FCPS comprehensive boundary review

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

Rezoning a WSHS neighborhood to Lewis will not help the Lewis FARM rate, as the students will just pupil.place to LB for Japanese, home school or switch to Catholic school, just like the 300 or so current Lewis students who attend other schools.

FCPS cannot backfill those 300 spots of actual Lewis students whose parents knowingly purchased homes zoned for Lewis, with kids from another pyramid.

Bring back those 300 Lewis students on this rezoning cycle, then see what enrollment looks like in 5 years before touching neighboring schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Herndon High has 291 net transfers out. That’s over 13% off the membership of the school!

Is there a link to the CURRENT pupil placement numbers?

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/fcps.fts/viz/SY2024-25StudentTransfersDashboard/ReadMe

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

So the school board wants to equitize the schools to make them all lower performing? What could go wrong?

Is there proof that sending higher-performing students to a lower-performing school raises the grades of the lower-performing students? Isn't there a different way to help raise grades of the students that need help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

Rezoning a WSHS neighborhood to Lewis will not help the Lewis FARM rate, as the students will just pupil.place to LB for Japanese, home school or switch to Catholic school, just like the 300 or so current Lewis students who attend other schools.

FCPS cannot backfill those 300 spots of actual Lewis students whose parents knowingly purchased homes zoned for Lewis, with kids from another pyramid.

Bring back those 300 Lewis students on this rezoning cycle, then see what enrollment looks like in 5 years before touching neighboring schools.

Pupil placement can be ended and there are only so many seats in Catholic high schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

Rezoning a WSHS neighborhood to Lewis will not help the Lewis FARM rate, as the students will just pupil.place to LB for Japanese, home school or switch to Catholic school, just like the 300 or so current Lewis students who attend other schools.

FCPS cannot backfill those 300 spots of actual Lewis students whose parents knowingly purchased homes zoned for Lewis, with kids from another pyramid.

Bring back those 300 Lewis students on this rezoning cycle, then see what enrollment looks like in 5 years before touching neighboring schools.

FARMS and ESOL are the issue. Look at Centreville High....trending in the wrong direction for everything. Graduation rate, FARMS, ESOL.....

Perhaps it will become the Lewis of the West, but will have a shiny new building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

So the school board wants to equitize the schools to make them all lower performing? What could go wrong?

Is there proof that sending higher-performing students to a lower-performing school raises the grades of the lower-performing students? Isn't there a different way to help raise grades of the students that need help?

No. But it will hide the data of the lower-performing kids....or a certain demographic of kids that are causing the school to look a certain way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

A home moving from West Potomac to Mount Vernon.

From Madison to South Lakes

From Madison to Oakton (small difference but there is one)

From Oakton to Fairfax

From Woodson to Falls Church.

I’m sure there’s more.


These would not drop home values. For example no one moves to the West Potomac district for the high school. They move there because it's close to the river. Most of those families could afford private anyway.

Ask yourself: why do realtors list the schools? And, believe me, there are lots more than those listed.

There is a talking point that the equity activists like to pretend is true - that families choose homes solely because they are Fairfax county, rather than choosing specific school pyramids. We all know that is contrary to all evidence.

Can’t really have it both ways. Are there underperforming schools that need fixing or are all the schools great and everyone considers them fungible?

Everyone I know who moved into WSHS as a renter signed their lease sight unseen because the house was zoned for WSHS.

And all the supposed justifications are now falling apart. Transportation time justification was a mirage based on a faulty inapplicable study, capacity analysis is out of reach due to faulty projections that don’t considered most residential development.

It is sad to see the damage they are doing to the school system.

WSHS and Edison are still over capacity and Lewis is still under capacity. That is the fact now and for the foreseeable future unless students are moved. That could certainly include closing down pupil placements but you have to convince the county to shut that down.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

Rezoning a WSHS neighborhood to Lewis will not help the Lewis FARM rate, as the students will just pupil.place to LB for Japanese, home school or switch to Catholic school, just like the 300 or so current Lewis students who attend other schools.

FCPS cannot backfill those 300 spots of actual Lewis students whose parents knowingly purchased homes zoned for Lewis, with kids from another pyramid.

Bring back those 300 Lewis students on this rezoning cycle, then see what enrollment looks like in 5 years before touching neighboring schools.

Slash the funding for WSHS and then use that money for transitioning Lewis to AP, expanding the electives at Lewis (if that means a class with five kids, fine), and making improvements to Lewis’s building. That will make it harder to pupil place out of Lewis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

Rezoning a WSHS neighborhood to Lewis will not help the Lewis FARM rate, as the students will just pupil.place to LB for Japanese, home school or switch to Catholic school, just like the 300 or so current Lewis students who attend other schools.

FCPS cannot backfill those 300 spots of actual Lewis students whose parents knowingly purchased homes zoned for Lewis, with kids from another pyramid.

Bring back those 300 Lewis students on this rezoning cycle, then see what enrollment looks like in 5 years before touching neighboring schools.

Slash the funding for WSHS and then use that money for transitioning Lewis to AP, expanding the electives at Lewis (if that means a class with five kids, fine), and making improvements to Lewis’s building. That will make it harder to pupil place out of Lewis.

That is stupid and shows no understanding of how school funding works.

WSHS is not getting any special.funding.

In fact, Lewis likely already gets more funds per student average than WSHS because of their high FARMS AND ESL rates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

So the school board wants to equitize the schools to make them all lower performing? What could go wrong?

Is there proof that sending higher-performing students to a lower-performing school raises the grades of the lower-performing students? Isn't there a different way to help raise grades of the students that need help?

No. But it will hide the data of the lower-performing kids....or a certain demographic of kids that are causing the school to look a certain way.

This makes me want to puke. This won't help kids then who need it. It will only make them feel worse!!! WTF. And the kids with good grades will have their lives upheaval with no benefit to them. WTF???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

So the school board wants to equitize the schools to make them all lower performing? What could go wrong?

Is there proof that sending higher-performing students to a lower-performing school raises the grades of the lower-performing students? Isn't there a different way to help raise grades of the students that need help?

No. But it will hide the data of the lower-performing kids....or a certain demographic of kids that are causing the school to look a certain way.

I've said similar throughout this thread: it is a lot easier to cover up the problem than to solve it.
I taught kids in extreme poverty--they can learn, too. It takes a lot more work than educating wealthier kids, but it can be done. How about they work at educating these kids rather than hiding them?


This makes me want to puke. This won't help kids then who need it. It will only make them feel worse!!! WTF. And the kids with good grades will have their lives upheaval with no benefit to them. WTF???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

Rezoning a WSHS neighborhood to Lewis will not help the Lewis FARM rate, as the students will just pupil.place to LB for Japanese, home school or switch to Catholic school, just like the 300 or so current Lewis students who attend other schools.

FCPS cannot backfill those 300 spots of actual Lewis students whose parents knowingly purchased homes zoned for Lewis, with kids from another pyramid.

Bring back those 300 Lewis students on this rezoning cycle, then see what enrollment looks like in 5 years before touching neighboring schools.

Slash the funding for WSHS and then use that money for transitioning Lewis to AP, expanding the electives at Lewis (if that means a class with five kids, fine), and making improvements to Lewis’s building. That will make it harder to pupil place out of Lewis.

That is stupid and shows no understanding of how school funding works.

WSHS is not getting any special.funding.

In fact, Lewis likely already gets more funds per student average than WSHS because of their high FARMS AND ESL rates.

Not as stupid as suggesting they can just shut down pupil placements without providing comparable programming at Lewis. The latter should be a priority and if that means reducing the operating budget for WSHS for a while (and, yes, WSHS may have to cut some extras for a while), so be it.

You think all these issues can be avoided if “they just make Lewis students attend their own school.” Turns out it may not be that simple, dodo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

So the school board wants to equitize the schools to make them all lower performing? What could go wrong?

Is there proof that sending higher-performing students to a lower-performing school raises the grades of the lower-performing students? Isn't there a different way to help raise grades of the students that need help?

No. But it will hide the data of the lower-performing kids....or a certain demographic of kids that are causing the school to look a certain way.

This makes me want to puke. This won't help kids then who need it. It will only make them feel worse!!! WTF. And the kids with good grades will have their lives upheaval with no benefit to them. WTF???

Lewis is past the second tipping point where the number of FARMS students harms the performance of all students. Pushing the number down gives better performing students a larger cohort

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

So the school board wants to equitize the schools to make them all lower performing? What could go wrong?

Is there proof that sending higher-performing students to a lower-performing school raises the grades of the lower-performing students? Isn't there a different way to help raise grades of the students that need help?

No. But it will hide the data of the lower-performing kids....or a certain demographic of kids that are causing the school to look a certain way.

This makes me want to puke. This won't help kids then who need it. It will only make them feel worse!!! WTF. And the kids with good grades will have their lives upheaval with no benefit to them. WTF???

You can expect FCPS to do the minimum so that they look good enough on paper. The only thing that will really improve the scores is removing some populations altogether so that the remaining students increase scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the idea is to raise lower-performing school ratings - what did the research say as to why they are lower performing? Can they not address that problem without creating more problems?

Research shows that once you move past 20% FARMS, the school starts to suffer. Past 40% and the whole student body becomes lower performing.

So the school board wants to equitize the schools to make them all lower performing? What could go wrong?

Is there proof that sending higher-performing students to a lower-performing school raises the grades of the lower-performing students? Isn't there a different way to help raise grades of the students that need help?

No. But it will hide the data of the lower-performing kids....or a certain demographic of kids that are causing the school to look a certain way.

This makes me want to puke. This won't help kids then who need it. It will only make them feel worse!!! WTF. And the kids with good grades will have their lives upheaval with no benefit to them. WTF???

Lewis is past the second tipping point where the number of FARMS students harms the performance of all students. Pushing the number down gives better performing students a larger cohort

That assumes that families that currently pupil place out of Lewis would suddenly attend Lewis and not go private or move, as everyone else is threatening to do when faced with being transferred there.