Anonymous wrote:I have the other post on this topic. My daughter started German immersion at first grade. We went to Orange Hunt for elementary, and Irving right now for middle, and we were supposed to go to West Springfield to continue on in German. Our base school does not have German. I’ve been emailing back-and-forth to the transfer office in the basic messages so out of luck.
German is my daughter’s favorite class, all her friends have been together in it since first grade, and now she has to change in high school

If they had let me know, maybe we would’ve changed her mind about middle school and she is an anxious and shy child as well her friends are important to her

Why not Robinson?

Zero German immersion transfers into WSHS should have been allowed in the past.

WSHS has been closed to transfers for years.

Even with the old language transfer policy, WSHS should never have been allowed as an option, not even for language immersion kids from Orange Hunt. Irving has also been closed to transfer, so the non WSHS Orange Hunt immersion students should have been transferring to Robinson in 7th grade, not WSHS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have the other post on this topic. My daughter started German immersion at first grade. We went to Orange Hunt for elementary, and Irving right now for middle, and we were supposed to go to West Springfield to continue on in German. Our base school does not have German. I’ve been emailing back-and-forth to the transfer office in the basic messages so out of luck.
German is my daughter’s favorite class, all her friends have been together in it since first grade, and now she has to change in high school

If they had let me know, maybe we would’ve changed her mind about middle school and she is an anxious and shy child as well her friends are important to her

What is your base high school that you’re zoned for Irving but not WSHS? Or did you get a transfer somehow to Irving for language? (I didn’t realize you could do that in middle school, I thought it was only HS).

Highly recommend Robinson if German is the priority! The German program is fantastic, the kids adore the teachers and they do really fun stuff.

Language immersion programs start in K or 1st grade. Kids can attend the LI program at a school that is not their base school. Those kids are allowed to attend the MS that offers the language immersion class. Up until this year, those kids were allowed to move the HS with the LI kids as well. I just texted with a friend who was out of boundary for the LI program we were in, they were not able to pupil place for language at the school that the base kids attend. They were able to pupil place for IB though. There was no language option.

Anonymous wrote:I have the other post on this topic. My daughter started German immersion at first grade. We went to Orange Hunt for elementary, and Irving right now for middle, and we were supposed to go to West Springfield to continue on in German. Our base school does not have German. I’ve been emailing back-and-forth to the transfer office in the basic messages so out of luck.
German is my daughter’s favorite class, all her friends have been together in it since first grade, and now she has to change in high school

If they had let me know, maybe we would’ve changed her mind about middle school and she is an anxious and shy child as well her friends are important to her

What is your base high school that you’re zoned for Irving but not WSHS? Or did you get a transfer somehow to Irving for language? (I didn’t realize you could do that in middle school, I thought it was only HS).

Highly recommend Robinson if German is the priority! The German program is fantastic, the kids adore the teachers and they do really fun stuff.

People do transfer for IB, there are kids from a good number of schools that transfer into SLHS for IB. Most are coming from Herndon but there are kids from other schools in the area. I do think that more people transfer out of IBs then transfer in, SLHS is a bit strange because of the Herndon kids transferring into SLHS for IB.

Honestly, I think they allow it because the higher SES families at the schools with IB would throw a hissy fit. IB is the reason they can move to a better school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The language transfer option was removed in the past month. It’s a shame that so many people seem to have abused that option, and now kids who legitimately have an interest in a particular language won’t be able to transfer.

“Abused” that option?
Why is this worse than using the remaining option of IB/AP transfers?

They abuse that, too, but I do think there are a lot more people who use that one for legitimate reasons.

Much of the problem is split feeders. My daughter has a friend who had an IB/AP transfer approved, but her primary reason was social. Because ALL of the friends she had made in K-8 were going to one school and she was going elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:I have the other post on this topic. My daughter started German immersion at first grade. We went to Orange Hunt for elementary, and Irving right now for middle, and we were supposed to go to West Springfield to continue on in German. Our base school does not have German. I’ve been emailing back-and-forth to the transfer office in the basic messages so out of luck.
German is my daughter’s favorite class, all her friends have been together in it since first grade, and now she has to change in high school

If they had let me know, maybe we would’ve changed her mind about middle school and she is an anxious and shy child as well her friends are important to her

Consider talking to the HS. Maybe Robinson instead of WSHS since they’re over capacity. If she’s under medical care for her anxiety, maybe her physician can back this up.

I have the other post on this topic. My daughter started German immersion at first grade. We went to Orange Hunt for elementary, and Irving right now for middle, and we were supposed to go to West Springfield to continue on in German. Our base school does not have German. I’ve been emailing back-and-forth to the transfer office in the basic messages so out of luck.
German is my daughter’s favorite class, all her friends have been together in it since first grade, and now she has to change in high school

If they had let me know, maybe we would’ve changed her mind about middle school and she is an anxious and shy child as well her friends are important to her

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what are we saying--that a student who enrolled last year as a freshman for a particular a language at a different school will not be able to pupil place into that school this upcoming year as a sophomore to continue the language? Is that what FCPS is saying? If so, shouldnt they send out this email to all parents since it's a major change?

That is an unknown. Rising 9th graders are not being given the option, that is what is being reported at the moment.

What do you mean it's an "unknown"?! Shouldn't FCPS know already what it plans to do? My point is, shouldn't they be clear with guidance on this to ALL students who are affected or potentially could be affected? Isn't it crazy that this is being done without proper socialization to parents and students???

Just wanted to provide an update. I have a sophomore DD with a language transfer, and we didn't know what if anything would happen to her transfer, since language transfer is no longer an option. We did receive a renewal request, and were able to submit another language transfer application. We'll see if it gets approved.

Please come back and let us know if it’s approved, pp. I am curious to hear if they’d ever force a kid move back to zoned hs for reasons other than discipline/behavior.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what are we saying--that a student who enrolled last year as a freshman for a particular a language at a different school will not be able to pupil place into that school this upcoming year as a sophomore to continue the language? Is that what FCPS is saying? If so, shouldnt they send out this email to all parents since it's a major change?

That is an unknown. Rising 9th graders are not being given the option, that is what is being reported at the moment.

What do you mean it's an "unknown"?! Shouldn't FCPS know already what it plans to do? My point is, shouldn't they be clear with guidance on this to ALL students who are affected or potentially could be affected? Isn't it crazy that this is being done without proper socialization to parents and students???

Just wanted to provide an update. I have a sophomore DD with a language transfer, and we didn't know what if anything would happen to her transfer, since language transfer is no longer an option. We did receive a renewal request, and were able to submit another language transfer application. We'll see if it gets approved.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So if the option has been removed yet the child still wants to take the language course and the course isn't available via FCPS Online or Virtual VA, what are the options for the child? My child is interested in Russian and we are in the Mclean HS district so we weren't thinking of doing this solely to get to Langley (because there's no difference in my mind between the two, except for capacity issues which I don't consider excessive) but my kid really wants to add Russian as a language when he gets to high school. What are the options on this?

My daughter went to Chantilly. They allowed her to take Russian at Nova via dual enrollment. They don't really tell you that this option is available but if you push for it your high school will let you do it. Some kids at Chantilly also take languages remotely at other schools (such as Chinese at Fairfax High School). This may be an option now as well - look into it.

OP again. Thank you for this info. The Longfellow counselors didn't mention this to me as a choice. What sucks even more than the abrupt change is that many FCPS schools don't even operate on the same rules. I have an older child at Mclean and I'm being told that my child cannot take Virtual Virginia classes at Mclean because Mclean doesn't "support it". And, then I hear that the same classes are being taken via VVa at other FCPS high schools. It's such a disjointed system. I've read on this board that FCPS should really be split up and I'm starting to agree more and more that it may indeed be warranted. It's a mess.

If she is at Lingfellow, then she is not a sophomore but an 8th grader picking freshman classes?

Then your solution is very easy.

She simply starts a new language at her zoned high school, McLean, when she begins high school in 9th grade.

She will end up with 4 years of one language for her college applications.

This is completely a non issue if she is currently an 8th grader at Longfellow.

OP here. I have two kids. One is at McLean and is being denied online course options that other FCPS schools (like the Chantilly mom was noting above) are allowing. The rules are clearly not being applied consistently. My son (the one at Longfellow) wants to take Russian for specific academic and career reasons. He’s already taking Spanish and will be fluent by graduation, so he’s intentionally doubling up. Telling a student to abandon a carefully planned future because of arbitrary FCPS barriers is not something any parent should accept. I’m willing to enroll him in an accredited online program, but McLean counselors are making it extremely difficult to get online credits approved. Most districts accept outside credit when they can’t provide the course themselves. FCPS, apparently, does not want to promote an equitable arrangement across all schools.

This is the Chantilly mom PP. I suggest you try to deal with this through McLean vs a Longfellow counselor. I really don't see why they should be difficult about this. Russian is a language that FCPS offers. Presumably McLean offers other dual enrollment classes with NOVA. Why should they be difficult about this? Since FCPS banned transfers they should have some flexibility.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I emailed Gatehouse (student transfers) about this issue (I have a high schooler who needs to stick with a language she started but wants to switch to AP, her language not available at closest AP school.) and they were completely dismissive. Basically too bad, so sad, go talk to your school counselor (who had already advised us to email Gatehouse)

Who can I escalate to?

I don't think it is going to change. They realized that kids are using languages to transfer out of lower ranked schools to higher ranked schools. It will be interesting to see how the number of transfers drop at Langley, Oakton, WSHS, and the like. I know people used language to transfer from Herndon to Langley, those kids will have to stay at Herndon unless they transfer to SLHS for IB. SLHS sent kids to Langley, Westfield, and Oakton for AP and language, I would guess that those kids will now be told they have to go to Herndon.

The point is to decrease the number of students at schools close to capacity and stop kids from transferring out of lower ranked schools. They did not close the IB to AP loop hole but removing the language alters what schools can move to from IB for AP, no idea if that will make transferring less interesting.

But students haven't been allowed to transfer to schools at or exceeding capacity in the past either.
If a school has capacity, who cares if students are transferring in? Is it worth punishing some 15 year old?

i think the boundary review may have opened some people’s eyes to transfers. especially now that some changes put schools at higher capacities. i think if a kid is in 9th and in the language they should be able to continue (same with immersion kids). but for kids who haven’t reached high school and just have an interest in a language shouldn’t get to switch schools for one class

Why? They are encouraging pupil placements for the Lewis Leadership Program, which is a hell of a lot less rigorous than learning Russian.

No one cares about people transferring into Lewis, it is underenrolled. It is under enrolled partly because of people transferring for language. IB will still give people a way to transfer but WSHS is effectivly closed for the kids who were using AP and language, the other HS might be less desirable for people.

I don’t think it was only Lewis and WSHS, the language moves from Herndon are there as well, kids transfer to Langley for Russian from Herndon and SLHS. Langley is now off limits, Herndon kids have to transfer to SLHS if they want a different school. SLHS has only Herndon for AP.

Anonymous wrote:Just came on to say DC is being denied the ability to attend another HS for a math class that DCs HS does not offer in her senior year. There are 3 HSs in the county that offer it (why is that fair and equitable?) A college has specifically indicated admissions want him to have this class for next year.

Nope - FCPS told me if I can afford it, take it at NOVA. That doesn’t even work with stupid A day/B day schedules.

Pound sand FCPS. Just pound sand. You get worse and worse every year.

Eliminated languages freshmen year so DC had to start over on a new language. Then removed DE math classes. Why take Multivariable calculus without getting college credit? And now this nonsense. Worse and worse every year.

- signed a FCPS alum who is excited to be close to done with FCPS. And voting no on every school bond while these idiots still operate a bloated HQ organization while delivering less and less to the students.

Is your daughter a senior?

What is the class? Something above multivariable?

If your daughter is not a rising senior, then ahe should be denied a transfer for a 12th grade advanced nath class that she might or might not qualify for in 4 years time.

Just came on to say DC is being denied the ability to attend another HS for a math class that DCs HS does not offer in her senior year. There are 3 HSs in the county that offer it (why is that fair and equitable?) A college has specifically indicated admissions want him to have this class for next year.

Nope - FCPS told me if I can afford it, take it at NOVA. That doesn’t even work with stupid A day/B day schedules.

Pound sand FCPS. Just pound sand. You get worse and worse every year.

Eliminated languages freshmen year so DC had to start over on a new language. Then removed DE math classes. Why take Multivariable calculus without getting college credit? And now this nonsense. Worse and worse every year.

- signed a FCPS alum who is excited to be close to done with FCPS. And voting no on every school bond while these idiots still operate a bloated HQ organization while delivering less and less to the students.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I emailed Gatehouse (student transfers) about this issue (I have a high schooler who needs to stick with a language she started but wants to switch to AP, her language not available at closest AP school.) and they were completely dismissive. Basically too bad, so sad, go talk to your school counselor (who had already advised us to email Gatehouse)

Who can I escalate to?

I don't think it is going to change. They realized that kids are using languages to transfer out of lower ranked schools to higher ranked schools. It will be interesting to see how the number of transfers drop at Langley, Oakton, WSHS, and the like. I know people used language to transfer from Herndon to Langley, those kids will have to stay at Herndon unless they transfer to SLHS for IB. SLHS sent kids to Langley, Westfield, and Oakton for AP and language, I would guess that those kids will now be told they have to go to Herndon.

The point is to decrease the number of students at schools close to capacity and stop kids from transferring out of lower ranked schools. They did not close the IB to AP loop hole but removing the language alters what schools can move to from IB for AP, no idea if that will make transferring less interesting.

But students haven't been allowed to transfer to schools at or exceeding capacity in the past either.
If a school has capacity, who cares if students are transferring in? Is it worth punishing some 15 year old?

I thought with the new boundary changes, Langley will now be at capacity?

yes it is now projected to be at 102% with the 200 or so kids from spring hill island that will move in. so even without this new no language transfer rule langley is over 100% and shouldn’t accept pupil placements. no kids in bounds should ever be rezoned due to a school being over capacity when kids are pupil placing in either. those kids should be sent back to base schools before kids are rezoned

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I emailed Gatehouse (student transfers) about this issue (I have a high schooler who needs to stick with a language she started but wants to switch to AP, her language not available at closest AP school.) and they were completely dismissive. Basically too bad, so sad, go talk to your school counselor (who had already advised us to email Gatehouse)

Who can I escalate to?

I don't think it is going to change. They realized that kids are using languages to transfer out of lower ranked schools to higher ranked schools. It will be interesting to see how the number of transfers drop at Langley, Oakton, WSHS, and the like. I know people used language to transfer from Herndon to Langley, those kids will have to stay at Herndon unless they transfer to SLHS for IB. SLHS sent kids to Langley, Westfield, and Oakton for AP and language, I would guess that those kids will now be told they have to go to Herndon.

The point is to decrease the number of students at schools close to capacity and stop kids from transferring out of lower ranked schools. They did not close the IB to AP loop hole but removing the language alters what schools can move to from IB for AP, no idea if that will make transferring less interesting.

But students haven't been allowed to transfer to schools at or exceeding capacity in the past either.
If a school has capacity, who cares if students are transferring in? Is it worth punishing some 15 year old?

This is completely untrue.

WSHS is at well over 100% capacity and closed to transfers. WSHS has been closed to transfers for over a decade.

Since returning from covid, 50-60 students transfer into that school each year over the past few years, in violation of FCPS written policy.

At the rezoning meetings, Dr. Reid and other FCPS staff alluded that a large number of those 50 to 60 transfer students into WSHS are language transfers.

The policy is that those students should not have been given the option to transfer into WSHS as the entire school has been closed to transfers for years, and every grade is currently over capacity, including the giant senior class which is around 140 students over capacity. The rest of the grades are around 50 students over capacity.

Those 50-60 transfers into WSHS for mostly language transfers are roughly equal to the number of students from both the Sangster neighborhood and the Shannon Station neighborhood, both of which were marked for rezoning.

Basically, FCPS goal for WSHS was to transfer out to Lake Braddock 50 to 60 students whose parents purchased homes to WSHS, to accommodate those 50-60 students from other high schools who are transferring into WSHS using the language programs to transfer into a closed over capacity high school. They never should have been allowed to attend WSHS based on FCPS own written long established policy that used to be enforced pre covid.

Naturally, FCPS ignoring the written transfer policy while planning to rezone residents, was a HUGE point of contention at every community meeting in the WSHS pyramid.

FCPS being FCPS (#equity) rather than enforce the written transfer policy as they used to do pre covid before equity became dogma, FCPS has apparently decided that if one school can no longer accept language transfers, then no school can accept language transfers.

The smart and fair thing to do would be to enforce the transfer policy like they did before "Equity" became the most important thing above all else, and just say no transfers are allowed into WSHS, McLean, Chantilly, Edison and Centerville, while allowing the 20 other high schools to accept transfers

But FCPS of course decided that if one kid can't have nice things then no kids can have nice things.

This all could have been avoided if FCPS would just enforce its own policies. Making equity the bar that everything is lowered to is doing nothing but tripping people.