Middle school Electives

[Anonymous]

How are students selected for the popular electives whilst other get their top choices? Is it completely random?

[Anonymous]

I’m also confused about the process for how it’s decided who gets which electives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've been told many times over the years that the whole point of registering in Jan/ Feb was so that the school could hire staff to accommodate all of the student's requests. That's why the school has trouble making changes late, because they have already staffed to "what you asked for." My kids, 10th and 7th, have only ever gotten their top picks so I'm surprised to hear otherwise here.

We’ve heard the same, that students’ preferences tend to stay consistent. There’s a group of passionate kids that leans toward advanced subjects like math, science, tech, and languages, while the larger group of diverse kids opt for no-surprise courses like band, orchestra, and similar options. To each their own, of course. But it seems like FCPS is insistent that even students who aren't as academically focused should be included in AAP, perhaps to meet their diversity goals?

It probably depends on the school but Orchestra and Band at Carson are no joke. There are a lot of potential after school rehearsals and concerts that kids are required to participate in. If they choose not to then they are not likely to go on the big trip to 6 Flags or Great America or whatever the theme park is. They have to keep a practice log and practice using an app that tells them how accurate they are. We know kids who dropped it because it was too intense, especially for an elective.

Languages seem to be easy to get, I don’t know a kid who started a language in 7th or 8th grade who did not get the language they wanted.

Engineering and Computers can be tough to get in 7th grade because there are kids who want to make sure that they can take the follow on classes, that have fewer sections and can be selective. I know Engineering 3 is invitation only.

I think the home ec class, called something different now, and some of the other classes are considered more fun and seem to be more available.

As for academically focused or not, there are plenty of kids in LIV/AAP who are smart and capable but are not self driven or curious, I would guess that most of the kids at this age are not academically focused. DS is taking a language, not because he loves it or is driven to learn a language, but because he knows that he needs 4 years of a language for a lot of the better colleges. And because the electives in HS are more varied and fun and he wants to have more room for those then take other electives now.

My student is highly capable and thrives on challenges, especially in a peer-driven environment. However, understandably they don't foresee the long-term implications of middle school course selections and how those choices will affect high school course pathways. This is where a parent's involvement becomes essential in helping determine the best challenges that align with their abilities. Along with their friends, my student has taken the most advanced math courses and selected STEM electives, and they are now seeing the impact of those decisions at TJ coursework. While a middle school counselor can offer relevant guidance, they can't replace the role of an informed parent who knows the student best and understands their potential, and guide them accordingly.

[Anonymous]

How hard is it to get into ART?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How hard is it to get into ART?

This question is specifically for Carson. My child picked Art foundations and the follow on 3d Art, I think. Are they likely to get in?

[Anonymous]

I don't know of a child from my kids ES that did not get their first choices of electives at Carson. I know that DS and his friends were encouraged to list 2 alternatives after their top selections. We know one kid that dropped an elective, placed in another elective, hated it, and moved into a third elective. I don't know of anyone who asked for art though. Most of the kids we know asked for foreign language, engineering, orchestra, band, computers, study skills, and home ec. And yes, I know I have some of the names wrong but that is what we called the same classes back when we walked to school, uphill boths ways, on 10 feet of snow, with -10 degree windshield.

[Anonymous]

Carson offered Chinese 1 initially and it was my child's 1st choice, but they sent out an email in May saying they would not offer Chinese 1 due to low registration. Don't know how "low" the low registration was but that ruined his and multiple of his friends' plan of taking a high school language credit. They all landed their 2nd and 3rd choices but no foreign language electives for them.

[Anonymous]

MS is the time to have fun with electives - other than the language/band issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Carson offered Chinese 1 initially and it was my child's 1st choice, but they sent out an email in May saying they would not offer Chinese 1 due to low registration. Don't know how "low" the low registration was but that ruined his and multiple of his friends' plan of taking a high school language credit. They all landed their 2nd and 3rd choices but no foreign language electives for them.

I am guessing this was last year? I know kids who changed electives when the school year started. Did you try and switch into a different language once you got that email and they said there was no room? The kids I knew who switched moved into non-languages because they were already in a foreign language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MS is the time to have fun with electives - other than the language/band issue.

Right, which can take up all of your electives if student does both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Carson offered Chinese 1 initially and it was my child's 1st choice, but they sent out an email in May saying they would not offer Chinese 1 due to low registration. Don't know how "low" the low registration was but that ruined his and multiple of his friends' plan of taking a high school language credit. They all landed their 2nd and 3rd choices but no foreign language electives for them.

If your child’s already know some Chinese the try the world language exam for credit. DC’s classmate was good at Chinese and earned all credits.