Reply to Fairfax County Schools -- Is there a deterioration?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]PP, no one will touch this.  This is a federal issue and we are living the consequences locally.[/quote]

How so? According to one poster FCPS is the only school district in the area that educates ESOL children to this age limit. How much does the  federal government contribute to educate them an extra four years?[/quote]

I wonder whether this is really true.  Arlington is supposed to be the "progressive," bleeding-heart jurisdiction in NoVa.  Would Fairfax really extend benefits to ESOL students that aren't available in Arlington?  
[/quote]

I don't think so. Arlington has several special programs for non traditional older students. I think, though I am not sure, that these programs are separate from regular high schools. These 2 have no upper age limits:

http://www.apsva.us/domain/2746

http://www.apsva.us/domain/3736

[/quote]

I am the FCPS teacher.  As far as I know FCPS is the only school that allows ESOL students to stay in REGULAR public high schools until they are 22.  FCPS also has programs (Pimmit, Mountain View, etc) where students can stay longer, too, but those are voluntary - no student is placed there after going through central registration.  IMO, the issue is that they are in the regular schools - it doesn't serve the students well and it doesn't serve the teachers well.  They need a specific program where they can focus on getting caught up to speed - not just being thrown into a regular high school where they are expected to progress quickly, take SOLs, and graduate.  [/quote]

I agree with this, but where do we draw the line?  There are quite a few HS students who are 18 and nearly 19 in the HS simply because they were red shirted as kindergarteners or were held back at some point.   Do you set a hard and fast rule based on age or is it more nuanced?  [/quote]

For ESOL, I think it should be based on level.  If they come through central registration with a 3rd grade education and are placed at ESOL level 1 or 2, there is really no possible way they can earn enough credits to graduate - even by age 22.  They have way too much ground to make up - and the reality is they often get really frustrated when they see all that they have to do and often end up dropping out.  If they come in as a level 3 or 4 and are well educated in their home country, it's possible if they work really, really hard, that they could graduate by 22.    [/quote]

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