FFX vs Arlington County Schools
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Anonymous
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To follow up on the recent post re: Arlington vs FFX county schools, can someone please explain the logistical differences between the two? We are deciding between moving to Arlington vs. Fairfax for better public schools. DH and I both work full time.
Can someone please clarify the differences in after care? Is it true that FFX County tends to have long waiting lists and no guarantees, whereas Arlington has guaranteed spots for aftercare or shorter lists? Does Arlington have half-days on any day for elementary, or is that unique to FFX County? Will that be continued into the next few years? Between the lack of guaranteed aftercare for working parents, and the Monday schedule, it seems like Arlington might be a better bet, all else being equal. Would love to hear insights on what working parents do to accommodate the FFX schedule for elementary and for childcare purposes. What do parents do who have children in elementary but then younger siblings in daycare full time? |
Anonymous
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As a related matter does Arlington have the equivalent to AAP or is that unique to FFX, where kids are bussed and transported to other schools if they qualify? What does Arlington do? Do the kids stay within their home school?
Again, I'm sorry for being such a newbie, and appreciate the advice. we are coming in from another state (DH and I work full time) and were renting in DC, but want to move out for more space and better schools. Thanks very much! |
Anonymous
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We just moved to Arlington so not a ton of experience here, but I'll share what I've learned so far.
Arlington after care - only guaranteed if you sign up by a certain date. I think it's early summer. Some schools have early release days, but most don't. |
Anonymous
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A better school system with a great small town feel is the City of Falls Church. The highest rated school system in the area. |
Anonymous
Houses in FCC are ugly, the schools look like crap (Hemdrson is a box and George Mason looks like an elementary school) and do you really want to run into the same small group of kids and parents constantly for 12-13 years. Would be my last choice in the area. |
Anonymous
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Can only post my own experience at one elementary school in Arlington.
We had no trouble enrolling our child in the extended day program. Extended day covers all the half days. It seems like there are about 2 half-days per month, which I think is pretty standard in APS elementary schools but I don't know for sure. I'm not sure I understand your question about having children in elementary school and in daycare? Arlington has nothing like FCPS's AAP. My child's school does have a gifted pull-out. My child qualifies for this and is pulled out for small group instruction/projects at times; TBH, I have only a vague idea how much and don't really follow it because I don't care. I have a strong opinion that gifted education should be directed at children who are truly "gifted"--that is, different learners who can't be well served in the regular classroom. (IOW, I am strongly opposed to how the FCPS AAP program is structured.) I have two very bright children, but only one of them really needed special accommodations in elementary school--DC1 is truly a "different" learner. DC2 is very bright but not different/gifted. I have found that the elementary school teachers are well able to deal with children of differing abilities in the classroom. We have been pleased with DC2's educational progress. Also, the integrated arts and music programs are terrific. There are "choice" elementary schools in Arlington--Spanish immersion, Arlington Traditional (which as far as I can tell means lots and lots of homework) and Arlington Science Focus (which may or may not provide a better science curriculum; I hear conflicting reports). I have a close family member who taught for a decade in a couple of different FCPS high schools and now teaches in APS and prefers it here. Much less bureaucracy, etc. Looking to the future, we were very happy with DC1's middle school experience in APS and so far our experience at W-L High has been terrific. |
Anonymous
| To the Arlington parents who are so opposed to Fairfax, what do you think of AAP classes, honors classes, etc? Is differentiation only allowed at the high school level or do you just prefer that kids be taught at different levels in their own classroom? Not sure what your concern is with Fairfax. |
Anonymous
| Arlington has Spanish immersion but not as part of the curriculum |
Anonymous
No. Many of the elementary schools have Spanish 3 days a week. It's called FLES and is treated as all the other "specials". |
Anonymous
I do think that differentiation is more appropriate at the high school level. I think differences in children's maturity levels and preparedness are much broader in the early years, and elementary school teachers are accustomed to dealing with a broad range of skills and abilities in their classrooms. Also, children change and grow--an unexceptional 6-year-old can catch up to her peers, while very precocious 8-year-olds can turn out to be just garden variety snowflakes by age 12. But really my concern is this: in a world of scarce resources, I would rather see special education funding devoted to children who really NEED special services because they can't be adequately served in a regular classroom. This means truly gifted children and children with learning problems, not your typical smart cookie. And if we are not talking about children who need special services (which we decidedly are not when it comes to FCPS AAP), then what we are talking about is special services that can probably be great for kids at all levels, so why save them only for the smart cookies? Why not share that wealth with the kids of more average intelligence? And if the AAP special services are really just more work, more homework, moving faster, then I admit that I don't really see the benefit of that, either. But then, I have never seen a study that shows any long-term benefit of elementary school homework. I cannot see the real, long-term benefit of separating the smart cookies from the average cookies, and I think doing so may be do the average and below-average cookies a grave disservice. I think the real, measurable benefits for the smart cookies are far smaller than the potential costs for the others. |
Anonymous
This. |
Anonymous
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There is a continuum of AAP services available in FCPS and a greater commitment to identifying students' strengths and challenging students:
http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/continuumofservices.shtml |
Anonymous
ESOL? |
Anonymous
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OP here. Thanks for the replies, this is helpful. I am not trying to instigate some sort of FFX vs Arlington war, just merely trying to flush out the differences in elementary between the two, more for logistical reasons. We like both systems equally well, like certain areas equally well, and have viewed homes we like in each. Now we are weighing pros and cons. For example, not having to stress about finding childcare/aftercare if we cannot get off a waiting list is a major bonus for us. Same for the Mondays schedule thing.
I don't know much about AAP vs. GT in Arlington. My kids are your typical bright kids, but not overly intelligent or gifted as far as I can tell. They aren't reading Homer at age 5. We just want to seek guidance from other parents who have been there. What have you found to be good about Arlington vs. bad for working parents. Same for Fairfax. Thanks so much for the replies already! |
Anonymous
What? No. My child, a natural born American, native English speaker, raised in an English speaking home by English speaking parents, attends a North Arlington elementary school which has the Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES) program. Through this program, he takes a Spanish language class 3 times a week. It is considered a "specials" class like art, music, and PE. http://www.apsva.us/Page/2140 |