FCPS Boundary Review Updates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest IB defenders are
Parents who use it to escape their zoned IB
Schools

We are at SLHS and most of the people in my neighborhood are happy there and think that it is crazy that we are thinking about principal placing to an AP school. Some have kids working on the diploma. Some just don't get the idea of leaving the school and friends for a different school because "IB is fine." I think most fall into the latter category. They are ok with their kids taking a few IB classes and honors classes. I think the reality is that most of the IB schools are places where a significant percentage of the population are not fully engaged in school as it is and the kids are mainly in gen ed classes. The kids who are really academically engaged or motivated will go for the diploma or transfer out. The other families are happy with what the IB offers and where their kids go to college and don't have a strong feeling.

I would guess then that you would have 10% of the population being very supportive of IB, 10% wanting a change to AP, 50% not caring, and 30 percent happy and unconcerned.

But I do have friends who think that IB is great and is better than AP. I have friends who just want our kid to stay at the base school with his friends because they are friends. Most of our neighbors think moving for AP is extreme and don't think that it matters that Calculus is taught as its own class or that IB physics is algebra based and not calculus based.

The only successful IB school in FCPS is Robinson.

None of the others come close in diplomas awarded.

Go to the Virginia Department of Education website and look at the yearly stats provided by FCPS.

It is clear that IB is a failure everywhere except for Robinson.

Robinson is very big, so it awards the most IB diplomas, but my recollection is that a higher percentage of the IB diploma candidates at Marshall receive IB diplomas than at Robinson or the six other FCPS schools with IB.

Regardless of whether you consider IB a failure or a success at some schools, most parents and students prefer AP over IB, and further efforts to redistrict kids into IB schools will land with a giant thud.

Actually Lewis over the past couple years has had the highest literal IB candidate to diploma rate. They were 10/10 in 2024, 16/16 in 2022, 4/4 in 2021, 19/22 in 2019.

So, out of 384 seniors in 2024, only 10 attempted the IB diploma? 2-3 %? It's great that 100% of those attempting it achieved it, but only 10 even attempted it?
This is success? 10 kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest IB defenders are
Parents who use it to escape their zoned IB
Schools

We are at SLHS and most of the people in my neighborhood are happy there and think that it is crazy that we are thinking about principal placing to an AP school. Some have kids working on the diploma. Some just don't get the idea of leaving the school and friends for a different school because "IB is fine." I think most fall into the latter category. They are ok with their kids taking a few IB classes and honors classes. I think the reality is that most of the IB schools are places where a significant percentage of the population are not fully engaged in school as it is and the kids are mainly in gen ed classes. The kids who are really academically engaged or motivated will go for the diploma or transfer out. The other families are happy with what the IB offers and where their kids go to college and don't have a strong feeling.

I would guess then that you would have 10% of the population being very supportive of IB, 10% wanting a change to AP, 50% not caring, and 30 percent happy and unconcerned.

But I do have friends who think that IB is great and is better than AP. I have friends who just want our kid to stay at the base school with his friends because they are friends. Most of our neighbors think moving for AP is extreme and don't think that it matters that Calculus is taught as its own class or that IB physics is algebra based and not calculus based.

The only successful IB school in FCPS is Robinson.

None of the others come close in diplomas awarded.

Go to the Virginia Department of Education website and look at the yearly stats provided by FCPS.

It is clear that IB is a failure everywhere except for Robinson.

Robinson is very big, so it awards the most IB diplomas, but my recollection is that a higher percentage of the IB diploma candidates at Marshall receive IB diplomas than at Robinson or the six other FCPS schools with IB.

Regardless of whether you consider IB a failure or a success at some schools, most parents and students prefer AP over IB, and further efforts to redistrict kids into IB schools will land with a giant thud.

Actually Lewis over the past couple years has had the highest literal IB candidate to diploma rate. They were 10/10 in 2024, 16/16 in 2022, 4/4 in 2021, 19/22 in 2019.

So, out of 384 seniors in 2024, only 10 attempted the IB diploma? 2-3 %? It's great that 100% of those attempting it achieved it, but only 10 even attempted it?
This is success? 10 kids?

DP. Yeah, this is just semantics. I’m not sure we should count success for a multi-million dollar program by having 100% of the 10 kids graduate. That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars per kid. In a time of supposed huge budgetary shortfalls.

[Anonymous]

My kids are in boundary for Marshall, and would much prefer AP instead of IB. Neither are aiming for the IB diploma but instead will load up on IBs that fit what they want to do.

And IB math does not map clearly to math paths in college so it's a true pain.

[Anonymous]

Should we be getting an update soon from the April 25th meeting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest IB defenders are
Parents who use it to escape their zoned IB
Schools

We are at SLHS and most of the people in my neighborhood are happy there and think that it is crazy that we are thinking about principal placing to an AP school. Some have kids working on the diploma. Some just don't get the idea of leaving the school and friends for a different school because "IB is fine." I think most fall into the latter category. They are ok with their kids taking a few IB classes and honors classes. I think the reality is that most of the IB schools are places where a significant percentage of the population are not fully engaged in school as it is and the kids are mainly in gen ed classes. The kids who are really academically engaged or motivated will go for the diploma or transfer out. The other families are happy with what the IB offers and where their kids go to college and don't have a strong feeling.

I would guess then that you would have 10% of the population being very supportive of IB, 10% wanting a change to AP, 50% not caring, and 30 percent happy and unconcerned.

But I do have friends who think that IB is great and is better than AP. I have friends who just want our kid to stay at the base school with his friends because they are friends. Most of our neighbors think moving for AP is extreme and don't think that it matters that Calculus is taught as its own class or that IB physics is algebra based and not calculus based.

The only successful IB school in FCPS is Robinson.

None of the others come close in diplomas awarded.

Go to the Virginia Department of Education website and look at the yearly stats provided by FCPS.

It is clear that IB is a failure everywhere except for Robinson.

Robinson is very big, so it awards the most IB diplomas, but my recollection is that a higher percentage of the IB diploma candidates at Marshall receive IB diplomas than at Robinson or the six other FCPS schools with IB.

Regardless of whether you consider IB a failure or a success at some schools, most parents and students prefer AP over IB, and further efforts to redistrict kids into IB schools will land with a giant thud.

Actually Lewis over the past couple years has had the highest literal IB candidate to diploma rate. They were 10/10 in 2024, 16/16 in 2022, 4/4 in 2021, 19/22 in 2019.

I'll take your word for it. I may have seen that previously, but dismissed it given the small number of candidates. That's actually a more damning statistic that weighs in favor of eliminating IB at Lewis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest IB defenders are
Parents who use it to escape their zoned IB
Schools

We are at SLHS and most of the people in my neighborhood are happy there and think that it is crazy that we are thinking about principal placing to an AP school. Some have kids working on the diploma. Some just don't get the idea of leaving the school and friends for a different school because "IB is fine." I think most fall into the latter category. They are ok with their kids taking a few IB classes and honors classes. I think the reality is that most of the IB schools are places where a significant percentage of the population are not fully engaged in school as it is and the kids are mainly in gen ed classes. The kids who are really academically engaged or motivated will go for the diploma or transfer out. The other families are happy with what the IB offers and where their kids go to college and don't have a strong feeling.

I would guess then that you would have 10% of the population being very supportive of IB, 10% wanting a change to AP, 50% not caring, and 30 percent happy and unconcerned.

But I do have friends who think that IB is great and is better than AP. I have friends who just want our kid to stay at the base school with his friends because they are friends. Most of our neighbors think moving for AP is extreme and don't think that it matters that Calculus is taught as its own class or that IB physics is algebra based and not calculus based.

The only successful IB school in FCPS is Robinson.

None of the others come close in diplomas awarded.

Go to the Virginia Department of Education website and look at the yearly stats provided by FCPS.

It is clear that IB is a failure everywhere except for Robinson.

Robinson is very big, so it awards the most IB diplomas, but my recollection is that a higher percentage of the IB diploma candidates at Marshall receive IB diplomas than at Robinson or the six other FCPS schools with IB.

Regardless of whether you consider IB a failure or a success at some schools, most parents and students prefer AP over IB, and further efforts to redistrict kids into IB schools will land with a giant thud.

Actually Lewis over the past couple years has had the highest literal IB candidate to diploma rate. They were 10/10 in 2024, 16/16 in 2022, 4/4 in 2021, 19/22 in 2019.

Those are abysmally small numbers.

If Robinson or any Fairfax school had only the top 4 to 20 students pursuing the IB diploma, they would all have 100% diploma rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest IB defenders are
Parents who use it to escape their zoned IB
Schools

We are at SLHS and most of the people in my neighborhood are happy there and think that it is crazy that we are thinking about principal placing to an AP school. Some have kids working on the diploma. Some just don't get the idea of leaving the school and friends for a different school because "IB is fine." I think most fall into the latter category. They are ok with their kids taking a few IB classes and honors classes. I think the reality is that most of the IB schools are places where a significant percentage of the population are not fully engaged in school as it is and the kids are mainly in gen ed classes. The kids who are really academically engaged or motivated will go for the diploma or transfer out. The other families are happy with what the IB offers and where their kids go to college and don't have a strong feeling.

I would guess then that you would have 10% of the population being very supportive of IB, 10% wanting a change to AP, 50% not caring, and 30 percent happy and unconcerned.

But I do have friends who think that IB is great and is better than AP. I have friends who just want our kid to stay at the base school with his friends because they are friends. Most of our neighbors think moving for AP is extreme and don't think that it matters that Calculus is taught as its own class or that IB physics is algebra based and not calculus based.

The only successful IB school in FCPS is Robinson.

None of the others come close in diplomas awarded.

Go to the Virginia Department of Education website and look at the yearly stats provided by FCPS.

It is clear that IB is a failure everywhere except for Robinson.

Robinson is very big, so it awards the most IB diplomas, but my recollection is that a higher percentage of the IB diploma candidates at Marshall receive IB diplomas than at Robinson or the six other FCPS schools with IB.

Regardless of whether you consider IB a failure or a success at some schools, most parents and students prefer AP over IB, and further efforts to redistrict kids into IB schools will land with a giant thud.

Robinson is not very big by FCPS standards.

The high school averages fewer than 2300 students.

Marshall has just over 2000 students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest IB defenders are
Parents who use it to escape their zoned IB
Schools

We are at SLHS and most of the people in my neighborhood are happy there and think that it is crazy that we are thinking about principal placing to an AP school. Some have kids working on the diploma. Some just don't get the idea of leaving the school and friends for a different school because "IB is fine." I think most fall into the latter category. They are ok with their kids taking a few IB classes and honors classes. I think the reality is that most of the IB schools are places where a significant percentage of the population are not fully engaged in school as it is and the kids are mainly in gen ed classes. The kids who are really academically engaged or motivated will go for the diploma or transfer out. The other families are happy with what the IB offers and where their kids go to college and don't have a strong feeling.

I would guess then that you would have 10% of the population being very supportive of IB, 10% wanting a change to AP, 50% not caring, and 30 percent happy and unconcerned.

But I do have friends who think that IB is great and is better than AP. I have friends who just want our kid to stay at the base school with his friends because they are friends. Most of our neighbors think moving for AP is extreme and don't think that it matters that Calculus is taught as its own class or that IB physics is algebra based and not calculus based.

The only successful IB school in FCPS is Robinson.

None of the others come close in diplomas awarded.

Go to the Virginia Department of Education website and look at the yearly stats provided by FCPS.

It is clear that IB is a failure everywhere except for Robinson.

Robinson is very big, so it awards the most IB diplomas, but my recollection is that a higher percentage of the IB diploma candidates at Marshall receive IB diplomas than at Robinson or the six other FCPS schools with IB.

Regardless of whether you consider IB a failure or a success at some schools, most parents and students prefer AP over IB, and further efforts to redistrict kids into IB schools will land with a giant thud.

Robinson is not very big by FCPS standards.

The high school averages fewer than 2300 students.

Marshall has just over 2000 students.

Why not check the enrollment numbers for Robinson before making incorrect statements? It's really not that hard.

Robinson 9-12 Enrollment (March):

Current Year: 2495
2024: 2480
2023: 2518
2022: 2485
2021: 2548

[Anonymous]

Do you think the three boundary adjustments will be combined? I’m trying to figure out how boundary adjustments for attendance islands, split feeders and population with work in the end. For example, if by eliminating an attendance island and split feeder creates over capacity for a MS or HS, then what? A certain portion of those neighborhoods are sent to a different nearby school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the three boundary adjustments will be combined? I’m trying to figure out how boundary adjustments for attendance islands, split feeders and population with work in the end. For example, if by eliminating an attendance island and split feeder creates over capacity for a MS or HS, then what? A certain portion of those neighborhoods are sent to a different nearby school?

Yes. They are throwing $hit at the wall to see what sticks. It’ll be a mishmash of all the worst aspects of the three sets of maps that are being crammed down the BRAC members’ throats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the three boundary adjustments will be combined? I’m trying to figure out how boundary adjustments for attendance islands, split feeders and population with work in the end. For example, if by eliminating an attendance island and split feeder creates over capacity for a MS or HS, then what? A certain portion of those neighborhoods are sent to a different nearby school?

Yes. They are throwing $hit at the wall to see what sticks. It’ll be a mishmash of all the worst aspects of the three sets of maps that are being crammed down the BRAC members’ throats.

Oh dear. And I highly doubt the SB will vote against this (as they were the ones to initiate this, right?)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the three boundary adjustments will be combined? I’m trying to figure out how boundary adjustments for attendance islands, split feeders and population with work in the end. For example, if by eliminating an attendance island and split feeder creates over capacity for a MS or HS, then what? A certain portion of those neighborhoods are sent to a different nearby school?

Yes. They are throwing $hit at the wall to see what sticks. It’ll be a mishmash of all the worst aspects of the three sets of maps that are being crammed down the BRAC members’ throats.

Oh dear. And I highly doubt the SB will vote against this (as they were the ones to initiate this, right?)?

The school board is directly responsible for all of this. Kyle McDaniel is heavily involved in pushing this through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the three boundary adjustments will be combined? I’m trying to figure out how boundary adjustments for attendance islands, split feeders and population with work in the end. For example, if by eliminating an attendance island and split feeder creates over capacity for a MS or HS, then what? A certain portion of those neighborhoods are sent to a different nearby school?

The main thing people are waiting to see is if there are separate analyses around (1) attendance islands, (2) split feeders, and (3) capacity issues, or whether it's iterative, with refinements based on the feedback received on the prior scenarios.

If they are separate analyses, then people won't really know the direction in which they are heading (i.e., what their real priorities are), but if the analysis is iterative it will seem like whatever final recommendation emerges is essentially a fait accompli.

And I think most people still question the need for this entire exercise - the proverbial "is the juice worth the squeeze" at a time of flat enrollments with likely declines on the horizon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are in boundary for Marshall, and would much prefer AP instead of IB. Neither are aiming for the IB diploma but instead will load up on IBs that fit what they want to do.

And IB math does not map clearly to math paths in college so it's a true pain.

So is it like South Lakes where anecdotally from a PP less than 10% have a preference for IB? Marshall and Mclean are projected over capacity with modulars for SY29-30. Capacity deficits in ( ):
modular IB Marshall = 2346 = 103% = (73)
no modular IB Marshall = 2346 = 109% = (198)
modular AP McLean = 2269 = 103% = (58)
no modular AP McLean = 2269 = 118% = (343)

Current BRAC representation:
Marshall 1
Herndon 1
Mclean 2 = island + split feeder/island
Langley=5 plus? 1 Great Falls +1 Forestville-Herndon address. Other Langley minimum 3 special interest [GF Forestville NAACP, Fairfacts Matters, Vienna 3 C's ].

It's appalling that:
1. there is no budget analysis per school on the cost of AP v IB.
2. as of Dec 2024 FCPS has not considered AAP in every MS- Dunne budget question response. Acdemics cost is zero and the only cost for a new center is non base school transportation. BRAC AAP is staff.
3. Kilmer is grossly overcrowded yet receives 20 for AAP, 39 from Thoreau total. Net 28=50 in - 22 out.
4. Neglect - Westbriar. North island was Cooper/Langley so community outrage got it included and moved during the Colvin Run process. Other island-FCPS school board would not consider any movement. Then later Middleton got moved.
5. Neglect - Westbriar and Tysons Spring Hill/Longfellow/Mclean island. Same time period the public knew about pending builds in Tysons. FCPS did squat about reassigning vacant or commercial addreeses that would become residential.
6. Neither island should be considered as a single entity for boundary changes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest IB defenders are
Parents who use it to escape their zoned IB
Schools

We are at SLHS and most of the people in my neighborhood are happy there and think that it is crazy that we are thinking about principal placing to an AP school. Some have kids working on the diploma. Some just don't get the idea of leaving the school and friends for a different school because "IB is fine." I think most fall into the latter category. They are ok with their kids taking a few IB classes and honors classes. I think the reality is that most of the IB schools are places where a significant percentage of the population are not fully engaged in school as it is and the kids are mainly in gen ed classes. The kids who are really academically engaged or motivated will go for the diploma or transfer out. The other families are happy with what the IB offers and where their kids go to college and don't have a strong feeling.

I would guess then that you would have 10% of the population being very supportive of IB, 10% wanting a change to AP, 50% not caring, and 30 percent happy and unconcerned.

But I do have friends who think that IB is great and is better than AP. I have friends who just want our kid to stay at the base school with his friends because they are friends. Most of our neighbors think moving for AP is extreme and don't think that it matters that Calculus is taught as its own class or that IB physics is algebra based and not calculus based.

The only successful IB school in FCPS is Robinson.

None of the others come close in diplomas awarded.

Go to the Virginia Department of Education website and look at the yearly stats provided by FCPS.

It is clear that IB is a failure everywhere except for Robinson.

Robinson is very big, so it awards the most IB diplomas, but my recollection is that a higher percentage of the IB diploma candidates at Marshall receive IB diplomas than at Robinson or the six other FCPS schools with IB.

Regardless of whether you consider IB a failure or a success at some schools, most parents and students prefer AP over IB, and further efforts to redistrict kids into IB schools will land with a giant thud.

Robinson is not very big by FCPS standards.

The high school averages fewer than 2300 students.

Marshall has just over 2000 students.

Why not check the enrollment numbers for Robinson before making incorrect statements? It's really not that hard.

Robinson 9-12 Enrollment (March):

Current Year: 2495
2024: 2480
2023: 2518
2022: 2485
2021: 2548

I was comparing general education enrollment to general education enrollment, based off data on the school profile:

Robinson Marshall
2021-22 2322 1,932
2022-23 2336 1,996
2023-24 2298 2,033


https://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:13::::0_CURRENT_SCHOOL_ID,P0_EDSL:390,0

https://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:13::::0_CURRENT_SCHOOL_ID,P0_EDSL:070,0


Robinson is not extraordinarily large by FCPS, and Marshall is not a small school.


Lewis is a small school. WSHS is a large school. Marshall and Robinson are right in the middle.