Anonymous wrote:

If this is the measuring stick for programs in FCPS, then I say get rid of football/Science Olympiad/orchestra/ROTC/Arabic/academy classes (etc.) as it does not meet the needs of most of the students.

And, except for Arabic and academy, these options are available in every school. Big difference. And, Arabic is not pulling resources away from others.

If this is the measuring stick for programs in FCPS, then I say get rid of football/Science Olympiad/orchestra/ROTC/Arabic/academy classes (etc.) as it does not meet the needs of most of the students.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And, while it may suit the needs of a handful of students in the schools where it is implemented, it does not suit the needs of most of the students.

If this is the measuring stick for programs in FCPS, then I say get rid of football/Science Olympiad/orchestra/ROTC/Arabic/academy classes (etc.) as it does not meet the needs of most of the students.

Or, we could just fill the schools with robots who all have the same needs and then we wouldn't have to worry about paying for anything different. Of course, your children won't have any of the skills needed to program the robots because they were never able to learn much in a no-choices, every class the same greatest common denominator school system. But that's ok because there would also be a greatest common denominator flagship state university full of robots from northern Virginia the school system.

Meanwhile, can anyone talk more about admissions to VATech? And how their kids find their educational experiences? Football aside...
Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:Is JMU really considered bad? I thought it was a good school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's see some real data on IB costs - there's a lot of assertion here but only one poster brought any real data. The IB coordinator also teaches at our school.

The argument that only 10% of students who take IB classes get a diploma misses the point - 0% of students who take AP classes get an AP diploma. Students can take individual IB courses (and get a normal FCPS diploma the same as the AP students). Relatively few take on the additional requirements to qualify for the IB diploma.

My understanding is that the IB curriculum was instituted to draw students into lower SES schools and impart a "halo effect" that might be beneficial to the school as a whole. I don't know how that worked out although our school GCMarshall has been very successful with the IB program and has maybe 50 students who pupil place in for the program each year. We pupil placed out of Madison (an AP school) and into the IB program at GCM. It was a very challenging program but we were generally happy with the experience. I don't know how much of GCM's recent success has to do with development in the area and other demographic factors and with the IB program. They also have a top notch principal.

I would submit you are the one missing the point. While no students may receive an "AP diploma," substantially more than 20% of the students at AP schools take significant numbers of AP courses, are viewed favorably by college admissions officers, and the rest are not stigmatized because they don't fall in the "IB diploma" category. If you question that analysis, you really owe the rest of us an explanation as to why the six top-ranked high schools in FCPS are all AP, and parents at those schools show no interest in converting them to IB. In fact, when FCPS tried to convert Woodson to IB, the parents forced the School Board to reverse the decision.

As for Marshall, the improvement in its reputation is due to the growth of Tysons and demand for nearby housing. Even so, the home prices go up substantially as soon as you cross from the Marshall district to the Madison or McLean HS districts. If IB really were so attractive, one might expect the opposite in a county where parents care as deeply about their children's education as Fairfax.

Again, FCPS would be better off with one or two IB programs, not eight under-subscribed programs whose main appeal at present is the fact that they give parents in certain lower-performing schools an option to pupil place to a higher performing AP school (at least until the AP school is closed to transfers).

Anonymous wrote:Let's see some real data on IB costs - there's a lot of assertion here but only one poster brought any real data. The IB coordinator also teaches at our school.

The argument that only 10% of students who take IB classes get a diploma misses the point - 0% of students who take AP classes get an AP diploma. Students can take individual IB courses (and get a normal FCPS diploma the same as the AP students). Relatively few take on the additional requirements to qualify for the IB diploma.

My understanding is that the IB curriculum was instituted to draw students into lower SES schools and impart a "halo effect" that might be beneficial to the school as a whole. I don't know how that worked out although our school GCMarshall has been very successful with the IB program and has maybe 50 students who pupil place in for the program each year. We pupil placed out of Madison (an AP school) and into the IB program at GCM. It was a very challenging program but we were generally happy with the experience. I don't know how much of GCM's recent success has to do with development in the area and other demographic factors and with the IB program. They also have a top notch principal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have found the nativist, parochial, NIMBY faction in Fairfax - the Old Guard. Anything that smacks of internationalism or that purports to be better than what "we" have developed here (e.g. AP) is suspect and attacked with hearsay, assumptions and tendentious arguments. This is the also evident in the strong emotions dominating the earlier discussions of various VA schools. The fact that some VA students can't compete at the same level as the best students from "other" places (i.e. can't gain admission to UVA/W&M on merit) is a bitter reality. The fact that the flagship schools receive substantial taxpayer support grates further. This is what you are seeing as underlying some of the reactions to IB. This attitude is not generally informed or genuinely interested investigation of the facts but simply an assertion that "what we have here is better". There's a lot of this attitude around here although it is rapidly dissipating as more open, informed, balanced and competent people move in and start to work and raise children and demand more from the curriculum. Find your supporters among the families that have chosen IB and avoid those who disparage with animosity and without knowledge.

Are you aware that IB is a much, much more expensive program per student? And, while it may suit the needs of a handful of students in the schools where it is implemented, it does not suit the needs of most of the students. And, the schools that have IB must necessarily revolve around the IB program. The money could be far better spent elsewhere.

I don't accept baseless assertions - please provide specific data. The FY18 Budget Question #29 (on BoardDocs) prepared by Sloan Presidio shows a minimal expense (see below). There is other data in the Program Budget which you can find online.

School Board Member Requesting Information: Elizabeth Schultz
Answer Prepared By: Sloan J. Presidio
Date Prepared: March 9, 2017
Question:
How much does FCPS pay for the IB registration fee per student on top of the IB exam fee per student?
Response:
Full IB Diploma candidates pay a one-time registration fee of $168 that covers exams taken during students’ junior and senior year.
IB Course students (anyone not pursing the full IB Diploma) pay a registration fee of $168 for each year of exams (junior and/or senior year).
For FY 2017, FCPS paid 3,266 registration fees at $168 each for a total of $548,688 in registration fees.

But your mixing up the arguments. No one is disputing that it's expensive and should be scaled back. People are defending the program because when it works well, it works really well and is an asset to a school. Did you see the post where the poster basically pointed this out?

I don't accept baseless assertions - please provide specific data. The FY18 Budget Question #29 (on BoardDocs) prepared by Sloan Presidio shows a minimal expense (see below). There is other data in the Program Budget which you can find online.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have found the nativist, parochial, NIMBY faction in Fairfax - the Old Guard. Anything that smacks of internationalism or that purports to be better than what "we" have developed here (e.g. AP) is suspect and attacked with hearsay, assumptions and tendentious arguments. This is the also evident in the strong emotions dominating the earlier discussions of various VA schools. The fact that some VA students can't compete at the same level as the best students from "other" places (i.e. can't gain admission to UVA/W&M on merit) is a bitter reality. The fact that the flagship schools receive substantial taxpayer support grates further. This is what you are seeing as underlying some of the reactions to IB. This attitude is not generally informed or genuinely interested investigation of the facts but simply an assertion that "what we have here is better". There's a lot of this attitude around here although it is rapidly dissipating as more open, informed, balanced and competent people move in and start to work and raise children and demand more from the curriculum. Find your supporters among the families that have chosen IB and avoid those who disparage with animosity and without knowledge.

Are you aware that IB is a much, much more expensive program per student? And, while it may suit the needs of a handful of students in the schools where it is implemented, it does not suit the needs of most of the students. And, the schools that have IB must necessarily revolve around the IB program. The money could be far better spent elsewhere.

I don't accept baseless assertions - please provide specific data. The FY18 Budget Question #29 (on BoardDocs) prepared by Sloan Presidio shows a minimal expense (see below). There is other data in the Program Budget which you can find online.

School Board Member Requesting Information: Elizabeth Schultz
Answer Prepared By: Sloan J. Presidio
Date Prepared: March 9, 2017
Question:
How much does FCPS pay for the IB registration fee per student on top of the IB exam fee per student?
Response:
Full IB Diploma candidates pay a one-time registration fee of $168 that covers exams taken during students’ junior and senior year.
IB Course students (anyone not pursing the full IB Diploma) pay a registration fee of $168 for each year of exams (junior and/or senior year).
For FY 2017, FCPS paid 3,266 registration fees at $168 each for a total of $548,688 in registration fees.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have found the nativist, parochial, NIMBY faction in Fairfax - the Old Guard. Anything that smacks of internationalism or that purports to be better than what "we" have developed here (e.g. AP) is suspect and attacked with hearsay, assumptions and tendentious arguments. This is the also evident in the strong emotions dominating the earlier discussions of various VA schools. The fact that some VA students can't compete at the same level as the best students from "other" places (i.e. can't gain admission to UVA/W&M on merit) is a bitter reality. The fact that the flagship schools receive substantial taxpayer support grates further. This is what you are seeing as underlying some of the reactions to IB. This attitude is not generally informed or genuinely interested investigation of the facts but simply an assertion that "what we have here is better". There's a lot of this attitude around here although it is rapidly dissipating as more open, informed, balanced and competent people move in and start to work and raise children and demand more from the curriculum. Find your supporters among the families that have chosen IB and avoid those who disparage with animosity and without knowledge.

Are you aware that IB is a much, much more expensive program per student? And, while it may suit the needs of a handful of students in the schools where it is implemented, it does not suit the needs of most of the students. And, the schools that have IB must necessarily revolve around the IB program. The money could be far better spent elsewhere.

I don't accept baseless assertions - please provide specific data. The FY18 Budget Question #29 (on BoardDocs) prepared by Sloan Presidio shows a minimal expense (see below). There is other data in the Program Budget which you can find online.

School Board Member Requesting Information: Elizabeth Schultz
Answer Prepared By: Sloan J. Presidio
Date Prepared: March 9, 2017
Question:
How much does FCPS pay for the IB registration fee per student on top of the IB exam fee per student?
Response:
Full IB Diploma candidates pay a one-time registration fee of $168 that covers exams taken during students’ junior and senior year.
IB Course students (anyone not pursing the full IB Diploma) pay a registration fee of $168 for each year of exams (junior and/or senior year).
For FY 2017, FCPS paid 3,266 registration fees at $168 each for a total of $548,688 in registration fees.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have found the nativist, parochial, NIMBY faction in Fairfax - the Old Guard. Anything that smacks of internationalism or that purports to be better than what "we" have developed here (e.g. AP) is suspect and attacked with hearsay, assumptions and tendentious arguments. This is the also evident in the strong emotions dominating the earlier discussions of various VA schools. The fact that some VA students can't compete at the same level as the best students from "other" places (i.e. can't gain admission to UVA/W&M on merit) is a bitter reality. The fact that the flagship schools receive substantial taxpayer support grates further. This is what you are seeing as underlying some of the reactions to IB. This attitude is not generally informed or genuinely interested investigation of the facts but simply an assertion that "what we have here is better". There's a lot of this attitude around here although it is rapidly dissipating as more open, informed, balanced and competent people move in and start to work and raise children and demand more from the curriculum. Find your supporters among the families that have chosen IB and avoid those who disparage with animosity and without knowledge.

Are you aware that IB is a much, much more expensive program per student? And, while it may suit the needs of a handful of students in the schools where it is implemented, it does not suit the needs of most of the students. And, the schools that have IB must necessarily revolve around the IB program. The money could be far better spent elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And, while it may suit the needs of a handful of students in the schools where it is implemented, it does not suit the needs of most of the students.

If this is the measuring stick for programs in FCPS, then I say get rid of football/Science Olympiad/orchestra/ROTC/Arabic/academy classes (etc.) as it does not meet the needs of most of the students.

Anonymous wrote:And, while it may suit the needs of a handful of students in the schools where it is implemented, it does not suit the needs of most of the students.