ACPS to APS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just for a little perspective here...
Wakefield high school in Arlington has almost identical stats, and ranks 69 in the state.

No, it doesn't, and I bet you are aware of the exact differences between Wakefield and TC Williams as well.

Excuse me? Yes they do. Approximately the same free reduced lunch numbers. Both about 3/4 minority.
They have similar AP participation rates.
It’s a pretty good apples to apples comparison.

No. It is not. Wakefield is 43% FARMS and TC is 61% FARMS. TC also has a much larger AA population compared to Wakefield. And Wakefield actually has a higher percentage of Asian kids than Yorktown, not to mention TC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just for a little perspective here...
Wakefield high school in Arlington has almost identical stats, and ranks 69 in the state.

No, it doesn't, and I bet you are aware of the exact differences between Wakefield and TC Williams as well.

Excuse me? Yes they do. Approximately the same free reduced lunch numbers. Both about 3/4 minority.
They have similar AP participation rates.
It’s a pretty good apples to apples comparison.

No. It is not. Wakefield is 43% FARMS and TC is 61% FARMS. TC also has a much larger AA population compared to Wakefield. And Wakefield actually has a higher percentage of Asian kids than Yorktown, not to mention TC.

Both greatschools and us news has TC’s farms rate at about 45.
TC has 5% Asian
Wakefield has 9%
A MUCH larger AA population? Wakefield is approx 20%. T.C is approx 30%

Do those differences justify such a disparity in rank? Look, I don’t put too much stock in these lists, but still... ACPS needs to face some harsh truths.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just for a little perspective here...
Wakefield high school in Arlington has almost identical stats, and ranks 69 in the state.

No, it doesn't, and I bet you are aware of the exact differences between Wakefield and TC Williams as well.

Excuse me? Yes they do. Approximately the same free reduced lunch numbers. Both about 3/4 minority.
They have similar AP participation rates.
It’s a pretty good apples to apples comparison.

No. It is not. Wakefield is 43% FARMS and TC is 61% FARMS. TC also has a much larger AA population compared to Wakefield. And Wakefield actually has a higher percentage of Asian kids than Yorktown, not to mention TC.

Both greatschools and us news has TC’s farms rate at about 45.
TC has 5% Asian
Wakefield has 9%
A MUCH larger AA population? Wakefield is approx 20%. T.C is approx 30%

Do those differences justify such a disparity in rank? Look, I don’t put too much stock in these lists, but still... ACPS needs to face some harsh truths.

I'm going by the Virginia Department of Education statistics on Free and Reduced Lunch participation, a more authoritative source.

[Anonymous]

Ok, so no one has made the switch from ACPS to APS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so no one has made the switch from ACPS to APS?

Lots of people make the switch and a PP captured the situation well. You don't know what you are missing until you go elsewhere and find out. That's what happened when we switched from ACPS to private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so no one has made the switch from ACPS to APS?

Lots of people make the switch and a PP captured the situation well. You don't know what you are missing until you go elsewhere and find out. That's what happened when we switched from ACPS to private.

Which PP? Two pages of comments and not a single post from a parent in APS describing the differences between ACPS and APS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so no one has made the switch from ACPS to APS?

Lots of people make the switch and a PP captured the situation well. You don't know what you are missing until you go elsewhere and find out. That's what happened when we switched from ACPS to private.

Which PP? Two pages of comments and not a single post from a parent in APS describing the differences between ACPS and APS.

16:37 answered the question in detail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who have switched from Alexandria to Arlington, in what year did you make the switch (i.e., elementary, middle, high school?) and what were the pros and cons of the switch?

We did this before middle school.

Pros: Arlington schools are dramatically superior in programming, parent engagement and resources. We were really shocked as people who trick themselves into thinking ACPS is just fine have never experienced anything else. From enrichment programs in ES to school plays to science opportunities in the outdoor lab to TJ as an option, APS just operates on a completely different level. Ask any of the plethora of Alexandria parents who have made the switch.

Cons: Overcrowding and Affluenza.

Overcrowding, as in big schools, or overcrowding, as in large class sizes (or both)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who have switched from Alexandria to Arlington, in what year did you make the switch (i.e., elementary, middle, high school?) and what were the pros and cons of the switch?

We did this before middle school.

Pros: Arlington schools are dramatically superior in programming, parent engagement and resources. We were really shocked as people who trick themselves into thinking ACPS is just fine have never experienced anything else. From enrichment programs in ES to school plays to science opportunities in the outdoor lab to TJ as an option, APS just operates on a completely different level. Ask any of the plethora of Alexandria parents who have made the switch.

Cons: Overcrowding and Affluenza.

Overcrowding, as in big schools, or overcrowding, as in large class sizes (or both)?

APS doesn’t have large class sizes; they are capped. Many of the schools themselves are over capacity, which bothers some people more than others.

[Anonymous]

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who have switched from Alexandria to Arlington, in what year did you make the switch (i.e., elementary, middle, high school?) and what were the pros and cons of the switch?

We did this before middle school.

Pros: Arlington schools are dramatically superior in programming, parent engagement and resources. We were really shocked as people who trick themselves into thinking ACPS is just fine have never experienced anything else. From enrichment programs in ES to school plays to science opportunities in the outdoor lab to TJ as an option, APS just operates on a completely different level. Ask any of the plethora of Alexandria parents who have made the switch.

Cons: Overcrowding and Affluenza.

Overcrowding, as in big schools, or overcrowding, as in large class sizes (or both)?

APS doesn’t have large class sizes; they are capped. Many of the schools themselves are over capacity, which bothers some people more than others.

But the caps are reached in many schools, and make for crowded classes. Our neighbor is in a 5th grade class that has 30 kids in it. And this is at a school that is way over capacity, so the squeeze is not just in the classes proper but things like lunch, school activities etc. My kids are in other grades, and don't have quite that many students, but still more than we experienced in ACPS, and they still feel the crunch outside the classroom.

OP, we did the switch mid elementary. It is hard to compare directly because I don't know what things would be like if we hadn't moved. I will say that on balance I thought we had more great teachers in APCS. I think APS relies too much on the iPad to teach, and didn't see that same perceived over reliance in ACPS (which didn't have the same 1:1 device policy like APS). The affluenza in APS is real, but not as pronounced as I thought. The overcrowded schools has had more of an impact than I thought. There seem to be a few more academic opportunities in APS. If I could go back, I wouldn't undo the decision to switch (which was made for many reasons, not just schools), but there definitely wouldn't be a slam dunk case for purely school reasons.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who have switched from Alexandria to Arlington, in what year did you make the switch (i.e., elementary, middle, high school?) and what were the pros and cons of the switch?

We did this before middle school.

Pros: Arlington schools are dramatically superior in programming, parent engagement and resources. We were really shocked as people who trick themselves into thinking ACPS is just fine have never experienced anything else. From enrichment programs in ES to school plays to science opportunities in the outdoor lab to TJ as an option, APS just operates on a completely different level. Ask any of the plethora of Alexandria parents who have made the switch.

Cons: Overcrowding and Affluenza.

Overcrowding, as in big schools, or overcrowding, as in large class sizes (or both)?

APS doesn’t have large class sizes; they are capped. Many of the schools themselves are over capacity, which bothers some people more than others.

But the caps are reached in many schools, and make for crowded classes. Our neighbor is in a 5th grade class that has 30 kids in it. And this is at a school that is way over capacity, so the squeeze is not just in the classes proper but things like lunch, school activities etc. My kids are in other grades, and don't have quite that many students, but still more than we experienced in ACPS, and they still feel the crunch outside the classroom.

OP, we did the switch mid elementary. It is hard to compare directly because I don't know what things would be like if we hadn't moved. I will say that on balance I thought we had more great teachers in APCS. I think APS relies too much on the iPad to teach, and didn't see that same perceived over reliance in ACPS (which didn't have the same 1:1 device policy like APS). The affluenza in APS is real, but not as pronounced as I thought. The overcrowded schools has had more of an impact than I thought. There seem to be a few more academic opportunities in APS. If I could go back, I wouldn't undo the decision to switch (which was made for many reasons, not just schools), but there definitely wouldn't be a slam dunk case for purely school reasons.)

This is helpful. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who have switched from Alexandria to Arlington, in what year did you make the switch (i.e., elementary, middle, high school?) and what were the pros and cons of the switch?

We did this before middle school.

Pros: Arlington schools are dramatically superior in programming, parent engagement and resources. We were really shocked as people who trick themselves into thinking ACPS is just fine have never experienced anything else. From enrichment programs in ES to school plays to science opportunities in the outdoor lab to TJ as an option, APS just operates on a completely different level. Ask any of the plethora of Alexandria parents who have made the switch.

Cons: Overcrowding and Affluenza.

Overcrowding, as in big schools, or overcrowding, as in large class sizes (or both)?

APS doesn’t have large class sizes; they are capped. Many of the schools themselves are over capacity, which bothers some people more than others.

But the caps are reached in many schools, and make for crowded classes. Our neighbor is in a 5th grade class that has 30 kids in it. And this is at a school that is way over capacity, so the squeeze is not just in the classes proper but things like lunch, school activities etc. My kids are in other grades, and don't have quite that many students, but still more than we experienced in ACPS, and they still feel the crunch outside the classroom.

OP, we did the switch mid elementary. It is hard to compare directly because I don't know what things would be like if we hadn't moved. I will say that on balance I thought we had more great teachers in APCS. I think APS relies too much on the iPad to teach, and didn't see that same perceived over reliance in ACPS (which didn't have the same 1:1 device policy like APS). The affluenza in APS is real, but not as pronounced as I thought. The overcrowded schools has had more of an impact than I thought. There seem to be a few more academic opportunities in APS. If I could go back, I wouldn't undo the decision to switch (which was made for many reasons, not just schools), but there definitely wouldn't be a slam dunk case for purely school reasons.)

How could a 5th grade class end up with 30, when the planning factor guideline max is 27? Occasionally kids join a school after the start of the school year, but it’s hard to believe that one 5th grade class ended up with 3 over the cap. Assuming the school has, say, four 5th grade classes and new kids are distributed to different classrooms, that would be 12 new 5th graders joining a school that already somehow managed to be maxed out in all 5th grade classrooms at the start of the school year. What school is getting away with that many over the cap, and how?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who have switched from Alexandria to Arlington, in what year did you make the switch (i.e., elementary, middle, high school?) and what were the pros and cons of the switch?

We did this before middle school.

Pros: Arlington schools are dramatically superior in programming, parent engagement and resources. We were really shocked as people who trick themselves into thinking ACPS is just fine have never experienced anything else. From enrichment programs in ES to school plays to science opportunities in the outdoor lab to TJ as an option, APS just operates on a completely different level. Ask any of the plethora of Alexandria parents who have made the switch.

Cons: Overcrowding and Affluenza.

Overcrowding, as in big schools, or overcrowding, as in large class sizes (or both)?

APS doesn’t have large class sizes; they are capped. Many of the schools themselves are over capacity, which bothers some people more than others.

But the caps are reached in many schools, and make for crowded classes. Our neighbor is in a 5th grade class that has 30 kids in it. And this is at a school that is way over capacity, so the squeeze is not just in the classes proper but things like lunch, school activities etc. My kids are in other grades, and don't have quite that many students, but still more than we experienced in ACPS, and they still feel the crunch outside the classroom.

OP, we did the switch mid elementary. It is hard to compare directly because I don't know what things would be like if we hadn't moved. I will say that on balance I thought we had more great teachers in APCS. I think APS relies too much on the iPad to teach, and didn't see that same perceived over reliance in ACPS (which didn't have the same 1:1 device policy like APS). The affluenza in APS is real, but not as pronounced as I thought. The overcrowded schools has had more of an impact than I thought. There seem to be a few more academic opportunities in APS. If I could go back, I wouldn't undo the decision to switch (which was made for many reasons, not just schools), but there definitely wouldn't be a slam dunk case for purely school reasons.)

How could a 5th grade class end up with 30, when the planning factor guideline max is 27? Occasionally kids join a school after the start of the school year, but it’s hard to believe that one 5th grade class ended up with 3 over the cap. Assuming the school has, say, four 5th grade classes and new kids are distributed to different classrooms, that would be 12 new 5th graders joining a school that already somehow managed to be maxed out in all 5th grade classrooms at the start of the school year. What school is getting away with that many over the cap, and how?

Planning factor guidance isn't the same as actual class counts. This is Ashlawn, and looking at the December enrollment report for grade 5, there were 115 kids, and I know there are 4 homeroom classes. That's 28.75 kids per class, or, more realistically, some classes had 30, some 28. This isn't my kid's grade, but neighbor said the school sent an email at the beginning of the year basically saying they had more 5th graders than expected, and hired another grade 5 teacher in late September, but instead of splitting into 5 smaller homerooms, they just have the new teacher sit in and help teach certain subjects. So the kids are still crammed in over full classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who have switched from Alexandria to Arlington, in what year did you make the switch (i.e., elementary, middle, high school?) and what were the pros and cons of the switch?

We did this before middle school.

Pros: Arlington schools are dramatically superior in programming, parent engagement and resources. We were really shocked as people who trick themselves into thinking ACPS is just fine have never experienced anything else. From enrichment programs in ES to school plays to science opportunities in the outdoor lab to TJ as an option, APS just operates on a completely different level. Ask any of the plethora of Alexandria parents who have made the switch.

Cons: Overcrowding and Affluenza.

Overcrowding, as in big schools, or overcrowding, as in large class sizes (or both)?

APS doesn’t have large class sizes; they are capped. Many of the schools themselves are over capacity, which bothers some people more than others.

But the caps are reached in many schools, and make for crowded classes. Our neighbor is in a 5th grade class that has 30 kids in it. And this is at a school that is way over capacity, so the squeeze is not just in the classes proper but things like lunch, school activities etc. My kids are in other grades, and don't have quite that many students, but still more than we experienced in ACPS, and they still feel the crunch outside the classroom.

OP, we did the switch mid elementary. It is hard to compare directly because I don't know what things would be like if we hadn't moved. I will say that on balance I thought we had more great teachers in APCS. I think APS relies too much on the iPad to teach, and didn't see that same perceived over reliance in ACPS (which didn't have the same 1:1 device policy like APS). The affluenza in APS is real, but not as pronounced as I thought. The overcrowded schools has had more of an impact than I thought. There seem to be a few more academic opportunities in APS. If I could go back, I wouldn't undo the decision to switch (which was made for many reasons, not just schools), but there definitely wouldn't be a slam dunk case for purely school reasons.)

How could a 5th grade class end up with 30, when the planning factor guideline max is 27? Occasionally kids join a school after the start of the school year, but it’s hard to believe that one 5th grade class ended up with 3 over the cap. Assuming the school has, say, four 5th grade classes and new kids are distributed to different classrooms, that would be 12 new 5th graders joining a school that already somehow managed to be maxed out in all 5th grade classrooms at the start of the school year. What school is getting away with that many over the cap, and how?

Planning factor guidance isn't the same as actual class counts. This is Ashlawn, and looking at the December enrollment report for grade 5, there were 115 kids, and I know there are 4 homeroom classes. That's 28.75 kids per class, or, more realistically, some classes had 30, some 28. This isn't my kid's grade, but neighbor said the school sent an email at the beginning of the year basically saying they had more 5th graders than expected, and hired another grade 5 teacher in late September, but instead of splitting into 5 smaller homerooms, they just have the new teacher sit in and help teach certain subjects. So the kids are still crammed in over full classrooms.

But an extra teacher. Makes sense now.