Good FCPS vs. Arlington schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In today's Post Metro section Arlington passing scores for Grade 3 reading, Grade 8 writing, and Algebra II are neck and neck with Fairfax.

but nothing else LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are correct - there isn't really a big difference in terms of quality of education. Each has some variation within the district, with some schools better than others. The biggest difference is that Arlington doesn't do the AAP craziness that Fairfax does - they keep kids within their own schools and do pullouts. Don't get me started on the ridiculousness of bussing elementary school-aged kids all over the place and the class structure it engenders. The percentage of kids who are so "gifted" that they can't function well in a traditional classroom with some tracking is far smaller than the AAP program.

I'm a FCPS parent and couldn't agree more. It's even worse when your neighborhood school happens to also be an AAP center, but your child is non-AAP. Talk about a stark division of classes. Nothing like making a gen. ed. student feel "less than" simply because FCPS feels that approximately 50% of kids in one grade alone are in AAP classes. Thinking seriously of moving out of Fx. Co. for this reason alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You are correct - there isn't really a big difference in terms of quality of education. Each has some variation within the district, with some schools better than others. The biggest difference is that Arlington doesn't do the AAP craziness that Fairfax does - they keep kids within their own schools and do pullouts. Don't get me started on the ridiculousness of bussing elementary school-aged kids all over the place and the class structure it engenders. The percentage of kids who are so "gifted" that they can't function well in a traditional classroom with some tracking is far smaller than the AAP program.

I'm a FCPS parent and couldn't agree more. It's even worse when your neighborhood school happens to also be an AAP center, but your child is non-AAP. Talk about a stark division of classes. Nothing like making a gen. ed. student feel "less than" simply because FCPS feels that approximately 50% of kids in one grade alone are in AAP classes. Thinking seriously of moving out of Fx. Co. for this reason alone.

I think the School Board is aware of this but so afraid of the AAP parents that it won't do anything. Maybe the new supe will step in and try to fix the problem. It is a huge problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are correct - there isn't really a big difference in terms of quality of education. Each has some variation within the district, with some schools better than others. The biggest difference is that Arlington doesn't do the AAP craziness that Fairfax does - they keep kids within their own schools and do pullouts. Don't get me started on the ridiculousness of bussing elementary school-aged kids all over the place and the class structure it engenders. The percentage of kids who are so "gifted" that they can't function well in a traditional classroom with some tracking is far smaller than the AAP program.

I'm a FCPS parent and couldn't agree more. It's even worse when your neighborhood school happens to also be an AAP center, but your child is non-AAP. Talk about a stark division of classes. Nothing like making a gen. ed. student feel "less than" simply because FCPS feels that approximately 50% of kids in one grade alone are in AAP classes. Thinking seriously of moving out of Fx. Co. for this reason alone.

Please go and take your under-performing kid to Arlington where he or she will feel at home with the less then stellar general population of students.

[Anonymous]

From most accounts, APS is a kinder, gentler, less bureaucratic system than FCPS. Students are also on average lower-achieving.

Some parents in FCPS would be happier with that; others would not. We moved out of APS because we were not impressed by the options there and have found the quality of differentiated instruction superior in FCPS. As they say, your mileage may vary.

[Anonymous]

I think they are trying to decrease #s of AAP with the FxAt Top 5% or at least making the pool smaller. Next year, if they can age adjust and then rank the kids to only other FCPS 2nd graders, they should be able to really pull the top 5% of kids. This year with all the complaints of not age adjusting most kids who appealed got in per the reports I have heard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In today's Post Metro section Arlington passing scores for Grade 3 reading, Grade 8 writing, and Algebra II are neck and neck with Fairfax.

but nothing else LOL

Gee Whiz. The article only mentioned those tests. It published the data in a table on page 2, Metro Section.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are correct - there isn't really a big difference in terms of quality of education. Each has some variation within the district, with some schools better than others. The biggest difference is that Arlington doesn't do the AAP craziness that Fairfax does - they keep kids within their own schools and do pullouts. Don't get me started on the ridiculousness of bussing elementary school-aged kids all over the place and the class structure it engenders. The percentage of kids who are so "gifted" that they can't function well in a traditional classroom with some tracking is far smaller than the AAP program.

I'm a FCPS parent and couldn't agree more. It's even worse when your neighborhood school happens to also be an AAP center, but your child is non-AAP. Talk about a stark division of classes. Nothing like making a gen. ed. student feel "less than" simply because FCPS feels that approximately 50% of kids in one grade alone are in AAP classes. Thinking seriously of moving out of Fx. Co. for this reason alone.

Please go and take your under-performing kid to Arlington where he or she will feel at home with the less then stellar general population of students.

Wow. Thank you for elucidating so clearly my point above.

[Anonymous]

Seems there are a lot of white parents who move to North Arlington because they don't think their kids can keep up academically with the Asian kids and they aren't willing to send their kids to schools with Hispanic children. So they move to lily white North Arlington neighborhoods where all the kids are presumed to be more or less at the same level, and then they cry their perfunctory crocodile tears over the lack of diversity in the local schools (when that is actually exactly what they have sought out).