ATS Principal and Assistant Principal both left/leaving school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still trying to understand exactly what ATS is and what makes it “traditional”. Shouldn’t all the schools be run that way (whatever that way is) if they get better results?

As a parent with two kids at ATS I agree. But other parents clearly hate ATS so ….

It is traditional because instead of inquiry based learning it uses the traditional form of instructional which is teacher guided instruction. So as to not waste precious time classrooms are self contained, meaning instead of the kids going to different classrooms, the teachers come to them. There is a dress code, homework and an expectation of excellence for each child. There is a lot of extra help for students who are below grade level. There’s a lot of emphasis on the basics (the three Rs). There is a lot of communication - parents get weekly progress reports about how their kids are doing…

Interesting - thanks for summarizing. This is how I went to school and what I wanted for my kids. The inquiry based stuff makes sense to a certain extent but there seems potential for kids to get lost or not actually learn stuff. Fundamentals are important.

ATS, originally Page Traditional School, was created in the 70s in response to the “open concept learning” that APS then embraced. Glebe, Woodmont, Long Branch, TJ, and W-L were all renovated or rebuilt without classroom partitions. Unfortunately, without walls, noise carried over from class to class. Parents would often camp out to ensure their child had a coveted spot at Page. (Parents would also camp outside H-B to secure a spot, since that school also had physical classrooms.) So in sum, there were no traditional classrooms at the rebuilt schools. By the late 90s, the open interiors were converted into more traditional classrooms.

Over the years, ATS has retained a more traditional approach while APS adopted new and evolving pedagogies for the neighborhood elementary schools.

[Anonymous]

No classroom partitions?? What the what? I cannot stay focused in an open concept office. Unsure how they would expect children to do that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still trying to understand exactly what ATS is and what makes it “traditional”. Shouldn’t all the schools be run that way (whatever that way is) if they get better results?

As a parent with two kids at ATS I agree. But other parents clearly hate ATS so ….

It is traditional because instead of inquiry based learning it uses the traditional form of instructional which is teacher guided instruction. So as to not waste precious time classrooms are self contained, meaning instead of the kids going to different classrooms, the teachers come to them. There is a dress code, homework and an expectation of excellence for each child. There is a lot of extra help for students who are below grade level. There’s a lot of emphasis on the basics (the three Rs). There is a lot of communication - parents get weekly progress reports about how their kids are doing…

THIS should be happening at every APS elementary. I have no issues with ATS (except we couldn't get off the wait list) but with APS for not instituting good practcies at the other elementary schools. (Or is APS still hung up on "equity"?) For example, why was it so hard for parents to get "extra help" at McKinley or "weekly progress reports" rather than discovering your DC was doing poorly mid-way through the school year?

PP here. I apologize for the typos. Yes I agree. I didn’t grow up in the US and my education was pretty much like the education my daughters are receiving at ATS (except we wore uniforms and learned two languages). We had experience with my first with the nontraditional type of instruction (in Fairfax county not ATS) and I wasn’t a big fan. Basically they work independently most of the time in small groups on a table and they rotate to another table. The teacher works with a few students at a time. There is little direct instruction. The thing is direct instruction is a more effective way of learning (Natalie Wexler has an excellent article on this). The problem with the rotating tables (there is a term with it but I forgot what it is) is that if your kid is a rule follower (mine was) they will get their work done. If your kid isn’t they will waste time and start goofing around. This then ends up taking up the teachers time because he or she have to waste time with classroom management and discipline. I realized this method of instruction wouldn’t work for my very rebellious second child so when I heard about ATS I applied and we got in (had moved to Arlington as well). We applied for my first and she got in the next year. Now they are both in and luckily my second will be in 5th grade when my two year old enters kindergarten so hopefully she will get in via sibling preference. But yes I agree. All schools should be like ATS. One positive thing, APS has revamped their ELA instruction, gotten rid of Lucy Calkins and is doing a lot of phonics based instruction (which is what ATS does). On top of that the ELA department is reviewing new curriculums and my understanding that many of the new curriculums they are looking at are knowledge based not inquiry based. So I am feeling hopeful!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still trying to understand exactly what ATS is and what makes it “traditional”. Shouldn’t all the schools be run that way (whatever that way is) if they get better results?

As a parent with two kids at ATS I agree. But other parents clearly hate ATS so ….

It is traditional because instead of inquiry based learning it uses the traditional form of instructional which is teacher guided instruction. So as to not waste precious time classrooms are self contained, meaning instead of the kids going to different classrooms, the teachers come to them. There is a dress code, homework and an expectation of excellence for each child. There is a lot of extra help for students who are below grade level. There’s a lot of emphasis on the basics (the three Rs). There is a lot of communication - parents get weekly progress reports about how their kids are doing…

Interesting - thanks for summarizing. This is how I went to school and what I wanted for my kids. The inquiry based stuff makes sense to a certain extent but there seems potential for kids to get lost or not actually learn stuff. Fundamentals are important.

ATS, originally Page Traditional School, was created in the 70s in response to the “open concept learning” that APS then embraced. Glebe, Woodmont, Long Branch, TJ, and W-L were all renovated or rebuilt without classroom partitions. Unfortunately, without walls, noise carried over from class to class. Parents would often camp out to ensure their child had a coveted spot at Page. (Parents would also camp outside H-B to secure a spot, since that school also had physical classrooms.) So in sum, there were no traditional classrooms at the rebuilt schools. By the late 90s, the open interiors were converted into more traditional classrooms.

Over the years, ATS has retained a more traditional approach while APS adopted new and evolving pedagogies for the neighborhood elementary schools.

Interesting. I had no idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still trying to understand exactly what ATS is and what makes it “traditional”. Shouldn’t all the schools be run that way (whatever that way is) if they get better results?

As a parent with two kids at ATS I agree. But other parents clearly hate ATS so ….

It is traditional because instead of inquiry based learning it uses the traditional form of instructional which is teacher guided instruction. So as to not waste precious time classrooms are self contained, meaning instead of the kids going to different classrooms, the teachers come to them. There is a dress code, homework and an expectation of excellence for each child. There is a lot of extra help for students who are below grade level. There’s a lot of emphasis on the basics (the three Rs). There is a lot of communication - parents get weekly progress reports about how their kids are doing…

Interesting - thanks for summarizing. This is how I went to school and what I wanted for my kids. The inquiry based stuff makes sense to a certain extent but there seems potential for kids to get lost or not actually learn stuff. Fundamentals are important.

Inquiry based is great when you already have the skills you need (I.e. can read) and a knowledge base so that you know what to inquire about. This is the article by Natalie Wexler that I referenced in my previous post https://theamericanscholar.org/why-so-many-kids-struggle-to-learn/

By the way ATS is by no means perfect when it comes to what Wexler is advocating but it is definitely much closer than the rest of Arlington elementary schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still trying to understand exactly what ATS is and what makes it “traditional”. Shouldn’t all the schools be run that way (whatever that way is) if they get better results?

As a parent with two kids at ATS I agree. But other parents clearly hate ATS so ….

It is traditional because instead of inquiry based learning it uses the traditional form of instructional which is teacher guided instruction. So as to not waste precious time classrooms are self contained, meaning instead of the kids going to different classrooms, the teachers come to them. There is a dress code, homework and an expectation of excellence for each child. There is a lot of extra help for students who are below grade level. There’s a lot of emphasis on the basics (the three Rs). There is a lot of communication - parents get weekly progress reports about how their kids are doing…

THIS should be happening at every APS elementary. I have no issues with ATS (except we couldn't get off the wait list) but with APS for not instituting good practcies at the other elementary schools. (Or is APS still hung up on "equity"?) For example, why was it so hard for parents to get "extra help" at McKinley or "weekly progress reports" rather than discovering your DC was doing poorly mid-way through the school year?

Oh girl; it's like I wrote this but didn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still trying to understand exactly what ATS is and what makes it “traditional”. Shouldn’t all the schools be run that way (whatever that way is) if they get better results?

As a parent with two kids at ATS I agree. But other parents clearly hate ATS so ….

It is traditional because instead of inquiry based learning it uses the traditional form of instructional which is teacher guided instruction. So as to not waste precious time classrooms are self contained, meaning instead of the kids going to different classrooms, the teachers come to them. There is a dress code, homework and an expectation of excellence for each child. There is a lot of extra help for students who are below grade level. There’s a lot of emphasis on the basics (the three Rs). There is a lot of communication - parents get weekly progress reports about how their kids are doing…

THIS should be happening at every APS elementary. I have no issues with ATS (except we couldn't get off the wait list) but with APS for not instituting good practcies at the other elementary schools. (Or is APS still hung up on "equity"?) For example, why was it so hard for parents to get "extra help" at McKinley or "weekly progress reports" rather than discovering your DC was doing poorly mid-way through the school year?

PP here. I apologize for the typos. Yes I agree. I didn’t grow up in the US and my education was pretty much like the education my daughters are receiving at ATS (except we wore uniforms and learned two languages). We had experience with my first with the nontraditional type of instruction (in Fairfax county not ATS) and I wasn’t a big fan. Basically they work independently most of the time in small groups on a table and they rotate to another table. The teacher works with a few students at a time. There is little direct instruction. The thing is direct instruction is a more effective way of learning (Natalie Wexler has an excellent article on this). The problem with the rotating tables (there is a term with it but I forgot what it is) is that if your kid is a rule follower (mine was) they will get their work done. If your kid isn’t they will waste time and start goofing around. This then ends up taking up the teachers time because he or she have to waste time with classroom management and discipline. I realized this method of instruction wouldn’t work for my very rebellious second child so when I heard about ATS I applied and we got in (had moved to Arlington as well). We applied for my first and she got in the next year. Now they are both in and luckily my second will be in 5th grade when my two year old enters kindergarten so hopefully she will get in via sibling preference. But yes I agree. All schools should be like ATS. One positive thing, APS has revamped their ELA instruction, gotten rid of Lucy Calkins and is doing a lot of phonics based instruction (which is what ATS does). On top of that the ELA department is reviewing new curriculums and my understanding that many of the new curriculums they are looking at are knowledge based not inquiry based. So I am feeling hopeful!

This is me - grew up abroad, strict school, learned two languages, want the same for my kids. I’m sorry to mix threads here but does anyone know if Key also does this going around the table set up that is described here? Because we want them in traditional schools. Do private schools do this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No classroom partitions?? What the what? I cannot stay focused in an open concept office. Unsure how they would expect children to do that

I went to one of the “open concept” schools in Arlington. We had partitions but not rooms.

Each grade has a section of the school, and each individual classroom had a thick barrier/partition thingy to separate the individual classrooms. Outside these rooms was a big open space that different set ups depending on what we were doing.

like 2nd grade had 3 classes and when you where in your classroom you could sometimes hear the class next to you but it wasn’t super distracting or anything. Often all the 2nd graders would meet in the big open flexible space outside the classroom for grade level activities, or we would use that space for special lessons. Mostly that space was used for storage and all the classes shared classroom resources from that shared space.

We also starting in 3rd went to different classes within the groups for leveled math and reading instruction.(there was an advanced grouping, a middle of the road grouping and a grouping that needed extra support in reading or math.

Not sure if that approach was any better or worse than what ATS is but it wasn’t like a huge free for all.