Rising K LoCo

[Anonymous]

I think school choice is if you're school is failing and not meeting state standards, you can move your child to another school. Believe me, it has to be bad but FCPS applied for a waiver for our school and we were not allowed to leave. Fortunately, my kids were able to get into AAP and get out of our base school. Even then, the AAP center was becoming more impoverished as time when on. Field trips and other things began to fall by the wayside just as my kids were moving up to the middle school. Families can't afford to pay for anything, provide costumes or even bring Valentine's Day cards. You think academics will be fine? No one from home supports many of these kids and schools have to do it themselves.

[Anonymous]

* your

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schooldigger also shows changes over many years - it may help OL divine why their school has slipped in recent years and identify schools that are in more stable footing.

Op here. Yikes school digger looks bad but says 36% farms. I don’t care about poverty, but about academics. It seems the real problem is the language barrier. I see that the score has slipped and I just have no idea why. I feel like there must have been something the county did that made the numbers change so much.

My neighbor said she was happy with it, but she has a middle schooler now. The vast majority of my neighbors have 1-5 year olds who would be heading off soon. We love our house and neighbors so much, but many of them are thinking of moving away too.

What is the school choice program?

I know you said you don't mind poverty, but it does directly affect academics. These types of schools have higher turnover of teachers, and a lot of the newer (and veteran) teachers will try to get into the better schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.lcps.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=27440&ModuleInstanceID=293465&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=358579&PageID=220917

Yes loudoun allows “special permission” (changing schools) for no reason space permitting. You do have to reapply very year and provide transportation. So pick somewhere close enough that is not likely to become over crowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.lcps.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=27440&ModuleInstanceID=293465&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=358579&PageID=220917

Yes loudoun allows “special permission” (changing schools) for no reason space permitting. You do have to reapply very year and provide transportation. So pick somewhere close enough that is not likely to become over crowded.

Be careful with this though because if you pick an elementary that feeds into a different middle and high school than you’re zoned for, space becomes much more limited at those levels and special permissions aren’t often granted . It’s a year by year thing as well so you don’t want to squeak by til 7th grade and suddenly in 8th there’s no extra room, you’re denied, and now your kid goes to a home middle school with kids they have never known. You can’t guarantee long term you can keep your kid in that cohort or school pyramid if you rely on special permissions every single year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.lcps.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=27440&ModuleInstanceID=293465&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=358579&PageID=220917

Yes loudoun allows “special permission” (changing schools) for no reason space permitting. You do have to reapply very year and provide transportation. So pick somewhere close enough that is not likely to become over crowded.

Be careful with this though because if you pick an elementary that feeds into a different middle and high school than you’re zoned for, space becomes much more limited at those levels and special permissions aren’t often granted . It’s a year by year thing as well so you don’t want to squeak by til 7th grade and suddenly in 8th there’s no extra room, you’re denied, and now your kid goes to a home middle school with kids they have never known. You can’t guarantee long term you can keep your kid in that cohort or school pyramid if you rely on special permissions every single year.

True, but that gives OP a long time (6 years) to move if necessary.

[Anonymous]

Op here. I was told school choice was why my school’s scores were sinking. So I guess that means people are getting special permission from failing schools to attend mine? And now mine is under enrolled so is open to more special permissions? That kind of makes sense now. I’m also not sure at what point they consider my school failing or a title 1 school? I guess if it was at 36% farms in 2019 it’s probably 40% this year, which would make it title 1

Our middle and high schools are excellent. But are at capacity so don’t accept special permissions.

[Anonymous]

A mom friend told me they test incoming kindergartners. Not sure if that’s true in loudoun

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A mom friend told me they test incoming kindergartners. Not sure if that’s true in loudoun

It’s not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. I was told school choice was why my school’s scores were sinking. So I guess that means people are getting special permission from failing schools to attend mine? And now mine is under enrolled so is open to more special permissions? That kind of makes sense now. I’m also not sure at what point they consider my school failing or a title 1 school? I guess if it was at 36% farms in 2019 it’s probably 40% this year, which would make it title 1

Our middle and high schools are excellent. But are at capacity so don’t accept special permissions.

No it means stronger students are leaving your school and taking their scores with them.

[Anonymous]

I think LIES, Seneca Ridge and Dominion have space though. Check with LCPS admin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A mom friend told me they test incoming kindergartners. Not sure if that’s true in loudoun

It’s not

They absolutely screen incoming kindergarteners. They don’t turn anyone away of course, but they want to know what they are dealing with coming in and start the ball rolling on getting services if needed. It’s amazing how many kids show up to K and their parents seem shocked that they have special needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. I was told school choice was why my school’s scores were sinking. So I guess that means people are getting special permission from failing schools to attend mine? And now mine is under enrolled so is open to more special permissions? That kind of makes sense now. I’m also not sure at what point they consider my school failing or a title 1 school? I guess if it was at 36% farms in 2019 it’s probably 40% this year, which would make it title 1

Our middle and high schools are excellent. But are at capacity so don’t accept special permissions.

I believe you have to be at 50% to be considered Title 1 and doesn’t a focus school just mean that just you just barely missed Title 1 status so they want to give extra resources anyway?

If your MS and HS are good, you could just special permission into another ES. Or try it because it might be just fine. Or decide after K.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]A mom friend told me they test incoming kindergartners. Not sure if that’s true in loudoun [/quote]

It’s not [/quote]

They absolutely screen incoming kindergarteners. They don’t turn anyone away of course, but they want to know what they are dealing with coming in and start the ball rolling on getting services if needed. It’s amazing how many kids show up to K and their parents seem shocked that they have special needs.[/quote]

That’s not testing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think LIES, Seneca Ridge and Dominion have space though. Check with LCPS admin.

Those are our schools but I don’t think OP is in Sterling based upon a few things she has said. Plus Dominion and Seneca are 4’s. We have been very happy at LIES and Seneca. We don’t have a HSer yet but they neighbors have all been happy at Dominion.