APS Next Few Years

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD will be a freshman next year. The last year was a wash for her, finished her work way ahead of her class, and spent lots of class time reading or drawing on computer (when DL). Hybrid was a little better but still seems like a huge chunk of her 8th grade day was just kind of sitting around. She gets all As, yada yada. No homework.

We are zoned for WL next year, and we hope that IB/AP/honors classes will engage her much better. I am worried about overcrowding (have they finished the 600 seat addition). My work just wen 4x WFH so moving to FCPS, MCPS, HCPS, etc would be options, but would it be any more engaging? Is this all we should expect from our school, to house her and give her about 3 hours of actual instruction?

Really OP???? You think the rest of us all these years have just had our HSers housed with only 3 hours of instruction??? Get over yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD will be a freshman next year. The last year was a wash for her, finished her work way ahead of her class, and spent lots of class time reading or drawing on computer (when DL). Hybrid was a little better but still seems like a huge chunk of her 8th grade day was just kind of sitting around. She gets all As, yada yada. No homework.

We are zoned for WL next year, and we hope that IB/AP/honors classes will engage her much better. I am worried about overcrowding (have they finished the 600 seat addition). My work just wen 4x WFH so moving to FCPS, MCPS, HCPS, etc would be options, but would it be any more engaging? Is this all we should expect from our school, to house her and give her about 3 hours of actual instruction?

Really OP???? You think the rest of us all these years have just had our HSers housed with only 3 hours of instruction??? Get over yourself.

HS housed? I’m sorry what are you saying.

APS was better in past, with less over crowding, smaller classes, and higher teacher pay. Recent past has been about marquee buildings for HB, not core curriculum. I’m hoping it is better in HS, but I’m worried. Sure you did fine, but now schools are bursting at seams etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD was a straight-A middle school student, never had much trouble and has found all intensified/AP classes at W-L to be very challenging.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD was a straight-A middle school student, never had much trouble and has found all intensified/AP classes at W-L to be very challenging.

+1

They hand out As like candy (or having a pulse) in middle school so really not surprising.

[Anonymous]

Schools are not “bursting at the seams.” They are fine. You all need to take a deep breath and look around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools are not “bursting at the seams.” They are fine. You all need to take a deep breath and look around.

look around at what?

[Anonymous]

Other school systems. APS is not any different from other area systems. Or systems elsewhere in the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools are not “bursting at the seams.” They are fine. You all need to take a deep breath and look around.

https://www.arlnow.com/2021/07/23/morning-poll-school-in-an-office-building/?fbclid=IwAR216I6Ku_QF8_WBPhtsXPa3tFLETllyg3Fkckt3A9fVQbXAl2o9Zi2i2Is

Maybe not quite yet, but the demographics predict huge over crowding at WL in next few years as well as South Arlington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools are not “bursting at the seams.” They are fine. You all need to take a deep breath and look around.

look around at what?

Obviously, we aren’t holding classes in parking lots, so it’s all good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford it, go to private. APS is disappointing. Everything is now political, "professional development" being provided to teacher are all "equity" stuff, none about improving curriculum or instruction. VA as a whole is lowering academic standards in the name of "equity". And meanwhile, kids at private schools are learning much more than their public school peers.

We can’t afford private. So should we look at MCPS or HCPS?

No, not worth moving for MCPS, HCPS or Fairfax. All these systems have their own deep-seated systemic problems, particularly MCPS, certainly not the school system is was 20 years ago. The best MCPS HS programs are test-in, admitting few students who don't test into their GT 4th-5th grade programs and middle school programs. It's very difficult to crack the magnet HS programs at Blair and Richard Montgomery without having come up through the system.

Sounds to me like you'd be better off staying where you are and supplementing via evening, weekend and summer in-person and on-line enrichment programs (e.g. language immersion), maybe the odd community college class for the upper-class HS years. I wouldn't sweat the concern that Metro area private school students learn more. Come on, a good many of those kids are too pampered/spoiled/sheltered to put nose to the grindstone. Sounds like you should work to create your own structures/incentive system to ensure that your girl puts out/stays motivated to learn. WL is good enough academically for the highly motivated. Nothing works too well for the unmotivated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford it, go to private. APS is disappointing. Everything is now political, "professional development" being provided to teacher are all "equity" stuff, none about improving curriculum or instruction. VA as a whole is lowering academic standards in the name of "equity". And meanwhile, kids at private schools are learning much more than their public school peers.

We can’t afford private. So should we look at MCPS or HCPS?

No, not worth moving for MCPS, HCPS or Fairfax. All these systems have their own deep-seated systemic problems, particularly MCPS, certainly not the school system is was 20 years ago. The best MCPS HS programs are test-in, admitting few students who don't test into their GT 4th-5th grade programs and middle school programs. It's very difficult to crack the magnet HS programs at Blair and Richard Montgomery without having come up through the system.

Sounds to me like you'd be better off staying where you are and supplementing via evening, weekend and summer in-person and on-line enrichment programs (e.g. language immersion), maybe the odd community college class for the upper-class HS years. I wouldn't sweat the concern that Metro area private school students learn more. Come on, a good many of those kids are too pampered/spoiled/sheltered to put nose to the grindstone. Sounds like you should work to create your own structures/incentive system to ensure that your girl puts out/stays motivated to learn. WL is good enough academically for the highly motivated. Nothing works too well for the unmotivated.

Ugh that is grueling and a mark on childhood. Why can’t this work be done during school hours? I kinda miss the learning pod idea, small class hire a top rate teacher.

Private schools may not have hard working students, but they get good results and I know none of those parents are doing learning centers or community college enrichment. Learning happens at school and that’s it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford it, go to private. APS is disappointing. Everything is now political, "professional development" being provided to teacher are all "equity" stuff, none about improving curriculum or instruction. VA as a whole is lowering academic standards in the name of "equity". And meanwhile, kids at private schools are learning much more than their public school peers.

We can’t afford private. So should we look at MCPS or HCPS?

No, not worth moving for MCPS, HCPS or Fairfax. All these systems have their own deep-seated systemic problems, particularly MCPS, certainly not the school system is was 20 years ago. The best MCPS HS programs are test-in, admitting few students who don't test into their GT 4th-5th grade programs and middle school programs. It's very difficult to crack the magnet HS programs at Blair and Richard Montgomery without having come up through the system.

Sounds to me like you'd be better off staying where you are and supplementing via evening, weekend and summer in-person and on-line enrichment programs (e.g. language immersion), maybe the odd community college class for the upper-class HS years. I wouldn't sweat the concern that Metro area private school students learn more. Come on, a good many of those kids are too pampered/spoiled/sheltered to put nose to the grindstone. Sounds like you should work to create your own structures/incentive system to ensure that your girl puts out/stays motivated to learn. WL is good enough academically for the highly motivated. Nothing works too well for the unmotivated.

Ugh that is grueling and a mark on childhood. Why can’t this work be done during school hours? I kinda miss the learning pod idea, small class hire a top rate teacher.

Private schools may not have hard working students, but they get good results and I know none of those parents are doing learning centers or community college enrichment. Learning happens at school and that’s it.

Plenty of those families do tutoring or other enrichment. My aunt and her friend tutored or even just sat with private school kids while they did their homework. As retired teachers they made big bucks and the kids went to all the big name schools in the area.

[Anonymous]

Yep. Plenty of kids at the big privates get tutoring. Preparing for competitive college admissions is a slog. Private schools aren’t immune.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep. Plenty of kids at the big privates get tutoring. Preparing for competitive college admissions is a slog. Private schools aren’t immune.

One on one tutoring preparing for SATs is not the same as filling gaps at Learning Center

[Anonymous]

Not worth moving to Fairfax Co. You would most of the same issues.

I would just go private instead of selling and buying another house for 4 years.

I attended FFX Co HS, kids were APS K-8, now in private HS in DC. APS has been in a steady decline, freefall for the past decade or more, talking with relatives in Ffx and Loudoun, very similar in other NoVA counties.