I’m pretty sure the “path out of Lewis” is essentially, buy home zoned for Saratoga > private/Montessori K at the nearby Montessori school then tough it out at Saratoga for grades 1-2 > extreme test prep to get into AAP > AAP center at Lorton Station for 3-6 (out of pyramid entirely, gets mostly South County students) > MS AAP at Lake Braddock (also out of pyramid) > stay there for 9-12 for the AP classes. |
Yes. There is a way to do this. I teach, and students at my school who are in more advanced math have taken math over the computer, monitored by a monitor or IA. If you are really interested in an unpopular language, there could be a zoom model. Just an idea. |
Families in Crestwood/garfield do pretty much the same thing to get out of Lewis. Springfield estates AAP to LB. Why this is allowed but they want to disrupt kids and move small portions of neighborhoods out of their current HS is beyond me. |
I took a couple of years of Latin via a satellite broadcast recorded onto VHS tapes way back in the 90's. Took AP Statistics the same way. I'm sure they have tech today to sufficiently teach languages without pupil placing people out. |
Fix the real problems, get rid of IB and AAP centers. Group kids by ability in elementary and middle school. Offer AP courses across all high schools, and standard language options. Then all you have to tackle are split feeders and some minimal movement. Allow flexible grandfathering and almost everyone will be happy. Sorry aviation academy supporter. |
Springfield Estates to LB is a wild option. Why is that the only middle school “center” for them to choose? Every middle school should have local AAP and there should not be these loopholes to transfer pyramids. |
Saratoga is the only Lewis school that goes through Lake Braddock, the others go onto Twain, which is why there are so many Lewis transfers to Edison (which is also an IB school.) |
I mean kids would still transfer for the AP option. There are many loopholes. Why close them if they offer more choice for parents and children? I like the options we have within the county for lots of reasons: 1 there is something for everyone (language, awesome academy programs, montessori, aap, arts, sped etc) 2 we get options without having charters I think the answer is MORE choice within the school system, not less. |
Completely agree. AAP at every middle school is a no brainer. |
The answer to your underlined question is simple. If we are rezoning using enrollment numbers that are grossly skewed due to the transfer loopholes, like Lewis, for example, then the transfer loopholes should be closed before any rezoning takes place. No family that purchased in bounds for a school should be rezoned based on kids who live in a different high school zone transferring in or out of their assigned schools. |
A school closes for transfer when it reaches capacity. McLean and WSHS are not over capacity due to transfers. Chantilly isn’t either, but it hosting academies instead of utilizing the much needed space is questionable. Seeing as Herndon and Lewis’s boundaries are pretty much untouched in every scenario (aside from picking up already in bound elementary schools) and they’re not doing much for Mount Vernon aside from squeezing Whitman into the boundaries, this argument has little to do with the current proposal. I do think they need to fix the AAP pipeline because AAP centers for middle school is a ridiculous waste of transportation dollars. |
The average student does not have much choice at all. |
And schools deemed overcrowded (by academies and transfers) are pushing neighborhoods who are very close out of their boundaries and sending kids farther away to accommodate those special programs. |
Honestly, yes they do. My average student had the choice to go to an immersion program, so we sent her. It is nice because the population for the program is relatively steady AND the program continues through middle and high school. I think MORE programs like this should be established rather than less. |
Language immersion ends after eighth grade. You can try to pupil place for high school but they’ll send you to the closest school that offers the language and is open to transfers. |