class size rule...

[Anonymous]

And there is no school within 5 miles that isn't at a high ratio so, no I have no interest in trying to pupil place. I find both the poster who talked down to the person at the title 1 school and the person who only wants to be in a high SES school obnoxious. Parents should work together to make all schools in Fairfax County excellent. I know for a fact that many people in high SES schools are very concerned about Baileys even though they live nowhere close to that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many other schools in the world spend so much money toward foreign students?

ESOL <> "foreign students"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do I have to leave where I live just to send my child to a title 1 school to get low class sizes? I'm sorry but we live near the beltway because our jobs are in two different directions. I shouldn't have to put up with 30 plus kids in our neighborhood elementary class just so some school in a more remote area has 15. Nor do I have a great love of spending money on schools with high ESOL rates. How many other schools in the world spend so much money toward foreign students? Why isn't the extra ESOL teacher and title 1 teacher enough? There is no reason that FCPS should be manipulating class size ratios so much between schools. And there is no reason my child should be in a class built for about 20 with over 30 children in it. As far as I can tell there are a lot of reasons the distribution is going against VA law.

Maybe there's a reason why most immigrants to this country do well, while they riot in the suburbs of Paris.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do I have to leave where I live just to send my child to a title 1 school to get low class sizes? I'm sorry but we live near the beltway because our jobs are in two different directions. I shouldn't have to put up with 30 plus kids in our neighborhood elementary class just so some school in a more remote area has 15. Nor do I have a great love of spending money on schools with high ESOL rates. How many other schools in the world spend so much money toward foreign students? Why isn't the extra ESOL teacher and title 1 teacher enough? There is no reason that FCPS should be manipulating class size ratios so much between schools. And there is no reason my child should be in a class built for about 20 with over 30 children in it. As far as I can tell there are a lot of reasons the distribution is going against VA law.

How is it against VA law?

[Anonymous]

There are lots of reasons that Title I should be smaller---but there should not be these extremes. It is the result of poor management by FCPS staff for many years and by poor stewardship on the part of the school board.

[Anonymous]

I am not in FFX Co but our ESOL kids are counted as part of a class size. They only get 45 mins of ESOL instruction per day and perhaps less frequent instruction depending on their proficiency level. 75% of our ESOL students (roughly) are U.S. born.

[Anonymous]

9:44. FCPS is only staying within the law per the entire county. Per each school, they are not adhering to space per child in these classrooms or staff ratio requirements. The part of the law where I see the most discrepancy in is part C.
https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+22.1-253.13C2

Interestingly, in some areas all schools are over the requirements. I believe all kindergarten rooms have a teacher and an assistant regardless of the numbers in the classroom and all elementary schools I know have a principal and an assistant principal even though many are only required to have an assistant principal on a part time basis.

[Anonymous]

10:17 Are you saying that those children are anchor babies or that there is a problem in the US with teaching people English over many years? I'm sorry, but whether these families are wealthy and smart or poor and disadvantaged, most ESOL kids are from recent foreign immigrants and not from families who have lived here a long time and never learnt English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:17 Are you saying that those children are anchor babies or that there is a problem in the US with teaching people English over many years? I'm sorry, but whether these families are wealthy and smart or poor and disadvantaged, most ESOL kids are from recent foreign immigrants and not from families who have lived here a long time and never learnt English.

Do you have any facts to actually back that up? Please cite your source.

[Anonymous]

There are already laws put in place for ESOL students

F. In addition to the positions supported by basic aid and those in support of regular school year programs of prevention, intervention, and remediation, state funding, pursuant to the appropriation act, shall be provided to support 17 full-time equivalent instructional positions for each 1,000 students identified as having limited English proficiency.

To provide flexibility in the instruction of English language learners who have limited English proficiency and who are at risk of not meeting state accountability standards, school divisions may use state and local funds from the Standards of Quality Prevention, Intervention, and Remediation account to employ additional English language learner teachers to provide instruction to identified limited English proficiency students. Using these funds in this manner is intended to supplement the instructional services provided in this section. School divisions using the SOQ Prevention, Intervention, and Remediation funds in this manner shall employ only instructional personnel licensed by the Board of Education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP This is what I'm afraid of. Math seems easier because it is more straightforward. I don't see how reading and writing can be taught to so many at a time.

Last year I had 29 students in one class, 24 in the other. I can honestly say the group of 24 received better reading instruction just by the fact that I was able to meet with them in guided groups more often.

This is so true. My child got 15 min. PER WEEK of reading instruction in a small group for all of 1st and 2nd grade (perhaps for 3rd grade too, but by then she was on her own anyway). I don't know how people keep calling FCPS so great when a 1st grader gets 15 min. of small group time per week???? That does not qualify as "gold standard" to me. I'd have gladly traded the computer time or music time (even though I like music for kids) for more teacher time. Frustrating that kids who are on track to meet benchmarks are left to their own devices (at age 6) to entertain themselves at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what is it?

just found out that my DS's class has 33 kids...5th grade

My 5th grader has 26. Arlington Schools. You can have your AAP.

[Anonymous]

The other thing that happens is that teachers and assistant pupil place their children in these high SES schools bringing the numbers up even though the schools are supposed to be closed. I would move my child if I could, but there is also the issue of getting into SACC at the other school, so we're stuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The other thing that happens is that teachers and assistant pupil place their children in these high SES schools bringing the numbers up even though the schools are supposed to be closed. I would move my child if I could, but there is also the issue of getting into SACC at the other school, so we're stuck.

There really are not that many students who get pupil placed this way. My DCs went to a highly rated high SES school and perhaps 4 or 5 schoolwide were children of staff.

[Anonymous]

There are 3 children just in my child's class pupil placed that way. Not that it's the real problem though. I'm happy that the teachers have their students nearby and are invested in the school. I just want adequate staff so classes are under 30 children.