Aps vs fcps

[Anonymous]

I have worked for both systems, and I feel like the teachers are better in APS. With that said, Fairfax, is much more organized and there is less BS. At the end of the day, I prefer APS. Teacher quality makes a huge difference. They generally pay teachers better and that attracts better talent, although they are definitely losing that edge, and quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have worked for both systems, and I feel like the teachers are better in APS. With that said, Fairfax, is much more organized and there is less BS. At the end of the day, I prefer APS. Teacher quality makes a huge difference. They generally pay teachers better and that attracts better talent, although they are definitely losing that edge, and quickly.

At least in FCPS, the amount of BS varies with how willing the Principal is to shield students and faculty from the BS. If the principal does not shield, then there is a huge pile of BS in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Principals seem to come and go fairly quickly in FCPS. Justice (Stuart) HS, Hayfield, etc. There’s are also some shady admin moves in FCPS. Possibly to make controversies go away.

There’s more continuity in APS where admin, especially principals tend to stick around for many years or even decades at the same schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids schools in FCPS are much nicer than the Aps school where I teach. Aps did condition reports on their schools
Last year maybe so you can see those. I would say aps has more “show schools” per capita but that doesn’t mean the all the schools are nice.
I love that FCPS has mostly 6th grade in elementary annd only 7/8 in middle schools. They offer immersion programs in more languages. Their sped offerings can also be more tailored and clustered to disabilities just because there are more kids.
Aps can give more flexibility in that it is a smaller and more nimble system.

NP. Can you talk about FCPS's Sped offerings vs APS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids schools in FCPS are much nicer than the Aps school where I teach. Aps did condition reports on their schools
Last year maybe so you can see those. I would say aps has more “show schools” per capita but that doesn’t mean the all the schools are nice.
I love that FCPS has mostly 6th grade in elementary annd only 7/8 in middle schools. They offer immersion programs in more languages. Their sped offerings can also be more tailored and clustered to disabilities just because there are more kids.
Aps can give more flexibility in that it is a smaller and more nimble system.

NP. Can you talk about FCPS's Sped offerings vs APS?

FCPS got sued by Feds over not providing SpEd coverage as requires by law. It went to court. FCPS lost on every point. It cost them 10s of Ms of $$. Maybe they are better now, but they were so bad in recent years that courts ordered changes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Principals seem to come and go fairly quickly in FCPS. Justice (Stuart) HS, Hayfield, etc. There’s are also some shady admin moves in FCPS. Possibly to make controversies go away.

There’s more continuity in APS where admin, especially principals tend to stick around for many years or even decades at the same schools.

Maybe you've been lucky. APS has shady admin moves and turnover too. And APS lets horrible principals do whatever they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids schools in FCPS are much nicer than the Aps school where I teach. Aps did condition reports on their schools
Last year maybe so you can see those. I would say aps has more “show schools” per capita but that doesn’t mean the all the schools are nice.
I love that FCPS has mostly 6th grade in elementary annd only 7/8 in middle schools. They offer immersion programs in more languages. Their sped offerings can also be more tailored and clustered to disabilities just because there are more kids.
Aps can give more flexibility in that it is a smaller and more nimble system.

NP. Can you talk about FCPS's Sped offerings vs APS?

FCPS got sued by Feds over not providing SpEd coverage as requires by law. It went to court. FCPS lost on every point. It cost them 10s of Ms of $$. Maybe they are better now, but they were so bad in recent years that courts ordered changes.

link?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids schools in FCPS are much nicer than the Aps school where I teach. Aps did condition reports on their schools
Last year maybe so you can see those. I would say aps has more “show schools” per capita but that doesn’t mean the all the schools are nice.
I love that FCPS has mostly 6th grade in elementary annd only 7/8 in middle schools. They offer immersion programs in more languages. Their sped offerings can also be more tailored and clustered to disabilities just because there are more kids.
Aps can give more flexibility in that it is a smaller and more nimble system.

NP. Can you talk about FCPS's Sped offerings vs APS?

FCPS got sued by Feds over not providing SpEd coverage as requires by law. It went to court. FCPS lost on every point. It cost them 10s of Ms of $$. Maybe they are better now, but they were so bad in recent years that courts ordered changes.

link?

Just Google. There’s actually a few SpEd lawsuits involving FCPS and a OCR settlement. Not sure which one PP was referring to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids schools in FCPS are much nicer than the Aps school where I teach. Aps did condition reports on their schools
Last year maybe so you can see those. I would say aps has more “show schools” per capita but that doesn’t mean the all the schools are nice.
I love that FCPS has mostly 6th grade in elementary annd only 7/8 in middle schools. They offer immersion programs in more languages. Their sped offerings can also be more tailored and clustered to disabilities just because there are more kids.
Aps can give more flexibility in that it is a smaller and more nimble system.

NP. Can you talk about FCPS's Sped offerings vs APS?

DP. POAC did some comparison of all the NoVa systems a few years ago. APS>FCPS for inclusion. But FCCPS is better than both for that. FCPS pays SpEd teachers more and has more formal programs for different populations. However your kid can end up being bussed quite far. Also if you a private placement you basically have no chance in hell from APS and an unlikely but maybe chance from FCPS. Principals have a lot more autonomy in APS which can be good or bad. Pre-k sped programs are better in APS.

[Anonymous]

As mentioned in response to another question, APS has open campus for high school seniors, all students at the HB Woodlawn program, and I believe the Career Center students.

Lower grades and the elem and middle schools have closed campus.

Note that the APS Career Center also serves Falls Church City Public Schools.

[Anonymous]

FCPS has closed campus, so no students leave for lunch or go home in the middle of the day.

DCPS high schools have open campus for all grades.

Some MCPS high schools in urban areas like B-CC HS have open campus for all grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids schools in FCPS are much nicer than the Aps school where I teach. Aps did condition reports on their schools
Last year maybe so you can see those. I would say aps has more “show schools” per capita but that doesn’t mean the all the schools are nice.
I love that FCPS has mostly 6th grade in elementary annd only 7/8 in middle schools. They offer immersion programs in more languages. Their sped offerings can also be more tailored and clustered to disabilities just because there are more kids.
Aps can give more flexibility in that it is a smaller and more nimble system.

NP. Can you talk about FCPS's Sped offerings vs APS?

FCPS will have a wider continuum of placements and programs, because it is so much larger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're interested in specialized programs, you forgot to mention FCPS's AAP (gifted) program for elementary school and middle school.

APS has nothing comparable, AFAIK.

This was the biggest factor for us in picking APS.

There is an intense amount of parent angling, test prep, and parent appeals to get kids placed in AAP. It is toxic. Seen many people go through it. Didn’t want to deal with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJHSST is operated by FCPS but is considered a governors school and that may make it independent in some ways.

Legally, TJ absolutely IS a Virginia Governor's school and the VA Dept of Education merely has a contract with FCPS to operate it. FCPS often tries to hide this and uses TJ stats to boost their overall statistics.

FCPS both owns and operates TJ, and renews a contract with the VDOE every year to operate as a Governor’s School. Most TJ students live in Fairfax, and the number of TJ students from the FCPS pyramids that send the most students to TJ is much larger than the number from any of the APS pyramids.

[Anonymous]

APS’ Arlington Tech is a VDOE Governor’s Academy. It is shares facilities with the Career Center and its students mix with other APS and FCCPS (Falls Church City) students.

The new state-of-the-art campus is under construction.