Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey op, I don't disagree with your larger point that this is a shame.

But, it really would have been more fair and more honest of you to post the FARMs rates right alongside the % columns.

In other words, do ACPS and Arlington have identical SES in their student populations? No, right? And that drives everything.

Absolutely correct.

$102K=median household income for Alexandria City PS families
$128K=median household income for Arlington County PS families

$122K=median household income for Fairfax County PS for families

Nationwide the median household income is $51,914. What's your point?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good question, pp. Not sure. It's inline with state average, of course. And 13 points higher than ACPS.

The Arlington Grade 7 math SOLs passage rate dropped from 78 to 58, which was the biggest drop. Maybe there's something in the curriculum there they actually have to adjust.

Statewide, the drop at Grade 7 was similar -- 77 to 58.

ACPS's 7th grade drop was 66 to 45.

New math SOL standards and testing caused math SOL scores to drop significantly in many places.

OP here: I acknowledged that in my post. However, Arlington outperformed the state and Alexandria's drop was WAY worse than the statewide drops. A 40-point drop in Eighth Grade alone, compared to 22 points statewide.

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI, OP, your post is a bit confusing as ACPS also stands for Arlington County Public Schools.

No, it does not. APS is Arlington Public Schools. ACPS is Alexandria City Public Schools. These are formally used acronyms, on the letterheads of those systems and everything.

Anonymous wrote:Hey op, I don't disagree with your larger point that this is a shame.

But, it really would have been more fair and more honest of you to post the FARMs rates right alongside the % column[b]s.

In other words, do ACPS and Arlington have identical SES in their student populations? No, right? And that drives everything.

There you go again with your excuses and rationalization. What, diversity's only beneficial when it's strictly cosmetic?

And, yes, South Arlington looks a lot like ACPS. This isn't a comparison of North Arlington to ACPS. These are results for the entire county.

Knock it off. Or, is your argument that brown kids are dumber?

Just FYI, OP, your post is a bit confusing as ACPS also stands for Arlington County Public Schools.

Anonymous wrote:Hey op, I don't disagree with your larger point that this is a shame.

But, it really would have been more fair and more honest of you to post the FARMs rates right alongside the % columns.

In other words, do ACPS and Arlington have identical SES in their student populations? No, right? And that drives everything.

Absolutely correct.

$102K=median household income for Alexandria City PS families
$128K=median household income for Arlington County PS families

$122K=median household income for Fairfax County PS for families

Anonymous wrote:Good question, pp. Not sure. It's inline with state average, of course. And 13 points higher than ACPS.

The Arlington Grade 7 math SOLs passage rate dropped from 78 to 58, which was the biggest drop. Maybe there's something in the curriculum there they actually have to adjust.

Statewide, the drop at Grade 7 was similar -- 77 to 58.

ACPS's 7th grade drop was 66 to 45.

New math SOL standards and testing caused math SOL scores to drop significantly in many places.

Hey op, I don't disagree with your larger point that this is a shame.

But, it really would have been more fair and more honest of you to post the FARMs rates right alongside the % columns.

In other words, do ACPS and Arlington have identical SES in their student populations? No, right? And that drives everything.

I am going to attribute the crappy scores to the use of the crappy Everyday Math curriculum

WOW. I am floored. Thanks for posting.

Anonymous wrote:This is why alexandria is just about the only part of NOVA that's not in my MRIS home listing search. Such a shame - I love the area otherwise. : /

Ditto. It's really such a tragedy. If they could fix the schools, that city's property values would explode.

Good question, pp. Not sure. It's inline with state average, of course. And 13 points higher than ACPS.

The Arlington Grade 7 math SOLs passage rate dropped from 78 to 58, which was the biggest drop. Maybe there's something in the curriculum there they actually have to adjust.

Statewide, the drop at Grade 7 was similar -- 77 to 58.

ACPS's 7th grade drop was 66 to 45.

This is why alexandria is just about the only part of NOVA that's not in my MRIS home listing search. Such a shame - I love the area otherwise. : /

Why is the Grade 7 pass rate in Arlington so mediocre?

Since we keep reading about how much progress ACPS is supposedly making, the newest SOL numbers will probably be of interest.

The news releases between Arlington and ACPS tell the tale.

Headline on Arlington: "Arlington Outperforms State on New More Rigorous Mathematics Tests" http://www.apsva.us//site/Default.aspx?PageID=18498

Headline on Alexandria; "ACPS 2011-2012 Academic Results Show Improvement; Reading Scores Up and Number of AP Test Takers Increase to Highest Ever" -- http://www.acps.k12.va.us/news2013/nr2012081401.php

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You really have to dig into the numbers, however, to figure out what's really going on. You can find the numbers for yourself in the Excel spreadsheet at the bottom of the state release here: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/news/news_releases/2012/aug14.shtml

Now, much was made about the new Math test for the SOLs. School officials across the state actively sought to lower expectations for performance. Fair enough.

But the difference between Alexandria and Arlington, and for that matter, the rest of the state, is really shocking. Let's look at the results:

Alexandria pass rate:

Grade 3: 57%
Grade 4: 52%
Grade 5: 55%
Grade 6: 61%
Grade 7: 45%
Grade 8: 22%

Arlington pass rate:

Grade 3: 77%
Grade 4: 81%
Grade 5: 84%
Grade 6: 81%
Grade 7: 58%
Grade 8: 68%

STATEWIDE:

Grade 3: 64%
Grade 4: 70%
Grade 5: 67%
Grade 6: 74%
Grade 7: 58%
Grade 8: 60%

---------------------------------

I mean, this is just jaw-dropping, and it underscores why parents leave ACPS.

What's even more troubling is Mort Sherman's attempt to bury this news. The ACPS release focuses on progress in reading when everyone in the state previously had been awaiting the results of the math tests. ACPS waits until the fifth paragraph of its news release to acknowledge the elephant in the room, and even then seeks to whitewash the situation: "Statewide, as expected, the new state mathematics assessments produced an expected downward turn in math scores. They do, however, provide a foundation and new baseline data for future achievement. Sixth grade math scores rose by seven points, while the other eight grade levels tested, consistent with state level trends, resulted in decreased scores."

Attention Mort Sherman: Just 22% of your eighth graders passed the math SOL. Statewide, that number was 60%. Seven miles away in Arlington, it was 68%.

So, the next time someone on this board starts going off about how ACPS is just so misunderstood, I'm just going to recite these numbers. 78% of 8th graders failed the math SOL. And, no, that's not anything like the rest of the state; the year before, 62% of 8th graders passed. So, that's a 62% to 22% drop year over year. Statewide, the drop was 82% passing to 60% How DARE Sherman suggest ACPS trended like the rest of the state?

It would be one thing if Sherman was out there going "holy shit! this is completely unacceptable!" But, no, we'll continue to hear excuses, rationalization, and vague promises to do better next time.

That is all.