My way to solve APS MS boundaries: MS ATS at williamsburg
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Anonymous
This probably includes kids coming in through VPI. The Barcroft zone has a lot of kids who are eligible through that pathway. Barcroft only gets like 2 K spots (outside of VPI) in the lottery. Jamestown has no VPI eligible students, so that probably accounts to some degree for the discrepancy. |
Anonymous
Not sure what you are talking about, given that the majority of ATS students don’t go on to HBW. |
Anonymous
Yes. See the other thread on ATS v. Cardinal. |
Anonymous
As an ATS parent I would envision a school where everyone is forced to play an instrument, learn a second language, perform in a play, has a dress code and is strict discipline wise. Also low technology. |
Anonymous
They already do offer transfers to Williamsburg but they don’t offer transportation. |
Anonymous
Can anyone transfer or just certain planning units? |
Anonymous
They already do offer transfers to WMS and any other under enrolled schools. Did you not know this? |
Anonymous
Right because there are only so many slots. But a lot apply. |
Anonymous
Only because of the HB lottery system. My point is, the ATS family doesn't seem to be seeking a continuation of ATS into middle school if they are putting in for an HB type program. How many ATS 5th graders try for the HB lottery? That's the question to ask. |
Anonymous
We have this information! ATS has more applicants for HB Woodlawn than any other school. https://www.apsva.us/school-transfer-data/ https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2023/07/U-MEM_281_Membership-Summary-All.pdf 72 applicants, 98 5th graders |
Anonymous
Seriously these programs are such farces. |
Anonymous
Totally agree. I think the engaged parent thing is such a crock too, particularly at the N Arlington schools where you are talking about a baseline of Type A, probably lawyer, totally over involved in kids education. That’s the bottom rung. |
Anonymous
ATS does have a pedagogy. It’s not obvious to people like you but it makes a huge difference learning wise. ATS exclusively uses direct instruction. Most other Arlington schools use inquiry based learning or a combination of inquiry based learning and direct instruction. See this article on direct instruction in math: https://www.city-journal.org/article/californias-math-framework-is-flawed It’s sad. The biggest problem with California’s math standards is not that it’s “woke” but that it pushes inquiry based learning. But it’s critics, like you PP, don’t understand what a significant difference the style of instruction makes. So they focus on how “woke” California’s math standards are and you here claim that ATS doesn’t really have a pedagogy. |
Anonymous
Not PP here. And I don’t dispute that there are some true believers/pedagogical families out there. But, as has been pointed out, that’s not who you have populating ATS. As evidenced by the HB numbers. It’s these people who feel like winning a lottery in APS actually gets them something “better” educationally for their child. They somehow believe that by “winning” they are avoiding the parents who can’t manage to fill out APS dumb lottery form—which, by the way, is idiot proof. Most N Arlington schools are filled with too involved parents, see all the complaints on this forum about the over advocating of N Arlington PTAs. So it’s nonsense in my view to offer these programs which arent actually serving particular students needs but rather filling irrational parents sense of superiority. |
Anonymous
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IMO, if a kid accepts a lottery spot, that should mean they aren’t able to apply for any other lottery programs. So families should pick what’s really important for that kid — if it’s ATS, great. But then no applying for HB for middle school.
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