what are boston exam schools

Dozens of students wrongfully got denied admission to an exam school or didnt get their top choice, while others incorrectly got admitted, because of errors that occurred when BPS converted a variety of grading systems from different schools into a common GPA measure for exam school decisions. He is Ben Hofmann, not Hoffman. A census tract is a small geographic area within a city. Several factors apply: Manufacturing delays have risen during the pandemic due to international supply chain issues, and, as a result, so have medication shortages. Students must be currently enrolled in 6th, 8th, or 9th grade to apply and reside in the City of Boston. What is Boston Latin School? However, this month BPS informed families about whether their children met the GPA eligibility criteria a B or better to be considered for admission. Boston's new exam school policy should dramatically boost diversity once fully implemented but questions remain about next fall By James Vaznis Globe Staff, Updated October 7, 2021, 6:50 . Parents/guardians of students who are not currently enrolled in Boston Public Schools are required to verify their City of Boston residency and submit their ranked school preferences as part of the application process. In addition to GPA and test scores, students may be eligible to receive additional points to their application. The updated 2022 exam school tiers relies on 2020 Boston census data which has 207 tracts. Education A golden ticket: Efforts to diversify Boston's elite high schools spur hope and outrage Exam schools loom large as symbols of opportunity and inequality in American public. All applicants are required to meet the minimum GPA of a B or higher in order to be considered for an invitation to a BPS exam school. Carrie Jung Senior Reporter, EducationCarrie is a senior education reporter. The tier with the lowest socioeconomic score will go first in each round. On July 2, 2021, Boston Public Schools named NWEA as the vendor to administer the admissions test for the three exam schools as one part of admissions criteria. Families may write in their preferences and return the form to the childs current school for processing. Boston exam schools and their admission standards are again the focus "I think its a perennial accompaniment of every mayors race that I can remember that people have claimed, candidates on both sides, that one of their number one priorities is the success of the Boston schools," he explained. However, if your child will be in 6th grade this fall (2019), its time to start preparing for a potential 7th grade option: one of Bostons exam schools. Evidence on New York City and Boston exam schools A. Students attending a school where 40% or more of the students enrolled come from economically disadvantaged families will receive ten points. BPS added 85% got their first choice, 11% to their second . Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, BPS created waitlists for the three exam schools. The student must complete both sections of the test in order to receive a score. Students will have two opportunities to take the MAP Growth: Spring 2023 and Fall 2023. Ninety percent of graduates at the city's exam schools Boston Latin Academy, Boston Latin School and the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science go to college, compared with 55 percent in the rest of the district, according to state data from 2019. It was very symbolic.". An earlier version of this article misstated the surname of a woman who offered comments about proposed admission changes to Boston's selective exam schools. Schools Boston exam schools and their admission standards are again the focus of controversy Black students make up 30.9 percent of district enrollment, but just 7.5 percent of students at Boston . Fairfax County, Va., faced a similar challenge. Policies and Procedures: Superintendent's Circulars, Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpEdPAC), Student Information System (SIS)/Family Portal, Classes, Workshops, Meetings & Events For BPS Families, Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline, Boston Educational Development Foundation, Opportunity and Achievements Gaps Task Force, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. BPS defines a marking period as any formal report card sent home in regards to a student's term grades. While the districts three exam schools dont get more city funding than other district schools, Kim believes that all the attention theyreceivecomes at the expense of other issues at BPS. The socioeconomic characteristics include five characteristics: (1) Percent of persons below poverty; (2) Percent of households occupied by the owner; (3) Percent of families headed by a single parent; (4) Percent of households where a language other than English is spoken; and (5) Educational attainment. Asian and white students have comprised an outsized majority of enrollment in city's prestigious exam schools, particularly at Boston Latin, compared to their overall presence in the city's public schools. Last year, those notifications got pushed to April while a lawsuit by a group of Asian and white parents moved through the federal court system. Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe, via Getty Images. When WBUR toured the building in 2019the district had recently announced plans to close the building at the end of the 2022 school year, citing major structural issues. While BPS acknowledges that its current notification timeline is different from the notification timeline in previous years under the old exam school policy, the anticipated time frame of late April/early May for notification of exam school invitations has been consistently communicated to families during our winter exam school information sessions. The lawyer for a group of parents suing the Boston Public School Committee over a change in the criteria for admission to the city's elite exam schools said the socioeconomic reasons the committee . Boston Public Schools announced this month it has tapped a major accounting firm, Ernst & Young, to validate calculations of grade point averages used for admission to Boston Latin School,. A proposal by Mayor Bill de Blasio to get rid of the entrance exams to the citys most elite schools, such as Stuyvesant High School, became extremely divisive, prompting accusations that he was discriminating against low-income Asian American children and pitting Asian families and Black and Latino families against one another. #1 Best Colleges in Boston Area.. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The data used are the most recent 5-year averages of the 5 characteristics outlined above published by data.census.gov. The exterior of Boston Latin. With the return of the testing requirement, the - The Boston Globe You will need your student ID number and your RSVP code. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. Collection of marks and school certification, Notification of eligibility for students meeting the B or greater GPA requirement. She quickly signs the word for "Dad" by spreading out her fingers and putting her thumb on her forehead. But Watanabe argues that Boston voters dont usually end up holding mayors accountable for the promises they make about schools. What test optional logically can do is move up outcomes for some people who were only more competitive outside of test scores, and therefore add new competitors for a given high test score group. The Tiep Map was temporarily disabled in October to conduct additional validation based on community feedback. Most district buildingslack air conditioning and 40% dont have a functioning library. The SES Tier Map will be updated for the 2024-25 admissions season in the winter of 2023. considered when assigning academic grades. Boston Public Schools' new admissions plan that changes the way its top exam schools will accept students this year is receiving a challenge in court from a parent group. The new admissions system for schools like Boston Latin School will still weigh test results and grades, but it will also introduce ways to select applicants who come from poor and disadvantaged neighborhoods. This algorithm, which is often referred to as a lottery, assigns a random number to applicants with identical composite scores, and that number serves as a tie-breaker when students are competing for the same seat.. Superintendents Exam Schools Admissions Criteria Working Group, Boston School Committee Exam Schools Admissions Task Force, Draft minutes (*subject to approval by the Task Force), Presentation: Exam Schools Task Force, June 28, 2021, Presentation: Exam Schools Task Force, June 24, 2021, Presentation: Exam Schools Admissions Task Force, June 4, 2021, Presentation: Exam Schools Admissions Task Force, June 1, 2021, Presentation: Exam School Task Force, May 28, 2021, Presentation: Exam Schools Admissions Task Force, May 25, 2021, Link to San Antonio Independent School District, Presentation:The Use of Tests in Selective School Admissions, Lorrie A. Shepard, University of Colorado Boulder, Presentation: Exam Schools Admisisons Task Force, May 21, 2021, Presentation: Exam Schools Task Force, May 18, 2021, Presentation: Exam School Admissions Update, May 14, 2021, Presentation: Exam Schools Admissions Task Force, May 11, 2021, Exam High School Admissions, Detroit, MI, April 27, 2021, Presentation:Other District Admissions Processes, Presentation:The Chicago Model for Selective High School Enrollment, Presentation: Bridging Collectives: A Summit on Selectivity, Integration, and Equity at Elite Public High Schools, Presentation:Use of Socioeconomic/Tier Criteria in Other District Admissions, Presentation:Admissions Recommendation Recap, Presentation: Selective School Admissions: Options for Diversity, Exam Schools Admissions Task Force Charge and Membership Motion, January 27, 2021, BPS Exam Schools Admissions Criteria PowerPoint, February 23, 2021, Blackboard Web Community Manager Privacy Policy (Updated), Co-Chair, Michael Contompasis, former Boston Latin School Head of School and former BPS Superintendent, Co-Chair, Tanisha Sullivan, President, NAACP Boston Branch and former BPS Chief Equity Officer, Pastor Samuel Acevedo, Co-Chair, Opportunity and Achievement Gaps Task Force, Acacia Aguirre, parent, John D. OBryant School of Math and Science, Simon Chernow, student, Boston Latin Academy, Matt Cregor, Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, Supreme Judicial Court, Tanya Freeman-Wisdom, Head of School, John D. OBryant School of Math and Science, Katherine Grassa, Principal, Curley K-8 School, Zoe Nagasawa, student, Boston Latin School, Rachel Skerritt, Head of School, Boston Latin School, Tamara Waite, parent, Philbrick Elementary School. "I think its wrong, the amount of time and effort and political capitol that is placed into an exam school," he says. 140. "Because you look at all of Boston Public Schools and realize that there are so many other schools, so many other students, that are not getting that type of advocacy.". The new admission process for Bostons exam schools is off to a rocky start, marked by last-minute recruitment of students and a potential two-month delay in admission decisions. ", John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. Both Ms. Oliver-Dvila and Ms. Rivera resigned, too. The most famous is the Boston Latin School. There are students who have known since kindergarten they will apply to exam schools but other highly qualified students, including many students of color and low income students, may not have heard about exam schools most of their lives.. Under this revised policy, admissions for the 2024-2025 school year will include an admissions test (MAP Growth assessment) and student GPA. Invitations will be distributed in 10 rounds with 10% of available seats in each tier per round. These are some of the top-rated public schools in Boston based on a variety of measures, including academic performance and equity. The updated school list will be published in the fall of 2023. Please contact your school directly to see if there are seats available. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. That, say plaintiffs in a Boston lawsuit, is exactly what the school district did in 2020 when it adopted a new system for admission to the city's three selective-entry exam schools - Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and the John O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, which enroll students in grades 7-12. Julia Mejia, a Latina city councilor, said students of color deserved the advantages of Bostons three selective exam schools. Parent Group Sues BPS to Block New Exam Schools Admissions Plan Elementary School, Dr. William W. Henderson K12 Inclusion School, Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, Blackboard Web Community Manager Privacy Policy (Updated). Invitations will be awarded through 10 assignment rounds with 10% of seats available in each tier. All three schools accept new students for grades 7 and 9. The students score on the NWEA MAP Growth assessment will account for 30% of their admissions score. The world has been open to me. The racial imbalance recalls the era of segregation before federal Judge W. Arthur Garrity Jr.'s controversial 1974 order to integrate city schools, busing black students to white schools and. In the end, the State Legislature, which had to approve the change, declined to take action. NWEAs Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth test measures student achievement in math, reading and language usage. James Vaznis can be reached at james.vaznis@globe.com. Why Is It Still So Hard to Get ADHD Medication? - Mother Jones Students living in housing owned by the Boston Housing Authority, in the care of the Department of Children and Families, or experiencing homelessness will receive an additional fifteen points. But others were in the mood to celebrate. Students will be placed in a seat based on their preference. BPS response: Theyre using an auditor to prevent incorrect admission decisions. Translated copies of the BPS Registration Document Checklist are available as follows: Espaol | | Kabuverdianu | | Franais | Kreyl| Portugus | Afsoomaali | ting Vit. Click here to view the list of schools that received the additional ten points for the previous admissions cycle (SY23-24). Students from low-income households had better luck getting into Boston's exam schools under a new admission policy that for the first time gave bonus points to economically-disadvantaged applicants, according to a school department analysis released Wednesday night. The assessment also includes several built-in accommodations for students with disabilities and English learners. Students will have two opportunities to take the MAP Growth test to apply to the BPS exam schools - Spring and Fall. July 12, 2021 21 Here's why Boston city councilors voted for and against the city budgets The Boston School Committee has raised the graduation standards for the Class of 2026 Following. Officials wouldnt say whether they received enough applicants, adding they would release the data later. All three schools accept new students for grades 7 and 9. 4 Year,. Late registrations will not be accepted. A Grade Point Average (GPA) of a B or higher is required to be considered for admissions. All applicants will receive a notification of eligibility in March 2024 to confirm if the student has met the minimum GPA requirement. CAMBRIDGE, MA,. On July 14, 2021, The Boston School Committee voted on a new exam school admission policy. City-wide census tracts are redrawn every 10 years. Wants to use one-time federal pandemic relief funding to decrease disparities in classroom resources, increase district mental health resources and invest in teacher professional development. Families of students not currently enrolled in BPS must also verify their residency in the City of Boston in the fall of 2023 at a BPS Welcome Center. "You become a part of an exclusive club and also a club that has many many benefits People who have attended Boston Latin sit in high places.". Natasha Singer . Interested students must take the ISEE and submit the exam schools on their list of preferences in January. On Oct. 18, Counter protesters stood across the street from a rally outside of Boston Latin School that called for Boston schools to keep the admission exam in place for entry into elite exam schools. It is no surprise that the change is occurring now, as Boston itself has changed. Residency verification and school rankings for students not currently attending BPS, MAP Fall Test - BPS students currently in grades 6 and 8. The tier with the lowest SES score (largest percentage of high need populations) will be considered first and the tier with the highest SES score (lowest percentage of high need populations) will be considered last in each round. Students must reside in the City of Boston. The contract also includes an important note: EY is not responsible or part of the decision making process to approve or decline a students application to the schools. Other Options: There are also many for pay options out there. An earlier version of this article misspelled the surname of a man who recently graduated from Boston Latin School. For decades, sixth graders across the city have crammed for an annual entrance exam, hoping to receive an invitation to Boston Latin School, the most selective of the three schools, which counts among its alumni four presidents of Harvard, four Massachusetts governors and five signers of the Declaration of Independence. Exam Schools Admissions Policy. Current BPS students in grades 5 and 7 will receive a School Choice Form from their current school in late December 2023/early January 2024. UMASS Boston political science professor Paul Watanabe said these promises tend to surface every election. Each tier will be allocated approximately the same number of seats. Building upon the work initiated by the Superintendents Exam Schools Admissions Criteria Working Group, the Boston School Committee Exam Schools Admissions Task Force is charged with developing a set of recommendations for the admissions policy for Boston Public Schools exam schools. The one-year plan, passed unanimously by the Boston School Committee on Oct. 22 in response to challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, removes the requirement for applicants to complete an admissions Students will be considered for admissions based on their test scores, GPA, and ranked order of preferences. The committee chair, Michael Loconto, resigned last fall after he was caught, during a recorded Zoom meeting, mocking the surnames of Asian American parents making public comments on the issue. Exam Schools Admissions Task Force Membership Roster: Agenda|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano|Chinese/| French/Franais|Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus| Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Draft minutes (*subject to approval by the Task Force)|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano|Chinese/|French/Franais|Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen|Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/Soomaali|Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Agenda|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation: Exam Schools Task Force, June 28, 2021|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano|Chinese/|French/Franais|Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen|Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/Soomaali|Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Agenda|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano|Chinese/|French/Franais|Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen|Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali|Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation: Exam Schools Task Force, June 24, 2021|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Determining Eligibility|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Minutes|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Minutes|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano|Chinese/|French/Franais|Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali|Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Minutes| Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation: Exam Schools Admissions Task Force, June 4, 2021|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Interactive Map: BPS Comparing 8 Tier Options, Presentation: Exam Schools Admissions Task Force, June 1, 2021|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation: Exam School Task Force, May 28, 2021|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation: Exam Schools Admissions Task Force, May 25, 2021|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation:The Use of Tests in Selective School Admissions, Lorrie A. Shepard, University of Colorado Boulder|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation: Exam Schools Admisisons Task Force, May 21, 2021|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation: Exam Schools Task Force, May 18, 2021|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation: Exam School Admissions Update, May 14, 2021|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation: Exam Schools Admissions Task Force, May 11, 2021|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation:Exam School Admission Update PowerPoint|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Agenda|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano|Chinese/|French/Franais|Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen|Portugese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali|Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation:Exam High School Admissions, Detroit, MI, April 27, 2021|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portugese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Overview: MAP Growth|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portugese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Meeting Minutes|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation:Other District Admissions Processes|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portugese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Agenda|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portugese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation:The Chicago Model for Selective High School Enrollment|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portugese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation: Bridging Collectives: A Summit on Selectivity, Integration, and Equity at Elite Public High Schools|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portugese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Meeting Minutes|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation:Use of Socioeconomic/Tier Criteria in Other District Admissions|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portugese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation:Admissions Recommendation Recap|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portugese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Presentation: Selective School Admissions: Options for Diversity|Arabic/ |Caboverdean/Caboverdeano| Chinese/|French/Franais| Haitian/Kreyl Ayisyen| Portuguese/Portugus|Somali/ Soomaali| Spanish/espaol|Vietnamese/Ting Vit, Article:Racial Diversity and Measuring Merit: Evidence from Bostons Exam School Admissions, March 13, 2021Community Listening Session. A golden ticket: Efforts to diversify Boston's elite high schools spur Click here to learn more about the residency verification process for non-BPS students who want to apply to exam schools. You may access a MAP Growth demo by NWEA, intended for students to become familiar with the testing platform. Kim watched the debate over exam school admissions,and which students had access to them,last year when his daughter was applying. The five major candidates for mayor have weighed in on the exam school admissions policy debate and they've also promised to invest equal time on bigger issues like updating district buildings and expanding access to rigorous material. Both girls are in the Boston Public Schools system. Students that do not meet the GPA of a B or higher will not be considered for admissions and the application will be closed. The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) is an admissions test used by the Boston Public Schools to determine entrance into one of three examinations schools. A vocal group of parents are up in arms as Boston Public Schools officials are on the verge of deciding on a new admissions process for the city's three exam schools. Its never not been focused on.". Families may also submit an online registration by visiting the Boston Public Schools website. Students must have grades in each subject for the GPA to be calculated. Lafayette, La Water Park, Articles W