What pyramid would you choose?

[Anonymous]

People are dying to live in the pyramid you already live in, despite the pot smoking gym teachers at Taylor, like how did that even happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When it comes to National Merit Semifinalists, it’s more like 18.5 dozen in FCPS to one dozen in APS.

Are there more kids in FCPS?

There are about 25,000 kids in Arlington public schools. There are more than 188,000 in Fairfax public schools.

OP, we knew a kid at TJ. He regretted it at the end, because he didn't get into his first choice college. Too much competition at TJ for a limited number of slots. He said it would have been better to be the big fish in a small pond at his neighborhood high school.

Don’t be daft. There are far more TJ kids getting into top schools than kids from Yorktown. Of course, they aim higher as well.

Don't you be daft. Did I say there weren't? No - I just said that he was competing against many, many more of his own classmates for a limited number of slots. No college is going to take every single TJ student who applies to it, even though they take several. So he was not accepted to his first choice and was wait-listed at his second.

And next time, don't try to put words in anyone else's mouth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When it comes to National Merit Semifinalists, it’s more like 18.5 dozen in FCPS to one dozen in APS.

Are there more kids in FCPS?

There are about 25,000 kids in Arlington public schools. There are more than 188,000 in Fairfax public schools.

OP, we knew a kid at TJ. He regretted it at the end, because he didn't get into his first choice college. Too much competition at TJ for a limited number of slots. He said it would have been better to be the big fish in a small pond at his neighborhood high school.

Don’t be daft. There are far more TJ kids getting into top schools than kids from Yorktown. Of course, they aim higher as well.

Don't you be daft. Did I say there weren't? No - I just said that he was competing against many, many more of his own classmates for a limited number of slots. No college is going to take every single TJ student who applies to it, even though they take several. So he was not accepted to his first choice and was wait-listed at his second.

And next time, don't try to put words in anyone else's mouth.

You mean like the way you're surely putting words into the mouth of a TJ student? LOL.

In any case, Yorktown kids only compete with TJ kids at the margins (lowest-performing TJ kids overlap with brightest YHS kids). Otherwise they don't have much in common academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the only meaningful difference between them is how they handle gifted education. The Fairfax AAP program pulls high achieving students out of neighborhood schools. For some gifted kids it may be better than Arlington's approach of serving all levels in the same schools. But, for others being singled out as special in that way could be detrimental and it may not be a good approach for kids with very different performance in different areas (e.g. my DD is a high-achiever across all subjects and would likely be in AAP if we lived in Fairfax and do great in it but DS is off the charts great in math while struggling in English. I like that our school was able to provide the math enrichment he needed while still meeting him where he is in English).

I also know some families in Fairfax complain that the "normal kids" -- not AAP, not special needs, not disadvantaged -- are not well served because they are left in schools without a high achieving peer group and the focus tends to be mostly on bringing up the kids at risk of not passing SOLs.

Yes, this. Or else the "normal" kids have to attend the center schools, which place their emphasis on the AAP kids. Either way, it sucks to be a "normal" kid in FCPS these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the only meaningful difference between them is how they handle gifted education. The Fairfax AAP program pulls high achieving students out of neighborhood schools. For some gifted kids it may be better than Arlington's approach of serving all levels in the same schools. But, for others being singled out as special in that way could be detrimental and it may not be a good approach for kids with very different performance in different areas (e.g. my DD is a high-achiever across all subjects and would likely be in AAP if we lived in Fairfax and do great in it but DS is off the charts great in math while struggling in English. I like that our school was able to provide the math enrichment he needed while still meeting him where he is in English).

I also know some families in Fairfax complain that the "normal kids" -- not AAP, not special needs, not disadvantaged -- are not well served because they are left in schools without a high achieving peer group and the focus tends to be mostly on bringing up the kids at risk of not passing SOLs.

Yes, this. Or else the "normal" kids have to attend the center schools, which place their emphasis on the AAP kids. Either way, it sucks to be a "normal" kid in FCPS these days.

I don't think it is fair to entirely blame FCPS or AAP for the lack of rigor in FCPS elementary general ed. I know so many parents that could care less about academics and just want more recess, no homework, don't want anything to do with the schools, push in their learning disabled child all day who is five years behind academically and has behavior issues, never holding back a child anymore in school.... I don't blame other parents who want strong academics and feel overshadowed by these parents who don't.

[Anonymous]

If we'd stayed in Arlington, we'd have tried to transfer to Washington-Lee. Yorktown always sounded like what you'd get if you took Langley and then pulled out the smart kids.

[Anonymous]

it's cute how people on here think home price correlates to intellectual bragging rights....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we'd stayed in Arlington, we'd have tried to transfer to Washington-Lee. Yorktown always sounded like what you'd get if you took Langley and then pulled out the smart kids.

I always heard that Langley is what you'd get if you to took Yorktown and pulled out the economically disadvantaged and diverse kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we'd stayed in Arlington, we'd have tried to transfer to Washington-Lee. Yorktown always sounded like what you'd get if you took Langley and then pulled out the smart kids.

I always heard that Langley is what you'd get if you to took Yorktown and pulled out the economically disadvantaged and diverse kids.

Haha Langley has diversity if you count the foreign trash who hang out at Tyson's Galleria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we'd stayed in Arlington, we'd have tried to transfer to Washington-Lee. Yorktown always sounded like what you'd get if you took Langley and then pulled out the smart kids.

I always heard that Langley is what you'd get if you to took Yorktown and pulled out the economically disadvantaged and diverse kids.

Haha Langley has diversity if you count the foreign trash who hang out at Tyson's Galleria.

That’s harsh, but it never takes much for North Arlingtonians to reveal their racist, xenophobic side.

You really can’t argue with the fact that YHS punches below its weight academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we'd stayed in Arlington, we'd have tried to transfer to Washington-Lee. Yorktown always sounded like what you'd get if you took Langley and then pulled out the smart kids.

I always heard that Langley is what you'd get if you to took Yorktown and pulled out the economically disadvantaged and diverse kids.

Haha Langley has diversity if you count the foreign trash who hang out at Tyson's Galleria.

That’s harsh, but it never takes much for North Arlingtonians to reveal their racist, xenophobic side.

You really can’t argue with the fact that YHS punches below its weight academically.

“Punching below its weight” is such a tired idiom. Please come up with something else.

[Anonymous]

poplar/RR/Chantilly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the only meaningful difference between them is how they handle gifted education. The Fairfax AAP program pulls high achieving students out of neighborhood schools. For some gifted kids it may be better than Arlington's approach of serving all levels in the same schools. But, for others being singled out as special in that way could be detrimental and it may not be a good approach for kids with very different performance in different areas (e.g. my DD is a high-achiever across all subjects and would likely be in AAP if we lived in Fairfax and do great in it but DS is off the charts great in math while struggling in English. I like that our school was able to provide the math enrichment he needed while still meeting him where he is in English).

I also know some families in Fairfax complain that the "normal kids" -- not AAP, not special needs, not disadvantaged -- are not well served because they are left in schools without a high achieving peer group and the focus tends to be mostly on bringing up the kids at risk of not passing SOLs.

Yes, this. Or else the "normal" kids have to attend the center schools, which place their emphasis on the AAP kids. Either way, it sucks to be a "normal" kid in FCPS these days.

I don't think it is fair to entirely blame FCPS or AAP for the lack of rigor in FCPS elementary general ed. I know so many parents that could care less about academics and just want more recess, no homework, don't want anything to do with the schools, push in their learning disabled child all day who is five years behind academically and has behavior issues, never holding back a child anymore in school.... I don't blame other parents who want strong academics and feel overshadowed by these parents who don't.

Academics, and the very *minor* difference between AAP and Gen Ed, wasn't my point at all. The "normal" kids are treated like second class citizens if they're unlucky enough to have to attend a center school. There is a lack of rigor in Gen Ed, but AAP isn't much of an improvement. It's all the same curriculum. The social aspects of segregating two very similar groups of kids are devastating. Had we known this, we would have chosen APS in a heartbeat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the only meaningful difference between them is how they handle gifted education. The Fairfax AAP program pulls high achieving students out of neighborhood schools. For some gifted kids it may be better than Arlington's approach of serving all levels in the same schools. But, for others being singled out as special in that way could be detrimental and it may not be a good approach for kids with very different performance in different areas (e.g. my DD is a high-achiever across all subjects and would likely be in AAP if we lived in Fairfax and do great in it but DS is off the charts great in math while struggling in English. I like that our school was able to provide the math enrichment he needed while still meeting him where he is in English).

I also know some families in Fairfax complain that the "normal kids" -- not AAP, not special needs, not disadvantaged -- are not well served because they are left in schools without a high achieving peer group and the focus tends to be mostly on bringing up the kids at risk of not passing SOLs.

Yes, this. Or else the "normal" kids have to attend the center schools, which place their emphasis on the AAP kids. Either way, it sucks to be a "normal" kid in FCPS these days.

I don't think it is fair to entirely blame FCPS or AAP for the lack of rigor in FCPS elementary general ed. I know so many parents that could care less about academics and just want more recess, no homework, don't want anything to do with the schools, push in their learning disabled child all day who is five years behind academically and has behavior issues, never holding back a child anymore in school.... I don't blame other parents who want strong academics and feel overshadowed by these parents who don't.

Academics, and the very *minor* difference between AAP and Gen Ed, wasn't my point at all. The "normal" kids are treated like second class citizens if they're unlucky enough to have to attend a center school. There is a lack of rigor in Gen Ed, but AAP isn't much of an improvement. It's all the same curriculum. The social aspects of segregating two very similar groups of kids are devastating. Had we known this, we would have chosen APS in a heartbeat.

If you’d actually lived in Arlington, you might have a different perspective. We moved to FCPS to escape the subtle racism and not-so-subtle mediocrity of APS.

[Anonymous]

I have a 5th and a 6th grader in a Center School. One in AAP, one not. It has not been our experience that the Gen Ed students are treated as second class citizens. Our Center allows kids to move into AAP for Compacted math (my 6th grader does this) and the classes sometimes work on projects together. The 4th-6th graders are all mixed for Music, Art and PE I am sure some schools are like that, but not all.