Reply to Academic Rigor of APS Middle Schools

Forum Index » VA Public Schools other than FCPS

Reply to "Academic Rigor of APS Middle Schools"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote]
        Anonymous wrote:
        I would like to hear from other APS parents and get their thoughts on the academic rigor of APS middle schools.

I hope this isn't taken the wrong way but hear me out. DC is in 8th grade, is taking Algebra, and is mostly a straight A student (had a B one quarter in 6th and 7th grade), which, to be honest, is confounding to me. DC is not particularly a motivated student, and is the kind of kid who will put in what he needs to to get the desired outcome, no more, no less. Whenever I ask if there's any homework or a test to study for, DC responds that it was done at school, if they get any homework at all. I remember when I was that age, I had to bust my ass to get straight As. I wouldn't even know my child was actually even in school if it wasn't for ParentVue, which is the only reason I know DC is actually doing all of the assignments. But it's difficult for me to gauge how much DS is actually learning and absorbing. Maybe DC just a natural learner and grasps concepts more easily than I did, in which case, great! Or maybe APS expects the bare minimum which makes it easy for a student to just coast. I don't know. And it's not from lack of trying to understand or asking questions. Whenever I ask about school, I usually just get one or two-word responses. Everything is good or fine.

This is a longwinded way of saying I'm worried that the middle school isn't doing its job to properly prepare its students for the rigors of high school. Anyone else worried about this? How did your "coaster" do transitioning from MS to HS?

Don't worry, APS is watering down the HS classes, too.

Agree. Our experience was:

5th grade teachers pressuring students via "when you're in middle school, you're gonna hafta ______ and you won't be able to ______."
6th grade: prophecy unfulfilled.
MS: "when you're in high school......"
HS: generally little homework for most classes, no homework for some, AP class homework heaviest but not nearly what we kept being told it would be. Plus, little or no consequences for turning work in late and multiple opportunities for "grade recovery" or "grade improvement."

Wish we had (and had been able to) go private. [/quote]

You are assuming that ES, MS, and HS teachers talk regularly and know what the other teaches. This is not the case. The teachers of the younger students are probably just doing their best to meet an assumed standard, and think this talk will motivate the unmotivated.
[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics