Anyone else educated by FCPS and sees the decline?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to know the graduation rates in fcps per high school over the last 30 years.

Why? They’ve made it easier to graduate in recent years while reducing what’s needed to graduate.

False.

FCPS follows state of VA graduation requirements.

In 1983: students were required to complete 18 "Carnegie credits",

In 1990 they were required to complete 21 Carnegie credits including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Studies, 2 Math, 2 Science,

In 2023, they are required to complete 22 Carnegie credits, including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Sciences, 3 Math, 3 Lab Science,

So there has been an increased requirement of an additional math course and an additional lab science course to get a HS diploma.

That part might be true, but grades are so unbelievably inflated now that it is far easier to get those credits than it was 20-40 years ago.

I graduated from an FCPS high school in the mid-1990s. Back then:

* we received zeros for unsubmitted assignments (not the 50% of today)
* late work was never accepted (as opposed to the "turn it is whenever you feel like it" approach today)
* there were no retakes of anything ever (unlike the "retake everything" policy today)
* the grading scale was much more rigorous (94-100= A; 90-93= B+, 84-89= B; 80-83= C+, and so on).

I did too and hated that there was no A minus. It was a dumb system. 92-100 should be some form of an A. Glad that change went through. Also I believe you could drop a bad grade per semester. You could also sometimes turn work in late but like one day late.

That grading system was way out of step with every other grading system in the country which hurt college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to know the graduation rates in fcps per high school over the last 30 years.

Why? They’ve made it easier to graduate in recent years while reducing what’s needed to graduate.

False.

FCPS follows state of VA graduation requirements.

In 1983: students were required to complete 18 "Carnegie credits",

In 1990 they were required to complete 21 Carnegie credits including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Studies, 2 Math, 2 Science,

In 2023, they are required to complete 22 Carnegie credits, including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Sciences, 3 Math, 3 Lab Science,

So there has been an increased requirement of an additional math course and an additional lab science course to get a HS diploma.

That part might be true, but grades are so unbelievably inflated now that it is far easier to get those credits than it was 20-40 years ago.

I graduated from an FCPS high school in the mid-1990s. Back then:

* we received zeros for unsubmitted assignments (not the 50% of today)
* late work was never accepted (as opposed to the "turn it is whenever you feel like it" approach today)
* there were no retakes of anything ever (unlike the "retake everything" policy today)
* the grading scale was much more rigorous (94-100= A; 90-93= B+, 84-89= B; 80-83= C+, and so on).

I did too and hated that there was no A minus. It was a dumb system. 92-100 should be some form of an A. Glad that change went through. Also I believe you could drop a bad grade per semester. You could also sometimes turn work in late but like one day late.

That grading system was way out of step with every other grading system in the country which hurt college admissions.

I went to FCPS through middle school but moved to a different county outside of NoVA for high school. We didn't have pluses or minuses in high school at all. An A was 94-100, B was 85-93 and an 84 was a C (and I don't remember anything below that). We still managed to do well with admissions and the top 10% of our small class went to UVA, W&M etc. Colleges see what grading scale is being used.

I actually just looked and the county still has just A, B, C but now the scale is A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79. That seems crazy to me. Apparently grade inflation isn't just an urban area phenomenon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a significant change when the SOLs were introduced.

Bush wanted all children left behind instead of a few. Potatoe.

[Anonymous]

When cursive writing stopped being taught, the decline began.

[Anonymous]

Back in my day...🙄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to know the graduation rates in fcps per high school over the last 30 years.

Why? They’ve made it easier to graduate in recent years while reducing what’s needed to graduate.

False.

FCPS follows state of VA graduation requirements.

In 1983: students were required to complete 18 "Carnegie credits",

In 1990 they were required to complete 21 Carnegie credits including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Studies, 2 Math, 2 Science,

In 2023, they are required to complete 22 Carnegie credits, including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Sciences, 3 Math, 3 Lab Science,

So there has been an increased requirement of an additional math course and an additional lab science course to get a HS diploma.

That part might be true, but grades are so unbelievably inflated now that it is far easier to get those credits than it was 20-40 years ago.

I graduated from an FCPS high school in the mid-1990s. Back then:

* we received zeros for unsubmitted assignments (not the 50% of today)
* late work was never accepted (as opposed to the "turn it is whenever you feel like it" approach today)
* there were no retakes of anything ever (unlike the "retake everything" policy today)
* the grading scale was much more rigorous (94-100= A; 90-93= B+, 84-89= B; 80-83= C+, and so on).

I did too and hated that there was no A minus. It was a dumb system. 92-100 should be some form of an A. Glad that change went through. Also I believe you could drop a bad grade per semester. You could also sometimes turn work in late but like one day late.

That grading system was way out of step with every other grading system in the country which hurt college admissions.

I went to FCPS through middle school but moved to a different county outside of NoVA for high school. We didn't have pluses or minuses in high school at all. An A was 94-100, B was 85-93 and an 84 was a C (and I don't remember anything below that). We still managed to do well with admissions and the top 10% of our small class went to UVA, W&M etc. Colleges see what grading scale is being used.

I actually just looked and the county still has just A, B, C but now the scale is A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79. That seems crazy to me. Apparently grade inflation isn't just an urban area phenomenon.

Nope.. Minimum score to achieve...
A=92.5
A-=89.5
B+=86.5
B=82.5
B-=79.5

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-scale

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to know the graduation rates in fcps per high school over the last 30 years.

Why? They’ve made it easier to graduate in recent years while reducing what’s needed to graduate.

False.

FCPS follows state of VA graduation requirements.

In 1983: students were required to complete 18 "Carnegie credits",

In 1990 they were required to complete 21 Carnegie credits including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Studies, 2 Math, 2 Science,

In 2023, they are required to complete 22 Carnegie credits, including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Sciences, 3 Math, 3 Lab Science,

So there has been an increased requirement of an additional math course and an additional lab science course to get a HS diploma.

That part might be true, but grades are so unbelievably inflated now that it is far easier to get those credits than it was 20-40 years ago.

I graduated from an FCPS high school in the mid-1990s. Back then:

* we received zeros for unsubmitted assignments (not the 50% of today)
* late work was never accepted (as opposed to the "turn it is whenever you feel like it" approach today)
* there were no retakes of anything ever (unlike the "retake everything" policy today)
* the grading scale was much more rigorous (94-100= A; 90-93= B+, 84-89= B; 80-83= C+, and so on).

I did too and hated that there was no A minus. It was a dumb system. 92-100 should be some form of an A. Glad that change went through. Also I believe you could drop a bad grade per semester. You could also sometimes turn work in late but like one day late.

That grading system was way out of step with every other grading system in the country which hurt college admissions.

I went to FCPS through middle school but moved to a different county outside of NoVA for high school. We didn't have pluses or minuses in high school at all. An A was 94-100, B was 85-93 and an 84 was a C (and I don't remember anything below that). We still managed to do well with admissions and the top 10% of our small class went to UVA, W&M etc. Colleges see what grading scale is being used.

I actually just looked and the county still has just A, B, C but now the scale is A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79. That seems crazy to me. Apparently grade inflation isn't just an urban area phenomenon.

Nope.. Minimum score to achieve...
A=92.5
A-=89.5
B+=86.5
B=82.5
B-=79.5

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-scale

WHen the county made the changes it was to put them more in line with common practice at the time--it was based on a review of practices. In the early 1990s I went to a top school district in the midwest, and the score distribution was: A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79. for GPA but -'s and +'s were written on report cards and if you got a 92 it was an A- and an 88 was a B+.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to know the graduation rates in fcps per high school over the last 30 years.

Why? They’ve made it easier to graduate in recent years while reducing what’s needed to graduate.

False.

FCPS follows state of VA graduation requirements.

In 1983: students were required to complete 18 "Carnegie credits",

In 1990 they were required to complete 21 Carnegie credits including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Studies, 2 Math, 2 Science,

In 2023, they are required to complete 22 Carnegie credits, including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Sciences, 3 Math, 3 Lab Science,

So there has been an increased requirement of an additional math course and an additional lab science course to get a HS diploma.

That part might be true, but grades are so unbelievably inflated now that it is far easier to get those credits than it was 20-40 years ago.

I graduated from an FCPS high school in the mid-1990s. Back then:

* we received zeros for unsubmitted assignments (not the 50% of today)
* late work was never accepted (as opposed to the "turn it is whenever you feel like it" approach today)
* there were no retakes of anything ever (unlike the "retake everything" policy today)
* the grading scale was much more rigorous (94-100= A; 90-93= B+, 84-89= B; 80-83= C+, and so on).

I did too and hated that there was no A minus. It was a dumb system. 92-100 should be some form of an A. Glad that change went through. Also I believe you could drop a bad grade per semester. You could also sometimes turn work in late but like one day late.

That grading system was way out of step with every other grading system in the country which hurt college admissions.

I went to FCPS through middle school but moved to a different county outside of NoVA for high school. We didn't have pluses or minuses in high school at all. An A was 94-100, B was 85-93 and an 84 was a C (and I don't remember anything below that). We still managed to do well with admissions and the top 10% of our small class went to UVA, W&M etc. Colleges see what grading scale is being used.

I actually just looked and the county still has just A, B, C but now the scale is A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79. That seems crazy to me. Apparently grade inflation isn't just an urban area phenomenon.

Nope.. Minimum score to achieve...
A=92.5
A-=89.5
B+=86.5
B=82.5
B-=79.5

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-scale

DP. I think the poster was referencing the current grading scale for the county where they graduated high school, which was not in NOVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to know the graduation rates in fcps per high school over the last 30 years.

Why? They’ve made it easier to graduate in recent years while reducing what’s needed to graduate.

False.

FCPS follows state of VA graduation requirements.

In 1983: students were required to complete 18 "Carnegie credits",

In 1990 they were required to complete 21 Carnegie credits including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Studies, 2 Math, 2 Science,

In 2023, they are required to complete 22 Carnegie credits, including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Sciences, 3 Math, 3 Lab Science,

So there has been an increased requirement of an additional math course and an additional lab science course to get a HS diploma.

That part might be true, but grades are so unbelievably inflated now that it is far easier to get those credits than it was 20-40 years ago.

I graduated from an FCPS high school in the mid-1990s. Back then:

* we received zeros for unsubmitted assignments (not the 50% of today)
* late work was never accepted (as opposed to the "turn it is whenever you feel like it" approach today)
* there were no retakes of anything ever (unlike the "retake everything" policy today)
* the grading scale was much more rigorous (94-100= A; 90-93= B+, 84-89= B; 80-83= C+, and so on).

I did too and hated that there was no A minus. It was a dumb system. 92-100 should be some form of an A. Glad that change went through. Also I believe you could drop a bad grade per semester. You could also sometimes turn work in late but like one day late.

That grading system was way out of step with every other grading system in the country which hurt college admissions.

I went to FCPS through middle school but moved to a different county outside of NoVA for high school. We didn't have pluses or minuses in high school at all. An A was 94-100, B was 85-93 and an 84 was a C (and I don't remember anything below that). We still managed to do well with admissions and the top 10% of our small class went to UVA, W&M etc. Colleges see what grading scale is being used.

I actually just looked and the county still has just A, B, C but now the scale is A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79. That seems crazy to me. Apparently grade inflation isn't just an urban area phenomenon.

Nope.. Minimum score to achieve...
A=92.5
A-=89.5
B+=86.5
B=82.5
B-=79.5

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-scale

This worked for colleges that knew your district, so in-state colleges and colleges that pay close attention, smaller more selective institutions. Where it didn't work was for big institutions with GPA cut-offs, scholarships with GPA cut-offs etc. It made sense for FCPS to align with the most common GPA practices. They actually chose a middle spot between the rare strict approach they used and the more generous, more common grading practices.

[Anonymous]

Many of us were in school systems where an A was a 92.

Colleges have always been able to figure this (different grading scales) out. Many times that information is listed on the transcript.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of us were in school systems where an A was a 92.

Colleges have always been able to figure this (different grading scales) out. Many times that information is listed on the transcript.

And that is what FCPS is now. Very few people were in school systems where A was a 94. Which is what FCPS used to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to know the graduation rates in fcps per high school over the last 30 years.

Why? They’ve made it easier to graduate in recent years while reducing what’s needed to graduate.

False.

FCPS follows state of VA graduation requirements.

In 1983: students were required to complete 18 "Carnegie credits",

In 1990 they were required to complete 21 Carnegie credits including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Studies, 2 Math, 2 Science,

In 2023, they are required to complete 22 Carnegie credits, including core requirements of 4 English, 3 Social Sciences, 3 Math, 3 Lab Science,

So there has been an increased requirement of an additional math course and an additional lab science course to get a HS diploma.

That part might be true, but grades are so unbelievably inflated now that it is far easier to get those credits than it was 20-40 years ago.

I graduated from an FCPS high school in the mid-1990s. Back then:

* we received zeros for unsubmitted assignments (not the 50% of today)
* late work was never accepted (as opposed to the "turn it is whenever you feel like it" approach today)
* there were no retakes of anything ever (unlike the "retake everything" policy today)
* the grading scale was much more rigorous (94-100= A; 90-93= B+, 84-89= B; 80-83= C+, and so on).

I did too and hated that there was no A minus. It was a dumb system. 92-100 should be some form of an A. Glad that change went through. Also I believe you could drop a bad grade per semester. You could also sometimes turn work in late but like one day late.

That may have been the policy at your school, but mine never allowed any grades to be dropped, nor was late work accepted by any of my teachers throughout the entirety of high school. Even when I was hospitalized, my calculus teacher refused to accept late homework because she said my parents could have dropped it off in the office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from FCPS when you only had six classes and no block schedule. Did they lengthen the day for the 7th class? If not, have we not reduced the amount of time spent on core subjects like math and English?

Depending on when you graduated, in HS the number of math and science requirements have gone up (English remained the same). All classes have to meet the units of time required for a Carnegie unit, but they can arrange them differently. I graduated in the early 1990s and it was still unusual then to complete calculus in high school--and many college prep students who were more of a humanities bent only took 2-3 years of math in HS. That would be so rare now! My friend got into a T20 school and only took up to geometry. The requirements really were quite less then. I think the greater emphasis on math/science has led to a lesser emphasis on English/Literature.

Let's look across a two-week window in FCPS to compare:

1980's and before: 10 class meetings across two weeks, 50 minutes per class, for a total of 500 class minutes (same classes every day, no blocks)

Today: 5 class meetings across two weeks, 90 minutes per class, for a total of 450 class minutes (block schedule)

Is this correct? Perhaps the blocks are longer than 90 minutes? If not, I don't see how students are not getting less time in any one class than they were back in the day. Makes sense since there are 7 classes now versus 6 back then and they did not make the day substantially longer (if at all). Adding the extra class for more electives (or mandatory state courses) came at the expense of core subjects, no?

Every high school also seems to have some random extra period where students are not in an actual class (Bruin Time, Spartan Time, etc.). This also takes away time in an actual class, right?

You didn't have study hall in HS? Also, the more class sessions included more state requirements for core classes (3 years each of math and science rather than 2 years each). And with a block schedule less time is spent on passing periods--and sadly lunch times are reduced from earlier years.

We never had study hall in high school (FCPS in the mid-1990s).

Lunch is also longer than it was for me. I distinctly remember that my lunch period my freshman year of high school was from 9:45 to 10:05. Twenty minutes, and that early in the morning!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I remember book reports and research projects in elementary school. I even remember having to memorize the Emmancipation Proclamation and recite it in front of our class. When I told my kid about that they were stunned. I’m very disappointed.

Book reports and research projects ok. Memorizing the emancipation proclamation sounds like a hilarious waste of time.

I think reciting something important in front of your class is great for public speaking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I remember book reports and research projects in elementary school. I even remember having to memorize the Emmancipation Proclamation and recite it in front of our class. When I told my kid about that they were stunned. I’m very disappointed.

Book reports and research projects ok. Memorizing the emancipation proclamation sounds like a hilarious waste of time.

I think reciting something important in front of your class is great for public speaking.

It's also good for learning to memorize, learning how to use your attention and memory. Memorizing a poem, a speech, a song - all valuable and all no-longer-required.