Disappointed in K at ACPS. LCTA not what I hoped.
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Anonymous
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Are there any other LCTA parents who have gone through kindergarten there and can give advice? I have been really disappointed thus far. All the school seems to focus on is behavior and discipline, and not on academics at all. My child was reading and writing well before he entered K there and now he is actually regressing and forgetting skills he knew. The kids haven't been tested yet or broken into reading groups. No books coming home. All I have been getting is a behavior chart and some cut and paste projects.
Will this improve? I am very concerned that he is going backwards at this school. Other friends with kindergarteners in private and other elementaries are doing more schoolwork! |
Anonymous
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LCTA is a "Traditional" school, right? My daughter is at ATS is Arlington, and if they follow ATS's model, then they will be moving into academics soon -- take a chill pill. "Academics, Behavior, and Character" -- behavior has to be appropriate in the classroom before the kids can learn. And it's flipping' kindergarten - give it another month before you talk to the teacher. (but start with the teacher first, please - do not go above him/her to the principal or anything like that!)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/traditional-va-schools-find-themselves-in-high-demand-as-they-eschew-experimentation/2014/03/21/1533c9a0-af9a-11e3-9627-c65021d6d572_story.html |
Anonymous
I'm no fan of ACPS, but K isn't for academics. The first half is for teaching them how to be students, which is developmentally appropriate. K isn't supposed to be academic. |
Anonymous
| OP I share your concern. My child is also in K there and previously had a rigorous full-day preK, so she is also well ahead of the curve. I think the teachers are still probably trying to get to know and evaluate each child. But I share your concerns. My daughter was on the ball and I have noticed a slip too. The other night she could not remember how to write a few uppercase letters, which surprised me, since she was writing full sentences using those letters two months ago. I am just trying to supplement at home with first grade workbooks. |
Anonymous
That's fine and good but in this area with lots of working parents, many kids enter k from full-day prek which essentially is kindergarten already. Does the school do anything to meet their level or must they sit bored for 6 months and lose the info they learned already? I thought ACPS differentiated in K. |
Anonymous
No, they don't. Went through it with two kids and moved to Arlington. ACPS is really a poor system. That said, your expectations are a little too heightened for K. |
Anonymous
| OP here. Disappointing to hear no differentiation. So until we can move (something we have discussed) what is the best solution? Kumon? |
Anonymous
This is 11:42. I wish I knew you, OP, we could maybe start our own enrichment program.  we have been considering moving to Arlington also, but just love our neighborhood so much. I really thought LCTA would be heads above some of the other public schools. Guess not.
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Anonymous
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ACPS parent here, from another elementary.
PPs are incorrect. There is differentiation. In k my kids were put into smaller "reading groups". For some, that meant a group were they were learning the alphabet, for others, it was a few sight words. For full-on readers, it more complex reading. Counting today, there have been 21 days of school. During those 21 days, the school has been teaching kids the expectations and systems. Even the kids coming from preK programs have to learn how things work, because while they might have had, for example, circle time, there will be a slightly different circle time in place at this school. The other thing that has occurred in these last 21 days is that there have been a series of assessment performed on each student. For reading, I believe it is called the PALS test. Can't remember what they call it for math. Your child didn't come home and tell you "hi Mom, today my teacher performed an assessment to determine my literacy level" because to the K student, it just felt like another fun activity they did. Yes, no doubt some of what your child is experiencing in K is similar to some of the things that they covered in preK, but I think you need to be realistic about what any school, public or private, ACPS or another district, will do as the normal course of events in the first 21 days of elementary school. Parent teacher conferences are coming up. If you can't wait that long, contact your teacher and ask for a conference. I'm sure they will be able to talk to you about your concerns. |
Anonymous
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Former ACPS parent here - and it doesn't get better in future grades.
They are definitely doing testing. Each September is generally spent on testing in all areas. It's a slow process to get through every kid in the class. And yes, they spend a ton of time on discipline and behavior management. All added up it would probably be half a day. We moved on to private school. Best of luck. |
Anonymous
| OP here. Very discouraged at these comments generally. Wish we had known bc we had other options besides LCTA and opted to try it over both private and parochial schools. |
Anonymous
| It's kindergarten. The first month is just over. Is your child enjoying it at all? If so, relax a little. Losing a few skills is not going to have any long term impact... The real goal is to set your child on a path of loving school and learning. |
Anonymous
How could you not know that ACPS suck? It is a huge topic over and over on this board. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
The OP may not be a frequent visitor to this site. Plus, this school is a magnet school with a "traditional" focus similar to ATS in Arlington, so it may be above the perceptions of the other elementary schools in Alexandria. |