Immersion program may leave gunston

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I wonder how long until they just nix the entire immersion program past elementary.

Nix it there too

Why would they do this? It’s a very popular program with a lot of educational benefits?

It doesn’t really benefit APS as a whole and numbers greatly drop off once middle school hits. We should be doing what is best for APS not a select group of families. Option schools in general should be reevaluated in APS.

Immersion isn't any more of a select group than is attending Jamestown, Discovery or Taylor. All those kids have the economic means to buy in bounds. At least immersion kids have a lottery chance regardless of their background or economic means.

None of those schools you mentioned offer immersion Spanish instruction. If what you are implying is that immersion offers a better level of instruction or better group of peers, I don’t know what to say to that other than work on fixing the neighborhood schools. It doesn’t assuage my conscience to have APS filled with the haves, the have nots, and the have nots who got lucky in the lottery.

No, it's just refuting the notion that immersion is some "select" group and should therefore be actively disfavored by APS to avoid creating an inequity. It's not. It's kids in public school. And it's no more a special interest group than the parents at Jamestown or Discovery. Those parents want what's best for their kids, as do the parents of those in Immersion.

If anything, option schools have been overly favored for reasons that have never been clear to me. This is a public education system - the idea that we should have all kinds of “options” not directly related to educational need (ie ESL, special needs, gifted services) is bizarre.

Huh? Immersion is important to many ESL students. It allows parents who don't speak English to converse with their child's teacher, administration, guidance counselor, PTA, etc. Spanish speaking families and, in turn, educational outcomes of ESL students are strongly supported by having their kids in immersion.

There are plenty of schools in Arlington with similar or higher EL rates. Perhaps they should get some attention too?

EL Rate for all Arlington County Elementary: 28.96%
Claremont: 32.96%
Key: 35.21%
Barrett: 50%
Barcroft: 46.09%
Abingdon:39.07%
Campbell: 36.87%
Carlin Springs 66.15%
Innovation: 33.47%
Hoffman Boston: 48.15%
Drew: 38.49%
Arlington Traditional: 35.04%
Long Branch: 32.52%

Wow that’s surprising the EL rate Claremont of Claremont is slower than some of the other schools.

It’s not, and it’s what I’ e been saying upthread. There isn’t a waitlist for Spanish speakers, and the neighborhood schools have a higher EL rate than the option school. Firstly, Spanish isn’t the only language the EL families speaks, and second, the Spanish speakers are NOT choosing Immersion, for reasons other than proximity. Simple as that. They don’t want it. Map why are we twisting ourselves into pretzels pretending that moving the location will change that problem?

Are you just making stuff up? There is a waitlist for Spanish speakers.

Claremont kinder: 48 Spanish speaker seats offered. 75 students applied. 17 students waitlisted (I think they admitted more than 48 due to VPI and siblings)
Key Kinder: 48 Spanish speaker seats offered. 67 applied and 11 on the waitlist.

https://www.apsva.us/school-transfer-data/

There are also students on the waitlist for immersion at Gunston (but no idea what language they speak, the data doesn't say).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how long until they just nix the entire immersion program past elementary.

Nix it there too

Why would they do this? It’s a very popular program with a lot of educational benefits?

It doesn’t really benefit APS as a whole and numbers greatly drop off once middle school hits. We should be doing what is best for APS not a select group of families. Option schools in general should be reevaluated in APS.

Immersion isn't any more of a select group than is attending Jamestown, Discovery or Taylor. All those kids have the economic means to buy in bounds. At least immersion kids have a lottery chance regardless of their background or economic means.

None of those schools you mentioned offer immersion Spanish instruction. If what you are implying is that immersion offers a better level of instruction or better group of peers, I don’t know what to say to that other than work on fixing the neighborhood schools. It doesn’t assuage my conscience to have APS filled with the haves, the have nots, and the have nots who got lucky in the lottery.

No, it's just refuting the notion that immersion is some "select" group and should therefore be actively disfavored by APS to avoid creating an inequity. It's not. It's kids in public school. And it's no more a special interest group than the parents at Jamestown or Discovery. Those parents want what's best for their kids, as do the parents of those in Immersion.

If anything, option schools have been overly favored for reasons that have never been clear to me. This is a public education system - the idea that we should have all kinds of “options” not directly related to educational need (ie ESL, special needs, gifted services) is bizarre.

Huh? Immersion is important to many ESL students. It allows parents who don't speak English to converse with their child's teacher, administration, guidance counselor, PTA, etc. Spanish speaking families and, in turn, educational outcomes of ESL students are strongly supported by having their kids in immersion.

There are plenty of schools in Arlington with similar or higher EL rates. Perhaps they should get some attention too?

EL Rate for all Arlington County Elementary: 28.96%
Claremont: 32.96%
Key: 35.21%
Barrett: 50%
Barcroft: 46.09%
Abingdon:39.07%
Campbell: 36.87%
Carlin Springs 66.15%
Innovation: 33.47%
Hoffman Boston: 48.15%
Drew: 38.49%
Arlington Traditional: 35.04%
Long Branch: 32.52%

Wow that’s surprising the EL rate Claremont of Claremont is slower than some of the other schools.

It’s not, and it’s what I’ e been saying upthread. There isn’t a waitlist for Spanish speakers, and the neighborhood schools have a higher EL rate than the option school. Firstly, Spanish isn’t the only language the EL families speaks, and second, the Spanish speakers are NOT choosing Immersion, for reasons other than proximity. Simple as that. They don’t want it. Map why are we twisting ourselves into pretzels pretending that moving the location will change that problem?

Are you just making stuff up? There is a waitlist for Spanish speakers.

Claremont kinder: 48 Spanish speaker seats offered. 75 students applied. 17 students waitlisted (I think they admitted more than 48 due to VPI and siblings)
Key Kinder: 48 Spanish speaker seats offered. 67 applied and 11 on the waitlist.

https://www.apsva.us/school-transfer-data/

There are also students on the waitlist for immersion at Gunston (but no idea what language they speak, the data doesn't say).

The Spanish speaker waitlist resolves pretty much every year. People move, change their mind, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still wondering if this is a start to an end for immersion at the middle school level. APS needs to reconsider “lottery” schools.

We can all only hope?

Aps has literally been spending ton of time and effort developing new curriculum and strengthening the program the last few years. Why in the world would this signal the end?

If they have been spending that much on a select group (time and money) for a lottery school that is one of many reasons.

They are addressing issues that have been well known for a long time but haven’t been addressed because funding keeps being cut.

Sounds like if the program wasn't there they they wouldn't have to worry about the funding.

[Anonymous]

And when are they thinking of trying to make this move happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how long until they just nix the entire immersion program past elementary.

Nix it there too

Why would they do this? It’s a very popular program with a lot of educational benefits?

It doesn’t really benefit APS as a whole and numbers greatly drop off once middle school hits. We should be doing what is best for APS not a select group of families. Option schools in general should be reevaluated in APS.

Immersion isn't any more of a select group than is attending Jamestown, Discovery or Taylor. All those kids have the economic means to buy in bounds. At least immersion kids have a lottery chance regardless of their background or economic means.

None of those schools you mentioned offer immersion Spanish instruction. If what you are implying is that immersion offers a better level of instruction or better group of peers, I don’t know what to say to that other than work on fixing the neighborhood schools. It doesn’t assuage my conscience to have APS filled with the haves, the have nots, and the have nots who got lucky in the lottery.

No, it's just refuting the notion that immersion is some "select" group and should therefore be actively disfavored by APS to avoid creating an inequity. It's not. It's kids in public school. And it's no more a special interest group than the parents at Jamestown or Discovery. Those parents want what's best for their kids, as do the parents of those in Immersion.

If anything, option schools have been overly favored for reasons that have never been clear to me. This is a public education system - the idea that we should have all kinds of “options” not directly related to educational need (ie ESL, special needs, gifted services) is bizarre.

It's bizarre to you that a school system would provide options for the average kid (not specially identified) to learn in the environment that is best suited to them and that aligns with their interests? I think it's fantastic and a true high point of APS.

[Anonymous]

No one has answered the question of why it would kill a middle school program to bus older students to WMS. It's not like middle school parents are showing up at school more than a couple times a year. I think I went for 6th grade orientation, parent/teacher conferences (which were a joke in MS and could have been skipped) and for occasional band/chorus concerts. That's it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how long until they just nix the entire immersion program past elementary.

Nix it there too

Why would they do this? It’s a very popular program with a lot of educational benefits?

It doesn’t really benefit APS as a whole and numbers greatly drop off once middle school hits. We should be doing what is best for APS not a select group of families. Option schools in general should be reevaluated in APS.

Immersion isn't any more of a select group than is attending Jamestown, Discovery or Taylor. All those kids have the economic means to buy in bounds. At least immersion kids have a lottery chance regardless of their background or economic means.

None of those schools you mentioned offer immersion Spanish instruction. If what you are implying is that immersion offers a better level of instruction or better group of peers, I don’t know what to say to that other than work on fixing the neighborhood schools. It doesn’t assuage my conscience to have APS filled with the haves, the have nots, and the have nots who got lucky in the lottery.

No, it's just refuting the notion that immersion is some "select" group and should therefore be actively disfavored by APS to avoid creating an inequity. It's not. It's kids in public school. And it's no more a special interest group than the parents at Jamestown or Discovery. Those parents want what's best for their kids, as do the parents of those in Immersion.

If anything, option schools have been overly favored for reasons that have never been clear to me. This is a public education system - the idea that we should have all kinds of “options” not directly related to educational need (ie ESL, special needs, gifted services) is bizarre.

It's bizarre to you that a school system would provide options for the average kid (not specially identified) to learn in the environment that is best suited to them and that aligns with their interests? I think it's fantastic and a true high point of APS.

they are not options, they are lucks. Emersion for spanish speakers aside, the changes of getting into one of these programs is under 5%. APS needs to quit them. My kid is in one but not emersion. It's really the only program that serves a real need for the people who opt in (Sp. Speakers).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how long until they just nix the entire immersion program past elementary.

Nix it there too

Why would they do this? It’s a very popular program with a lot of educational benefits?

It doesn’t really benefit APS as a whole and numbers greatly drop off once middle school hits. We should be doing what is best for APS not a select group of families. Option schools in general should be reevaluated in APS.

Immersion isn't any more of a select group than is attending Jamestown, Discovery or Taylor. All those kids have the economic means to buy in bounds. At least immersion kids have a lottery chance regardless of their background or economic means.

None of those schools you mentioned offer immersion Spanish instruction. If what you are implying is that immersion offers a better level of instruction or better group of peers, I don’t know what to say to that other than work on fixing the neighborhood schools. It doesn’t assuage my conscience to have APS filled with the haves, the have nots, and the have nots who got lucky in the lottery.

No, it's just refuting the notion that immersion is some "select" group and should therefore be actively disfavored by APS to avoid creating an inequity. It's not. It's kids in public school. And it's no more a special interest group than the parents at Jamestown or Discovery. Those parents want what's best for their kids, as do the parents of those in Immersion.

If anything, option schools have been overly favored for reasons that have never been clear to me. This is a public education system - the idea that we should have all kinds of “options” not directly related to educational need (ie ESL, special needs, gifted services) is bizarre.

It's bizarre to you that a school system would provide options for the average kid (not specially identified) to learn in the environment that is best suited to them and that aligns with their interests? I think it's fantastic and a true high point of APS.

they are not options, they are lucks. Emersion for spanish speakers aside, the changes of getting into one of these programs is under 5%. APS needs to quit them. My kid is in one but not emersion. It's really the only program that serves a real need for the people who opt in (Sp. Speakers).

I can't get past the fact that this poster doesn't know the diff between immersion and emersion. Also, their stats are waaay off. Maybe not the most educated take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one has answered the question of why it would kill a middle school program to bus older students to WMS. It's not like middle school parents are showing up at school more than a couple times a year. I think I went for 6th grade orientation, parent/teacher conferences (which were a joke in MS and could have been skipped) and for occasional band/chorus concerts. That's it.

Actually, several people have addressed this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how long until they just nix the entire immersion program past elementary.

Nix it there too

Why would they do this? It’s a very popular program with a lot of educational benefits?

It doesn’t really benefit APS as a whole and numbers greatly drop off once middle school hits. We should be doing what is best for APS not a select group of families. Option schools in general should be reevaluated in APS.

Immersion isn't any more of a select group than is attending Jamestown, Discovery or Taylor. All those kids have the economic means to buy in bounds. At least immersion kids have a lottery chance regardless of their background or economic means.

None of those schools you mentioned offer immersion Spanish instruction. If what you are implying is that immersion offers a better level of instruction or better group of peers, I don’t know what to say to that other than work on fixing the neighborhood schools. It doesn’t assuage my conscience to have APS filled with the haves, the have nots, and the have nots who got lucky in the lottery.

No, it's just refuting the notion that immersion is some "select" group and should therefore be actively disfavored by APS to avoid creating an inequity. It's not. It's kids in public school. And it's no more a special interest group than the parents at Jamestown or Discovery. Those parents want what's best for their kids, as do the parents of those in Immersion.

If anything, option schools have been overly favored for reasons that have never been clear to me. This is a public education system - the idea that we should have all kinds of “options” not directly related to educational need (ie ESL, special needs, gifted services) is bizarre.

It's bizarre to you that a school system would provide options for the average kid (not specially identified) to learn in the environment that is best suited to them and that aligns with their interests? I think it's fantastic and a true high point of APS.

they are not options, they are lucks. Emersion for spanish speakers aside, the changes of getting into one of these programs is under 5%. APS needs to quit them. My kid is in one but not emersion. It's really the only program that serves a real need for the people who opt in (Sp. Speakers).

Exactly. The provided stats are way off. The vast majority of kids who apply to immersion get in. The waitlist for each school, by the time school starts in the fall, amounts to less than 1 class of students (for English and Spanish speakers combined). The program pretty closely matches demand. It's not like HB or ATS with massive demand and not enough seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one has answered the question of why it would kill a middle school program to bus older students to WMS. It's not like middle school parents are showing up at school more than a couple times a year. I think I went for 6th grade orientation, parent/teacher conferences (which were a joke in MS and could have been skipped) and for occasional band/chorus concerts. That's it.

Actually, several people have addressed this.

They've said families won't do it because it's inconvenient. That's 1) not consistent with what we saw when Key moved and they said the exact same thing and 2) not a ringing endorsement for the importance of the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one has answered the question of why it would kill a middle school program to bus older students to WMS. It's not like middle school parents are showing up at school more than a couple times a year. I think I went for 6th grade orientation, parent/teacher conferences (which were a joke in MS and could have been skipped) and for occasional band/chorus concerts. That's it.

Actually, several people have addressed this.

They've said families won't do it because it's inconvenient. That's 1) not consistent with what we saw when Key moved and they said the exact same thing and 2) not a ringing endorsement for the importance of the program.

Your reading comprehension is pretty lousy. Nope. That's not what they said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one has answered the question of why it would kill a middle school program to bus older students to WMS. It's not like middle school parents are showing up at school more than a couple times a year. I think I went for 6th grade orientation, parent/teacher conferences (which were a joke in MS and could have been skipped) and for occasional band/chorus concerts. That's it.

Actually, several people have addressed this.

They've said families won't do it because it's inconvenient. That's 1) not consistent with what we saw when Key moved and they said the exact same thing and 2) not a ringing endorsement for the importance of the program.

Your reading comprehension is pretty lousy. Nope. That's not what they said.

Then WHAT did they say, oh oracle?

[Anonymous]

Please APS, can we just remove option schools that are luck based and use the lottery system and be done? If someone wants immersion, traditional learning, or outdoor learning, they can go homeschool or private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how long until they just nix the entire immersion program past elementary.

Nix it there too

Why would they do this? It’s a very popular program with a lot of educational benefits?

It doesn’t really benefit APS as a whole and numbers greatly drop off once middle school hits. We should be doing what is best for APS not a select group of families. Option schools in general should be reevaluated in APS.

Immersion isn't any more of a select group than is attending Jamestown, Discovery or Taylor. All those kids have the economic means to buy in bounds. At least immersion kids have a lottery chance regardless of their background or economic means.

None of those schools you mentioned offer immersion Spanish instruction. If what you are implying is that immersion offers a better level of instruction or better group of peers, I don’t know what to say to that other than work on fixing the neighborhood schools. It doesn’t assuage my conscience to have APS filled with the haves, the have nots, and the have nots who got lucky in the lottery.

No, it's just refuting the notion that immersion is some "select" group and should therefore be actively disfavored by APS to avoid creating an inequity. It's not. It's kids in public school. And it's no more a special interest group than the parents at Jamestown or Discovery. Those parents want what's best for their kids, as do the parents of those in Immersion.

If anything, option schools have been overly favored for reasons that have never been clear to me. This is a public education system - the idea that we should have all kinds of “options” not directly related to educational need (ie ESL, special needs, gifted services) is bizarre.

It's bizarre to you that a school system would provide options for the average kid (not specially identified) to learn in the environment that is best suited to them and that aligns with their interests? I think it's fantastic and a true high point of APS.

If your child needs a better OPTION there are a few out there. 1. Move. 2. Private School. 3. Homeschool.