Which fcps high school do you hear the worst stories about?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:honestly, the insanity that is Fairfax County is making me think moving to PWC or Stafford is the better choice for our family. My husband works north of Fredericksburg and our first is an average student. Getting away from the pressure cooker might be a welcome change in general. FCPS has made it pretty obvious that they cater to the upper class and gifted.

This is exactly what we're thinking too. We've had it up to here with FCPS bending over backwards for the "gifted" students, AAP, etc. I'd love a normal high school environment for my kids.

You get that "AAP services" in HS are open enrollment honors/AP/ IB, right? You're against these things?

PP again - to clarify, yes, I "get" that AP/IB classes in high school are open to all, as they should be. I just meant that all the competitive hype leading up to high school (AAP) is so completely overblown. That's what we're sick of. So actually, I'm thinking high school might just be a breath of fresh air for our family, since we won't have to deal with any AAP nonsense, and our kids will be able to enroll in any AP class they choose.

There is no "AAP pressure" in some schools... and I don't mean schools that are high FARMS or ESOL. Maybe AAP is a big deal where your kids are at now, but it isn't that way in every school.

Wild guess here-- you're the pissed off Gen Ed parent in a "toxic" Center school (GBW??) who spend so much time looking for a fight on the AAP board and declaring everything "ridiculous"? Yeah-- not every Center is overcrowded and toxic. I'm sorry yours is. And AAP classrooms will still be a fact of life, even if there is a huge push to go LLIV in every school that can support it. And, genuinely Not trying to be snarky here, the more you rage against AAP, the more you look like a parent whose bitter because their child didn't make the cut.

PP here and my kids don't attend GBW, but they do attend another center school which has a very uncomfortable and noticeable social divide between AAP and GE students. You may not like hearing it, but there are far more than just one poster who feels this way about their child's school. Your comments only make you look like the bitter parent for not acknowledging that this is a real problem.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:honestly, the insanity that is Fairfax County is making me think moving to PWC or Stafford is the better choice for our family. My husband works north of Fredericksburg and our first is an average student. Getting away from the pressure cooker might be a welcome change in general. FCPS has made it pretty obvious that they cater to the upper class and gifted.

This is exactly what we're thinking too. We've had it up to here with FCPS bending over backwards for the "gifted" students, AAP, etc. I'd love a normal high school environment for my kids.

You get that "AAP services" in HS are open enrollment honors/AP/ IB, right? You're against these things?

PP again - to clarify, yes, I "get" that AP/IB classes in high school are open to all, as they should be. I just meant that all the competitive hype leading up to high school (AAP) is so completely overblown. That's what we're sick of. So actually, I'm thinking high school might just be a breath of fresh air for our family, since we won't have to deal with any AAP nonsense, and our kids will be able to enroll in any AP class they choose.

There is no "AAP pressure" in some schools... and I don't mean schools that are high FARMS or ESOL. Maybe AAP is a big deal where your kids are at now, but it isn't that way in every school.

Wild guess here-- you're the pissed off Gen Ed parent in a "toxic" Center school (GBW??) who spend so much time looking for a fight on the AAP board and declaring everything "ridiculous"? Yeah-- not every Center is overcrowded and toxic. I'm sorry yours is. And AAP classrooms will still be a fact of life, even if there is a huge push to go LLIV in every school that can support it. And, genuinely Not trying to be snarky here, the more you rage against AAP, the more you look like a parent whose bitter because their child didn't make the cut.

I'm not the poster in question, but I also don't support AAP and I'm not bitter, because my child is only in K. I just don't think there should be a cut to be made in the first place, especially in only 1st and 2nd grade, when the advantage goes to students who are just older, have developed faster, are girls, are white and middle class in a FARM heavy school, and so on. As a teacher, I saw lots of kids go to AAP and maybe like one or two who were truly gifted and the others were just good students or a little more mature sooner than other kids. And of course, all the parent placements, which were without question ordinary kids, often not even very good students. What really bugs me is that there is a myth of a gifted child who needs a different classroom, but that describes only the tiniest percentage of AAP kids, and not nearly enough to justify a whole huge program. I also don't like that it removed the best and brightest from our schools, leaving only the middle and low, and then diverts the best resources to those children. All children would benefit from the kinds of resources available in the AAP program. The whole thing is simply unhealthy, unfair, illogical, and elitist. It isn't good for our schools and it isn't good for kids. It advantages a small number of children who are not any more worthy and the rest. The system needs to go - it is simply unjustifiable.

AAP doesn't get additional resources, just different. You ignorance is showing.

+1. What extra resources besides busing Center kids (and many of these kids would have to bus to their base school anyway). I keep seeing the "they drain resources" argument, but no one can point out what these supposed resources are. In fact, FCAG issued a report showing AAP ES kids were significantly more likely to be in classes of 35 than GE kids.

I know what I'm talking about - just in full-time administrators in central admin, people who work on the AAP programs, there is probably close to 1 million dollars in raw salary, and that includes only central staff, only salary, no support staff (i.e. receptionists and so on, office work directed that way, etc), no benefits, no retirement. Now add in the admin staff required for the centers themselves - do you think they run themselves? Just think about the amount of paperwork generated by the AAP program at just the elementary level, and you could probably shave a million or two off the budget by getting rid of all that. And of course, the busing.

Exactly. Those who say AAP doesn't cost any extra are trying hard to make it seem that way. It's a costly program seriously needs to be revamped or even cut.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Langley, yes. Mostly about spoiled, entitled kids and parents with outsized egos.

Also, terrible mix of privilege and wealth and recreational drugs and competition over has and has more.

Yet another thread that devolves into Langley hate. I'm a Langley parent and the above is nonsense. Of course, if you had children who actually attended this school, you'd know that. Stop spreading these disgusting rumors about a school and student body about which you know nothing.

Mine did. And what that poster put up is absolutely true.

Mine also went to Langley, and enjoyed it. As other posters have said, there is no perfect high school. But Langley is no worse than any other and a lot better than many. My kids got a first-rate education there and made some wonderful friends as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One only needs to see the student cars rolling into the Langley parking lot.

You mean the used and/or hand-me-down cars that most of the students drive? The whole "fancy Langley parking lot" has become such an urban legend, it's now a joke. I pick my kids up there several times a week in my minivan, parked next to all the other minivans, and see kids getting into their used cars to go home. Just like any other high school.

[Anonymous]

Hey anti AAP lady with the kindergartner just starting school?

This is a thread about HIGH SCHOOL.

Not AAP (wrong forum)

Not elementary schools.

Not teacher not liking the AAP selections process.

High schools. That's it.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:They are all awful and so smugly self-satisfied. FCPS is a self-contained provincial asylum which sends about 90% of its students to roughly five in-state universities. These poor kids are born, live their lives and die without ever leaving the confines of the Commonwealth of Virgnia.

Their students graduate woefully unprepared for the rigors of life and college academics.

Sorry your kid didn't get into a decent Va. school. You are an idiot.

This is a typical response from a mindless FCPS student lacking any and all analytical skills. Rather than supporting your position with a reasoned argument you make false assumptions and personal attacks. This FCPS student like many others would destroy others rather than listening and spending the time and effort required to improve themselves.

Hurry up and get out of bed. You are already late for two-a-days!

Agreed. The above post is silly, and weirdly bitter.
Yes, there is certainly a push to place into the top in state schools. The competiton to get in from FFx county is very real. An equally talented out of state student is worth more to admissions. I remember when I was looking out of state for college in the 90's. There was an 80,000 dollar difference in tuition back then. I shudder to think of what that would be today.
Yes, savy parents and students take advantage of Virginia's excellent public universities. Graduating without any debt allowed me to move to NYC and persue my dreams. I felt sorry for my co co workers who had massive debt from college.

I could not believe how absolutely toxic this past year's college admissions were! My DD did not apply to any VA schools (we can afford to pay private) and instead chose a small private good southern school, but even with a 5.0 GPA, two 5s and a 4 on her APs, high test score, and many awards, she was flat-out denied at so many schools she applied to due to the competition and the fact she can't check a box.

We are happy with where she got in, but I have been very outspoken to others coming up the pike about how toxic the atmosphere is and not to take rejections personally.

I don't remember it being this bad when I was applying.

I don't understand how admissions were "toxic" for you and your daughter. She applied to schools with good grades, scores, etc. and didn't get into some. Seems to be a pretty common experience these days with so many kids applying to so many colleges. And she got into a good private southern school. What was toxic about your experience?

I suggest you do some reading. This new 'holistic' approach to admissions has kids working breaking their asses to try and set themselves apart from others - when most of the time, if you don't have a box to check, you are screwed anyway. It's bullsh*t of the highest order and a cruel trick to play on kids.

I don't believe kids should have to work the equivalent of two full-time jobs. as well as excel in a sport, music, etc, just for the opportunity to get into a decent program, when they never had much of a chance to get into X or Y college because, say, they are Asian. I think things have gotten out-of-hand. I am making it a point to tell any rising Junior and Senior about this holistic BS and why it's a bad idea to fall into that trap.

And no, we are not Asian, so don't bark up that tree. I mention Asian because of the blatant racism occurring against them. You don't lower a kid's test scores (per Princeton Review) due to race. Nor should you raise them.

Here are some articles regarding this topic:

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-harberson-asian-american-admission-rates-20150609-story.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/12/the-false-promise-of-holistic-college-admissions/282432/

http://www.dailycal.org/2012/10/01/the-holistic-admissions-lie/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to have a 5.0 now? How can this be? Aren't regular A's 4.0? The weighted A's would have to 6s or something to bring the average up to a 5.0. Or, pp, are you just blowing smoke?

It's possible - factor in AP classes, etc. This is what I mean about real not being real anymore. I think it's as insane as you do.

[Anonymous]

AP classes are college level and pretty intense. If you don't have the background going into those courses you will have a difficult time.

The idea that kids are all walking in, acing those AP courses and then scoring high enough on the AP exams to actually place out of college courses...is probably overblown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The struggling schools - Lee, Stuart, Mt Vernon- they need IB for tracking. It's a lifeline for their higher achieving students.

This is exactly my problem with IB in those schools. AP would probably be a better choice overall, but IB will never be removed because it provides a school within a school to segregate the higher SES kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to have a 5.0 now? How can this be? Aren't regular A's 4.0? The weighted A's would have to 6s or something to bring the average up to a 5.0. Or, pp, are you just blowing smoke?

It's possible - factor in AP classes, etc. This is what I mean about real not being real anymore. I think it's as insane as you do.

It is NOT possible in FCPS. Students get .5 for Honors and 1.0 for AP bumps. Not counting TJ (where everything is bumped up), the GPA tops out around 4.5. You would have to take ALL APs to get a 5.0 and that is not possible when PE is required and math (Algebra through Precalc) before Calculus is honrs and counts towards HS GPA whenever the student takes it.

Other jurisdictions give different amounts for Honors and AP. The most I have heard is 2.0 for AP and 1.0 for Honros, but that was in NC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to have a 5.0 now? How can this be? Aren't regular A's 4.0? The weighted A's would have to 6s or something to bring the average up to a 5.0. Or, pp, are you just blowing smoke?

It's possible - factor in AP classes, etc. This is what I mean about real not being real anymore. I think it's as insane as you do.

It is NOT possible in FCPS. Students get .5 for Honors and 1.0 for AP bumps. Not counting TJ (where everything is bumped up), the GPA tops out around 4.5. You would have to take ALL APs to get a 5.0 and that is not possible when PE is required and math (Algebra through Precalc) before Calculus is honrs and counts towards HS GPA whenever the student takes it.

+1

Great TEDTalk describing the GPA calculation with weighted courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP classes are college level and pretty intense. If you don't have the background going into those courses you will have a difficult time.

The idea that kids are all walking in, acing those AP courses and then scoring high enough on the AP exams to actually place out of college courses...is probably overblown.

My DC got 34 credits from his University for his AP classes- it made him a sophomore. He took 7 APs and received 4s and 5s. He was around the 75-80th percentile for GPA. I know this because he just missed the cut off for the GPA medal to wear for graduation and 100 out of just less than 500 received it. He graduated from one of the 5 HS in FCPS about which people tend to crow on DCUM.

It all depends on which university or college you student attends. Some give nothing, others give quite a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP classes are college level and pretty intense. If you don't have the background going into those courses you will have a difficult time.

The idea that kids are all walking in, acing those AP courses and then scoring high enough on the AP exams to actually place out of college courses...is probably overblown.

My DC got 34 credits from his University for his AP classes- it made him a sophomore. He took 7 APs and received 4s and 5s. He was around the 75-80th percentile for GPA. I know this because he just missed the cut off for the GPA medal to wear for graduation and 100 out of just less than 500 received it. He graduated from one of the 5 HS in FCPS about which people tend to crow on DCUM.

It all depends on which university or college you student attends. Some give nothing, others give quite a bit.

I too took all AP classes and entered college a sophomore, something which about 40 out of 500 students did at my well-respected non-local academic HS did. I'm sure it happens here, probably in greater numbers. There's nothing wrong with it, it was a very good preparation for my college engineering degree. But most kids, even here, don't do all honors and all AP and get 4s and 5s on all the tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP classes are college level and pretty intense. If you don't have the background going into those courses you will have a difficult time.

The idea that kids are all walking in, acing those AP courses and then scoring high enough on the AP exams to actually place out of college courses...is probably overblown.

My DC got 34 credits from his University for his AP classes- it made him a sophomore. He took 7 APs and received 4s and 5s. He was around the 75-80th percentile for GPA. I know this because he just missed the cut off for the GPA medal to wear for graduation and 100 out of just less than 500 received it. He graduated from one of the 5 HS in FCPS about which people tend to crow on DCUM.

It all depends on which university or college you student attends. Some give nothing, others give quite a bit.

I too took all AP classes and entered college a sophomore, something which about 40 out of 500 students did at my well-respected non-local academic HS did. I'm sure it happens here, probably in greater numbers. There's nothing wrong with it, it was a very good preparation for my college engineering degree. But most kids, even here, don't do all honors and all AP and get 4s and 5s on all the tests.

A student does not have to take all honors or all AP or be at the top of the class. That was my point. DC took 7 AP (1 as a sophomore and 3 each as a junior and senior), he could have taken more and he was not in all honors either. You do not have to take all honors/AP to do well and get credits for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is, everyone has complaints about their high school, whether it's FCPS or another county. Whether they attended recently, or back in the 80's. High school is (generally) a universally bad experience. There will always be the rich kids, the jocks, the smart kids, etc. etc. That's what high school is! A bunch of cliques and you're lucky if you find yourself some like-minded friends. I went to school in the midwest, and all of these descriptions could have applied to my very middle-of-the-road high school.

Good luck finding the "perfect" school, because it doesn't exist. Teens are teens, the whole world over.

+1000
There's a reason movies like "The Breakfast Club" resonated with so many people. High school, generally, sucks. Those of you trying to make one particular high school or another out to be this horrible experience clearly have a significant chip on their shoulders, for whatever reason. High school, no matter where it is and no matter the demographics, will generally be a stressful experience for most kids. There are always going to be cliques, drugs, sex, mean girls, bullies, whatever. So please: those of you obsessed with tearing down certain schools, do a little soul-searching and come back to us once you've found the perfect high school. It doesn't exist.

Untrue. My high school hardly had any of those things. It was private. People like you, who believe this is normal and OK, are the reason most high schools are pits of social toxicity. Once you've experienced a place where the adults don't think it's OK, you realize that it doesn't have to be like that.