Thoreau AAP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So Thoreau is projecting 1200 students next year. Was the rezoning of only Oakton HS kids in gen ed or also AAP?

I’m so glad they made this change!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Thoreau is projecting 1200 students next year. Was the rezoning of only Oakton HS kids in gen ed or also AAP?

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.

I'm glad in a way that the numbers of transfers are blowing up in FCPS's faces so quickly. They had all the data that this would happen and chose to rezone anyway.

[Anonymous]

It was expected that 300 kids (gen ed kids) would ultimately slide from Jackson to Thoreau. So, TMS is prepared to handle 300. The question is whether that is the extent of it, or whether it will be more in 2019-20.

It was supposed to be roughly 150 7th graders and 150 8th graders (by the time 2019-20 rolled around). So, since they have roughly 275-300 coming this fall, we know that 150 would be the gen ed rising 7th graders.... that means that another 125+ are rising 8th graders and/or AAP kids (from OHS pyramid) who could have gone to Jackson.

Either way, there are still going to be plenty of kids for Jackson's AAP center to exist and there are still going to be plenty of students at Jackson (non-AAP). It's not going away.

I don't think the numbers mean that the rezoning is "blowing up in FCPS's faces" -- it just means that there is demand for Thoreau that is happening in the first year rather than over two years. There are only so many kids who are required to go to Thoreau and only so many who have the option to choose it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Thoreau is projecting 1200 students next year. Was the rezoning of only Oakton HS kids in gen ed or also AAP?

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.

I'm glad in a way that the numbers of transfers are blowing up in FCPS's faces so quickly. They had all the data that this would happen and chose to rezone anyway.

Hardly blowing up in their faces. Thoreau has plenty of room. Jackson doesn’t. Great change!

[Anonymous]

In 5 year's time, Jackson's AAP population went from 240 kids to 392 kids. That's an increase of 152 kids (or 62% increase). In the same period of time, the gen ed. population increased by 119 students (from 928 to 1047, a 13% increase).

It seems that crowding accelerated as a result of the AAP population growing at a much, much faster rate than the gen. ed. population. Wouldn't hurt LJMS to shed some of its AAP kids (as well as some gen ed kids) to bring the school back to the balance it had in 2013 (when it was near capacity, but not over crowded).

[Anonymous]

Wasn't there a redistricting? Years ago, Madison kids were going to Kilmer for AAP and then were redistricted to Jackson for AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't there a redistricting? Years ago, Madison kids were going to Kilmer for AAP and then were redistricted to Jackson for AAP.

I think the Madison kids for both 7th and 8th started both attending Jackson around 2008 or 2009.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't there a redistricting? Years ago, Madison kids were going to Kilmer for AAP and then were redistricted to Jackson for AAP.

That doesn't explain the increase at Jackson in AAP kids from 2013 to 2018. During that time, TMS opened a local level 4 too... so you would expect that Jackson's numbers would have declined. If TMS didn't start Local Level 4, Jackson could have had another 180-200 AAP kids! Oy vey!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't there a redistricting? Years ago, Madison kids were going to Kilmer for AAP and then were redistricted to Jackson for AAP.

That doesn't explain the increase at Jackson in AAP kids from 2013 to 2018. During that time, TMS opened a local level 4 too... so you would expect that Jackson's numbers would have declined. If TMS didn't start Local Level 4, Jackson could have had another 180-200 AAP kids! Oy vey!

The 2013-2014 year there was a large increase of about 60 kid from the 240 in 2012-0213. Does you or anyone know why? From there though the increases were smaller. 300 in 2013-2014, 325 in 2014-2015, 335 in 2015-2016, 380 in 2016-2017, and 390 in 2017-2018.

[Anonymous]

I know there was capacity at Thoreau but this I think this is not a good move. Ideally, middle school would be a mix of students from various MS that continue on to the same HS. This is FCPS so in this area- not going to be a one to one which is fine. However, why dump all of these OES kids in another split area? Is this really helping Luther or Thoreau kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know there was capacity at Thoreau but this I think this is not a good move. Ideally, middle school would be a mix of students from various MS that continue on to the same HS. This is FCPS so in this area- not going to be a one to one which is fine. However, why dump all of these OES kids in another split area? Is this really helping Luther or Thoreau kids?

Lj was severely overcrowded. Thoreau still is under capacity even after this move. It’s great that they fixed (partially) the problem.

[Anonymous]

There was capacity at Thoreau because it got a renovation through the CIP process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know there was capacity at Thoreau but this I think this is not a good move. Ideally, middle school would be a mix of students from various MS that continue on to the same HS. This is FCPS so in this area- not going to be a one to one which is fine. However, why dump all of these OES kids in another split area? Is this really helping Luther or Thoreau kids?

The class size in middle school is roughly the same class size in high school. The reason this isn't really helping Oakton High is because now four middle schools feed into that high school.

[Anonymous]

I think 99.99% of OHS bound kids are pleased with the decision to feed to TMS for Gen Ed.

As for OES...With Blake Lane ES in the works, I predict a major rezoning of Marshall Road, Mosby Woods, Flint Hill, and Oakton Elementary schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think 99.99% of OHS bound kids are pleased with the decision to feed to TMS for Gen Ed.

As for OES...With Blake Lane ES in the works, I predict a major rezoning of Marshall Road, Mosby Woods, Flint Hill, and Oakton Elementary schools.

Yeah, because it makes so much sense to move to a middle school that already sends Gen Ed students to two other high schools than to stay at one where the Gen Ed kids only fed to one other high school.

But, it's a done deal w/no regard to balanced Gen Ed demographics. The rich people got their servants on the School Board (Hynes, Palchik, Keys-Gamarra) to carry their water yet again.