Rising K LoCo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Class sizes will likely be smaller and there may be more help for the teacher.

Right. Is it a Focus school or Title 1 school? If it is there will be more funding and smaller class sizes. Your kid will get more attention not less. And yes they have reading groups in K. It may not be in the first month while they figure out who knows what, but they do do it.

My kid goes to school that was 40% farms and is now 80% farms and is doing just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Class sizes will likely be smaller and there may be more help for the teacher.

Right. Is it a Focus school or Title 1 school? If it is there will be more funding and smaller class sizes. Your kid will get more attention not less. And yes they have reading groups in K. It may not be in the first month while they figure out who knows what, but they do do it.

My kid goes to school that was 40% farms and is now 80% farms and is doing just fine.

Glad you feel that way. Maybe our experience was different because our school experienced a boundary change that quickly changed its demographics. It went from high 20s to 60% within 5 yrs. My youngest saw the most changes. DC would talk about what the teacher said about this and that at the beginning of the year but fell nearly silent beginning in January.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Class sizes will likely be smaller and there may be more help for the teacher.

Right. Is it a Focus school or Title 1 school? If it is there will be more funding and smaller class sizes. Your kid will get more attention not less. And yes they have reading groups in K. It may not be in the first month while they figure out who knows what, but they do do it.

My kid goes to school that was 40% farms and is now 80% farms and is doing just fine.

Glad you feel that way. Maybe our experience was different because our school experienced a boundary change that quickly changed its demographics. It went from high 20s to 60% within 5 yrs. My youngest saw the most changes. DC would talk about what the teacher said about this and that at the beginning of the year but fell nearly silent beginning in January.

I can see that. I think it works better at a school that is a long term FARMS school with staff dedicated to that mission. The schools I have subbed in have amazing staff and many purposefully chose a school with those demographics. Like I said, it depends on the specific school and surrounding community.

Also schools like this tend to have tiny or non-existing PTA’s if that matters to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Class sizes will likely be smaller and there may be more help for the teacher.

Right. Is it a Focus school or Title 1 school? If it is there will be more funding and smaller class sizes. Your kid will get more attention not less. And yes they have reading groups in K. It may not be in the first month while they figure out who knows what, but they do do it.

My kid goes to school that was 40% farms and is now 80% farms and is doing just fine.

Glad you feel that way. Maybe our experience was different because our school experienced a boundary change that quickly changed its demographics. It went from high 20s to 60% within 5 yrs. My youngest saw the most changes. DC would talk about what the teacher said about this and that at the beginning of the year but fell nearly silent beginning in January.

I can see that. I think it works better at a school that is a long term FARMS school with staff dedicated to that mission. The schools I have subbed in have amazing staff and many purposefully chose a school with those demographics. Like I said, it depends on the specific school and surrounding community.

Also schools like this tend to have tiny or non-existing PTA’s if that matters to you.

PP here - I should add that I've since heard from a former teacher that expectations were to get FARMs kids up to SOL standards. I suspected such when I asked my DC if the teacher had met with him or others in a group for LA and the answer was No for nearly 2 weeks straight. We moved on, but neighbors reported disruptions in upper grades, no homework or it was assigned and never checked, and difficulty getting help with learning disabilities. Parents were repeatedly told their kids were fine so they ended getting their kids evaluated themselves (and they were right). I think even with lower class sizes, there are so many that are so needy in high poverty schools, your child will Not get the attention s/he needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Class sizes will likely be smaller and there may be more help for the teacher.

Right. Is it a Focus school or Title 1 school? If it is there will be more funding and smaller class sizes. Your kid will get more attention not less. And yes they have reading groups in K. It may not be in the first month while they figure out who knows what, but they do do it.

My kid goes to school that was 40% farms and is now 80% farms and is doing just fine.

Glad you feel that way. Maybe our experience was different because our school experienced a boundary change that quickly changed its demographics. It went from high 20s to 60% within 5 yrs. My youngest saw the most changes. DC would talk about what the teacher said about this and that at the beginning of the year but fell nearly silent beginning in January.

I can see that. I think it works better at a school that is a long term FARMS school with staff dedicated to that mission. The schools I have subbed in have amazing staff and many purposefully chose a school with those demographics. Like I said, it depends on the specific school and surrounding community.

Also schools like this tend to have tiny or non-existing PTA’s if that matters to you.

PP here - I should add that I've since heard from a former teacher that expectations were to get FARMs kids up to SOL standards. I suspected such when I asked my DC if the teacher had met with him or others in a group for LA and the answer was No for nearly 2 weeks straight. We moved on, but neighbors reported disruptions in upper grades, no homework or it was assigned and never checked, and difficulty getting help with learning disabilities. Parents were repeatedly told their kids were fine so they ended getting their kids evaluated themselves (and they were right). I think even with lower class sizes, there are so many that are so needy in high poverty schools, your child will Not get the attention s/he needs.

PP here who subs. I’m honestly not sure it matters. My kids are in a wealthy public ES and there is no individual attention and very very minimal differentiation there too. Teachers teach everything one way and if your kid doesn’t get it, oh well, not their problem.

[Anonymous]

Op here. It’s not a title 1 school. I can’t find if it’s a focus school. I am just concerned that she won’t be taught at her level or even a normal K level because so many don’t speak English. Do they have separate classes to catch kids up?

And I don’t think great schools is about house values- our houses are all over 700k. I actually don’t know where the kids are coming from.

I’m also angry because every other school is our zip code is highly ranked, why aren’t they spreading kids around to even out scores?

I don’t really want to say what elementary school. I just can’t figure out what tanked it in 5 years. Is there anything that can be done to turn it around?

[Anonymous]

No, they don't have separate classes to catch them at least in FCPS they don't. Also, Greatschools changed their rating system a few years ago adding an equity index. If the kids in poverty at your school aren't doing well, it takes the school down even more. I think you also should compare poverty rates from year to year. If on the rise, it's only going to get worse.

[Anonymous]

If it’s Potowmack in Sterling or Frances Hazel Reid in Leesburg, then it’s fine.

I personally wouldn’t do the south Sterling schools (guilford, rolling ridge, etc but that doesn’t sound like where you live.)

What do the neighbors say?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is heading off to K next year in Loudoun county. I’m getting more anxious because our parents and friends keep telling us horror stories (although they don’t have kids at my particular school). My elementary school is 2/10. It’s 40% esol. It was a 6/10 5 years ago when we bought our home but they started some school choice program. Family and friends are urging us to move or to do private. They say my daughter will be overlooked and class sizes will be extraordinarily large next year. I think the main issue is that so many kids don’t speak English and this hits harder at the early grades. I don’t agree with my family, but have so many questions.

Are K classes differentiated at all? My daughter is reading well. Are their separate classes for kids learning English or are they all together?

What would you all do? I am worried she won’t get any attention and will get ignored because so many others need more help. I just don’t feel ready to move though. We love our neighborhood. Also, the school one street over (our house backs to the school) is 7/10. Why aren’t they leveling the two schools out? That’s the part I don’t understand. Why do they only bus kids into our school and not all?

Even at a wealthy highly ranked school, a child who can already read at the beginning of K is not going to get differentiated instruction. The teacher will just check her off as the kid she doesn’t need to worry about. Trust me on this. Moving won’t change that.

[Anonymous]

Useful resource for understanding FARMS, test scores, other demographics:

https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/county/Loudoun+County/search.aspx

[Anonymous]

+1, it's a great resource to compare and contrast.

[Anonymous]

Schooldigger also shows changes over many years - it may help OL divine why their school has slipped in recent years and identify schools that are in more stable footing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schooldigger also shows changes over many years - it may help OL divine why their school has slipped in recent years and identify schools that are in more stable footing.

Op here. Yikes school digger looks bad but says 36% farms. I don’t care about poverty, but about academics. It seems the real problem is the language barrier. I see that the score has slipped and I just have no idea why. I feel like there must have been something the county did that made the numbers change so much.

My neighbor said she was happy with it, but she has a middle schooler now. The vast majority of my neighbors have 1-5 year olds who would be heading off soon. We love our house and neighbors so much, but many of them are thinking of moving away too.

What is the school choice program?

[Anonymous]

https://www.lcps.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=27440&ModuleInstanceID=293465&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=358579&PageID=220917

[Anonymous]

Special permission site ^^