Wakefield or Arlington Tech for an A/B Student Who Will Most Likely Stay In-State for College

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Arlington Tech the one on S. Walter Reed by the library? I had no idea this was an regular high school. I thought it was either for 'problem students' or, as others have said, a vocational school.

Yes, this is north of Columbia Pike, the Career Center parcel with the library, and Patrick Henry elementary school.
Big changes are coming to that location over the next years.

There are actually several programs housed there:

Arlington Tech high school
Career Center classes for students from the other high schools -- they can bus over during the day to take a wide variety of classes (Arl Tech is an outgrowth of that program)
PEP - program for employment preparedness, a program for students with intellectual disabilities
HILT Institute - high intensity language program for HS students
Alternatives for Parenting Teens Program -- for teen mothers, includes on-site childcare
Academic Academy - this I believe is the "problem students" program

Elementary and middle school students can also take enrichment classes there on Saturdays and summers. I highly recommend those. My daughter loves the animal science classes and plans to do those as electives in 11th-12th grade. She won't do the Tech program because she wants to play in band.

Arlington Tech HS program is planned to grow to 800 students and then another 700-800 HS seats will be added. They haven't explained exactly how that's going to work but sounds like Tech will essentially be a school-within-a-school along with the other 800. That's good because right now the AT kids have to go to their home school for sports and don't have opportunities to do music classes during the school day. They are going to have to build something new there. It's been really unclear to me how they are going to handle the Tech expansion in the next couple years along with planning for the larger build. They need to add space this summer for the larger freshman class next year.

This was the SB punting on building a 4th HS. Ultimately, those seats are going to have to be absorbed by Tech, unless they come up with some other self-contained program.

Yes, essentially there will be a 1600 seat high school there, although I don't see it all being seats in the Arlington Tech program. The board said those additional 800 are neighborhood HS seats. They need to offer the full range of classes (AP classes, arts, etc.) and extracurriculars for those students. But that benefits the Tech program because then those students can participate in activities right at the school instead of busing to home schools.

No, they never said these 800 seats are neighborhood seats. They are TBD. It's either going to be a stand alone new program, absorbed into the current Tech program, OR they will keep Tech small and build a neighborhood school of around 1600 seats. All on the same site. It's going to be really difficult to accommodate a neighborhood school on this site, though, with comparable amenities. And now Stratford wants to be moved here, too.

Oh? This is the first I hear about this? Can you elaborate? How did this come about??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Arlington Tech the one on S. Walter Reed by the library? I had no idea this was an regular high school. I thought it was either for 'problem students' or, as others have said, a vocational school.

Yes, this is north of Columbia Pike, the Career Center parcel with the library, and Patrick Henry elementary school.
Big changes are coming to that location over the next years.

There are actually several programs housed there:

Arlington Tech high school
Career Center classes for students from the other high schools -- they can bus over during the day to take a wide variety of classes (Arl Tech is an outgrowth of that program)
PEP - program for employment preparedness, a program for students with intellectual disabilities
HILT Institute - high intensity language program for HS students
Alternatives for Parenting Teens Program -- for teen mothers, includes on-site childcare
Academic Academy - this I believe is the "problem students" program

Elementary and middle school students can also take enrichment classes there on Saturdays and summers. I highly recommend those. My daughter loves the animal science classes and plans to do those as electives in 11th-12th grade. She won't do the Tech program because she wants to play in band.

Arlington Tech HS program is planned to grow to 800 students and then another 700-800 HS seats will be added. They haven't explained exactly how that's going to work but sounds like Tech will essentially be a school-within-a-school along with the other 800. That's good because right now the AT kids have to go to their home school for sports and don't have opportunities to do music classes during the school day. They are going to have to build something new there. It's been really unclear to me how they are going to handle the Tech expansion in the next couple years along with planning for the larger build. They need to add space this summer for the larger freshman class next year.

This was the SB punting on building a 4th HS. Ultimately, those seats are going to have to be absorbed by Tech, unless they come up with some other self-contained program.

Yes, essentially there will be a 1600 seat high school there, although I don't see it all being seats in the Arlington Tech program. The board said those additional 800 are neighborhood HS seats. They need to offer the full range of classes (AP classes, arts, etc.) and extracurriculars for those students. But that benefits the Tech program because then those students can participate in activities right at the school instead of busing to home schools.

No, they never said these 800 seats are neighborhood seats. They are TBD. It's either going to be a stand alone new program, absorbed into the current Tech program, OR they will keep Tech small and build a neighborhood school of around 1600 seats. All on the same site. It's going to be really difficult to accommodate a neighborhood school on this site, though, with comparable amenities. And now Stratford wants to be moved here, too.

Oh? This is the first I hear about this? Can you elaborate? How did this come about??

That's brand new and I can't tell if it's one parent or multiple parents who want out of the new HB building because it won't be inclusive. This parent suggests that if the HB building can't be redesigned (it can't be), the Stratford kids shouldn't be moved there and instead should be moved to a yet-to-be designed building where they could be fully included. I think that means whatever is built at the Career Center.

[Anonymous]

No, they never said these 800 seats are neighborhood seats. They are TBD. It's either going to be a stand alone new program, absorbed into the current Tech program, OR they will keep Tech small and build a neighborhood school of around 1600 seats. All on the same site. It's going to be really difficult to accommodate a neighborhood school on this site, though, with comparable amenities. And now Stratford wants to be moved here, too.

Oh? This is the first I hear about this? Can you elaborate? How did this come about??

That's brand new and I can't tell if it's one parent or multiple parents who want out of the new HB building because it won't be inclusive. This parent suggests that if the HB building can't be redesigned (it can't be), the Stratford kids shouldn't be moved there and instead should be moved to a yet-to-be designed building where they could be fully included. I think that means whatever is built at the Career Center.

Hmmm. Well, if anything new is built at the Career Center, it will be 2022-23 or later before it is finished because APS is talking about building in "phases." The current building is not ADA complaint.

[Anonymous]

Getting back on topic - ice cream social tonight at Arl Tech for perspective families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We checked it out as a possibility for next year for our 8th grader. It's definitely not a vocational school. I was very impressed by the dual enrollment vs. AP and the project based learning aspects. The main down side I saw was that it was so new there really isn't a full track record. I talked to one of the Assistant Principal's at an information night and he was very helpful. Unfortunately, DC just had no interest in splitting off from his friends.

so he's going to Wakefield?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Arlington Tech the one on S. Walter Reed by the library? I had no idea this was an regular high school. I thought it was either for 'problem students' or, as others have said, a vocational school.

Yes, this is north of Columbia Pike, the Career Center parcel with the library, and Patrick Henry elementary school.
Big changes are coming to that location over the next years.

There are actually several programs housed there:

Arlington Tech high school
Career Center classes for students from the other high schools -- they can bus over during the day to take a wide variety of classes (Arl Tech is an outgrowth of that program)
PEP - program for employment preparedness, a program for students with intellectual disabilities
HILT Institute - high intensity language program for HS students
Alternatives for Parenting Teens Program -- for teen mothers, includes on-site childcare
Academic Academy - this I believe is the "problem students" program

Elementary and middle school students can also take enrichment classes there on Saturdays and summers. I highly recommend those. My daughter loves the animal science classes and plans to do those as electives in 11th-12th grade. She won't do the Tech program because she wants to play in band.

Arlington Tech HS program is planned to grow to 800 students and then another 700-800 HS seats will be added. They haven't explained exactly how that's going to work but sounds like Tech will essentially be a school-within-a-school along with the other 800. That's good because right now the AT kids have to go to their home school for sports and don't have opportunities to do music classes during the school day. They are going to have to build something new there. It's been really unclear to me how they are going to handle the Tech expansion in the next couple years along with planning for the larger build. They need to add space this summer for the larger freshman class next year.

This was the SB punting on building a 4th HS. Ultimately, those seats are going to have to be absorbed by Tech, unless they come up with some other self-contained program.

Yes, essentially there will be a 1600 seat high school there, although I don't see it all being seats in the Arlington Tech program. The board said those additional 800 are neighborhood HS seats. They need to offer the full range of classes (AP classes, arts, etc.) and extracurriculars for those students. But that benefits the Tech program because then those students can participate in activities right at the school instead of busing to home schools.

No, they never said these 800 seats are neighborhood seats. They are TBD. It's either going to be a stand alone new program, absorbed into the current Tech program, OR they will keep Tech small and build a neighborhood school of around 1600 seats. All on the same site. It's going to be really difficult to accommodate a neighborhood school on this site, though, with comparable amenities. And now Stratford wants to be moved here, too.

Oh? This is the first I hear about this? Can you elaborate? How did this come about??

That's brand new and I can't tell if it's one parent or multiple parents who want out of the new HB building because it won't be inclusive. This parent suggests that if the HB building can't be redesigned (it can't be), the Stratford kids shouldn't be moved there and instead should be moved to a yet-to-be designed building where they could be fully included. I think that means whatever is built at the Career Center.

What exactly does that mean in this case: “not inclusive”?
And the design process was a long process - they are noticing this now?!
Such a big deal was made about the symbiosis of these two programs? How well they fit with each other?!
Something I honestly didn’t understand.

Either way - the career center is already full. How many students are in the Stratford program currently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Arlington Tech the one on S. Walter Reed by the library? I had no idea this was an regular high school. I thought it was either for 'problem students' or, as others have said, a vocational school.

Yes, this is north of Columbia Pike, the Career Center parcel with the library, and Patrick Henry elementary school.
Big changes are coming to that location over the next years.

There are actually several programs housed there:

Arlington Tech high school
Career Center classes for students from the other high schools -- they can bus over during the day to take a wide variety of classes (Arl Tech is an outgrowth of that program)
PEP - program for employment preparedness, a program for students with intellectual disabilities
HILT Institute - high intensity language program for HS students
Alternatives for Parenting Teens Program -- for teen mothers, includes on-site childcare
Academic Academy - this I believe is the "problem students" program

Elementary and middle school students can also take enrichment classes there on Saturdays and summers. I highly recommend those. My daughter loves the animal science classes and plans to do those as electives in 11th-12th grade. She won't do the Tech program because she wants to play in band.

Arlington Tech HS program is planned to grow to 800 students and then another 700-800 HS seats will be added. They haven't explained exactly how that's going to work but sounds like Tech will essentially be a school-within-a-school along with the other 800. That's good because right now the AT kids have to go to their home school for sports and don't have opportunities to do music classes during the school day. They are going to have to build something new there. It's been really unclear to me how they are going to handle the Tech expansion in the next couple years along with planning for the larger build. They need to add space this summer for the larger freshman class next year.

You should inquire about the details regarding band. I was told that students there do have the ability to participate, at least in marching band. But I don't know the logistics and whether or not the same applies to concert/symphonic bands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington Tech is a vocational school. They are trying to market it otherwise but it’s not actually college prep.

This. Until the first few graduating classes show a strong percentage going to colleges with solid tech-related programs, this is an unproven go-tech program. That’s not a bad thing, but I wouldn’t send my college bound kid there until I know they are sending kids to college.

No it's not a vocational school, it's a high school that offers elective courses that focus on skills for vocational careers. This is not some new concept and had been done in Fairafx county for 20+.

Kids go to college after taking these electives but the colleges might not meet the standard of some parents since it might not be UVA or W&M. A kid will earn a high school diploma. The votech classes are introductions and it might be possible for a kid to earn some kind of certificate for passing a test but to actually really go into the trade or line of work requires a high school diploma and then actual job experience which requires kids to be at least 18 yrs old.

You seem to be confusing the Arlington Tech and Career Center programs. Parents might want to take note of the new State of Virginia requirements for a high school diploma which will be implemented with next year's freshmen class. They include job preparedness and the very exact opportunities and experiences the career Center students have been receiving in Arlington for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We checked it out as a possibility for next year for our 8th grader. It's definitely not a vocational school. I was very impressed by the dual enrollment vs. AP and the project based learning aspects. The main down side I saw was that it was so new there really isn't a full track record. I talked to one of the Assistant Principal's at an information night and he was very helpful. Unfortunately, DC just had no interest in splitting off from his friends.

so he's going to Wakefield?

What's your assumption to ask such a strange question? Are you implying that only Wakefield-bound families are looking into Arlington Tech?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We checked it out as a possibility for next year for our 8th grader. It's definitely not a vocational school. I was very impressed by the dual enrollment vs. AP and the project based learning aspects. The main down side I saw was that it was so new there really isn't a full track record. I talked to one of the Assistant Principal's at an information night and he was very helpful. Unfortunately, DC just had no interest in splitting off from his friends.

so he's going to Wakefield?

What's your assumption to ask such a strange question? Are you implying that only Wakefield-bound families are looking into Arlington Tech?

Um, coz the thread title says "Wakefield or Arlington Tech"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Arlington Tech the one on S. Walter Reed by the library? I had no idea this was an regular high school. I thought it was either for 'problem students' or, as others have said, a vocational school.

Yes, this is north of Columbia Pike, the Career Center parcel with the library, and Patrick Henry elementary school.
Big changes are coming to that location over the next years.

There are actually several programs housed there:

Arlington Tech high school
Career Center classes for students from the other high schools -- they can bus over during the day to take a wide variety of classes (Arl Tech is an outgrowth of that program)
PEP - program for employment preparedness, a program for students with intellectual disabilities
HILT Institute - high intensity language program for HS students
Alternatives for Parenting Teens Program -- for teen mothers, includes on-site childcare
Academic Academy - this I believe is the "problem students" program

Elementary and middle school students can also take enrichment classes there on Saturdays and summers. I highly recommend those. My daughter loves the animal science classes and plans to do those as electives in 11th-12th grade. She won't do the Tech program because she wants to play in band.

Arlington Tech HS program is planned to grow to 800 students and then another 700-800 HS seats will be added. They haven't explained exactly how that's going to work but sounds like Tech will essentially be a school-within-a-school along with the other 800. That's good because right now the AT kids have to go to their home school for sports and don't have opportunities to do music classes during the school day. They are going to have to build something new there. It's been really unclear to me how they are going to handle the Tech expansion in the next couple years along with planning for the larger build. They need to add space this summer for the larger freshman class next year.

You should inquire about the details regarding band. I was told that students there do have the ability to participate, at least in marching band. But I don't know the logistics and whether or not the same applies to concert/symphonic bands.

My son is currently at Arlington Tech. Students can't do band/orchestra at their home school because it is a class held during the school day rather than an extracurricular activity (not sure if they'd be willing to compromise on marching band since that has a lot of out-of-school time but they still would not be able to attend practices during the school day). Some Tech students have opted to continue participating in band/orchestra via non-school youth programs. They have also started offering a music club held during the study period, I think that's mainly a chorus group.

[Anonymous]

we liked a lot about Tech but no orchestra was the deal breaker for DC. maybe when they reach the 800 students target in a few years there'd be enough kids to offer band/orchestra.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we liked a lot about Tech but no orchestra was the deal breaker for DC. maybe when they reach the 800 students target in a few years there'd be enough kids to offer band/orchestra.

Same for DD. She plans to instead structure her schedule so she can do the career center animal science program in 11th-12th while going to W-L

[Anonymous]

206 freshmen applied. All were accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is at Arlington Tech. It is absolutely a college prep program. His schedule this year include Intensified World History, Intensified English, Intensified Algebra II/Trig, Biology, 3rd year foreign language plus TV production. Next year, he'll start dual enrollment classes with DE Pre Calculus. The dual enrollment program is most valuable if you expect your child to go to a VA university because they have guaranteed credit transfer arrangements with all the VA public Us. And, they get more guaranteed credits than they would with AP/IB. However, the same may not carry over at private schools. Personally, I don't care that much about the credit transfer -- I'd want him to retake foundational classes for his major at college regardless of any DE/AP/IB credit. More important to me is that he's taking rigorous classes and DE seems to do fine on that front. The curriculum has to be the same as the class at NOVA and the teacher has to have a master's degree in the specific subject they are teaching (that is not required for AP/IB classes).

It definitely needs to be the student's decision to go there. It's quite a different HS experience, esp. since they don't yet have 4 full grades of students. I like the personal attention he gets and the project approach and he particularly likes his science and TV classes, but he has at least one friend who has decided to go back to his home school next year because he thinks the school is too small and he wants the more traditional HS social experience.

Looking at the kids a year ahead, the classes they are taking and the projects they get to do, I have no question that they will do fine in their college applications.

No doubt that it is very much a college-prep program. One problem is, it doesn't sound like one. Only a handful of well-known college prep programs (such as Brooklyn Tech) use names that sound like Vo-Tech. So one fear for OP is that DC may have to repeatedly explain to people that, no, it isn't a vocational school.