LAUSD abruptly ends new admissions policy for gifted students

A mom and daughter stand in front of Walter Reed Middle School.

Nov. 11, 2024 6:05 PM PT

L.A. Unified is reversing a controversial decision to relax the admissions requirements for some of its most rigorous academic programs after furious debate over how to ensure equitable access to all while maintaining the academic standards in the popular initiatives for highly gifted students.

Many parents — who lashed out at the district during a town hall meeting late last week — said administrators bungled the rollout of the new admissions policy, which was confusing, did not include their input, caught them by surprise and stirred deep concerns about the future direction of the popular honors programs.

In previous years, students applying to the Individualized Honors Program at Walter Reed Middle School in Studio City and Mark Twain Middle School in Venice submitted applications and teacher recommendations and were required to take an eligibility exam — all to show they were prepared for fast-paced studies well beyond their grade level.

For the 2025-26 school year, the district tried to do away with special applications, recommendations and placement exams. Instead, it was going to require just one academic criterion — that all applicants be gifted or working at a gifted level through a district designation process.

But in their abrupt about-face days before the Nov. 15 application deadline, district officials said on Sunday they were dropping most of the new admissions requirements, appearing to revert back to the more rigorous process for the upcoming school year.

L.A. Unified has “decided to retain most of its existing admissions processes for ... this admissions cycle while we continue to work with our communities to develop rigorous programs and processes that fit their individual needs and ensure fairness and equity,” a district spokesperson said in a statement to The Times.

Melissa Pope and her daughter smile in front of a Mark Twain portrait.

“Superintendent Carvalho and Los Angeles Unified District leadership are dedicated to not only supporting rigorous programs in our schools but also growing them within each region, while adhering to all legal requirements,” the statement said.

L.A. Unified did not disclose details of the amended policy or which of the previous admissions requirements it would retain and discard.

It was not known Monday how the change would be communicated to all interested parents. Parents are required to select their preferred school choices by Friday though the district’s Choices website; schools will then follow up with families regarding each program’s particular admissions criteria, a district spokesperson said Monday.

The decision follows weeks of parent anger and questions, culminating in a heated town hall meeting Thursday night at Walter Reed Middle School, during which parents of students enrolled in the prestigious programs contended district officials changed the admissions policies behind closed doors and without a compelling reason.

After hearing parents’ concerns at the meeting, school board member Scott Schmerelson, whose San Fernando Valley board district includes Reed Middle School, described the situation is “kind of embarrassing” and said the new process should be postponed a year. He took the issue up with Carvalho’s office Friday, according to a spokesperson.

“Making changes that impact students’ educational trajectories must always be done with transparency and care,” Schmerelson said in a statement Monday.

An L.A. Unified spokesperson previously said the planned changes were part of a years-long effort to centralize the application process for specialized academic programs on its Choices site, ensuring greater equity, visibility and access. The Individualized Honors Programs at Twain and Reed are among eight that have traditionally had their own application processes, and now fall under a new classification called Unique Education Pathways.

The district said the earlier announced changes were aimed at bringing admissions and enrollment policies into alignment with a 30-year-old state education code.

As of 1994, the statute requires student selection through a “random, unbiased process” when a school’s applications exceed enrollment. School districts may use entrance criteria for specialized schools or programs, state code says, “if the criteria are uniformly applied to all applicants.” Also, students who reside in the attendance area of a school should not be displaced by those transferring from outside the attendance area.

L.A. Unified School Board member Nick Melvoin, whose West Los Angeles district includes Twain, had also expressed concern, saying he was “disappointed” the district had not sought school board or community input.

“I understand that the intent may have been to provide more open access to these thriving schools, and that no changes have been proposed to the programs themselves,” Melvoin said in a statement Monday, “but I’m glad the district is hitting pause on these changes as administrators should take the time to carefully review the concerns and work with parents and the schools to ensure these programs’ future success.”

Gowri Ramachandran, who has a child in Reed’s IHP, advocated against the relaxing of the admissions requirements. When a Times reporter informed her Monday of the district’s change of heart, she said she was “pleased” the district had apparently heard and responded to stakeholders’ concerns during the town hall. But she said she is concerned about the district’s lackluster communication to families.

“I’m definitely concerned that there’s been no public statement communicating these changes ... or emails to parents communicating these changes,” especially with the impending enrollment deadline, she said. “I really hope that the district has really learned from the poor communication … that they need to really consult with stakeholders when they’re making changes to beloved, popular programs.”

Change ignited debate

In a district dogged by declining enrollment and chronic absenteeism and focused on overcoming pandemic academic setbacks, parents have viewed the accelerated programs as successful bright spots. Some were worried the earlier announced changes would degrade or fundamentally alter the programs — while others applauded the relaxed admissions criteria as a step toward making them more accessible.

Some parents who spoke with The Times said the entrance exam and other application requirements are essential for maintaining a challenging classroom environment. Students in IHP programs work one to three years above grade level in math and study advanced reading materials.

Melissa Pope has a 10th-grade child who graduated from Twain’s IHP and a seventh-grader currently enrolled. She said students of all abilities would have been affected by the district’s decision to relax admissions criteria.

“It’ll hurt students who could thrive in an environment like that” if rigor is diminished, she said. “It’ll hurt students who are put in that environment who now are going to possibly really struggle unnecessarily.”

Adam Felber recalls that his son was “literally bored to tears” in school until he enrolled in Reed’s IHP program and began learning three years of math curriculum in one year. His sixth-grade daughter is now in the program.

“The thing they lose sight of,” Felber said of the district, “is that gifted needs are special needs.”

But others said the admissions exam and additional application requirements are inherently unfair to students of color who face socioeconomic disadvantages.

Elaine Waldman, whose daughter is enrolled in Reed’s IHP, said the test is “elitist and exclusionary,” and hoped dropping it would improve the diversity of the program.

“You don’t have to be so hand-picking of the students who enter,” she said. “That is a way of keeping out the diversity of Los Angeles and keeping it a well-kept secret.”

The district refused to release information about the number of students enrolled in the two IHP programs and their demographic information. Both programs are housed on the campus of bigger middle schools.

School districts across the state and country have grappled with admissions criteria policies for honors and advanced programs. The San Francisco school district dropped the merit-based application process for an academically elite public school during the pandemic, with opponents of the process arguing it was racist against Black and brown students. The district has since returned to relying largely on test scores and grades, following high-profile controversy.

Focus on equity

Evelyn Alemán helps Latino and Indigenous immigrant families in the district advocate for high-quality education as founder of Our Voice: Communities for Quality Education. She said many Latino parents don’t know how to access the district’s special academic programs, or don’t think their children are eligible for them.

“Oftentimes, Latino parents just don’t have the information, don’t know how the process works,” she said. “They also may feel like their child may not be competent enough for the program, which creates a situation where our kids aren’t even given the chance to compete to get into the program.”

“Every child should have access to these programs,” Alemán said. “But is the district willing to continue that level of high-quality education and offer that to every child?”

Amid the wider conversation around admissions criteria, John Affeldt, a managing attorney at the nonprofit law firm Public Advocates who is focused on education equity, said school officials should be working hard to raise the level of education quality across districts, especially for students of color and low-income students.

He advocates for exposing all students to more challenging curriculum while providing additional support as needed, saying: “I think the student performance will surprise traditional expectations.”

Many parents said that to truly improve access to L.A. Unified’s special academic programs, the district should replicate them in neighborhoods across the city.

In the meantime, families are applying for specialized programs, even as the district changes the rules of the game.

Guilan Siassi, whose daughter is applying to a couple of programs for the upcoming school year, viewed the district’s decision as a cautious win in a potentially longer battle to maintain the integrity of the district’s most rigorous programs.

“It’s still an open question whether they really intend to actually engage with parents the right way,” she said.

This article is part of The Times’ equity reporting initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California’s economic divide.

LAUSD abruptly ends new admissions rules for gifted students amid parent fury over standards

Change ignited debate

Focus on equity

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