Reply to Seeking info source on good NOVA schools

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Great Schools is a proxy for test scores, but it also breaks them down by race/SES/disability, etc.  So, you can see that if a school is a 7, maybe one group is passing the SOLs at a "10" but another is passing at a "3" .

GreatSchools is based exclusively on SOL pass rates compared to other schools in the same state.  So, a GS rating of 7 in DC may not be comparable to a GS rating of 7 in VA or MD.

You can get other data by looking at the school profiles on FCPS.edu.

GreatSchools provides the big picture, but understand that there are reasons a score might not tell the whole story.  For instance, a school that has an AAP center (gifted/talented) tends to have higher scores b/c of the center.  But, if you kid isn't in the AAP center, then that composite score may be shielding the "true" score for the part of the school that your kid attends.  Likewise, a school may be sort of a magnet for autism or other disabilities and that will tend to bring the overall passrates down -- but it has nothing to do with how your kid is educated if your kid doesn't have autism.  (you can see the number of kids with disabilities on the profiles on fcps.edu and then compare with other schools.)

Likewise, you will usually find that the 5th grade math score is strangely low.  That is b/c the kids in adv. math do not take the 5th grade math SOL (at all).  So the only kids taking that test are the ones not in adv. math.

There are little variations that can't be assumed just looking at GS.  But, if you are looking for high SES, Great Schools ratings are pretty well correlated.  I just hope you have plenty of $$ for that house b/c schools in the higher SES zones cost a lot![/quote]

OP here. Thanks, this info for how to find and interpret the data is very useful. Based on this and other responses, it looks like the data would be found by county. I'll start researching to find some schools to visit.
[/quote]l\

Just so you know, Fairfax County Public School do not have school choice like in DC.  In general, there are no transfers.  There are no charters either.  There are a few magnate programs, like immersion- but there is a lottery.  You go to the school in the district in which you live.  You also need to look at the map as sometimes the closest school is not the one for which you are zoned.  Sometimes the school listed on the ad for a house is incorrect- verify. [/quote]

You don't come across as operating from a place of deep knowledge.

There are magnet/transfer options within FCPS for language programs, AAP, Academy courses, AP/IB, and of course TJHSST, if admitted.  It is true that FCPS doesn't want charters, and isn't keen to set up a "school choice" system such as in DC or parts of MoCo, but that's because the neighborhood schools generally are strong and FCPS hasn't felt the need to try and bribe parents into staying through "choice," school consortia, and the like. [/quote]

It is different from DC. The PP mentioned magnet programs.  However, the majority of students have the only choice of their in district school.  [/quote]

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