Thoreau AAP
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Anonymous
I don't see FCPS administration as an honest broker in this process. There will be 8th graders in Gen Ed next year with a choice between LJ and TMS opting for TMS and then going forward AAP kids zoned for TMS with a choice between LJ and TMS and increasingly opting for TMS. In addition to that, you'll have people avoiding LJ who would not have done in the past because the school will have higher ESOL/FARMS rates, fewer white kids, etc. |
Anonymous
You don't know this. You are just making up one scenario. As it is now, 2 out of 3 Madison-bound kids choose TMS over LJ. You will just have to be patient and see how the AAP part shakes out. Your concerns have less validity when you just make up the facts to suit your fears. |
Anonymous
"As it is now" is not what it is going forward, after FCPS has both renovated Thoreau and sent a clear message that it doesn't care if LJ ends up like Poe or Lee. PP already pointed out that more kids than expected are choosing to switch schools next year, and this trend will only continue. |
Anonymous
This has been happening for ages. Most AAP girls with a choice between TMS/LJ don't go to LJ already. I know dozens over the years. Others want to escape as well. What's wrong with that? |
Anonymous
Who are you? Judge Judy? MYOB. |
Anonymous
What are you talking about? Thoreau didn't even have a LLIV until about 2 years ago. |
Anonymous
Either way Thoreau will attract more and more of the LLIV-eligible kids and LJ will go downhill. FCPS miscalculated that they could avoid this by making LJ but not Thoreau a "center," and people see right through it. |
Anonymous
Again, you don't know that... and the fact as stated by one of the admins of the two schools, is that the AAP population is not showing a change in 2018. The change in enrollment from what was expected is simply a faster implementation of kids who were part of the assumed (and soon-to-be-required) rezoning group (i.e. gen ed kids from Oakton pyramid). FCPS wasn't requiring 8th graders to switch. But some of them were fine going with the rezoning. Re: girls -- that's funny! The AAP girl on my street is going to LJ. The boy is going to TMS. I suspect you are in the LA AAP center where crossing over to the LJ side of things is foreign. For kids at MW, LJ is the default (the known quantity), TMS is the "foreign" school. |
Anonymous
I know that. They chose to go to the TMS honors programs over LJ AAP. This is kids from OES. Can't speak to MWES. |
Anonymous
Kids from OES going to Madison? That makes sense, but it had to do with the high school feeder being Madison. Nothing to do with escaping LJ. OES kids assigned to Oakton High haven't had a choice till this year. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| There are people with both hobbies and jobs who view this redistricting with skepticism and dismay. |
Anonymous
| So Thoreau is projecting 1200 students next year. Was the rezoning of only Oakton HS kids in gen ed or also AAP? |
Anonymous
The OHS pyramid kids who previously (currently) went to Jackson were rezoned. That includes all the gen ed kids at Mosby Woods, half of the gen ed kids at Oakton Elem., and a small portion of the gen ed kids at Marshall Road. Any of the AAP kids in these schools can choose to go to Thoreau (where they have local level 4 AAP) instead of going to Jackson (which is the official AAP center for the Madison pyramid kids + and Oakton pyramid kids in the elem schools mentioned + the Falls Church pyramid kids). For the Madison pyramid kids, it was always a "con" to go to Jackson b/c it takes them out of their pyramid for MS. For the Oakton pyramid kids, this was not an issue b/c their non-AAP neighborhood peers were with them at Jackson. Going forward (next fall), the Oakton pyramid AAP kids (from the schools mentioned), are now in the same boat as the Madison AAP kids have always been -- they will have to choose between being with their non-AAP neighborhood peers for middle school and take those connections into HS, OR they can go to the AAP center (out of step with their pyramid peers). TBH, the AAP kids aren't really that connected with their non-AAP peers in some schools. In other schools, it is a bigger deal to be separated for MS. So, yes, the 300+ kids now coming to Thoreau are a combination of gen ed. kids and AAP kids. The rising 7th graders (gen ed) are required to go to Thoreau in the fall. The AAP kids have a choice. The rising 8th graders were expected to all stay at Jackson, but word on the street is that some are choosing to switch to Thoreau. Don't know how many. |
Anonymous
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I forgot to mention that the school board assumed that roughly the same number of AAP kids (from Oakton pyramid and Madison pyramid) would stay at Jackson.
No one has publicized info. yet on what the numbers for this fall will be. So, we don't know. Historically, about 100 Madison kids would choose Thoreau and 50 would go to Jackson. (so 2 out of 3 AAP kids in Madison pyramid choose to opt for Thoreau's local level 4 to stay "in pyramid"). It will probably take a couple of years for the Oakton pyramid AAP kids to sort out the long term preferences between going to MS with their neighborhood peers (and staying at Thoreau) or going to the AAP center (at Jackson). For the Oakton pyramid AAP kids/families/school counselors, they are in the habit of thinking "Jackson is the middle school" -- so this first year may not be the full picture. |