FCPS not following the new state models

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh my dear. Is it exhausting constantly being upset about everything? Asking for real...

+1. OP, get a life.

[Anonymous]

Do the people who design these surveys know any kids?

This is useless, misleading, and a waste of money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few additional fun facts about the for-profit SEL and Panorama:

1. Panorama is co-founded by Attorney General Merrick Garland’s son-in-law, Xan Tanner.
2. Garland targeted parents and labeled them as domestic terrorists for speaking up at school board meetings and had the FBI investigating them. One of the things parents spoke against was the SEL program at schools.
3. The questions in the screener are extremely INTRUSIVE in that they question students about personal things, such as sexual orientation. Adults shouldn’t be asking these kind of questions to minors because it normalizes strangers crossing children’s boundaries. That is a safety concern and it should be illegal to do so.
4. In spite of opting out from the SEL screener, FCPS still instructs ALL students on SEL practices and spends an excessive amount of resources, such as time and money, to train teachers on this for-profit program. Many parents complained in this blog that they couldn’t understand the SEL reports on their children. Neither could the teachers.
5. Last year, parents complained that in spite of submitting the Opt-out form for SEL, the SIS system still would show the kids as participating.
6. Even if you Opt your child out, Panorama still has access to your child’s student information with FCPS.

To get a better idea about the conflict of interest SEL represents in FCPS, this is a good read:

https://nypost.com/2021/10/13/critical-race-theory-firm-linked-to-ag-garlands-kin-serves-schoolscompany-co-founded-by-ag-garlands-son-in-law-serves-over-20k-schools/

The absolute LIES you are believing is incredible!

For the 100th time, the SEL screener asks ZERO questions about anyone’s sexual orientation. NONE.

I have no idea what this “SEL program” is that teachers are trained on. It literally doesn’t exist. There are various curriculums that school counselors use in their monthly lessons, but that’s been happening since the dawn of time.

I am really concerned about your paranoia and inability to think critically. You’ve taken some article from a NY paper and somehow extrapolated it to apply to FCPS. But then again, you probably don’t even have kids or even live in Fairfax County.

Now that you have shared how you feel about my posting, care to share some factual information about your position? For example, what lies are you referring to, particularly in the news article? Why do you think they are lies?

Furthermore, if you think SEL is beneficial to the schools of FCPS, care to explain why the staff shortage a few days prior to the beginning of the school year? Can you also elaborate particularly in the correlation between SEL already bearing fruit by helping students and staff overcome social and emotional challenges and the state of our schools in FCPS nowadays? Lastly, how has this program (SEL) improved the mental health and social relationships among students and staff so far? Most importantly, how it has increased the academic performance of all students?

For background information, my comments are based on my empirical observations as a resident of FCPS and parent of children in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing in the SEL screener even close to what the PP was saying.

Everything mentioned in that post was accurate.

If you read the entire post, it said SEL screener AND the county survey.

Between both surveys, ALL of those topics are covered and more.

Which grade level(s) do the county survey?

The Fairfax County Youth Survey is given to 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grade students.

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health-humanservices/fairfax-county-youth-survey

Before pandemic, it used to be more or less anonymous, taken on paper in bubble format.

Sometime over pandemic, ffx switched the survey to identifiable, taken by the school computer assigned to the individual student.

The survey questions are very intrusive. It asks about specific sex acts (frequency, types and habits along with age when they participate), how often your parents drink, drug use, loss of virginity, and more.

The surveys were posted online on the page linked abaove, as recently as last October 2022 when I last reviewed them.

It appears that Ffx has removed or moved the links to the actual surveys from their website. I did not check the archive link. The surveys might be found there.

The students are automatically opted in to the surveys each year. Parents must actively opt out every 2 years.

In my opinion, they were not as big of a deal when they were done on paper via a scantron sheet. The real issue for me, in addition to the intrusive, intimate questions is that the survey answers are linked to an individual student, via their fcps issued laptop.

[Anonymous]

DP--I posted that it is wasteful. I have not addressed any sexual questions, but I do think whoever designed it does not know students well. It almost implies that every student should be focused on race in some of the questions. Kind of leading questions.

But, I agree with PP who asked for specific answers about how the survey has been proven to help kids. I was a teacher and I just don't think the survey is well designed. I took a class on developiing surveys post graduate, and it is extremely difficult to do it well. I don't know that i could develop a good survey but I know a poor one when I see it. These are poorly done.

I'd love to know how much FCPS paid for the surveys and how much they are paying to "interpret" them.

Again, FCPS needs to turn to academics. We all want strong mental health for all of our kids, but I do not see how these surveys are helpful--in fact, it might lead a kid to think "what is wrong with me?"

Observant teachers, aides, and counselors are the ones that should be addressing these issues. Not surveys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing in the SEL screener even close to what the PP was saying.

Everything mentioned in that post was accurate.

If you read the entire post, it said SEL screener AND the county survey.

Between both surveys, ALL of those topics are covered and more.

Which grade level(s) do the county survey?

The Fairfax County Youth Survey is given to 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grade students.

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health-humanservices/fairfax-county-youth-survey

Before pandemic, it used to be more or less anonymous, taken on paper in bubble format.

Sometime over pandemic, ffx switched the survey to identifiable, taken by the school computer assigned to the individual student.

The survey questions are very intrusive. It asks about specific sex acts (frequency, types and habits along with age when they participate), how often your parents drink, drug use, loss of virginity, and more.

The surveys were posted online on the page linked abaove, as recently as last October 2022 when I last reviewed them.

It appears that Ffx has removed or moved the links to the actual surveys from their website. I did not check the archive link. The surveys might be found there.

The students are automatically opted in to the surveys each year. Parents must actively opt out every 2 years.

In my opinion, they were not as big of a deal when they were done on paper via a scantron sheet. The real issue for me, in addition to the intrusive, intimate questions is that the survey answers are linked to an individual student, via their fcps issued laptop.

I clicked around the page a bit.

The surveys are now archived. You can still find them by clicking on the archive link.

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/data/youth-survey

The 8th/10th/12th survey is the most intrusive survey. The 6th grade survey less so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP--I posted that it is wasteful. I have not addressed any sexual questions, but I do think whoever designed it does not know students well. It almost implies that every student should be focused on race in some of the questions. Kind of leading questions.

But, I agree with PP who asked for specific answers about how the survey has been proven to help kids. I was a teacher and I just don't think the survey is well designed. I took a class on developiing surveys post graduate, and it is extremely difficult to do it well. I don't know that i could develop a good survey but I know a poor one when I see it. These are poorly done.

I'd love to know how much FCPS paid for the surveys and how much they are paying to "interpret" them.

Again, FCPS needs to turn to academics. We all want strong mental health for all of our kids, but I do not see how these surveys are helpful--in fact, it might lead a kid to think "what is wrong with me?"

Observant teachers, aides, and counselors are the ones that should be addressing these issues. Not surveys.

Very well stated!

Thanks, teacher.

[Anonymous]

Another interesting observation is that while the survey is accessible online in English, I was unable to find the survey online in any other language.

In particular, it was not available in the language of some of the immigrant communities that would likely have strong religious objections to the content of the surveys, such as recent muslim immigrants (Islam) and Spanish speaking immigrants (Catholic and evangelical Christian).

Shouldn't FFX have prominent, easily accessible copies of the surveys available in the minority immigrant languages?

[Anonymous]

I'd love to know how much FCPS paid for the surveys and how much they are paying to "interpret" them.

https://defendinged.org/incidents/test/

On Sept. 9, 2021, Fairfax County Public Schools signed “Amendment 2,” a new agreement to pay $2,445,300 to Panorama Education to collect confidential data on “all” 180,000+ K-12 Fairfax County Public School children, a $599,640 increase over the already outrageous $1,845,660 contract inked on June 8, 2021. According to the five-year “acceptance agreement,” contract No. 44000010525, dated June 8, 2021, the pricing schedule includes five annual payments with three optional one-year extensions

[Anonymous]

Regardless of one's politics, I cannot fathom how anyone could believe that these surveys obtain useful data.

For example, the very first question for 3rd-5th Grade SEL Screener survey is "How often were you polite to adults?"

Some portion of kids are just not going to answer a survey honestly. And even if they did try to answer the question honestly, kids will have different views on politeness, and some portion of kids will have inaccurate assessments regarding their politeness. So the end result of the survey is going to contain an unknown amount of dishonest and inaccurate data, as well as difference of opinions, which will make the data basically meaningless.

But even if every single child honestly and accurately responded to the question, what on earth is FCPS or a teacher going to do with that data? I doubt that FCPS is about to introduce etiquette classes.

If the FCPS leadership could find a way to funnel the money for these questionable third-party contracts to actual classroom instruction, I would be all for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of one's politics, I cannot fathom how anyone could believe that these surveys obtain useful data.

For example, the very first question for 3rd-5th Grade SEL Screener survey is "How often were you polite to adults?"

Some portion of kids are just not going to answer a survey honestly. And even if they did try to answer the question honestly, kids will have different views on politeness, and some portion of kids will have inaccurate assessments regarding their politeness. So the end result of the survey is going to contain an unknown amount of dishonest and inaccurate data, as well as difference of opinions, which will make the data basically meaningless.

But even if every single child honestly and accurately responded to the question, what on earth is FCPS or a teacher going to do with that data? I doubt that FCPS is about to introduce etiquette classes.

If the FCPS leadership could find a way to funnel the money for these questionable third-party contracts to actual classroom instruction, I would be all for it.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if that roughly 3 million was funneled into teacher professional development, reading enrichment or bonuses?

[Anonymous]

OP- I don’t care that they aren’t following the state models.

I am posting this so you know that I, a fellow FCPS parent, don’t care.

I disagree with trying to call FCPS out on this and expect outrage.

If you don’t like the screener, opt out. If you can get on DCUM, you can opt them out. Do it and leave the fake outrage behind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP- I don’t care that they aren’t following the state models.

I am posting this so you know that I, a fellow FCPS parent, don’t care.

I disagree with trying to call FCPS out on this and expect outrage.

If you don’t like the screener, opt out. If you can get on DCUM, you can opt them out. Do it and leave the fake outrage behind.

Just curious, why don't you support opt in?

That way, parents like you can elect to include your kids in all the surveys with informed consent.

And the parents who do not want to have their kids participate in the surveys are good too.

Everyone wins.

Erring on the side of data privacy of minors should not be even a little bit controversial and certainly is a non partisan issue when it comes to parents.

Those on this thread who try to make protecting student privacy into some republican conspiracy simply come off is outrageously partisan, out of touch with schools, and a bit unhinged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP- I don’t care that they aren’t following the state models.

I am posting this so you know that I, a fellow FCPS parent, don’t care.

I disagree with trying to call FCPS out on this and expect outrage.

If you don’t like the screener, opt out. If you can get on DCUM, you can opt them out. Do it and leave the fake outrage behind.

You don't care that your kid's responses are linked to him and that this info is being used by a company with the sole purpose of making money funded by VC. Or that your kid's time is being wasted answering stupid questions? Even though I opted my kids out of the SEL, they still told me about surveys they had to take all year long during study hall. My kids have told me the surveys are viewed as a joke, at least at the middle and high school level. Where is the contract for all those surveys? How much do those cost? Also, our school is spending tons of money on training teachers in SBG and more to other consultants to align tests and grading. Lowering class size and increasing teacher pay are 2 things that would actually have an impact on learning. Every initiative, the strategic plan, equity/equal outcomes for all, ect...all result in a contract for outside consultants. Here is one for 455k for the strategic plan: https://defendinged.org/incidents/fairfax-county-public-school-superintendent-awards-sole-source-contract-for-465000-with-company-she-worked-with-previously-to-achieve-equal-outcomes-without-exception/

I doubt only 455k was spent on the strategic plan. Is there a point, an amount of money spent on all of this nonsense, that would bother you?

[Anonymous]

And Panorama has raised around 97 million, mostly from VC, https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/panorama-education/company_financials

It's a great opportunity to make money. Panorama has contracts all over the country. How does FCPS actually use the info they get from Panorama?