available at assignment.wcpss.net.
“I am impressed and appreciative of the quality of the plan Superintendent Tata and the School Assignment Task Force brought to the Board tonight. It provides all of the things parents have been telling us they want and will ensure that all students in Wake County have their choice of options for a world class education,” said District 9 Board Member Debra Goldman.
“It now falls to us to ensure that families know the range of options available to them,” said Tata. “We are committed to ensuring that every school in Wake County supports strong student achievement for every child.”
The district will move ahead to implement the plan for the 2012-2013 calendar year. A detailed timeline and preliminary student assignment information based on this year’s school assignment will be provided to parents in mid-November. Parents will have the ability to access the choice lists available to their child at the district website: assignment.wcpss.net beginning the week of October 24. Additional information will be provided to parents as it becomes available.
-wcpss-