Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:we are another happy family at ATS and so grateful we got in.

two kids are currently there. one of them was an above average reader going into the school. since he is so advanced he has been given the same amount of work but at a bit more advanced level. his teachers have also gone above and beyond in providing extra stuff for him too for over the summer and during the week if it's needed.

our other child that attends ATS is very much average in all subjects and has also had a positive experience.

I just don't understand why they don't do this at all of the schools.

Other schools have about 20% disruptive students with completely checked out parents.

On the other side of scale, you a have a bunch of rich parents who don’t want homework because Larlo needs time for travel lacrosse.

ATS had none of that.

Anonymous wrote:There’s no way 17 percent of the school population is Mongolian. That’s an error.

It was the headliner on the APS Friday Five email on 5/24, text copied below:

Arlington Traditional School Hosts Multicultural Night


Arlington Traditional School (ATS) recently held a multicultural night that featured a variety of Mongolian foods, and student performances including traditional music, songs and dances.
ATS includes 116 Mongolian students, making up 17 percent of the student population.
Many of the Mongolian families in the community and school staff collaborated on food, drinks and supplies for the cultural event.
The strong involvement of families, staff and students made the Multicultural Night a highlight of the school year by fostering community relationships.

There’s no way 17 percent of the school population is Mongolian. That’s an error.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ I understand that but statistically, this seems really weird. I know that APS is verifying addresses now but I think some "aunt" has a lot of "nieces and nephews" living in their ARL house.
They play the game well. If I read the waitlist correctly, only 14 slots for new families this year.

Based on the cars I’ve seen waiting for the afternoon bus in Rosslyn, you’re probably correct… and “siblings” instead of nieces and nephews. The numbers are very improbable otherwise.

Can you explain?

I’ve seen parents wait for the bus at the hub stop in the afternoon and immediately get into cars with non-Virginia plates and drive away. Maybe there’s a reason that’s not residency fraud, I don’t know their life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ I understand that but statistically, this seems really weird. I know that APS is verifying addresses now but I think some "aunt" has a lot of "nieces and nephews" living in their ARL house.
They play the game well. If I read the waitlist correctly, only 14 slots for new families this year.

Based on the cars I’ve seen waiting for the afternoon bus in Rosslyn, you’re probably correct… and “siblings” instead of nieces and nephews. The numbers are very improbable otherwise.

Can you explain?

Once again, Most of ATS's results are due to the self-selecting population vs a special curriculum.

No one could know whether above claim about results is true. Any option school will be self-selecting. However, self-selection also can lead to worse results. In some cases, self-selection does not by itself create a significant difference in results. It also is possible that the ATS approach works better for students who opt-in than if the same students went to their default school, simply because each student is different.

Anonymous wrote:^^ I understand that but statistically, this seems really weird. I know that APS is verifying addresses now but I think some "aunt" has a lot of "nieces and nephews" living in their ARL house.
They play the game well. If I read the waitlist correctly, only 14 slots for new families this year.

Based on the cars I’ve seen waiting for the afternoon bus in Rosslyn, you’re probably correct… and “siblings” instead of nieces and nephews. The numbers are very improbable otherwise.

^^ I understand that but statistically, this seems really weird. I know that APS is verifying addresses now but I think some "aunt" has a lot of "nieces and nephews" living in their ARL house.
They play the game well. If I read the waitlist correctly, only 14 slots for new families this year.

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, how is that possible?

The VPI lottery is much less competitive than the kindergarten lottery. If you attend VPI at an option school you are guaranteed a spot in K if you want it. Once you have a kid at the school you get sibling preference and can pull the rest of your kids in.

Seriously, how is that possible?

Anonymous wrote:Who cares about the colleges ATS kids get into? ATS is doing the best by low income and english language learners. Unfortunately APS doesn't track how ATS kids perform against their peers once they get to MS, but it would be helpful to know if they have a stronger foundation.

The most recent Friday 5 email highlighted ATS's multicultural night. Apparently 17% of the school population is Mongolian, which is so disproportionate to the APS student population at large that it has to be through VPI and sibling preference instead of the general lottery. This is not the same low income/English learner population as somewhere like Carlin Springs. Once again, Most of ATS's results are due to the self-selecting population vs a special curriculum.

Anonymous wrote:Who cares about the colleges ATS kids get into? ATS is doing the best by low income and english language learners. Unfortunately APS doesn't track how ATS kids perform against their peers once they get to MS, but it would be helpful to know if they have a stronger foundation.

It WOULD be good to know. I teach at Yorktown and there’s no obvious difference in ATS-educated students at the high school level. But, perhaps in middle school…

All of this to say, don’t worry if you didn’t get into ATS via the lottery this year. The advantages disappear by high school.

Anonymous wrote:Who cares about the colleges ATS kids get into? ATS is doing the best by low income and english language learners. Unfortunately APS doesn't track how ATS kids perform against their peers once they get to MS, but it would be helpful to know if they have a stronger foundation.

jealous haters gonna hate.

Who cares about the colleges ATS kids get into? ATS is doing the best by low income and english language learners. Unfortunately APS doesn't track how ATS kids perform against their peers once they get to MS, but it would be helpful to know if they have a stronger foundation.

Ha… Swanson. It tries.