FCPS Boundary Review Updates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So no changes affecting Lewis? At all?

Guess well have to pupil place.

This says it all. There have been parents throughout this boundary review process who only care about the potential for it to dilute their school's lower income, lower performing demographics. They don't care about solving the problems at the school they are zoned for, and they certainly don't care about impacts to kids who are rezoned.

When you see posts supporting the boundary review, keep in mind that it's primarily parents like this.

Hahah you mean, a parent advocating for the best possible outcomes for their children. Yep, that’s me!

How is rezoning kids to a different school which has an entirely different program (IB vs. AP at WSHS) giving anyone the “best possible outcome.”

“Best possible outcome” FOR MY CHILDREN. Yes, I care more about mine than yours.

Question.

Why don't the involved Lewis parents organize and lobby to eliminate IB and switch to AP, so that the 250 plus high performing students, your neighbors who also purchased in the Lewis zone, who transfer out of Lewis to get away from IB return to Lewis?

Your school would benefit if your 250 neighbors, involved academically focused families, who actuslly live in the community and have a real stake in the success of the school returned home to Lewis.

That would be a far more effective and rapid way to improve Lewis, by bringing in people who have a genuine connection to the school and community.

It is way more effective than trying to replace them with people from outside the community, who are upset and hostile about being removed from their neighborhood high school and switched to a school they don't want to attend, and who will almost certainly be using that same IB loophole to transfer to Lake Braddock or South County.

Lewis families need to strongly organize to eliminate IP and switch to AP if they want to improve their school.

They also need to start pushing their school board rep to get them moved up in the renovation queue.

Maybe because the parents are okay with IB. Lewis also offers AP courses.

Honestly, the biggest factor hurting Lewis is the bigoted discussion that pops up here and elsewhere on social media.

They added AP when they opened the special program at Lewis. I think they added the AP because they knew that there would be fewer applicants for the special program if Lewis was IB. But AP is a recent addition to Lewis.

That special program was one of the stupidest wastes of money ever created by the FCPS school board.

Honestly, Lewis should use the Mississippi template through the entire pyramid to turn the school around.

Their results in Mississippi, particularly in reading, achievement gaps and turning around low performing high schools is pretty astounding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So no changes affecting Lewis? At all?

Guess well have to pupil place.

This says it all. There have been parents throughout this boundary review process who only care about the potential for it to dilute their school's lower income, lower performing demographics. They don't care about solving the problems at the school they are zoned for, and they certainly don't care about impacts to kids who are rezoned.

When you see posts supporting the boundary review, keep in mind that it's primarily parents like this.

Hahah you mean, a parent advocating for the best possible outcomes for their children. Yep, that’s me!

How is rezoning kids to a different school which has an entirely different program (IB vs. AP at WSHS) giving anyone the “best possible outcome.”

“Best possible outcome” FOR MY CHILDREN. Yes, I care more about mine than yours.

Question.

Why don't the involved Lewis parents organize and lobby to eliminate IB and switch to AP, so that the 250 plus high performing students, your neighbors who also purchased in the Lewis zone, who transfer out of Lewis to get away from IB return to Lewis?

Your school would benefit if your 250 neighbors, involved academically focused families, who actuslly live in the community and have a real stake in the success of the school returned home to Lewis.

That would be a far more effective and rapid way to improve Lewis, by bringing in people who have a genuine connection to the school and community.

It is way more effective than trying to replace them with people from outside the community, who are upset and hostile about being removed from their neighborhood high school and switched to a school they don't want to attend, and who will almost certainly be using that same IB loophole to transfer to Lake Braddock or South County.

Lewis families need to strongly organize to eliminate IP and switch to AP if they want to improve their school.

They also need to start pushing their school board rep to get them moved up in the renovation queue.

Maybe because the parents are okay with IB. Lewis also offers AP courses.

Honestly, the biggest factor hurting Lewis is the bigoted discussion that pops up here and elsewhere on social media.

They added AP when they opened the special program at Lewis. I think they added the AP because they knew that there would be fewer applicants for the special program if Lewis was IB. But AP is a recent addition to Lewis.

That special program was one of the stupidest wastes of money ever created by the FCPS school board.

Honestly, Lewis should use the Mississippi template through the entire pyramid to turn the school around.

Their results in Mississippi, particularly in reading, achievement gaps and turning around low performing high schools is pretty astounding.

The Mississippi reforms are proof that many of the changes that parents and educators in low performing schools have been clamoring for actually work for better than the FCPS method, to improve the outcomes for low performing students.

FCPS should send their school board to Mississippi to learn about education standards for low performers, literacy methods for elementary schools, andrefocusing of low performing high schools, instead of sending them to New Orleans to blow money on strip clubs and booze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no way that the families with kids moving to South Lakes are going to accept that. At the very least, they are not going to want the IB program. Most are happy at Chantilly and will not want to move, even if SLHS was AP, but the IB is most likely a deal breaker.

From a SLHS perspective, adding 100 more kids who are likely to participate in IB would be great, it would increase the pool of kids and increase the chance that the HL classes are offered because there might be more interest. If this move does happen, I expect more principal placing into Oakton and Langley for AP and language purposes.

People don't want to move from AP to IB.

Moving to IB is a good reason to be upset. Moving to a school with a larger Hispanic population is a bad reason to be upset.

The boundary change proponent’s playbook:

1) make comments bringing race into the discussion.

2) claim that anyone who opposes boundary changes are racist or bigots.

It’s very transparent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So no changes affecting Lewis? At all?

Guess well have to pupil place.

This says it all. There have been parents throughout this boundary review process who only care about the potential for it to dilute their school's lower income, lower performing demographics. They don't care about solving the problems at the school they are zoned for, and they certainly don't care about impacts to kids who are rezoned.

When you see posts supporting the boundary review, keep in mind that it's primarily parents like this.

Hahah you mean, a parent advocating for the best possible outcomes for their children. Yep, that’s me!

How is rezoning kids to a different school which has an entirely different program (IB vs. AP at WSHS) giving anyone the “best possible outcome.”

“Best possible outcome” FOR MY CHILDREN. Yes, I care more about mine than yours.

Question.

Why don't the involved Lewis parents organize and lobby to eliminate IB and switch to AP, so that the 250 plus high performing students, your neighbors who also purchased in the Lewis zone, who transfer out of Lewis to get away from IB return to Lewis?

Your school would benefit if your 250 neighbors, involved academically focused families, who actuslly live in the community and have a real stake in the success of the school returned home to Lewis.

That would be a far more effective and rapid way to improve Lewis, by bringing in people who have a genuine connection to the school and community.

It is way more effective than trying to replace them with people from outside the community, who are upset and hostile about being removed from their neighborhood high school and switched to a school they don't want to attend, and who will almost certainly be using that same IB loophole to transfer to Lake Braddock or South County.

Lewis families need to strongly organize to eliminate IP and switch to AP if they want to improve their school.

They also need to start pushing their school board rep to get them moved up in the renovation queue.

There are a huge number of Herndon students pupil placing to South Lakes, an IB school.

If they make Lewis AP, but leave Edison IB, Lewis kids will transfer to Edison in larger numbers and it will be like Herndon students transferring to South Lakes. With FCPS/Thru proposing to move 372 Edison kids to Annandale, space at Edison won't be an issue. Annandale would be a lot larger (again, as it was before 2011), Edison would pick up more pupil placements from Lewis, and Lewis would remain tiny. If Key kids currently attend Twain for AAP, this would be even more likely.

Isn't Edison at capacity?

Edison should be closed to transfers too.

Any school above 95% should be closed to transfers to stave off rezoning.

Edison won’t be at/above capacity when they shift Bren Mar Park ES back to Annandale. That was probably a decent move - there is some development slated for Edison’s boundary and they needed to lose some students, because that is probably the worst HS site in FCPS and there’s nowhere to expand or even put significant numbers of trailers or modular classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So no changes affecting Lewis? At all?

Guess well have to pupil place.

This says it all. There have been parents throughout this boundary review process who only care about the potential for it to dilute their school's lower income, lower performing demographics. They don't care about solving the problems at the school they are zoned for, and they certainly don't care about impacts to kids who are rezoned.

When you see posts supporting the boundary review, keep in mind that it's primarily parents like this.

Hahah you mean, a parent advocating for the best possible outcomes for their children. Yep, that’s me!

How is rezoning kids to a different school which has an entirely different program (IB vs. AP at WSHS) giving anyone the “best possible outcome.”

“Best possible outcome” FOR MY CHILDREN. Yes, I care more about mine than yours.

Question.

Why don't the involved Lewis parents organize and lobby to eliminate IB and switch to AP, so that the 250 plus high performing students, your neighbors who also purchased in the Lewis zone, who transfer out of Lewis to get away from IB return to Lewis?

Your school would benefit if your 250 neighbors, involved academically focused families, who actuslly live in the community and have a real stake in the success of the school returned home to Lewis.

That would be a far more effective and rapid way to improve Lewis, by bringing in people who have a genuine connection to the school and community.

It is way more effective than trying to replace them with people from outside the community, who are upset and hostile about being removed from their neighborhood high school and switched to a school they don't want to attend, and who will almost certainly be using that same IB loophole to transfer to Lake Braddock or South County.

Lewis families need to strongly organize to eliminate IP and switch to AP if they want to improve their school.

They also need to start pushing their school board rep to get them moved up in the renovation queue.

Maybe because the parents are okay with IB. Lewis also offers AP courses.

Honestly, the biggest factor hurting Lewis is the bigoted discussion that pops up here and elsewhere on social media.

They added AP when they opened the special program at Lewis. I think they added the AP because they knew that there would be fewer applicants for the special program if Lewis was IB. But AP is a recent addition to Lewis.

That special program was one of the stupidest wastes of money ever created by the FCPS school board.

Honestly, Lewis should use the Mississippi template through the entire pyramid to turn the school around.

Their results in Mississippi, particularly in reading, achievement gaps and turning around low performing high schools is pretty astounding.

The Mississippi reforms are proof that many of the changes that parents and educators in low performing schools have been clamoring for actually work for better than the FCPS method, to improve the outcomes for low performing students.

FCPS should send their school board to Mississippi to learn about education standards for low performers, literacy methods for elementary schools, and refocusing of low performing high schools, instead of sending them to New Orleans to blow money on strip clubs and booze.

One thing they did in Mississippi was to invest heavily in early childhood reading instruction.

They dropped all the trendy literacy programs, and went back to 100% basic, old school phonics instruction, the way every child in the US learned to read pre 1990s.

If the children are not reading at grade level by the end of 2nd grade, they do not promote to 3rd grade. They stay in 2nd grade one additional year and get intensive small group reading instruction daily with reading specialists.

They have been doing this for several years now, and the results are significant, long term improvement of educational outcomes, particularly for ESOL students, black students and hispanic students. The number of illiterate kids held back was huge when they started, but that number has steadily shrunk to now a very small number. Parents who previously sent unprepared kids to kindergarten started focusing heavily on reading at home, because they didn't want to be the parent of the kid who was held back.

Getting the kids literate early through simple, basic, no frills phonics instruction improved educational outcomes for those at risk kids for the rest of their lives. Having genuine consequences and remediation for kids who can't read was highly effective, and got parents involved in early at home literacy far more effectively than anything else tried.

It was cheap, effective, and has stunning results.

They are now adding the same kind of mastery standard in math, holding kids back who aren't on grade level and moving them to small group, intensive math instruction.

Using these basic methods, including failing students, Mississippi jumped from perpetually being #50 in the US, to one of the top 20 states in education in the country. They might even be flirting with top 10 states in a few years. And they have closed or are close to closing, the achievement gaps between racial groups, esol, and SES.

[Anonymous]

But I bet Mississippi has a more stable student population. In FCPS, we have students moving into the system at all grades at a very high rate. So many students are not here at a young age to get them on the right track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But I bet Mississippi has a more stable student population. In FCPS, we have students moving into the system at all grades at a very high rate. So many students are not here at a young age to get them on the right track.

So, the teacher needs to get them on track. We have resource teachers to help--if they are not just "coaches."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So no changes affecting Lewis? At all?

Guess well have to pupil place.

This says it all. There have been parents throughout this boundary review process who only care about the potential for it to dilute their school's lower income, lower performing demographics. They don't care about solving the problems at the school they are zoned for, and they certainly don't care about impacts to kids who are rezoned.

When you see posts supporting the boundary review, keep in mind that it's primarily parents like this.

Hahah you mean, a parent advocating for the best possible outcomes for their children. Yep, that’s me!

How is rezoning kids to a different school which has an entirely different program (IB vs. AP at WSHS) giving anyone the “best possible outcome.”

“Best possible outcome” FOR MY CHILDREN. Yes, I care more about mine than yours.

Question.

Why don't the involved Lewis parents organize and lobby to eliminate IB and switch to AP, so that the 250 plus high performing students, your neighbors who also purchased in the Lewis zone, who transfer out of Lewis to get away from IB return to Lewis?

Your school would benefit if your 250 neighbors, involved academically focused families, who actuslly live in the community and have a real stake in the success of the school returned home to Lewis.

That would be a far more effective and rapid way to improve Lewis, by bringing in people who have a genuine connection to the school and community.

It is way more effective than trying to replace them with people from outside the community, who are upset and hostile about being removed from their neighborhood high school and switched to a school they don't want to attend, and who will almost certainly be using that same IB loophole to transfer to Lake Braddock or South County.

Lewis families need to strongly organize to eliminate IP and switch to AP if they want to improve their school.

They also need to start pushing their school board rep to get them moved up in the renovation queue.

Maybe because the parents are okay with IB. Lewis also offers AP courses.

Honestly, the biggest factor hurting Lewis is the bigoted discussion that pops up here and elsewhere on social media.

No, Lewis parents are not okay with IB.

Lewis loses well over 200 students each year of families fleeing IB. And Lewis only has low single digits of students pursuing an IB diploma. Its less than a half percentage of the school.

That is the biggest factor hurting Lewis.

IB is just one way parents can use to transfer their kids. Language is also another. Look how many kids transfer to Edison for the STEM program, despite Edison being an IB school. It's not IB that's the problem.

No matter how much Lewis parents speak out about their positive experiences at the school, people here and on social media shout about how horrible the school is because Lewis has 1/3 of its population learning English, which results in overall lower test scores. Parents don't want to send their kids to school with such a high percentage of English learners, frightened that their kids will somehow catch the low test scores too, like some sort of nasty flu bug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
No matter how much Lewis parents speak out about their positive experiences at the school, people here and on social media shout about how horrible the school is because Lewis has 1/3 of its population learning English, which results in overall lower test scores. Parents don't want to send their kids to school with such a high percentage of English learners, frightened that their kids will somehow catch the low test scores too, like some sort of nasty flu bug.

That's not the reason. The problem is there are a finite number of teaching resources at a school, and if they're all tied up teaching a bunch of kids basic English skills, and dealing with disciplinary problems, they're not teaching the kids who already speak English and don't have disciplinary problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No matter how much Lewis parents speak out about their positive experiences at the school, people here and on social media shout about how horrible the school is because Lewis has 1/3 of its population learning English, which results in overall lower test scores. Parents don't want to send their kids to school with such a high percentage of English learners, frightened that their kids will somehow catch the low test scores too, like some sort of nasty flu bug.

That's not the reason. The problem is there are a finite number of teaching resources at a school, and if they're all tied up teaching a bunch of kids basic English skills, and dealing with disciplinary problems, they're not teaching the kids who already speak English and don't have disciplinary problems.

Lewis is not the only school dealing with this. Maybe, pushing Keys-Gamarra's special program there was less than helpful.
Nearby Edison has high FARMS, too. What is the difference?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But I bet Mississippi has a more stable student population. In FCPS, we have students moving into the system at all grades at a very high rate. So many students are not here at a young age to get them on the right track.

Fairfax County is one of the wealthiest parts of the country.

Fairfax County median income is $150,000.

The Fairfax County poverty rate is 6%

The Mississippi median income is $55,000.

The Mississippi poverty rate is 18%


Fairfax County has one of the most educated populations in America. Mississippi has one of the least educated populations in the country.

93% of Fairfax residents have a high school diploma and 64% have a higher degree.

86% of Mississippi residents graduated from high school and only 24% have a college degree.



Mississippi has a very diverse population. It is 59% white, 38% black and 4% hispanic.

Fairfax County is 63% white, 11% black. 21% asian and 18% hispanic.


With its extensive resources, FCPS should be able to effectively educate all of its students, including the ESOL students.

FCPS should adopt the Mississippi model in its low performing school pyramids.


https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/fairfaxcountyvirginia/PST045223

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MS/BZA010222

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No matter how much Lewis parents speak out about their positive experiences at the school, people here and on social media shout about how horrible the school is because Lewis has 1/3 of its population learning English, which results in overall lower test scores. Parents don't want to send their kids to school with such a high percentage of English learners, frightened that their kids will somehow catch the low test scores too, like some sort of nasty flu bug.

That's not the reason. The problem is there are a finite number of teaching resources at a school, and if they're all tied up teaching a bunch of kids basic English skills, and dealing with disciplinary problems, they're not teaching the kids who already speak English and don't have disciplinary problems.

It’s also about having high achieving peers and friends at school.

Sorry but I didn’t want to be in the minority in any way shape or form growing up in Fairfax County years ago.

[Anonymous]

I am guessing that Mississippi is dealing with issues of generational poverty and not uneducated immigrants who arrive speaking no English and having never attended school in their home countries. FCPS has a significant number of kids entering school at all grade levels with no educational experience and not speaking any English, that is a very different problem to address.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no way that the families with kids moving to South Lakes are going to accept that. At the very least, they are not going to want the IB program. Most are happy at Chantilly and will not want to move, even if SLHS was AP, but the IB is most likely a deal breaker.

From a SLHS perspective, adding 100 more kids who are likely to participate in IB would be great, it would increase the pool of kids and increase the chance that the HL classes are offered because there might be more interest. If this move does happen, I expect more principal placing into Oakton and Langley for AP and language purposes.

People don't want to move from AP to IB.

Chantilly kids would get moved to Westfield and Oakton (both AP), and some Westfield families would move to South Lakes. I don’t think anyone at Chantilly would be moved to South Lakes.

Pupil placing into Langley probably won’t be available much longer as it will be over 100% capacity with the reassignment of 200 McLean kids.

Oak Hill kids who currently attend Chantilly were moved to Fox Mill in one of the first two meetings. That shifted them to SLHS. I don't think that necessarily shows up in the third meeting slides because they would have been accounted for in an earlier presentation.

This is correct. People don't seem to understand how to interpret these maps. The changes from the first two are already incorporated into the third. They just aren't highlighting proposed new ES boundaries if the slide is focused on an MS or HS. But they are on there if you look at the overall boundary map.

Can you look at p. 14 of the 5/5 presentation and tell me how anyone at Chantilly is getting moved to South Lakes? I only see Chantilly kids moving to Westfield and Oakton, and no changes to South Lakes incorporated into that map!

One of the April meetings moved Oak Hill kids to Fox Mill. Those kids are already included in the SLHS count for the 5/5 slides which only take into consideration the new shifts.

You are mistaken. Those Oak Hill kids moving to Fox Mill per April slides are currently going to Carson/Westfield. These are Emeral Chase and some Bradley Farm HOA kids.

No kids from Chantilly/Oakton are moving to SLHS.

NONE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no way that the families with kids moving to South Lakes are going to accept that. At the very least, they are not going to want the IB program. Most are happy at Chantilly and will not want to move, even if SLHS was AP, but the IB is most likely a deal breaker.

From a SLHS perspective, adding 100 more kids who are likely to participate in IB would be great, it would increase the pool of kids and increase the chance that the HL classes are offered because there might be more interest. If this move does happen, I expect more principal placing into Oakton and Langley for AP and language purposes.

People don't want to move from AP to IB.

Chantilly kids would get moved to Westfield and Oakton (both AP), and some Westfield families would move to South Lakes. I don’t think anyone at Chantilly would be moved to South Lakes.

Pupil placing into Langley probably won’t be available much longer as it will be over 100% capacity with the reassignment of 200 McLean kids.

Oak Hill kids who currently attend Chantilly were moved to Fox Mill in one of the first two meetings. That shifted them to SLHS. I don't think that necessarily shows up in the third meeting slides because they would have been accounted for in an earlier presentation.

This is correct. People don't seem to understand how to interpret these maps. The changes from the first two are already incorporated into the third. They just aren't highlighting proposed new ES boundaries if the slide is focused on an MS or HS. But they are on there if you look at the overall boundary map.

Can you look at p. 14 of the 5/5 presentation and tell me how anyone at Chantilly is getting moved to South Lakes? I only see Chantilly kids moving to Westfield and Oakton, and no changes to South Lakes incorporated into that map!

One of the April meetings moved Oak Hill kids to Fox Mill. Those kids are already included in the SLHS count for the 5/5 slides which only take into consideration the new shifts.

You are mistaken. Those Oak Hill kids moving to Fox Mill per April slides are currently going to Carson/Westfield. These are Emeral Chase and some Bradley Farm HOA kids.

No kids from Chantilly/Oakton are moving to SLHS.

NONE.

They are actually going to Carson/South Lakes. I am assuming the Carson part as that is where they went before. The whole Westfield boundary along West Ox Road by Frying Pan park to the parkway is South Lakes (according to the THRU plan) map.
None of this is a done deal yet, but that is the current recommendation.