Best elementary schools in Fairfax county?

[Anonymous]

I don't see why they should be given extra money then if that is the way they operate. I thought they got extra money to help all the students at these schools. Why do they get extra money just to help certain students through some sort of K-2 AAP program? Are you saying at a title 1 school they break them apart in the early years so the lower level students are never around the high achieving students? How is that helpful to them? I can see smaller classes, but I don't understand why these title 1 schools should have differentiated classrooms. It seems to go against what the program is all about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see why they should be given extra money then if that is the way they operate. I thought they got extra money to help all the students at these schools. Why do they get extra money just to help certain students through some sort of K-2 AAP program? Are you saying at a title 1 school they break them apart in the early years so the lower level students are never around the high achieving students? How is that helpful to them? I can see smaller classes, but I don't understand why these title 1 schools should have differentiated classrooms. It seems to go against what the program is all about.

Title I funds specialists such as Reading, Math, ESOL, Writing (etc.) specialists, not Young Scholars. Young Scholars is a program in FCPS and not a federal program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Title I schools are mandated to have smaller class sizes. HOWEVER, those smaller class sizes are largely compromised of students with additional learning needs, sometimes intense learning challenges.

Many of the Title I schools in FCPS also have Young Scholars classes, and these smaller, dedicated classes for students that are bright do a great job of meeting these students needs.

You mean all the bright kids are put into one classroom together, called a Young Scholars class, and the rest of the children are in other classes?

It depends on the school as implementation of Young Scholars is decided by the school principal. In most (but probably not all) schools, the Young Scholars students are in a dedicated class or classes.

I'm a principal of a Title 1 school in FCPS. This does not happen. Students who are identified for Young Scholars are spread out across the grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Title I schools are mandated to have smaller class sizes. HOWEVER, those smaller class sizes are largely compromised of students with additional learning needs, sometimes intense learning challenges.

Many of the Title I schools in FCPS also have Young Scholars classes, and these smaller, dedicated classes for students that are bright do a great job of meeting these students needs.

You mean all the bright kids are put into one classroom together, called a Young Scholars class, and the rest of the children are in other classes?

It depends on the school as implementation of Young Scholars is decided by the school principal. In most (but probably not all) schools, the Young Scholars students are in a dedicated class or classes.

I'm a principal of a Title 1 school in FCPS. This does not happen. Students who are identified for Young Scholars are spread out across the grade level.

Excellent! It happens at three schools I know of.

[Anonymous]

7:29 What do you mean by your post?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:7:29 What do you mean by your post?

I know of three schools that have dedicated Young Scholars classes.

[Anonymous]

And FCPS just allows this? Lovely. So glad they have a handle on how their programs are being implemented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And FCPS just allows this? Lovely. So glad they have a handle on how their programs are being implemented.

Site-based management

[Anonymous]

Do they get extra funding for this program? If so, don't they have rules on how the money can be used? How are these isolated classrooms helping the overall population at these schools and how do new children get indentified anyway with this model? Is the Young Scholars just for kids coming in who happen to be bright or is it for for these children who are bright to learn more and then go back into their classrooms and inspire other children at the school? There was just a recent post on a Young Scholar AAP teacher's blog. Seems like it's a pull out at Dogwood from her writing. http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/245805.page

[Anonymous]

My middle ds was in Young Scholars at Dogwood this year. I cannot speak to the higher grades, but there were a few children pulled from each of the K classes. So, in my limited experience, the children were definitely spread out. This K pullout was once a week. I believe, in addition the whole class also sees the AART regularly. This gives her the opportunity to work with the classroom teacher on extension lessons, and also to begin to identify more students who may be in need of further differentiation.

[Anonymous]

My family is also thinking about moving to Fairfax County and I'm researching schools at the moment. We're considering Oakton and Vienna. How do the two compare? Are the schools in Oakton as good as those in Vienna? And one of the houses I'm thinking seriously about has a highly rated ES and HS (Oakton Elementary and Oakton High), but a less highly rated Middle School (Jackson). Any thoughts about Jackson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My family is also thinking about moving to Fairfax County and I'm researching schools at the moment. We're considering Oakton and Vienna. How do the two compare? Are the schools in Oakton as good as those in Vienna? And one of the houses I'm thinking seriously about has a highly rated ES and HS (Oakton Elementary and Oakton High), but a less highly rated Middle School (Jackson). Any thoughts about Jackson?

They are both in the same school district, have the same curriculum, same pacing, etc. Are you asking more about the population that feeds into the schools rather than the schools themselves?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My family is also thinking about moving to Fairfax County and I'm researching schools at the moment. We're considering Oakton and Vienna. How do the two compare? Are the schools in Oakton as good as those in Vienna? And one of the houses I'm thinking seriously about has a highly rated ES and HS (Oakton Elementary and Oakton High), but a less highly rated Middle School (Jackson). Any thoughts about Jackson?

Most kids at Jackson go to Falls Church, not Oakton, so your kids would not have as many junior high friends at their high school as in Vienna.

[Anonymous]

I hear Oakton has more variety in classes and draws from more middle schools than Madison. So Oakton might be a little more welcoming to new students at the high school level perhaps. I think both schools are great and very similar. The elementary schools around the high schools are all nice too. They play each other in football at the beginning of the year (lately Oakton always wins) and it's a very fun local event.

[Anonymous]

Most of the Louise Archer grads I meet are going to Luther Jackson for the AAP program. Thoreau is planned for expansion though so some of them may be redistricted at some point.