FCPS demographics question

[Anonymous]

FCPS kids score higher on tests than the national percentage; that's a fact.

Does this hold true all the way down the scores? Meaning is our bottom 10% higher than the score of the national bottom 10%? And if so, does that affect how Special Ed services are evaluated?

[Anonymous]

No... I don't think so. We just have a higher percentage of parents who have advanced degrees (or even just a college degree) compared to the nation as a whole. There are still kids in FCPS who don't come from college educated families, who don't prep for the SAT and don't score as high as the national average. Race/SES have a huge impact on outcomes.... we have a lot more highly educated and highly motivated families in FCPS compared to the nation as a whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No... I don't think so. We just have a higher percentage of parents who have advanced degrees (or even just a college degree) compared to the nation as a whole. There are still kids in FCPS who don't come from college educated families, who don't prep for the SAT and don't score as high as the national average. Race/SES have a huge impact on outcomes.... we have a lot more highly educated and highly motivated families in FCPS compared to the nation as a whole.

+1000

Remember this during the budget discussions. Fairfax Schools are nothing special without the highly educated high income kids being sent in from day one. Schools that don't have this do just as badly as the worst schools in DC for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS kids score higher on tests than the national percentage; that's a fact.

Does this hold true all the way down the scores? Meaning is our bottom 10% higher than the score of the national bottom 10%? And if so, does that affect how Special Ed services are evaluated?

Newsflash- Students in special ed represented at all levels of intelligence.

[Anonymous]

We have some truly spectacular teachers snd programs in fcps so give credit to them as well.

DC has a ton of highly educated, very affluent families who do everything possible to avoid the public schools due their failing programs and poor teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have some truly spectacular teachers snd programs in fcps so give credit to them as well.

DC has a ton of highly educated, very affluent families who do everything possible to avoid the public schools due their failing programs and poor teachers.

I agree with PP that the success of Fairfax County schools is due mainly to having a large number of kids from highly educated high income families. While there are some fantastic teachers in FCPS, there are equally as many mediocre or subparagraph ones.

[Anonymous]

* subpar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have some truly spectacular teachers snd programs in fcps so give credit to them as well.

DC has a ton of highly educated, very affluent families who do everything possible to avoid the public schools due their failing programs and poor teachers.

I agree with PP that the success of Fairfax County schools is due mainly to having a large number of kids from highly educated high income families. While there are some fantastic teachers in FCPS, there are equally as many mediocre or subparagraph ones.

I'm sure the teachers would say the same thing about the students. There are also many mediocre, inexperienced private school teachers as well, although parents paying a boat load of money to attend largely segregated privates are loathe to admit it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have some truly spectacular teachers snd programs in fcps so give credit to them as well.

DC has a ton of highly educated, very affluent families who do everything possible to avoid the public schools due their failing programs and poor teachers.

I agree with PP that the success of Fairfax County schools is due mainly to having a large number of kids from highly educated high income families. While there are some fantastic teachers in FCPS, there are equally as many mediocre or subparagraph ones.

I'm sure the teachers would say the same thing about the students. There are also many mediocre, inexperienced private school teachers as well, although parents paying a boat load of money to attend largely segregated privates are loathe to admit it.

I don't dispute what you just said, but that doesn't change the fact that FCPS success has more to do with demographics than teacher quality. Look at the lower SES schools in FCPS, they are by no means high performing. I can't imagine that the teacher's in those schools are any worse than the teachers in the rest of Fairfax County.

[Anonymous]

*teachers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have some truly spectacular teachers snd programs in fcps so give credit to them as well.

DC has a ton of highly educated, very affluent families who do everything possible to avoid the public schools due their failing programs and poor teachers.

I agree with PP that the success of Fairfax County schools is due mainly to having a large number of kids from highly educated high income families. While there are some fantastic teachers in FCPS, there are equally as many mediocre or subparagraph ones.

I'm sure the teachers would say the same thing about the students. There are also many mediocre, inexperienced private school teachers as well, although parents paying a boat load of money to attend largely segregated privates are loathe to admit it.

I don't dispute what you just said, but that doesn't change the fact that FCPS success has more to do with demographics than teacher quality. Look at the lower SES schools in FCPS, they are by no means high performing. I can't imagine that the teacher's in those schools are any worse than the teachers in the rest of Fairfax County.

In fact, the lower SES schools in FCPS typically still have test scores at or above national and in some cases state averages. And FCPS continues to have by far the largest cohort of high-achieving kids in the region.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have some truly spectacular teachers snd programs in fcps so give credit to them as well.

DC has a ton of highly educated, very affluent families who do everything possible to avoid the public schools due their failing programs and poor teachers.

I agree with PP that the success of Fairfax County schools is due mainly to having a large number of kids from highly educated high income families. While there are some fantastic teachers in FCPS, there are equally as many mediocre or subparagraph ones.

I'm sure the teachers would say the same thing about the students. There are also many mediocre, inexperienced private school teachers as well, although parents paying a boat load of money to attend largely segregated privates are loathe to admit it.

I don't dispute what you just said, but that doesn't change the fact that FCPS success has more to do with demographics than teacher quality. Look at the lower SES schools in FCPS, they are by no means high performing. I can't imagine that the teacher's in those schools are any worse than the teachers in the rest of Fairfax County.

In fact, the lower SES schools in FCPS typically still have test scores at or above national and in some cases state averages. And FCPS continues to have by far the largest cohort of high-achieving kids in the region.

There is a huge disparity between high SES and low SES schools in FCPS as far as academic performance. The explanation is the kids/parents, not the teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have some truly spectacular teachers snd programs in fcps so give credit to them as well.

DC has a ton of highly educated, very affluent families who do everything possible to avoid the public schools due their failing programs and poor teachers.

I agree with PP that the success of Fairfax County schools is due mainly to having a large number of kids from highly educated high income families. While there are some fantastic teachers in FCPS, there are equally as many mediocre or subparagraph ones.

I'm sure the teachers would say the same thing about the students. There are also many mediocre, inexperienced private school teachers as well, although parents paying a boat load of money to attend largely segregated privates are loathe to admit it.

I don't dispute what you just said, but that doesn't change the fact that FCPS success has more to do with demographics than teacher quality. Look at the lower SES schools in FCPS, they are by no means high performing. I can't imagine that the teacher's in those schools are any worse than the teachers in the rest of Fairfax County.

In fact, the lower SES schools in FCPS typically still have test scores at or above national and in some cases state averages. And FCPS continues to have by far the largest cohort of high-achieving kids in the region.

There is a huge disparity between high SES and low SES schools in FCPS as far as academic performance. The explanation is the kids/parents, not the teachers.

There are 25 high schools in FCPS. 19 have SAT scores above the state average and 23 are above the national average. Alexandria, Arlington and Loudoun are smaller systems, yet each also has a school whose scores do not exceed the national average.

[Anonymous]

The data shows that poor kids who live in Fairfax do better economically as adults than poor kids who live elsewhere:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/03/upshot/the-best-and-worst-places-to-grow-up-how-your-area-compares.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The data shows that poor kids who live in Fairfax do better economically as adults than poor kids who live elsewhere:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/03/upshot/the-best-and-worst-places-to-grow-up-how-your-area-compares.html

When compared to places in the DC area, Fairfax County ranks 4th behind Fairfax City, Manassas Park City and Arlington with respect to poor boys and girls.