Local level IV or level IV at center?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Find out if your LLIV is a self contained room or a “cluster model”.

If it’s cluster, choose the center, no question.
If it’s self contained, either is probably fine. I’d probably choose the local program for social reasons and forgo a bit of academic rigor.

Our LLIV is cluster. We went to the center and have never second guessed the decision.

Ours is two LIV classes with about 20% LIV kids and the rest principal placed. DD is in middle school now and the kids from her ES do just as well as the center kids in AA classes.

That's not cluster though. Cluster is ~5 LIV kids, and then a mix of gen ed, ESOL, and SPED kids. It is trying to mimic the 2nd grade classroom makeup in 3rd grade. Our principal was raving about how it would be a mix of english language learners alongside kids reading middle school novels in 3rd grade. Which sounds good if there are multiple adults in the room to run different levels of instruction and have history projects for both kids who are capable of reading source documents AND kids who need plain english texts, but the reality is its one teacher who now has to differentiate for 5 levels of students instead of 4. It's not sustainable (done well), and will end up teaching to the middle like every other classroom does out of necessity.

A self contained room with only hand picked LIII and LIV kids is totally different.

Prediction, the kids reading above grade level will get ignored and be alone the entire year while struggling students will take up 95% of the teacher's time. The only way this is going to change is hiring more teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Find out if your LLIV is a self contained room or a “cluster model”.

If it’s cluster, choose the center, no question.
If it’s self contained, either is probably fine. I’d probably choose the local program for social reasons and forgo a bit of academic rigor.

Our LLIV is cluster. We went to the center and have never second guessed the decision.

Ours is two LIV classes with about 20% LIV kids and the rest principal placed. DD is in middle school now and the kids from her ES do just as well as the center kids in AA classes.

That's not cluster though. Cluster is ~5 LIV kids, and then a mix of gen ed, ESOL, and SPED kids. It is trying to mimic the 2nd grade classroom makeup in 3rd grade. Our principal was raving about how it would be a mix of english language learners alongside kids reading middle school novels in 3rd grade. Which sounds good if there are multiple adults in the room to run different levels of instruction and have history projects for both kids who are capable of reading source documents AND kids who need plain english texts, but the reality is its one teacher who now has to differentiate for 5 levels of students instead of 4. It's not sustainable (done well), and will end up teaching to the middle like every other classroom does out of necessity.

A self contained room with only hand picked LIII and LIV kids is totally different.

Prediction, the kids reading above grade level will get ignored and be alone the entire year while struggling students will take up 95% of the teacher's time. The only way this is going to change is hiring more teachers.

Which is why my child is at the center, despite the fact that I really wanted him at his base school.

FCPS can't even get class sizes under 30 in many parts of the county, or find enough teachers to fill all the existing vacancies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Find out if your LLIV is a self contained room or a “cluster model”.

If it’s cluster, choose the center, no question.
If it’s self contained, either is probably fine. I’d probably choose the local program for social reasons and forgo a bit of academic rigor.

Our LLIV is cluster. We went to the center and have never second guessed the decision.

Ours is two LIV classes with about 20% LIV kids and the rest principal placed. DD is in middle school now and the kids from her ES do just as well as the center kids in AA classes.

That's not cluster though. Cluster is ~5 LIV kids, and then a mix of gen ed, ESOL, and SPED kids. It is trying to mimic the 2nd grade classroom makeup in 3rd grade. Our principal was raving about how it would be a mix of english language learners alongside kids reading middle school novels in 3rd grade. Which sounds good if there are multiple adults in the room to run different levels of instruction and have history projects for both kids who are capable of reading source documents AND kids who need plain english texts, but the reality is its one teacher who now has to differentiate for 5 levels of students instead of 4. It's not sustainable (done well), and will end up teaching to the middle like every other classroom does out of necessity.

A self contained room with only hand picked LIII and LIV kids is totally different.

Prediction, the kids reading above grade level will get ignored and be alone the entire year while struggling students will take up 95% of the teacher's time. The only way this is going to change is hiring more teachers.

That's how it works now for gen ed. The only difference is that there is more chance the teacher will pay attention to the kids on or above grade level if there are more of them

[Anonymous]

Completely school dependent, so without naming both the local and the center, you will get replies from the "center is best" and "local is best" over and over.

Factors outside your control - teachers, other kids in the class/behavior issues/bullying, transportation - can also make the experience at one place better than the other.

The great news is that you have a choice and you can change your mind next year. I had friends who came back from center or left for center - typically for the reasons I listed above outside your control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Find out if your LLIV is a self contained room or a “cluster model”.

If it’s cluster, choose the center, no question.
If it’s self contained, either is probably fine. I’d probably choose the local program for social reasons and forgo a bit of academic rigor.

Our LLIV is cluster. We went to the center and have never second guessed the decision.

Ours is two LIV classes with about 20% LIV kids and the rest principal placed. DD is in middle school now and the kids from her ES do just as well as the center kids in AA classes.

That's not cluster though. Cluster is ~5 LIV kids, and then a mix of gen ed, ESOL, and SPED kids. It is trying to mimic the 2nd grade classroom makeup in 3rd grade. Our principal was raving about how it would be a mix of english language learners alongside kids reading middle school novels in 3rd grade. Which sounds good if there are multiple adults in the room to run different levels of instruction and have history projects for both kids who are capable of reading source documents AND kids who need plain english texts, but the reality is its one teacher who now has to differentiate for 5 levels of students instead of 4. It's not sustainable (done well), and will end up teaching to the middle like every other classroom does out of necessity.

A self contained room with only hand picked LIII and LIV kids is totally different.

Prediction, the kids reading above grade level will get ignored and be alone the entire year while struggling students will take up 95% of the teacher's time. The only way this is going to change is hiring more teachers.

That's how it works now for gen ed. The only difference is that there is more chance the teacher will pay attention to the kids on or above grade level if there are more of them

Teacher: Nope. Just means more kids will be ignored. We are held feet to the fire to get everyone to minimum levels of proficiency. Once they are there, admin is very hands off. Anyone below? We are hounded to get them up. I could have 5 kids below grade level and 25 above and I'd still end up having to spend 75% of my time with the below kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Find out if your LLIV is a self contained room or a “cluster model”.

If it’s cluster, choose the center, no question.
If it’s self contained, either is probably fine. I’d probably choose the local program for social reasons and forgo a bit of academic rigor.

Our LLIV is cluster. We went to the center and have never second guessed the decision.

Ours is two LIV classes with about 20% LIV kids and the rest principal placed. DD is in middle school now and the kids from her ES do just as well as the center kids in AA classes.

That's not cluster though. Cluster is ~5 LIV kids, and then a mix of gen ed, ESOL, and SPED kids. It is trying to mimic the 2nd grade classroom makeup in 3rd grade. Our principal was raving about how it would be a mix of english language learners alongside kids reading middle school novels in 3rd grade. Which sounds good if there are multiple adults in the room to run different levels of instruction and have history projects for both kids who are capable of reading source documents AND kids who need plain english texts, but the reality is its one teacher who now has to differentiate for 5 levels of students instead of 4. It's not sustainable (done well), and will end up teaching to the middle like every other classroom does out of necessity.

A self contained room with only hand picked LIII and LIV kids is totally different.

So the ESOL learners take up 95% of the teachers time while the kids reading novels get self-study...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Find out if your LLIV is a self contained room or a “cluster model”.

If it’s cluster, choose the center, no question.
If it’s self contained, either is probably fine. I’d probably choose the local program for social reasons and forgo a bit of academic rigor.

Our LLIV is cluster. We went to the center and have never second guessed the decision.

Ours is two LIV classes with about 20% LIV kids and the rest principal placed. DD is in middle school now and the kids from her ES do just as well as the center kids in AA classes.

That's not cluster though. Cluster is ~5 LIV kids, and then a mix of gen ed, ESOL, and SPED kids. It is trying to mimic the 2nd grade classroom makeup in 3rd grade. Our principal was raving about how it would be a mix of english language learners alongside kids reading middle school novels in 3rd grade. Which sounds good if there are multiple adults in the room to run different levels of instruction and have history projects for both kids who are capable of reading source documents AND kids who need plain english texts, but the reality is its one teacher who now has to differentiate for 5 levels of students instead of 4. It's not sustainable (done well), and will end up teaching to the middle like every other classroom does out of necessity.

A self contained room with only hand picked LIII and LIV kids is totally different.

Prediction, the kids reading above grade level will get ignored and be alone the entire year while struggling students will take up 95% of the teacher's time. The only way this is going to change is hiring more teachers.

That's how it works now for gen ed. The only difference is that there is more chance the teacher will pay attention to the kids on or above grade level if there are more of them

Teacher: Nope. Just means more kids will be ignored. We are held feet to the fire to get everyone to minimum levels of proficiency. Once they are there, admin is very hands off. Anyone below? We are hounded to get them up. I could have 5 kids below grade level and 25 above and I'd still end up having to spend 75% of my time with the below kids.

How depressing. Is it any wonder that parents are clamouring to get into AAP?