TJ Commended Student Emails Released - Who is really responsible?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There certainly needs to be regime change at FCPS and on the School Board. Not sure this particular issue will get the Republicans there, although the Democrats seem to be trying to help them by claiming that kids in the top 2-3% of PSAT test takers (but not top 1%) are low-achievers begging for a “participation trophy.”

Most of the URMs the Democrats pretend to care about so much would be over the moon if their kids were commended students in the top 3%.

I think the coalition for TJ needs to keep up their attacks. Of course I'm a democrat and enjoy watching them alienate the rest of county

I'm not a Republican, but I was alienated by how many Democrats responded to this situation by suggesting that being recognized as among the top 3% of PSAT test-takers was a non-event akin to a "participation trophy" for kids who weren't Semifinalists (in the top 1%). For a party that often goes after "1%-ers," this seemed awfully crude and disrespectful.

Of course I'm a former commended student, as was one of my kids, so apparently we don't really belong in the same room with the TJAAG types.

You think that they need their own ceremony for this? It wasn't well-attended in the past if that gives you any idea of the student interest.

No, I don't think there needs to be a "ceremony." Just let the commended kids know on a timely basis and maybe take a picture for the yearbook.

OK. They were notified. Sounds like they will notify them more quickly in the future.

No matter how you slice it, it doesn't warrant a state investigation.

Agree. FCPS has many problems; this isn't one of them.

Who exactly do you think is responsible for these “many problems”? FCPS has been completely dominated by Democrats during the period in which FCPS’s reputation has declined precipitously.

It has only declined precipitously amongst a very small group of people in a very small echo chamber.

The only ways in which FCPS has declined precipitously is in the massive amount of standardized testing that continues to be piled on and on and on. We literally have WEEKS less instructional time. Who is pushing for all that testing? Republicans, ever since NCLB. More a more and more testing, less and less instructional time.

I’ve been teaching since 1994. THAT’s the biggest change and the biggest erosion of educational quality.

The Republicans have been in no position to dictate an increasing amount of standardized testing in FCPS classrooms in recent years. If you believe this, you really have no business in a classroom.

As for NCLB, it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2002, and was motivated by the same desire for “equal outcomes” that the consultants paid by Reid espouse. The main difference was that NCLB led to a hyper-focus on measuring progress, whereas the equity consultants today want to deny and eliminate performance metrics. That would take some pressure off teachers, but then we’d have no way of knowing whether kids are learning.

NCLB was a weapon to cut funding from schools that underperformed. And they usually underperformed because of - you guessed it - lack of funding that was appropriate to their circumstances.

Rs playing the long game to destroy US public schools.

Teachers who want to teach with no accountability go hand in hand with administrators who want to downplay student achievement in the name of equity.

That will go a long way towards destroying public schools as long as parents care about their kids' education.

I’m sorry your kid didn’t get a special ceremony for being NM commended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There certainly needs to be regime change at FCPS and on the School Board. Not sure this particular issue will get the Republicans there, although the Democrats seem to be trying to help them by claiming that kids in the top 2-3% of PSAT test takers (but not top 1%) are low-achievers begging for a “participation trophy.”

Most of the URMs the Democrats pretend to care about so much would be over the moon if their kids were commended students in the top 3%.

I think the coalition for TJ needs to keep up their attacks. Of course I'm a democrat and enjoy watching them alienate the rest of county

I'm not a Republican, but I was alienated by how many Democrats responded to this situation by suggesting that being recognized as among the top 3% of PSAT test-takers was a non-event akin to a "participation trophy" for kids who weren't Semifinalists (in the top 1%). For a party that often goes after "1%-ers," this seemed awfully crude and disrespectful.

Of course I'm a former commended student, as was one of my kids, so apparently we don't really belong in the same room with the TJAAG types.

You think that they need their own ceremony for this? It wasn't well-attended in the past if that gives you any idea of the student interest.

No, I don't think there needs to be a "ceremony." Just let the commended kids know on a timely basis and maybe take a picture for the yearbook.

OK. They were notified. Sounds like they will notify them more quickly in the future.

No matter how you slice it, it doesn't warrant a state investigation.

Agree. FCPS has many problems; this isn't one of them.

Who exactly do you think is responsible for these “many problems”? FCPS has been completely dominated by Democrats during the period in which FCPS’s reputation has declined precipitously.

It has only declined precipitously amongst a very small group of people in a very small echo chamber.

The only ways in which FCPS has declined precipitously is in the massive amount of standardized testing that continues to be piled on and on and on. We literally have WEEKS less instructional time. Who is pushing for all that testing? Republicans, ever since NCLB. More a more and more testing, less and less instructional time.

I’ve been teaching since 1994. THAT’s the biggest change and the biggest erosion of educational quality.

The Republicans have been in no position to dictate an increasing amount of standardized testing in FCPS classrooms in recent years. If you believe this, you really have no business in a classroom.

As for NCLB, it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2002, and was motivated by the same desire for “equal outcomes” that the consultants paid by Reid espouse. The main difference was that NCLB led to a hyper-focus on measuring progress, whereas the equity consultants today want to deny and eliminate performance metrics. That would take some pressure off teachers, but then we’d have no way of knowing whether kids are learning.

NCLB was a weapon to cut funding from schools that underperformed. And they usually underperformed because of - you guessed it - lack of funding that was appropriate to their circumstances.

Rs playing the long game to destroy US public schools.

Teachers who want to teach with no accountability go hand in hand with administrators who want to downplay student achievement in the name of equity.

That will go a long way towards destroying public schools as long as parents care about their kids' education.

How does defunding schools help students? Newsflash - it doesn’t. Penalizing struggling schools is not the answer. They need *more* support.

If you want accountability, hold the GOP accountable for defunding our schools.

Newsflash. The FCPS Budget is over $4 Billion, FCPS hasn't had a financial audit in over 20 years, and the school board consists of all liberal marxists, and yet you blame the GOP for the school system's failure? Do tell, what is the GOP doing exactly to destroy FCPS when they are not the ones in control?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great parent letters, IMO (not a high school parent, so no dog in this fight)

Starts off reasonable then quickly goes off the rails.

“You lied to me!”

She completely went off the rails, IMO. Honestly, of everything coming across the desk of someone in student services, this is SO, SO low on the priority list. It actually pisses me off to think of the valuable time wasted across the county to “investigate” this clerical error.

But it's not a clerical error. The emails make it clear that the notices were withheld to protect the feelings of the students who didn't get it. And now three schools are involved - same story. Think that is coincidence? Of course it isn't:

"We’re all supposed to believe that three Fairfax schools had the exact same screw-up where all the different principals did their part, but the staff messed up and didn't give that to the students?" one mom said.

A Richmond law firm is conducting an independent review looking to find exactly what happened and how it took place. The Virginia attorney general is also investigating all Fairfax County Public Schools.

I'm glad the AG is doing a county-wide sweep. You TJ apologists can keep yelling that it's a commendation only or a clerical error but the fact is that the Virginia Human Rights statute may have been violated - this will be especially so if it turns out that the students who should have received the notification are asians and the ones "protected" from the knowledge are not.

What the e-mails make clear is that the Director of Student Services told the parent that that's why the letters were withheld. The school's principal signed them and put them on his desk within 48 hours of having received them - you don't do that if your school's policy is going to be to somehow decide to withhold them.

They sat on his desk for nearly a month, and then all of a sudden they were distributed a week BEFORE any of this stuff came to light. It's not like someone complained and THEN he distributed them - indeed, if he had never done it, this may have never become a story.

Based on that chain of events, I don't know how you come to any other conclusion than that he forgot to do it, and then realized they were still undistributed and got them out. Ms. Yashar's readout of the phone call suggests strongly to me that he was scrambling for a reason why they went unsent for a month - and that's where he gets caught up trying to save his rear end with the "equity" and "feelings" crap when all he had to do was apologize. When I say "he lied to her", that's what I mean, and I don't think it's honestly up for discussion at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There certainly needs to be regime change at FCPS and on the School Board. Not sure this particular issue will get the Republicans there, although the Democrats seem to be trying to help them by claiming that kids in the top 2-3% of PSAT test takers (but not top 1%) are low-achievers begging for a “participation trophy.”

Most of the URMs the Democrats pretend to care about so much would be over the moon if their kids were commended students in the top 3%.

I think the coalition for TJ needs to keep up their attacks. Of course I'm a democrat and enjoy watching them alienate the rest of county

I'm not a Republican, but I was alienated by how many Democrats responded to this situation by suggesting that being recognized as among the top 3% of PSAT test-takers was a non-event akin to a "participation trophy" for kids who weren't Semifinalists (in the top 1%). For a party that often goes after "1%-ers," this seemed awfully crude and disrespectful.

Of course I'm a former commended student, as was one of my kids, so apparently we don't really belong in the same room with the TJAAG types.

You think that they need their own ceremony for this? It wasn't well-attended in the past if that gives you any idea of the student interest.

No, I don't think there needs to be a "ceremony." Just let the commended kids know on a timely basis and maybe take a picture for the yearbook.

OK. They were notified. Sounds like they will notify them more quickly in the future.

No matter how you slice it, it doesn't warrant a state investigation.

Agree. FCPS has many problems; this isn't one of them.

Who exactly do you think is responsible for these “many problems”? FCPS has been completely dominated by Democrats during the period in which FCPS’s reputation has declined precipitously.

It has only declined precipitously amongst a very small group of people in a very small echo chamber.

The only ways in which FCPS has declined precipitously is in the massive amount of standardized testing that continues to be piled on and on and on. We literally have WEEKS less instructional time. Who is pushing for all that testing? Republicans, ever since NCLB. More a more and more testing, less and less instructional time.

I’ve been teaching since 1994. THAT’s the biggest change and the biggest erosion of educational quality.

The Republicans have been in no position to dictate an increasing amount of standardized testing in FCPS classrooms in recent years. If you believe this, you really have no business in a classroom.

As for NCLB, it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2002, and was motivated by the same desire for “equal outcomes” that the consultants paid by Reid espouse. The main difference was that NCLB led to a hyper-focus on measuring progress, whereas the equity consultants today want to deny and eliminate performance metrics. That would take some pressure off teachers, but then we’d have no way of knowing whether kids are learning.

NCLB was a weapon to cut funding from schools that underperformed. And they usually underperformed because of - you guessed it - lack of funding that was appropriate to their circumstances.

Rs playing the long game to destroy US public schools.

Teachers who want to teach with no accountability go hand in hand with administrators who want to downplay student achievement in the name of equity.

That will go a long way towards destroying public schools as long as parents care about their kids' education.

How does defunding schools help students? Newsflash - it doesn’t. Penalizing struggling schools is not the answer. They need *more* support.

If you want accountability, hold the GOP accountable for defunding our schools.

Newsflash. The FCPS Budget is over $4 Billion, FCPS hasn't had a financial audit in over 20 years, and the school board consists of all liberal marxists, and yet you blame the GOP for the school system's failure? Do tell, what is the GOP doing exactly to destroy FCPS when they are not the ones in control?

Well, for the last four years, they've been using their operatives to undermine public confidence in the school system - seemingly entirely because they're upset that 1) FCPS decided it was okay for poor kids to go to TJ and 2) because while COVID was happening parents actually had to be responsible for their kids for a hot minute instead of relying on the public school system that they trash relentlessly for free babysitting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There certainly needs to be regime change at FCPS and on the School Board. Not sure this particular issue will get the Republicans there, although the Democrats seem to be trying to help them by claiming that kids in the top 2-3% of PSAT test takers (but not top 1%) are low-achievers begging for a “participation trophy.”

Most of the URMs the Democrats pretend to care about so much would be over the moon if their kids were commended students in the top 3%.

I think the coalition for TJ needs to keep up their attacks. Of course I'm a democrat and enjoy watching them alienate the rest of county

I'm not a Republican, but I was alienated by how many Democrats responded to this situation by suggesting that being recognized as among the top 3% of PSAT test-takers was a non-event akin to a "participation trophy" for kids who weren't Semifinalists (in the top 1%). For a party that often goes after "1%-ers," this seemed awfully crude and disrespectful.

Of course I'm a former commended student, as was one of my kids, so apparently we don't really belong in the same room with the TJAAG types.

You think that they need their own ceremony for this? It wasn't well-attended in the past if that gives you any idea of the student interest.

No, I don't think there needs to be a "ceremony." Just let the commended kids know on a timely basis and maybe take a picture for the yearbook.

OK. They were notified. Sounds like they will notify them more quickly in the future.

No matter how you slice it, it doesn't warrant a state investigation.

Agree. FCPS has many problems; this isn't one of them.

Who exactly do you think is responsible for these “many problems”? FCPS has been completely dominated by Democrats during the period in which FCPS’s reputation has declined precipitously.

It has only declined precipitously amongst a very small group of people in a very small echo chamber.

The only ways in which FCPS has declined precipitously is in the massive amount of standardized testing that continues to be piled on and on and on. We literally have WEEKS less instructional time. Who is pushing for all that testing? Republicans, ever since NCLB. More a more and more testing, less and less instructional time.

I’ve been teaching since 1994. THAT’s the biggest change and the biggest erosion of educational quality.

The Republicans have been in no position to dictate an increasing amount of standardized testing in FCPS classrooms in recent years. If you believe this, you really have no business in a classroom.

As for NCLB, it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2002, and was motivated by the same desire for “equal outcomes” that the consultants paid by Reid espouse. The main difference was that NCLB led to a hyper-focus on measuring progress, whereas the equity consultants today want to deny and eliminate performance metrics. That would take some pressure off teachers, but then we’d have no way of knowing whether kids are learning.

NCLB was a weapon to cut funding from schools that underperformed. And they usually underperformed because of - you guessed it - lack of funding that was appropriate to their circumstances.

Rs playing the long game to destroy US public schools.

Teachers who want to teach with no accountability go hand in hand with administrators who want to downplay student achievement in the name of equity.

That will go a long way towards destroying public schools as long as parents care about their kids' education.

How does defunding schools help students? Newsflash - it doesn’t. Penalizing struggling schools is not the answer. They need *more* support.

If you want accountability, hold the GOP accountable for defunding our schools.

Newsflash. The FCPS Budget is over $4 Billion, FCPS hasn't had a financial audit in over 20 years, and the school board consists of all liberal marxists, and yet you blame the GOP for the school system's failure? Do tell, what is the GOP doing exactly to destroy FCPS when they are not the ones in control?

Well, for the last four years, they've been using their operatives to undermine public confidence in the school system - seemingly entirely because they're upset that 1) FCPS decided it was okay for poor kids to go to TJ and 2) because while COVID was happening parents actually had to be responsible for their kids for a hot minute instead of relying on the public school system that they trash relentlessly for free babysitting.

The school administrators undermined public confidence themselves after being caught in lie after lie to the public.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous


But it's not a clerical error. The emails make it clear that the notices were withheld to protect the feelings of the students who didn't get it. And now three schools are involved - same story. Think that is coincidence? Of course it isn't:

"We’re all supposed to believe that three Fairfax schools had the exact same screw-up where all the different principals did their part, but the staff messed up and didn't give that to the students?" one mom said.

A Richmond law firm is conducting an independent review looking to find exactly what happened and how it took place. The Virginia attorney general is also investigating all Fairfax County Public Schools.

I'm glad the AG is doing a county-wide sweep. You TJ apologists can keep yelling that it's a commendation only or a clerical error but the fact is that the Virginia Human Rights statute may have been violated - this will be especially so if it turns out that the students who should have received the notification are asians and the ones "protected" from the knowledge are not.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great parent letters, IMO (not a high school parent, so no dog in this fight)

Starts off reasonable then quickly goes off the rails.

“You lied to me!”

She completely went off the rails, IMO. Honestly, of everything coming across the desk of someone in student services, this is SO, SO low on the priority list. It actually pisses me off to think of the valuable time wasted across the county to “investigate” this clerical error.

But it's not a clerical error. The emails make it clear that the notices were withheld to protect the feelings of the students who didn't get it. And now three schools are involved - same story. Think that is coincidence? Of course it isn't:

"We’re all supposed to believe that three Fairfax schools had the exact same screw-up where all the different principals did their part, but the staff messed up and didn't give that to the students?" one mom said.

A Richmond law firm is conducting an independent review looking to find exactly what happened and how it took place. The Virginia attorney general is also investigating all Fairfax County Public Schools.

I'm glad the AG is doing a county-wide sweep. You TJ apologists can keep yelling that it's a commendation only or a clerical error but the fact is that the Virginia Human Rights statute may have been violated - this will be especially so if it turns out that the students who should have received the notification are asians and the ones "protected" from the knowledge are not.

What the e-mails make clear is that the Director of Student Services told the parent that that's why the letters were withheld. The school's principal signed them and put them on his desk within 48 hours of having received them - you don't do that if your school's policy is going to be to somehow decide to withhold them.

They sat on his desk for nearly a month, and then all of a sudden they were distributed a week BEFORE any of this stuff came to light. It's not like someone complained and THEN he distributed them - indeed, if he had never done it, this may have never become a story.

Based on that chain of events, I don't know how you come to any other conclusion than that he forgot to do it, and then realized they were still undistributed and got them out. Ms. Yashar's readout of the phone call suggests strongly to me that he was scrambling for a reason why they went unsent for a month - and that's where he gets caught up trying to save his rear end with the "equity" and "feelings" crap when all he had to do was apologize. When I say "he lied to her", that's what I mean, and I don't think it's honestly up for discussion at this point.

We don’t know what he told her. Or if she misinterpreted what he told her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great parent letters, IMO (not a high school parent, so no dog in this fight)

Starts off reasonable then quickly goes off the rails.

“You lied to me!”

She completely went off the rails, IMO. Honestly, of everything coming across the desk of someone in student services, this is SO, SO low on the priority list. It actually pisses me off to think of the valuable time wasted across the county to “investigate” this clerical error.

But it's not a clerical error. The emails make it clear that the notices were withheld to protect the feelings of the students who didn't get it. And now three schools are involved - same story. Think that is coincidence? Of course it isn't:

"We’re all supposed to believe that three Fairfax schools had the exact same screw-up where all the different principals did their part, but the staff messed up and didn't give that to the students?" one mom said.

A Richmond law firm is conducting an independent review looking to find exactly what happened and how it took place. The Virginia attorney general is also investigating all Fairfax County Public Schools.

I'm glad the AG is doing a county-wide sweep. You TJ apologists can keep yelling that it's a commendation only or a clerical error but the fact is that the Virginia Human Rights statute may have been violated - this will be especially so if it turns out that the students who should have received the notification are asians and the ones "protected" from the knowledge are not.

What the e-mails make clear is that the Director of Student Services told the parent that that's why the letters were withheld. The school's principal signed them and put them on his desk within 48 hours of having received them - you don't do that if your school's policy is going to be to somehow decide to withhold them.

They sat on his desk for nearly a month, and then all of a sudden they were distributed a week BEFORE any of this stuff came to light. It's not like someone complained and THEN he distributed them - indeed, if he had never done it, this may have never become a story.

Based on that chain of events, I don't know how you come to any other conclusion than that he forgot to do it, and then realized they were still undistributed and got them out. Ms. Yashar's readout of the phone call suggests strongly to me that he was scrambling for a reason why they went unsent for a month - and that's where he gets caught up trying to save his rear end with the "equity" and "feelings" crap when all he had to do was apologize. When I say "he lied to her", that's what I mean, and I don't think it's honestly up for discussion at this point.

We don’t know what he told her. Or if she misinterpreted what he told her.

I'm sure the investigation will reveal what we already know, that these acts were deliberate and done by direction of the racist Karens on the school board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great parent letters, IMO (not a high school parent, so no dog in this fight)

Starts off reasonable then quickly goes off the rails.

“You lied to me!”

She completely went off the rails, IMO. Honestly, of everything coming across the desk of someone in student services, this is SO, SO low on the priority list. It actually pisses me off to think of the valuable time wasted across the county to “investigate” this clerical error.

But it's not a clerical error. The emails make it clear that the notices were withheld to protect the feelings of the students who didn't get it. And now three schools are involved - same story. Think that is coincidence? Of course it isn't:

"We’re all supposed to believe that three Fairfax schools had the exact same screw-up where all the different principals did their part, but the staff messed up and didn't give that to the students?" one mom said.

A Richmond law firm is conducting an independent review looking to find exactly what happened and how it took place. The Virginia attorney general is also investigating all Fairfax County Public Schools.

I'm glad the AG is doing a county-wide sweep. You TJ apologists can keep yelling that it's a commendation only or a clerical error but the fact is that the Virginia Human Rights statute may have been violated - this will be especially so if it turns out that the students who should have received the notification are asians and the ones "protected" from the knowledge are not.

What the e-mails make clear is that the Director of Student Services told the parent that that's why the letters were withheld. The school's principal signed them and put them on his desk within 48 hours of having received them - you don't do that if your school's policy is going to be to somehow decide to withhold them.

They sat on his desk for nearly a month, and then all of a sudden they were distributed a week BEFORE any of this stuff came to light. It's not like someone complained and THEN he distributed them - indeed, if he had never done it, this may have never become a story.

Based on that chain of events, I don't know how you come to any other conclusion than that he forgot to do it, and then realized they were still undistributed and got them out. Ms. Yashar's readout of the phone call suggests strongly to me that he was scrambling for a reason why they went unsent for a month - and that's where he gets caught up trying to save his rear end with the "equity" and "feelings" crap when all he had to do was apologize. When I say "he lied to her", that's what I mean, and I don't think it's honestly up for discussion at this point.

We don’t know what he told her. Or if she misinterpreted what he told her.

I'm sure the investigation will reveal what we already know, that these acts were deliberate and done by direction of the racist Karens on the school board.

Asra isn’t on the school board.

[Anonymous]

I think the DSS and FCPS is out of touch. College is expensive and many parents are looking at every opportunity to obtain a scholarship to pay for tuition. Not every family can afford to be flippant about $$$.

[Anonymous]

Wow, there's a lot of hate on this thread. Have no dog in this fight. FCPS parent, but no kid in high school right now. And a Democrat. I just wanted to say that I thought the emails were well written and certainly were the reason that TJ decided to contact all the colleges directly. Well done to that parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the DSS and FCPS is out of touch. College is expensive and many parents are looking at every opportunity to obtain a scholarship to pay for tuition. Not every family can afford to be flippant about $$$.

In all these threads, the only scholarship anyone has come up with for commended students is at Liberty and Liberty gives out a ton of money, so if you breath, you might get money at Liberty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There certainly needs to be regime change at FCPS and on the School Board. Not sure this particular issue will get the Republicans there, although the Democrats seem to be trying to help them by claiming that kids in the top 2-3% of PSAT test takers (but not top 1%) are low-achievers begging for a “participation trophy.”

Most of the URMs the Democrats pretend to care about so much would be over the moon if their kids were commended students in the top 3%.

I think the coalition for TJ needs to keep up their attacks. Of course I'm a democrat and enjoy watching them alienate the rest of county

I'm not a Republican, but I was alienated by how many Democrats responded to this situation by suggesting that being recognized as among the top 3% of PSAT test-takers was a non-event akin to a "participation trophy" for kids who weren't Semifinalists (in the top 1%). For a party that often goes after "1%-ers," this seemed awfully crude and disrespectful.

Of course I'm a former commended student, as was one of my kids, so apparently we don't really belong in the same room with the TJAAG types.

You think that they need their own ceremony for this? It wasn't well-attended in the past if that gives you any idea of the student interest.

No, I don't think there needs to be a "ceremony." Just let the commended kids know on a timely basis and maybe take a picture for the yearbook.

OK. They were notified. Sounds like they will notify them more quickly in the future.

No matter how you slice it, it doesn't warrant a state investigation.

Agree. FCPS has many problems; this isn't one of them.

Who exactly do you think is responsible for these “many problems”? FCPS has been completely dominated by Democrats during the period in which FCPS’s reputation has declined precipitously.

It has only declined precipitously amongst a very small group of people in a very small echo chamber.

The only ways in which FCPS has declined precipitously is in the massive amount of standardized testing that continues to be piled on and on and on. We literally have WEEKS less instructional time. Who is pushing for all that testing? Republicans, ever since NCLB. More a more and more testing, less and less instructional time.

I’ve been teaching since 1994. THAT’s the biggest change and the biggest erosion of educational quality.

The Republicans have been in no position to dictate an increasing amount of standardized testing in FCPS classrooms in recent years. If you believe this, you really have no business in a classroom.

As for NCLB, it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2002, and was motivated by the same desire for “equal outcomes” that the consultants paid by Reid espouse. The main difference was that NCLB led to a hyper-focus on measuring progress, whereas the equity consultants today want to deny and eliminate performance metrics. That would take some pressure off teachers, but then we’d have no way of knowing whether kids are learning.

NCLB was a weapon to cut funding from schools that underperformed. And they usually underperformed because of - you guessed it - lack of funding that was appropriate to their circumstances.

Rs playing the long game to destroy US public schools.

Teachers who want to teach with no accountability go hand in hand with administrators who want to downplay student achievement in the name of equity.

That will go a long way towards destroying public schools as long as parents care about their kids' education.

How does defunding schools help students? Newsflash - it doesn’t. Penalizing struggling schools is not the answer. They need *more* support.

If you want accountability, hold the GOP accountable for defunding our schools.

Newsflash. The FCPS Budget is over $4 Billion, FCPS hasn't had a financial audit in over 20 years, and the school board consists of all liberal marxists, and yet you blame the GOP for the school system's failure? Do tell, what is the GOP doing exactly to destroy FCPS when they are not the ones in control?

+1 what "struggling schools" are you possibly talking about?? FCPS has an amazing tax base for property taxes and huge revenue and budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the DSS and FCPS is out of touch. College is expensive and many parents are looking at every opportunity to obtain a scholarship to pay for tuition. Not every family can afford to be flippant about $$$.

In all these threads, the only scholarship anyone has come up with for commended students is at Liberty and Liberty gives out a ton of money, so if you breath, you might get money at Liberty.

This is unnecessarily flippant and elitist. People have also brought up corporate scholarships (to children of employees) which can go to commended students of there aren't enough NMSFs for those spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the DSS and FCPS is out of touch. College is expensive and many parents are looking at every opportunity to obtain a scholarship to pay for tuition. Not every family can afford to be flippant about $$$.

In all these threads, the only scholarship anyone has come up with for commended students is at Liberty and Liberty gives out a ton of money, so if you breath, you might get money at Liberty.

This is unnecessarily flippant and elitist. People have also brought up corporate scholarships (to children of employees) which can go to commended students of there aren't enough NMSFs for those spots.

They can go to ANY participant - semifinalist, commended, non-commended.

The deadline for the special corporate scholarships wasn’t until December.

No scholarships were lost because of the delay at TJ.