Reply to If I'm not supposed to judge based on FARMS and test scores, what CAN I judge on?

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Reply to "If I'm not supposed to judge based on FARMS and test scores, what CAN I judge on?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It depends on the school (re: academic focus, peer groups). JEB Stuart has one of the highest FARMS rates of any high school in the DC suburbs, yet the school boundaries include very wealthy neighborhoods around Lake Barcroft. The kids that grow up in Lake Barcroft form an academically focused peer group. In elem., middle, and high school those kids challenge themselves within their peer group and eventually attend the best private and public universities. The downside is you have a "school within a school" of a small group of highly motivated students. But for Lake Barcroft, Stuart still presents itself as a strong neighborhood high school, and students often form friendships across socioeconomic lines.   [/quote]

This is great to hear. If some of these schools with higher FARMs are able to accommodate above grade level learners, then why does FCPS feel the need to change the AAP progeram so drastically?  It seems like the schools are doing a good job of addressing the needs of the advanced learners. Do many students end up at TJ?  It seems like the schools with higher SES have so many more students admitted?  I guess if you controlled for SES, maybe the admittance rates would be similar.

It's great to hear that the students have a peer group they can identify with. I know someone with children at Edison, and this was the same situation there. The parents push their kids to take a strong AP course load, both for the work and the peer group in the classes. She described it as a school within a school.  [/quote]

TJ acceptance is not based on ability, but on achievement, and that achievement is often based on SES because of the programs and tutors that many families use to get their kids "TJ ready."[/quote]

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