FCPS school decline

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RWNJ trolls found chatgpt.

So you don't want excellence in our schools?

I don't want RWNJ trolls pushing their BS talking points leading up to the upcoming election.

Okay. You want equity, not excellence. Got it.

I have to disagree, though, I want excellence first, then equity. Without excellence, what's the point of equity? If we don't want to bring everyone up, then we will bring everyone down.

I don't want BS comments like this. No one is being "brought down".

DP. Of course they are. There is no easier way to narrow an achievement gap and announce progress towards “equal outcomes” than to bring the top down, which has been the agenda of recent FCPS school boards and superintendents for the better part of the last decade.

"Bring the top down" is BS talking point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are always parents on here that claim the five paragraph essay has gone away and it’s one of the reasons FCPS and our children’s education is declining. The five paragraph essay has not gone away. It is still the expected/desired outcome for multiple language arts units in 4-6th grade. If your students are not writing a five paragraph essay, there are probably three reasons for that.

1) their individual ELL or SPED level is not at a place where they can manage a five paragraph essay.
2) the teacher did not do it because they ran out of time in the unit.
3) the student complained and procrastinated needlessly and never got beyond paragraph two or three.

My FCPS AAP student was not assigned a five paragraph essay in 4-6th grade (and in fact was not given any formal writing instruction--or punctuation, or grammar, or spelling instruction--until we moved them out of FCPS for 7th grade). This was a well regarded albeit overcrowded LIV AAP center. The emphasis was math, math, math.

And my AAP student did get those things… at an average school.

Same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RWNJ trolls found chatgpt.

So you don't want excellence in our schools?

I don't want RWNJ trolls pushing their BS talking points leading up to the upcoming election.

Okay. You want equity, not excellence. Got it.

I have to disagree, though, I want excellence first, then equity. Without excellence, what's the point of equity? If we don't want to bring everyone up, then we will bring everyone down.

I don't want BS comments like this. No one is being "brought down".

DP. Of course they are. There is no easier way to narrow an achievement gap and announce progress towards “equal outcomes” than to bring the top down, which has been the agenda of recent FCPS school boards and superintendents for the better part of the last decade.

"Bring the top down" is BS talking point.

+1 Even the calculations of narrowing the achievement gap never permitted it to be due to lowering the upper bar. That's just what people say off-the-cuff to criticize schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are always parents on here that claim the five paragraph essay has gone away and it’s one of the reasons FCPS and our children’s education is declining. The five paragraph essay has not gone away. It is still the expected/desired outcome for multiple language arts units in 4-6th grade. If your students are not writing a five paragraph essay, there are probably three reasons for that.

1) their individual ELL or SPED level is not at a place where they can manage a five paragraph essay.
2) the teacher did not do it because they ran out of time in the unit.
3) the student complained and procrastinated needlessly and never got beyond paragraph two or three.

My FCPS AAP student was not assigned a five paragraph essay in 4-6th grade (and in fact was not given any formal writing instruction--or punctuation, or grammar, or spelling instruction--until we moved them out of FCPS for 7th grade). This was a well regarded albeit overcrowded LIV AAP center. The emphasis was math, math, math.

And my AAP student did get those things… at an average school.

Same.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RWNJ trolls found chatgpt.

So you don't want excellence in our schools?

I don't want RWNJ trolls pushing their BS talking points leading up to the upcoming election.

Okay. You want equity, not excellence. Got it.

I have to disagree, though, I want excellence first, then equity. Without excellence, what's the point of equity? If we don't want to bring everyone up, then we will bring everyone down.

I don't want BS comments like this. No one is being "brought down".

DP. Of course they are. There is no easier way to narrow an achievement gap and announce progress towards “equal outcomes” than to bring the top down, which has been the agenda of recent FCPS school boards and superintendents for the better part of the last decade.

"Bring the top down" is BS talking point.

Liar.

Just look at Scott Brabrand. When he arrived his mantra was “the main thing is the main thing.” Everyone knew he meant academics.

That wasn’t good enough for the low brow politicians on the School Board, so he pivoted to “equity is at the center of everything we do.”

Then he spent years trying unsuccessfully to appease the likes of Corbett Sanders and Keys Gamarra by pushing various equity initiatives and ignoring the successful pyramids. His regional superintendents did the same thing. Rhetoric took priority over sound administration or rewarding merit.

Now we see the results: declining SAT scores at almost every HS in FCPS. And things will not improve under Michelle Reid, who was hired because of her fluency in equity speak, not because she has any experience running a large school division.

It is not just a race to the bottom in FCPS now. It’s a virtual sprint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RWNJ trolls found chatgpt.

So you don't want excellence in our schools?

I don't want RWNJ trolls pushing their BS talking points leading up to the upcoming election.

Okay. You want equity, not excellence. Got it.

I have to disagree, though, I want excellence first, then equity. Without excellence, what's the point of equity? If we don't want to bring everyone up, then we will bring everyone down.

I don't want BS comments like this. No one is being "brought down".

DP. Of course they are. There is no easier way to narrow an achievement gap and announce progress towards “equal outcomes” than to bring the top down, which has been the agenda of recent FCPS school boards and superintendents for the better part of the last decade.

"Bring the top down" is BS talking point.

Liar.

Just look at Scott Brabrand. When he arrived his mantra was “the main thing is the main thing.” Everyone knew he meant academics.

That wasn’t good enough for the low brow politicians on the School Board, so he pivoted to “equity is at the center of everything we do.”

Then he spent years trying unsuccessfully to appease the likes of Corbett Sanders and Keys Gamarra by pushing various equity initiatives and ignoring the successful pyramids. His regional superintendents did the same thing. Rhetoric took priority over sound administration or rewarding merit.

Now we see the results: declining SAT scores at almost every HS in FCPS. And things will not improve under Michelle Reid, who was hired because of her fluency in equity speak, not because she has any experience running a large school division.

It is not just a race to the bottom in FCPS now. It’s a virtual sprint.

+ 1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are always parents on here that claim the five paragraph essay has gone away and it’s one of the reasons FCPS and our children’s education is declining. The five paragraph essay has not gone away. It is still the expected/desired outcome for multiple language arts units in 4-6th grade. If your students are not writing a five paragraph essay, there are probably three reasons for that.

1) their individual ELL or SPED level is not at a place where they can manage a five paragraph essay.
2) the teacher did not do it because they ran out of time in the unit.
3) the student complained and procrastinated needlessly and never got beyond paragraph two or three.

My FCPS AAP student was not assigned a five paragraph essay in 4-6th grade (and in fact was not given any formal writing instruction--or punctuation, or grammar, or spelling instruction--until we moved them out of FCPS for 7th grade). This was a well regarded albeit overcrowded LIV AAP center. The emphasis was math, math, math.

And my AAP student did get those things… at an average school.

I think this does happen. Lower performing school teachers know they can’t get away with cutting stuff. More affluent schools think they can get away with it and the parents will just teach the kids instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just look at Scott Brabrand. When he arrived his mantra was “the main thing is the main thing.” Everyone knew he meant academics.

That wasn’t good enough for the low brow politicians on the School Board, so he pivoted to “equity is at the center of everything we do.”

Then he spent years trying unsuccessfully to appease the likes of Corbett Sanders and Keys Gamarra by pushing various equity initiatives and ignoring the successful pyramids. His regional superintendents did the same thing. Rhetoric took priority over sound administration or rewarding merit.

Now we see the results: declining SAT scores at almost every HS in FCPS. And things will not improve under Michelle Reid, who was hired because of her fluency in equity speak, not because she has any experience running a large school division.

It is not just a race to the bottom in FCPS now. It’s a virtual sprint.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

There are always parents on here that claim the five paragraph essay has gone away and it’s one of the reasons FCPS and our children’s education is declining. The five paragraph essay has not gone away. It is still the expected/desired outcome for multiple language arts units in 4-6th grade. If your students are not writing a five paragraph essay, there are probably three reasons for that.

1) their individual ELL or SPED level is not at a place where they can manage a five paragraph essay.
2) the teacher did not do it because they ran out of time in the unit.
3) the student complained and procrastinated needlessly and never got beyond paragraph two or three.

My FCPS AAP student was not assigned a five paragraph essay in 4-6th grade (and in fact was not given any formal writing instruction--or punctuation, or grammar, or spelling instruction--until we moved them out of FCPS for 7th grade). This was a well regarded albeit overcrowded LIV AAP center. The emphasis was math, math, math.

I had to ask my rising 5th grade (general Ed) kid if they wrote the elusive five paragraph paper. Yes, he did. We found them first on Google Drive and then the hard copies that came home.

One was a persuasive essay (he wrote about the importance of being on an team) and the other essay was focused on reasons so many colonists died during the Jamestown Settlement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RWNJ trolls found chatgpt.

So you don't want excellence in our schools?

I don't want RWNJ trolls pushing their BS talking points leading up to the upcoming election.

Okay. You want equity, not excellence. Got it.

I have to disagree, though, I want excellence first, then equity. Without excellence, what's the point of equity? If we don't want to bring everyone up, then we will bring everyone down.

I don't want BS comments like this. No one is being "brought down".

DP. Of course they are. There is no easier way to narrow an achievement gap and announce progress towards “equal outcomes” than to bring the top down, which has been the agenda of recent FCPS school boards and superintendents for the better part of the last decade.

"Bring the top down" is BS talking point.

Liar.

Just look at Scott Brabrand. When he arrived his mantra was “the main thing is the main thing.” Everyone knew he meant academics.

That wasn’t good enough for the low brow politicians on the School Board, so he pivoted to “equity is at the center of everything we do.”

Then he spent years trying unsuccessfully to appease the likes of Corbett Sanders and Keys Gamarra by pushing various equity initiatives and ignoring the successful pyramids. His regional superintendents did the same thing. Rhetoric took priority over sound administration or rewarding merit.

Now we see the results: declining SAT scores at almost every HS in FCPS. And things will not improve under Michelle Reid, who was hired because of her fluency in equity speak, not because she has any experience running a large school division.

It is not just a race to the bottom in FCPS now. It’s a virtual sprint.

He “brought the top down” by “ignoring the successful pyramids”?

Like I said, BS talking point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are always parents on here that claim the five paragraph essay has gone away and it’s one of the reasons FCPS and our children’s education is declining. The five paragraph essay has not gone away. It is still the expected/desired outcome for multiple language arts units in 4-6th grade. If your students are not writing a five paragraph essay, there are probably three reasons for that.

1) their individual ELL or SPED level is not at a place where they can manage a five paragraph essay.
2) the teacher did not do it because they ran out of time in the unit.
3) the student complained and procrastinated needlessly and never got beyond paragraph two or three.

My FCPS AAP student was not assigned a five paragraph essay in 4-6th grade (and in fact was not given any formal writing instruction--or punctuation, or grammar, or spelling instruction--until we moved them out of FCPS for 7th grade). This was a well regarded albeit overcrowded LIV AAP center. The emphasis was math, math, math.

And my AAP student did get those things… at an average school.

I think this does happen. Lower performing school teachers know they can’t get away with cutting stuff. More affluent schools think they can get away with it and the parents will just teach the kids instead.

I’ve taught in schools in the Langley and Lewis pyramids. This is very true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are always parents on here that claim the five paragraph essay has gone away and it’s one of the reasons FCPS and our children’s education is declining. The five paragraph essay has not gone away. It is still the expected/desired outcome for multiple language arts units in 4-6th grade. If your students are not writing a five paragraph essay, there are probably three reasons for that.

1) their individual ELL or SPED level is not at a place where they can manage a five paragraph essay.
2) the teacher did not do it because they ran out of time in the unit.
3) the student complained and procrastinated needlessly and never got beyond paragraph two or three.

My FCPS AAP student was not assigned a five paragraph essay in 4-6th grade (and in fact was not given any formal writing instruction--or punctuation, or grammar, or spelling instruction--until we moved them out of FCPS for 7th grade). This was a well regarded albeit overcrowded LIV AAP center. The emphasis was math, math, math.

And my AAP student did get those things… at an average school.

I think this does happen. Lower performing school teachers know they can’t get away with cutting stuff. More affluent schools think they can get away with it and the parents will just teach the kids instead.

This is why I never understand why parents think the center is better. Our AAP kid at a Local Level 4 got spelling, grammar and writing instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are always parents on here that claim the five paragraph essay has gone away and it’s one of the reasons FCPS and our children’s education is declining. The five paragraph essay has not gone away. It is still the expected/desired outcome for multiple language arts units in 4-6th grade. If your students are not writing a five paragraph essay, there are probably three reasons for that.

1) their individual ELL or SPED level is not at a place where they can manage a five paragraph essay.
2) the teacher did not do it because they ran out of time in the unit.
3) the student complained and procrastinated needlessly and never got beyond paragraph two or three.

My FCPS AAP student was not assigned a five paragraph essay in 4-6th grade (and in fact was not given any formal writing instruction--or punctuation, or grammar, or spelling instruction--until we moved them out of FCPS for 7th grade). This was a well regarded albeit overcrowded LIV AAP center. The emphasis was math, math, math.

And my AAP student did get those things… at an average school.

I think this does happen. Lower performing school teachers know they can’t get away with cutting stuff. More affluent schools think they can get away with it and the parents will just teach the kids instead.

This is why I never understand why parents think the center is better. Our AAP kid at a Local Level 4 got spelling, grammar and writing instruction.

Because academically, most centers are better. And some people think the model is better socially than Local Level IV, where kids have the same 25 classmates for 4 years.

You're misinterpreting lower performing and higher performing. That's not a center/base school difference. It's an area difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are always parents on here that claim the five paragraph essay has gone away and it’s one of the reasons FCPS and our children’s education is declining. The five paragraph essay has not gone away. It is still the expected/desired outcome for multiple language arts units in 4-6th grade. If your students are not writing a five paragraph essay, there are probably three reasons for that.

1) their individual ELL or SPED level is not at a place where they can manage a five paragraph essay.
2) the teacher did not do it because they ran out of time in the unit.
3) the student complained and procrastinated needlessly and never got beyond paragraph two or three.

My FCPS AAP student was not assigned a five paragraph essay in 4-6th grade (and in fact was not given any formal writing instruction--or punctuation, or grammar, or spelling instruction--until we moved them out of FCPS for 7th grade). This was a well regarded albeit overcrowded LIV AAP center. The emphasis was math, math, math.

And my AAP student did get those things… at an average school.

I think this does happen. Lower performing school teachers know they can’t get away with cutting stuff. More affluent schools think they can get away with it and the parents will just teach the kids instead.

This is why I never understand why parents think the center is better. Our AAP kid at a Local Level 4 got spelling, grammar and writing instruction.

Because academically, most centers are better. And some people think the model is better socially than Local Level IV, where kids have the same 25 classmates for 4 years.

You're misinterpreting lower performing and higher performing. That's not a center/base school difference. It's an area difference.

Academically how is it better if they are not getting instruction in key areas? There are many people posting on this thread that their AAP center student is not getting writing, spelling and grammar instruction while AAP students Local Level 4 are. That doesn’t seem like better instruction.

[Anonymous]

Because academically, most centers are better. And some people think the model is better socially than Local Level IV, where kids have the same 25 classmates for 4 years.

Of course they are better academically. Not because instruction is better, but because of the selection process. Not all the kids are smarter than those at the base school, but they have parents who protested to get them into the program and are very involved.

AAP starts way too early. I would eliminate it in third grade and fourth grade. Kids are still maturing.

Either that, or go back to the GT program where only the truly gifted are selected. AAP is not GT.