Did you take the middle school start times survey?

[Anonymous]

I just did and I have questions.

First of all, I never got an actual question about middle school start times. I have students in high school and elementary school and got a question about how I feel about their current start times and whether my high schooler had a job or needed to be home after school to babysit younger siblings and that's it.

So I don't get to weigh in on middle school start times because I have a kid who won't be there til next year??
Was this a glitch?

[Anonymous]

Same, I answered that I have kids in elementary school. One is in 6th grade, and based on the email indicating that 5th-6th grade students would be asked to take the survey in school, I assumed I would be able to as well. But I was routed to the same thank you message without being asked about actual start times.

Poorly designed survey. It should have said something like 'if you indicate that current elementary start times are OK, you will not receive any further questions'.

[Anonymous]

That was a terrible survey. People with kids in elementary school can't voice their opinion about changing school start times for middle school, which will affect us soon? FFS FCPS, can anyone in leadership do anything competently?

[Anonymous]

I'm glad it wasn't just me. I got to the end and was like, wait did I skip something? I even used the "previous page" button to check.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Same, I answered that I have kids in elementary school. One is in 6th grade, and based on the email indicating that 5th-6th grade students would be asked to take the survey in school, I assumed I would be able to as well. But I was routed to the same thank you message without being asked about actual start times.

Poorly designed survey. It should have said something like 'if you indicate that current elementary start times are OK, you will not receive any further questions'.

I said elementary school start times were too late and didn't get any further questions, so I don't think that's what limited the questions you saw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same, I answered that I have kids in elementary school. One is in 6th grade, and based on the email indicating that 5th-6th grade students would be asked to take the survey in school, I assumed I would be able to as well. But I was routed to the same thank you message without being asked about actual start times.

Poorly designed survey. It should have said something like 'if you indicate that current elementary start times are OK, you will not receive any further questions'.

I said elementary school start times were too late and didn't get any further questions, so I don't think that's what limited the questions you saw.

Same. Our elementary doesn't start until 9:15, which makes it so working parents have to try to get SACC or other childcare both before and after school. My kids both got up way earlier when they were younger and want to sleep in now that they are hitting puberty. It would make so much more sense for the ES to have the earlier start time.

[Anonymous]

Yes that was a bad survey. (Survey methods professor here) The only question for elementary parents is just whether you think your current time is okay or not...waste of time, didn't collect meaningful information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same, I answered that I have kids in elementary school. One is in 6th grade, and based on the email indicating that 5th-6th grade students would be asked to take the survey in school, I assumed I would be able to as well. But I was routed to the same thank you message without being asked about actual start times.

Poorly designed survey. It should have said something like 'if you indicate that current elementary start times are OK, you will not receive any further questions'.

I said elementary school start times were too late and didn't get any further questions, so I don't think that's what limited the questions you saw.

Same. Our elementary doesn't start until 9:15, which makes it so working parents have to try to get SACC or other childcare both before and after school. My kids both got up way earlier when they were younger and want to sleep in now that they are hitting puberty. It would make so much more sense for the ES to have the earlier start time.

Every family is different. My ES kids loved the 9:20 am start time. They slept in until 8:30.

How much did they pay this third party to do this trash survey? My middle schooler would have written a better survey

[Anonymous]

What middle schoolers have JOBS? Kids are barely 14 in 8th grade. They can't legally work.
Really, the survey was asinine.

[Anonymous]

I was very disappointed they didn't ask about the MIDDLE SCHOOL AFTER SCHOOL program.

[Anonymous]

ES parent here with one kid at a 8:35 start which is okay and the other at a 9:15 start which is really late. I answered not sure since there’s no way to reflect 2 answers. Ridiculous survey. What about asking about childcare needs if start times are moved earlier or later?
Guess they checked the box for surveying ES parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just did and I have questions.

First of all, I never got an actual question about middle school start times. I have students in high school and elementary school and got a question about how I feel about their current start times and whether my high schooler had a job or needed to be home after school to babysit younger siblings and that's it.

So I don't get to weigh in on middle school start times because I have a kid who won't be there til next year??
Was this a glitch?

I went ahead and pretended I had a middle schooler to see what the questions were. I currently have a 6th grader but remember when my high schooler was in middle and answered based on that. There still was not a vote on any option. It just asked if we thought the current time was too early or fine for our middle school kid. It also asked about a job after school or having to watch younger kids. It did not ask us which of the 5 options we prefer.

Worthless survey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was very disappointed they didn't ask about the MIDDLE SCHOOL AFTER SCHOOL program.

? The survey was designed to ask about middle school start times, which it didn’t even do that! After school programs have nothing to do with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes that was a bad survey. (Survey methods professor here) The only question for elementary parents is just whether you think your current time is okay or not...waste of time, didn't collect meaningful information.

Professor PP, has FCPS ever put out a good survey? I've never seen anything but complaints about their methods. Sometimes the complaints are that the survey was obviously designed to produce one result. Sometimes it is that the survey was so poorly designed it couldn't be meaningful, like you say here.

And FCPS literally has in-house data employees plus hires these expensive consultants to make and analyze surveys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very disappointed they didn't ask about the MIDDLE SCHOOL AFTER SCHOOL program.

? The survey was designed to ask about middle school start times, which it didn’t even do that! After school programs have nothing to do with that.

Of course it is relevant. If Middle School doesn't start until 9:45 am, then the after school programs will not be operated. Many parents would prefer an early start + after school programming vs. a late start and no programming.