APS - Three cases yesterday

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's just a take a moment of silence to reflect on just how bad Duran's decision was not to send kids back for more in person days this year.

- COVID rates are continuing to drop precipitously. Only three cases in Arlington, yesterday, with a very strong downward trend.

- All teachers had the chance to be vaccinated months ago. High risk persons had the opportunity to get vaccinated in March.

- More than half of Arlington adults are vaccinated

- Arlington is hosting walk up vaccine clinics so anyone who wants a vaccine has no excuse. It's also widely available at pharmacies and grocery stores.

- Kids ages 12-15 can now get vaccinated and doses are available. By next week there will be lots of options to get your older kid vaccinated.

- The weather is great for outdoor lunch. And schools haven't been found to be a significant source of transmission. (If anything open schools and close down sports teams.)

Yet APS has decided to keep the same model that was judged appropriate in January. APS isn't offering summer school even to kids with serious need, let alone kids with some learning loss over the past year. Yet APS has decided to squander the last 6-8 weeks of the school year. Those weeks are far more than what is being offered over the summer. They could make a real difference. Shame on you, APS.

I am pleased to meet you OP -- apparently you are able to see into the future, and expect other people like Duran to be able to do the same. Now that I have met someone who was able to successfully predict the status of FDA approval, the levels of acceptance by a particular population of a new vaccine, and the number of cases months in advance, I would love it if you were able to use your superpowers to be able to predict more things so that our community can make perfect decisions about future plans despite lacking information currently. Please tell us the exact enrollment numbers at all grade levels for each school this fall (that seems comparable to being able to foresee some of these other stats you list above). Please also predict for us what major federal initiative will be proposed this fall that will impact next year's proposed budget the most. I'm so grateful that you have elected to share your superior prognostication powers with our community to enable us to plan optimal courses of action from now on.

Meanwhile, the rest of us without the ability to predict the course of this pandemic have instead adjusted our expectations away from what isn't attainable and towards what has been attainable for our kids under rather high levels of uncertainty. BTW it was only LAST WEEK that the WHO and the CDC stated that the major form of transmission for the virus was aerosolized particles. So the entire global scientific community was wrong about the major method of transmission as of two weeks ago. But Duran should have been 'right' several months ago about....everything.

NP here. While I agree with the idea behind your first snarky paragraph, I think the the main point people upset about not increasing the in-person days is that APS has failed to respond as the health situation and CDC guidelines evolved....as some neighboring jurisdictions have done.

As to your second paragraph, it's been known and "out there" for quite some time that the primary transmission is aerosolized particles - even if it's accurate that the CDC only formally stated so last week. I think your statement is very misleading if not entirely inaccurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree but I’m exhausted. I’m also counting down the weeks until camp and pool. I also want to conserve my energy to advocate hard for as close to normal school as possible in the fall.

YES! this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many of you are seriously outraged by virtual learning having a negative effect on your kids' learning? My bet is that your real gripe is that virtual learning is inconvenient for you.

I'm a mom to 2. Virtual learning is NOT inconvenient for me and HAS had a negative effect on both kids' learning. I am seriously outraged by the amount of dependence APS has put on devices for instruction, assignments, and testing in general. Virtual learning has only magnified that dependence; and I would bet money that it doesn't decrease going forward. It's been a TERRIBLE way to provide instruction for most subjects; but particularly math, science, English, and even PE because there's nothing holding the student accountable for actually doing the physical activity assignments.

I think we should vote per kid; so I count as "2" for seriously outraged by virtual learning's negative effect on learning and NOT being an inconvenience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I said this in another thread - if the SOL scores drop for white kids in APS - then the latent outrage will occur.

What if they don’t drop? Will you agree that DL wasn’t all that bad academically for some kids?

Data has already shown that it has dropped even for white kids. Not enough overall to compare to other student groups; but many white kids' grades have also dropped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree but I’m exhausted. I’m also counting down the weeks until camp and pool. I also want to conserve my energy to advocate hard for as close to normal school as possible in the fall.

YES! this.

I agree. I think the parents that are still foaming at the mouth in anger ("so furious" as a PP stated) on a daily basis need to reach some place of acceptance and serenity and perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a radical idea: Why not make the last few weeks of school not a gigantic waste of time?


But to answer OP's question, like many others, I've tried. And I'm tired. Did you know at the HS level they actually took away in-person days because they need the adults to proctor tests? I'm so over APS. But my kid is older. If I had a younger kid in APS, I might still have it in my to fight. This is so ridiculous.

Yeah that would be amazing. My kid is in high school so there is still some learning going on but I can't even imagine what elementary kids are doing now at home for virtual learning. I am assuming it's close to nothing and will dwindle to the point of the teacher connecting to zoom and ... just being there all day and showing some videos

I'm no fan of how APS has handled things, but I would drop this one as an argument. Elementary kids are still doing full on virtual school and not watching movies. (Why would you think that?) It's not perfect, but they are teaching them new content.

There are so many issues with this still. It is not an acceptable trade off or equivalent.

My first grader figured out ages ago how to minimize his Teams window, and open up whatever else he felt like looking at. Unless someone is sitting right on top of him monitoring everything he does, he can do whatever he wants. We have two full time workers in our home, so that is not possible.

Two, the issue of screen and screen time and addiction to it. We were a no-tablet family before COVID. It is not a daily battle to get our first grader off of and away from the screens. They are addicted to it, and it sickens me that school is further perpetuating that and we cannot do anything about the hours they spend on both in person and at home days on the screen.

As a parent of a middle schooler and a high schooler, I hate to tell you that your kid would have developed an addiction for it during regular in-person school anyway. There is far too much reliance on the personal devices for instruction, testing, or for "extra" work and "free time" when work is done. Do whatever you can to nip it in the bud now. It won't be as bad when they return to normal school; but it isn't going to go away. Adjust your expectations now, tweak your screen time rules, and do whatever it takes to enforce them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I said this in another thread - if the SOL scores drop for white kids in APS - then the latent outrage will occur.



What if they don’t drop? Will you agree that DL wasn’t all that bad academically for some kids?



Data has already shown that it has dropped even for white kids. Not enough overall to compare to other student groups; but many white kids' grades have also dropped.

Grades and test scores are two different things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t we only have 5 weeks left? I’m already eyeing our local pool. I believe they acted in good faith and felt that switching models again wasn’t worth the disruption.

Agree. And I doubt the media is interested in the fact that kids are going to continue to do hybrid for the last few weeks of school. In the grand scheme of things this certainly nothin to be outraged about.

This. It's a logistical nightmare to change models at this point.

But I agree with you on the summer school. Teachers didn't sign up because they offered them extra pennies. Loudon is paying teachers $70 an hour! That's how you get teachers to staff it. PAY THEM WELL. Not just a few hundred extra bucks. What APS offered in "extra financial incentive" wouldn't even pay for the childcare many teachers need to arrange for their young kids so that they could go to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it's because I have a little kid, by my kid has been so bored all year and learning very little. She isn't burned out and ready to watch videos. She'd love 5 weeks of in person learning--the more the better. Her best two days of the week are her in person days, and her classroom just sits empty those other three days. It's such a waste.

Isn't there another group of kids going in-person on 2 of the other days? The hybrid plan was for kids in classrooms 4 days a week, 2 groups going on 2 different days.

That's not how it works at our ES, at least. 3-5 is concurrent, so one teacher is teaching both the virtual kids and the hybrid kids. Not sure if the teachers are using the classrooms to teach on the all-virtual days. For the younger grades (my son is in 2nd) they changed the classes so that each teacher is either hybrid or all-virtual. I think on the hybrid days they have the kids in 2 separate classrooms for distancing purposes. So my son's classroom is not being used at all on the days his hybrid class is doing virtual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I said this in another thread - if the SOL scores drop for white kids in APS - then the latent outrage will occur.



What if they don’t drop? Will you agree that DL wasn’t all that bad academically for some kids?



Data has already shown that it has dropped even for white kids. Not enough overall to compare to other student groups; but many white kids' grades have also dropped.

Grades and test scores are two different things.

Didn't they already see big drops in the elementary reading assessments? Those are test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t we only have 5 weeks left? I’m already eyeing our local pool. I believe they acted in good faith and felt that switching models again wasn’t worth the disruption.

Agree. And I doubt the media is interested in the fact that kids are going to continue to do hybrid for the last few weeks of school. In the grand scheme of things this certainly nothin to be outraged about.

This. It's a logistical nightmare to change models at this point.

But I agree with you on the summer school. Teachers didn't sign up because they offered them extra pennies. Loudon is paying teachers $70 an hour! That's how you get teachers to staff it. PAY THEM WELL. Not just a few hundred extra bucks. What APS offered in "extra financial incentive" wouldn't even pay for the childcare many teachers need to arrange for their young kids so that they could go to work.

It’s also not true that they aren’t offering it at all as OP implies. It’s reduced from their initial plan due to lack of enough staff but they are still having it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many of you are seriously outraged by virtual learning having a negative effect on your kids' learning? My bet is that your real gripe is that virtual learning is inconvenient for you.

I'm a mom to 2. Virtual learning is NOT inconvenient for me and HAS had a negative effect on both kids' learning. I am seriously outraged by the amount of dependence APS has put on devices for instruction, assignments, and testing in general. Virtual learning has only magnified that dependence; and I would bet money that it doesn't decrease going forward. It's been a TERRIBLE way to provide instruction for most subjects; but particularly math, science, English, and even PE because there's nothing holding the student accountable for actually doing the physical activity assignments.

I think we should vote per kid; so I count as "2" for seriously outraged by virtual learning's negative effect on learning and NOT being an inconvenience.

NP here. Virtual is extremely inconvenient to me, as a working mom. Is that some terrible thing to admit? Why is it that I'm supposed to work like I don't have kids and parent like I don't work? And never complain? Or expect services for my (not insignificant) tax dollars? Virtual IS inconvenient, and it is extremely frustrating to see neighboring jurisdictions offer four days while we stick with two. Sorry I'm not barefoot and pregnant and full of grace and serenity, available at all times to fill in the gaps when our local government fails us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a radical idea: Why not make the last few weeks of school not a gigantic waste of time?


But to answer OP's question, like many others, I've tried. And I'm tired. Did you know at the HS level they actually took away in-person days because they need the adults to proctor tests? I'm so over APS. But my kid is older. If I had a younger kid in APS, I might still have it in my to fight. This is so ridiculous.

Yeah that would be amazing. My kid is in high school so there is still some learning going on but I can't even imagine what elementary kids are doing now at home for virtual learning. I am assuming it's close to nothing and will dwindle to the point of the teacher connecting to zoom and ... just being there all day and showing some videos

I'm no fan of how APS has handled things, but I would drop this one as an argument. Elementary kids are still doing full on virtual school and not watching movies. (Why would you think that?) It's not perfect, but they are teaching them new content.

There are so many issues with this still. It is not an acceptable trade off or equivalent.

My first grader figured out ages ago how to minimize his Teams window, and open up whatever else he felt like looking at. Unless someone is sitting right on top of him monitoring everything he does, he can do whatever he wants. We have two full time workers in our home, so that is not possible.

Two, the issue of screen and screen time and addiction to it. We were a no-tablet family before COVID. It is not a daily battle to get our first grader off of and away from the screens. They are addicted to it, and it sickens me that school is further perpetuating that and we cannot do anything about the hours they spend on both in person and at home days on the screen.

I'm the poster you responded to and I have a 1st grader. I agree with everything you are saying. For this age group, they need constant 1 on 1 supervision if they're going to learn anything. The point I was making is the teachers haven't checked out as someone else asserted. The issue is the learning platform is not appropriate for the age. In full agreement there.

Good luck to all of us, I guess.

Parent of another 1st grader. My child's teachers are teaching reading, and writing, and math and science and art and PE and music. We're even in South Arlington where all of the "bad" schools are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I said this in another thread - if the SOL scores drop for white kids in APS - then the latent outrage will occur.

What if they don’t drop? Will you agree that DL wasn’t all that bad academically for some kids?

Data has already shown that it has dropped even for white kids. Not enough overall to compare to other student groups; but many white kids' grades have also dropped.

They will just dumb everything down to make the grade drop not look as bad. They’ve been doing this for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many of you are seriously outraged by virtual learning having a negative effect on your kids' learning? My bet is that your real gripe is that virtual learning is inconvenient for you.

I'm a mom to 2. Virtual learning is NOT inconvenient for me and HAS had a negative effect on both kids' learning. I am seriously outraged by the amount of dependence APS has put on devices for instruction, assignments, and testing in general. Virtual learning has only magnified that dependence; and I would bet money that it doesn't decrease going forward. It's been a TERRIBLE way to provide instruction for most subjects; but particularly math, science, English, and even PE because there's nothing holding the student accountable for actually doing the physical activity assignments.

I think we should vote per kid; so I count as "2" for seriously outraged by virtual learning's negative effect on learning and NOT being an inconvenience.

NP here. Virtual is extremely inconvenient to me, as a working mom. Is that some terrible thing to admit? Why is it that I'm supposed to work like I don't have kids and parent like I don't work? And never complain? Or expect services for my (not insignificant) tax dollars? Virtual IS inconvenient, and it is extremely frustrating to see neighboring jurisdictions offer four days while we stick with two. Sorry I'm not barefoot and pregnant and full of grace and serenity, available at all times to fill in the gaps when our local government fails us.

I don't get this mentality. We had a global pandemic. It sucked. Our schools had a reasonable response, following CDC guidelines, just like many other school districts across the country.

How is that a "failure" of the local government?