There are really no positives about the FCPS bureaucracy, it's pretty bad.

That said, schools are pretty autonomous and a school with a good principal can be wonderful.

Teachers are generally very good. It really depends on the school. FCPS itself does not add value.

The problem with immersion is that kids are coming from all over and parents are required to drive to and from the school. Not everyone wants their child to study immersion. Also, many people enjoy having their kids go to school close by. While immersion works for some parents, hopefully it's not the only program that works in FCPS.

OP here. Thank you so much for the positive feedback. I was looking at immersion programs. I think that might be a great option.

Just my random postive note

As a child of the FCPS who went to the mid-west for college, I can tell you that I was way more prepared than my peers. I only had blue books in HS and got to go back to multiple choice my freshmen year in college! (OK I then transfered back to a VA college to finish!). So, yeah, that was the 90s. I don't think kids even know what blue books are now and days, and it was before all the AP crap in high school. AAP/GT was for kids with an IQ of 145 and above!! (that was the test they used)

My kids are in immersion. I can't say enough great things about immersion. So glad we turned down AAP to stay in immersion. (and my child find kid is rocking immersion, his language test for the same age was higher than my AAP kid) Immersion works for all kids. Oldest in in 8th grade right now, so will be back with the IB/AP outcome later. there are very few programs like those in other parts of the country, but it's the norm elsewhere in the world to have a robust language exposure. My level IV kid will have 4 HS classes going into 9th grade, AAP kids only can get 2.

First grade and K are a waste of a year. The schools need them to level set the kids.

the FCPS system is actually larger than some states! I think FCPS owns more buses than other major cities.

I think back to my years, and I had about 2 teachers that were "off" years. I figured my goal is if just 1/6 or 1/7 of the teachers were "off" we are fine. It really does come down to the school, the principle and the teacher and the kid. I had one kid do well under a teacher and another just struggle.

Unfortunately the disparity among middle schools has to do with housing choices, location, and AAP centers. Once an AAP center gets a good reputation or becomes larger, the disparity is greater as well. FCPS has a plan to at least reduce the size of AAP centers by making more middle schools house AAP programs so this should help some. Zoning is decided by the BOS.

How come they couldn't get 4 more desks? 34 to a class isn't terrible for high school. They get more desks for elementary all the time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So now we learn that high school students get texbooks and grades back on a bi-weekly basis, but elementary age kids who need more hand holding get none of this. And yet we're blamed as parents for not caring enough or thinking the world revolves around us. Seems like we're coddling the older kids more than the younger ones.

Not all HS classes have textbooks, most are on online now. Also, I was regularly appraised of my child 's progress in ES. Perhaps, that is a localized issue with your child's teacher or school.

Perhaps. Check out the spelling thread though to see the disparity in teaching of just one subject of elementary school.

There are disparities betwen the HS and MS too. just look at the numbers admitted from a few MS to TJ. Plus, some HS have multiple classes of AP or Honors so itis easier to get a schedule that works - unless the one or two ways your child's classes work - doesn't because the classes are full. Some students in HS are denied taking some classes because they are over enrolled not becuae they are not offered. That is what happened to my DC with AP Chem this year and last year they closed other classes. If you really wanted to take them you had to go to a nearby HS that had room and then your child lost an elective that year due to transportation issues. Or how about the AP physics class year with 34 students in a classroom with 30 desks/chairs. Four students had to sit up on tables way in the back where is was incredibly difficult to hear the teacher. They took turns the whole year. It isn't all rainbows and sunshine in HS.

I've heard this. I wonder if too many offerings causes these problems. Sometimes less is more.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So now we learn that high school students get texbooks and grades back on a bi-weekly basis, but elementary age kids who need more hand holding get none of this. And yet we're blamed as parents for not caring enough or thinking the world revolves around us. Seems like we're coddling the older kids more than the younger ones.

Not all HS classes have textbooks, most are on online now. Also, I was regularly appraised of my child 's progress in ES. Perhaps, that is a localized issue with your child's teacher or school.

Perhaps. Check out the spelling thread though to see the disparity in teaching of just one subject of elementary school.

There are disparities betwen the HS and MS too. just look at the numbers admitted from a few MS to TJ. Plus, some HS have multiple classes of AP or Honors so itis easier to get a schedule that works - unless the one or two ways your child's classes work - doesn't because the classes are full. Some students in HS are denied taking some classes because they are over enrolled not becuae they are not offered. That is what happened to my DC with AP Chem this year and last year they closed other classes. If you really wanted to take them you had to go to a nearby HS that had room and then your child lost an elective that year due to transportation issues. Or how about the AP physics class year with 34 students in a classroom with 30 desks/chairs. Four students had to sit up on tables way in the back where is was incredibly difficult to hear the teacher. They took turns the whole year. It isn't all rainbows and sunshine in HS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So now we learn that high school students get texbooks and grades back on a bi-weekly basis, but elementary age kids who need more hand holding get none of this. And yet we're blamed as parents for not caring enough or thinking the world revolves around us. Seems like we're coddling the older kids more than the younger ones.

Not all HS classes have textbooks, most are on online now. Also, I was regularly appraised of my child 's progress in ES. Perhaps, that is a localized issue with your child's teacher or school.

Perhaps. Check out the spelling thread though to see the disparity in teaching of just one subject of elementary school.

Anonymous wrote:So now we learn that high school students get texbooks and grades back on a bi-weekly basis, but elementary age kids who need more hand holding get none of this. And yet we're blamed as parents for not caring enough or thinking the world revolves around us. Seems like we're coddling the older kids more than the younger ones.

Not all HS classes have textbooks, most are on online now. Also, I was regularly appraised of my child 's progress in ES. Perhaps, that is a localized issue with your child's teacher or school.

Anonymous wrote:So now we learn that high school students get texbooks and grades back on a bi-weekly basis, but elementary age kids who need more hand holding get none of this. And yet we're blamed as parents for not caring enough or thinking the world revolves around us. Seems like we're coddling the older kids more than the younger ones.

+1
That other poster with the disdainful attitude doesn't know what s/he's talking about if she thinks most of us "aren't invested in our children's education," which must be why we're disappointed in the quality of the elementary schools. What B.S.

I don't understand why FCPS isn't far more thorough in making sure elementary schools teach (really teach!!) grammar, spelling, and writing. The kids are expected to know all of these things and to be excellent writers once in high school. It would help if they were given the correct foundation early on!

Also you'd think that high school teachers would have more flexibility in what they taught verses elementary which is supposed to teach the basics. Why are we allowing elementary teachers to teach from whatever they want while the middle and high school teachers are required to follow a much more stringent course outline?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The concern usually focuses on how well it now serves average or below-average students who don't qualify for special services.

This. My child was "average". Didn't qualify for AAP or Sped or ESOL. Did not become an athlete. Did not have a high priced education in FCPS. Had big classes, lots of testing, and mediocre experience. No immersion at his school. If everyone were like him, FCPS would have money to spare.

I think the major problem with FCPS is that it's main focus is how to educate AAP kids. All the other average/above average kids with no learning issues get completely overlooked.

+1000

They spend way too much money trying to specialize way too much in elementary school, leaving behind the majority of kids in the process.

We did not feel this way. As others have noted, it's usually the parents of younger children who complain. At some point the advantages of FCPS kick in and parents become more appreciative of the many options and programs that are available in FCPS compared to other area school systems. But it can be tough at first for parents of younger children who don't want to invest much time in their children's education, yet don't want them to fall behind, either.

Who has said they "don't want to invest much time in their children's education"? Most people have reported spending LOTS of time with their kids, helping with homework, and often re-teaching what was never really taught to begin with. I have both younger and older kids and while the high schools seem to do a fabulous job, the elementaries we've experienced are extremely weak. Middle school falls somewhere in between. It would be nice if the elementary schools would step it up so that the kids are fully prepared for the rigorous high school education they eventually get.

So now we learn that high school students get texbooks and grades back on a bi-weekly basis, but elementary age kids who need more hand holding get none of this. And yet we're blamed as parents for not caring enough or thinking the world revolves around us. Seems like we're coddling the older kids more than the younger ones.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And thank you to everyone for the great comments. It sounds like MS and HS are really pretty good. ES is where more of the issues seem to come up from what I can tell.

I think that there is a disconnect between parental expectations and what a decent school does in ES, by MS and HS parents have calmed down a bit a see the big picture more clearly.

This is spot on. Could not agree more.

Partly, but also in MS and HS each teacher is responsible for just one subject and they have a set time to teach it and typically a set syllabus. So it's easier to see whether the issue is the teacher or the student or the curriculum if there is an issue. I think it also makes teachers a bit more accountable. I also am hopeful more materials are given out in middle and high, but maybe that's just wishful thinking. Have textbooks been done away with entirely even in middle and high? With elementary, all subjects are taught by one teacher or as a team with no textbooks and if there is an issue, as a parent it's hard to pin point exactly what the expectations should be and what the exact problem is.

I have two kids in high school and am happy to report they both have textbooks for all their subjects. No online books. I'm not sure why elementary schools have gone the way of onlline textbooks, but it's been a huge mistake. I had to request (very firmly) a text book for my 5th grader when it became clear they simply weren't going to be given one. Online textbooks for any age are just wrong.