How did Herndon/Westfield HS go from top to bottom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Equity is a term used to mask the fact that some families do not support their childrens education as much as others. Moving kids around isn’t going to fix parents who won’t invest the time into their childrens success.

Some families do not have the resources to support their kids’ education much. It’s not that they don’t want to, it’s that they can’t. They don’t know how, or they don’t have the money to.

[Anonymous]

Don’t let the course catalog on the Herndon High website fool you. If only 10 kids want to take a class, they will drop it. Also, if a small number of kids want a class, there may only be one offered at a specific time that may conflict with another important class. Less variation, less options. Evening out the FARMs kids would help everyone.

This is true in every school in Fairfax County. And, if an AP class is full and there are only 10 more who want it--they don't add a second class and those ten don't get in. I know this for a fact. And, DD who went to the largest school in FCPS had to drop a class because of a conflict between the two she wanted. This is not limited to Herndon. Just because there are choices does not mean everyone gets those choices.

I suspect it also happens at Langley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Don’t let the course catalog on the Herndon High website fool you. If only 10 kids want to take a class, they will drop it. Also, if a small number of kids want a class, there may only be one offered at a specific time that may conflict with another important class. Less variation, less options. Evening out the FARMs kids would help everyone.

This is true in every school in Fairfax County. And, if an AP class is full and there are only 10 more who want it--they don't add a second class and those ten don't get in. I know this for a fact. And, DD who went to the largest school in FCPS had to drop a class because of a conflict between the two she wanted. This is not limited to Herndon. Just because there are choices does not mean everyone gets those choices.

I suspect it also happens at Langley.

So you may have a scheduling conflict at Langley, but Langley is offering courses like Chinese, Japanese and Russian that no one can take at Herndon, and Herndon does not offer any foreign languages not available at Langley.

[Anonymous]

So you may have a scheduling conflict at Langley, but Langley is offering courses like Chinese, Japanese and Russian that no one can take at Herndon, and Herndon does not offer any foreign languages not available at Langley.

Gee. I wonder why those might be taught at Langley? Any ideas? Could it possibly be its proximity to something else called Langley? Population has high interest in those languages?

And, are you sure they are all taught there? Could it possibly be that everything in Langley's course catalog is not available? That happens in most schools. If enough kids don't sign up it doesn't get offered.

[Anonymous]

Just checked. FWIW, Chantilly offers French, Spanish, and Latin. No Russian, Japanese, or Chinese.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So you may have a scheduling conflict at Langley, but Langley is offering courses like Chinese, Japanese and Russian that no one can take at Herndon, and Herndon does not offer any foreign languages not available at Langley.

Gee. I wonder why those might be taught at Langley? Any ideas? Could it possibly be its proximity to something else called Langley? Population has high interest in those languages?

And, are you sure they are all taught there? Could it possibly be that everything in Langley's course catalog is not available? That happens in most schools. If enough kids don't sign up it doesn't get offered.

More like concentrating enough wealthy kids at one school means they get to spend their money on some fancy language courses because they don't have to spend so much money on ESOL courses.

As to whether the courses are offered, the fact that they offer Chinese 4 and Japanese and Russian 5 suggests someone is taking the courses leading up to them.

But keep pretending there's equity in FCPS. It's a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that there are not many kids who can handle rigor at Herndon. Therefore, there are not as many AP classes and not as much variety to boot. Less clubs, weaker athletics. It is an unfortunate reality and FCPS should really consider boundary changes that help with equity.

Could you explain why boundary changes would help with equity?

Good question.
1. It is not going to make lower achieving kids achieve more.
2. It is going to make the School Board happy because it will cover up the problems.

It is true that more AP classes can be offered where there are more high achieving students. However, I would like someone to show me where Herndon does not have enough AP classes. Pretty sure they have plenty of them.

FWIW, just because a school offers more AP classes does not mean that every kid who wants to take AP Basket Weaving can get into that class. It might be full.
Different schools offer different world languages for different reasons. All languages are not offered at any one school. Some may have more choices than others, but they may not have the one your child desires to take.

Don’t let the course catalog on the Herndon High website fool you. If only 10 kids want to take a class, they will drop it. Also, if a small number of kids want a class, there may only be one offered at a specific time that may conflict with another important class. Less variation, less options. Evening out the FARMs kids would help everyone.

How do you even out the FARMs kids? What percentage of the FARMs kids live closer to another HS then Herndon? There are a good number of low income families that live closest to Herndon High, you are not going to move those kids to other schools. So how do you propose to deal with the poverty issue at the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So you may have a scheduling conflict at Langley, but Langley is offering courses like Chinese, Japanese and Russian that no one can take at Herndon, and Herndon does not offer any foreign languages not available at Langley.

Gee. I wonder why those might be taught at Langley? Any ideas? Could it possibly be its proximity to something else called Langley? Population has high interest in those languages?

And, are you sure they are all taught there? Could it possibly be that everything in Langley's course catalog is not available? That happens in most schools. If enough kids don't sign up it doesn't get offered.

Someone has been watching too much TV. CIA salaries aren't enough to buy Langley McMansions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at the demographics at Herndon.

+1
Most classes are taught in spanish

[Anonymous]

IDK I grew up in Reston and graduated high school in 2000 and Herndon was never known as a "good" school. Certainly it was big enough to have lots of high performing kids, but it wasn't a place people were flocking to and didn't have cache like Langley or McLean or TJ. South Lakes was similar, but had more gifted kids because of the AAP programs that fed into it, from what I remember. This is...not surprising?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just checked. FWIW, Chantilly offers French, Spanish, and Latin. No Russian, Japanese, or Chinese.

South Lakes offers Japanese as well as Latin, Spanish, French, and German. Fox Mill ES is a Japanese Immersion program that feeds into South Lakes which is why it is offered there. the other JI program is at Great Falls and I believe those kids feed into Langley, which would be why Langley has a Japanese option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at the demographics at Herndon.

+1
Most classes are taught in spanish

That is not true.

- Herndon parent

[Anonymous]

More like concentrating enough wealthy kids at one school means they get to spend their money on some fancy language courses because they don't have to spend so much money on ESOL courses.

As to whether the courses are offered, the fact that they offer Chinese 4 and Japanese and Russian 5 suggests someone is taking the courses leading up to them.

But keep pretending there's equity in FCPS. It's a joke.

Or, just maybe, their parents are Chinese, Russian, or Japanese speakers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

More like concentrating enough wealthy kids at one school means they get to spend their money on some fancy language courses because they don't have to spend so much money on ESOL courses.

As to whether the courses are offered, the fact that they offer Chinese 4 and Japanese and Russian 5 suggests someone is taking the courses leading up to them.

But keep pretending there's equity in FCPS. It's a joke.

Or, just maybe, their parents are Chinese, Russian, or Japanese speakers.

Yeah, the ESOL rates are climbing through the roof at Langley because of all the Chinese, Russian, and Japanese immigrants....lol.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, the ESOL rates are climbing through the roof at Langley because of all the Chinese, Russian, and Japanese immigrants....lol.

No one said they were ESOL.