A lot of the resources for lower SES students that people are posting about are for older kids. What about universal pre-K or more summer or academic support programs for kids in elementary? My son is in K at an ACPS school and I volunteer in his school regularly. At the end of the year, there were kids who could not read the most basic 3 letter words who are moving on to 1st grade. Of course, there are also lower SES kids who are academically on track, but for the lower SES kids who are not, it is a genuinely worrisome situation.


One issue they face in the early years right now is that many of those K students are ESL students who speak only spanish at home. this is a problem because they first have to learn some basic spoken English to communicate and then they actually have to learn the rules of phonics and reading. They can't rely on parents because the parents might speak conversational English but might not be able to read it or pronounce it correctly. So, it's not a question of more kids going to Pre-K. That would help but only help marginally.

English is the first language of the children in my son's class that I am worried about.

Entire city of Alexandria, both through ACPS and through City's support of other organizations, is increasing amount of pre-K options for low-income families.

ACPS has also increased summer learning opportunities at all levels, including elementary.

Both are considered priorities of the current superintendent and school board.

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the resources for lower SES students that people are posting about are for older kids. What about universal pre-K or more summer or academic support programs for kids in elementary? My son is in K at an ACPS school and I volunteer in his school regularly. At the end of the year, there were kids who could not read the most basic 3 letter words who are moving on to 1st grade. Of course, there are also lower SES kids who are academically on track, but for the lower SES kids who are not, it is a genuinely worrisome situation.

One issue they face in the early years right now is that many of those K students are ESL students who speak only spanish at home. this is a problem because they first have to learn some basic spoken English to communicate and then they actually have to learn the rules of phonics and reading. They can't rely on parents because the parents might speak conversational English but might not be able to read it or pronounce it correctly. So, it's not a question of more kids going to Pre-K. That would help but only help marginally.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am zoned for JH, too. While the re-redistricting is supposed to happen this upcoming academic year, given how empty JH is, I am sure I will remain in the JH District. We bought well before we had children, and knew the reputation of the school. We just figured we would wait and see, and enjoy Old Town for as many years as we could. It is too bad...

And those of you who think our house was a bargain, as I look at other school districts, I see that I can get a bigger house for the same price (800K). It just means moving to the bland suburbs.

But could you have bought the same house for the same price in one of the few good ACPS elementary districts? That's how you see if the J-H zone gave you a "discount". N

No you can't get the same type of house because it would only be available in the lyles crouch zone and would cost more. If you want a completely different vibe and type of house then yes you can get it for a comparable price in Rosemont.

Exactly. Old Town is a pretty unique spot, hence the draw and why 1000 sqft Townhomes sell for high 6-figures. Good school or bad schools, Old Town is going to draw people who want to live in a uniquely historical place. The "good" schools are further to the West and are in completely different neighborhoods.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am zoned for JH, too. While the re-redistricting is supposed to happen this upcoming academic year, given how empty JH is, I am sure I will remain in the JH District. We bought well before we had children, and knew the reputation of the school. We just figured we would wait and see, and enjoy Old Town for as many years as we could. It is too bad...

And those of you who think our house was a bargain, as I look at other school districts, I see that I can get a bigger house for the same price (800K). It just means moving to the bland suburbs.

But could you have bought the same house for the same price in one of the few good ACPS elementary districts? That's how you see if the J-H zone gave you a "discount". N

No you can't get the same type of house because it would only be available in the lyles crouch zone and would cost more. If you want a completely different vibe and type of house then yes you can get it for a comparable price in Rosemont.

Exactly. Old Town is a pretty unique spot, hence the draw and why 1000 sqft Townhomes sell for high 6-figures. Good school or bad schools, Old Town is going to draw people who want to live in a uniquely historical place. The "good" schools are further to the West and are in completely different neighborhoods.

A lot of the resources for lower SES students that people are posting about are for older kids. What about universal pre-K or more summer or academic support programs for kids in elementary? My son is in K at an ACPS school and I volunteer in his school regularly. At the end of the year, there were kids who could not read the most basic 3 letter words who are moving on to 1st grade. Of course, there are also lower SES kids who are academically on track, but for the lower SES kids who are not, it is a genuinely worrisome situation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But it's such a small population. That's what I don't understand about JH. If it was a "test only" honors school, people would flock. I don't understand why it doesn't do this sort of pilot program, like AAP.

Because that's not the population the school district believes it serves.

This is true. Unbelievable. I have heard one current ACPS school board member expound on this exact topic "whom we serve" for hours to his peers, always pulling the race demography card right before a pivotal vote! Never have I seen nor heard a public school board and public school system short change vociferously the middle and upper middle kids like they do here in Alexandria City. No wonder so many kids here go to private here: who wants to go to ACPS where they embrace whom they will serve and not the others.

No, they actually short change vociferously the lower income kids; thus, those kids never stand a real chance at getting a decent education. The low expectations and the presumption that non-white kids can not do advanced academic work and then worse imparting that to the kids directly is the biggest shame.

Several of the School Board members have no kids. That's problem #1.

How you can possibly say ACPS school board short changes low income kids? Do you watch/attend the bi-monthly school board meetings? Have you reviewed all the online information of classes and tutoring available to each student? Are you denying the emphasis from the ACPS School Board on focus on low income students year after year-and rightfully so but shall not be at the expense of exclusionary emphasis from the Board of others. Every class is open to all takers who meet pre-requisites. All AP courses are open to every high schooler. There is much tutoring for students available to succeed in advance classes, both by teachers and by volunteers in the College and Career Center. The same opportunities are provided to middle and upper income students.

You seem to miss the point: ACPS, starting with ex Superintendent Mort Sherman (famed "buses to Fairfax" line) has made very clear that those students and parents who are upset at this very public emphasis on low income students-who are the majority-comes at an expense to those in Alexandria City who are not low income. A public education suited to the needs of all students is the legal DOE requirement. ACPS has for many years has missed the mark on this, seemingly without chagrin, at great cost to our community as families who might consider involvement with ACPS go private and businesses who might move into the City decline due to ACPS. People ask why, ACPS, why can't you improve? The answer is partly in the attitude that lower income kids is where the budget and emphasis will go. Arlington and Fairfax County parents never would tolerate this ACPS attitude and neither should Alexandrians.

It's time to never again hear on the ACPS Dias that one group of students deserves more attention than the other. We are a democracy. All students of all capabilities publicly matter. To say else wise is to doom ACPS to continued failure.

http://www.acps.k12.va.us/guidehs/

College and Career Center

Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days, the College and Career Center (CCC) provides information about colleges and universities, standardized testing and test preparation, financial aid and scholarships, career information, summer opportunities and more. CCC programs include Building Better Futures, Career Coach, College Guide, College Summit, LEAP (Latinas Empowered to Achieve Their Potential), Pathway to the Baccalaureate, Project Discovery and the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria.


Graduation Requirements and Planning

Planning your child's middle and high school program of studies is essential to ensure your child's success in meeting graduation requirements under Virginia's Standards of Learning, preparing for the future, and exploring his/her talents, abilities, and interests. Our planning guides are designed to provide you and your child with information about academic requirements and options to assist in the planning process.



Graduation Requirements (PDF)
Program of Studies Planning Guide (Grades 6-12) (PDF)
Letter to Parents (Rising 9th Graders) (PDF)
Letter to Parents (Grades 9-12) (PDF)
George Washington Middle School Calendar (PDF)
Francis C. Hammond Middle School Calendar (PDF)
English Handbook (PDF)
Online Learning Program

Well aware of it. And the resources you pointed out are all fine and well BUT the biggest issue: the curriculum is too poor in content and too geared toward below average that less kids even need info on colleges because they can't in fact get into decent colleges - can't do well on standard tests, can't do the honors or AP work because they failed to get a rigorous enough basis in the early years. Yet the school board continually says they need to have a less rigorous curriculum to make sure low income students can pass school and do ok. That's truly horrible.

The expectation should be on day 1 that every student is capable of honors work NOT that every child should be able to do the basic minimum to pass a grade by the end of the year. As the year goes on, adjust expectations and work loads per kid, not per class or grade.

The voted down honors classes this year at TC. They are afraid of instituting actual standards for honors classes in Middle School. It has taken years to just allow teachers to have a curriculum framework for those classes.

Teach phonics in K -3. I mean real actual phonics lessons with phonics work books. This alone would probably raise the reading rates in the City to acceptable levels. Really if they did this and only this the difference would be huge!

I really could go on and on but I will stop.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But it's such a small population. That's what I don't understand about JH. If it was a "test only" honors school, people would flock. I don't understand why it doesn't do this sort of pilot program, like AAP.

Wouldn't that end up pulling too many kids from the more successful ACPS elementaries? Is it worth endangering those to build up JH, without the assurance you would get the kids from private schools and the folks who move elsewhere?

Maybe they should do K-2 schools, 3-4, and 5-6 schools. That might balance the SES levels in each school more.

This is such a simple idea that could work. Has it ever been investigated by ACPS?

Yes, the idea was floated last year but shot down. I think they wanted to do something like K-3?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But it's such a small population. That's what I don't understand about JH. If it was a "test only" honors school, people would flock. I don't understand why it doesn't do this sort of pilot program, like AAP.

Wouldn't that end up pulling too many kids from the more successful ACPS elementaries? Is it worth endangering those to build up JH, without the assurance you would get the kids from private schools and the folks who move elsewhere?

Maybe they should do K-2 schools, 3-4, and 5-6 schools. That might balance the SES levels in each school more.

This is such a simple idea that could work. Has it ever been investigated by ACPS?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am zoned for JH, too. While the re-redistricting is supposed to happen this upcoming academic year, given how empty JH is, I am sure I will remain in the JH District. We bought well before we had children, and knew the reputation of the school. We just figured we would wait and see, and enjoy Old Town for as many years as we could. It is too bad...

And those of you who think our house was a bargain, as I look at other school districts, I see that I can get a bigger house for the same price (800K). It just means moving to the bland suburbs.

But could you have bought the same house for the same price in one of the few good ACPS elementary districts? That's how you see if the J-H zone gave you a "discount". N

No you can't get the same type of house because it would only be available in the lyles crouch zone and would cost more. If you want a completely different vibe and type of house then yes you can get it for a comparable price in Rosemont.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But it's such a small population. That's what I don't understand about JH. If it was a "test only" honors school, people would flock. I don't understand why it doesn't do this sort of pilot program, like AAP.

Wouldn't that end up pulling too many kids from the more successful ACPS elementaries? Is it worth endangering those to build up JH, without the assurance you would get the kids from private schools and the folks who move elsewhere?

Maybe they should do K-2 schools, 3-4, and 5-6 schools. That might balance the SES levels in each school more.

Anonymous wrote:I am zoned for JH, too. While the re-redistricting is supposed to happen this upcoming academic year, given how empty JH is, I am sure I will remain in the JH District. We bought well before we had children, and knew the reputation of the school. We just figured we would wait and see, and enjoy Old Town for as many years as we could. It is too bad...

And those of you who think our house was a bargain, as I look at other school districts, I see that I can get a bigger house for the same price (800K). It just means moving to the bland suburbs.

But could you have bought the same house for the same price in one of the few good ACPS elementary districts? That's how you see if the J-H zone gave you a "discount". N

Anonymous wrote:But it's such a small population. That's what I don't understand about JH. If it was a "test only" honors school, people would flock. I don't understand why it doesn't do this sort of pilot program, like AAP.

Wouldn't that end up pulling too many kids from the more successful ACPS elementaries? Is it worth endangering those to build up JH, without the assurance you would get the kids from private schools and the folks who move elsewhere?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But it's such a small population. That's what I don't understand about JH. If it was a "test only" honors school, people would flock. I don't understand why it doesn't do this sort of pilot program, like AAP.

Because that's not the population the school district believes it serves.

This is true. Unbelievable. I have heard one current ACPS school board member expound on this exact topic "whom we serve" for hours to his peers, always pulling the race demography card right before a pivotal vote! Never have I seen nor heard a public school board and public school system short change vociferously the middle and upper middle kids like they do here in Alexandria City. No wonder so many kids here go to private here: who wants to go to ACPS where they embrace whom they will serve and not the others.

No, they actually short change vociferously the lower income kids; thus, those kids never stand a real chance at getting a decent education. The low expectations and the presumption that non-white kids can not do advanced academic work and then worse imparting that to the kids directly is the biggest shame.

Several of the School Board members have no kids. That's problem #1.

How you can possibly say ACPS school board short changes low income kids? Do you watch/attend the bi-monthly school board meetings? Have you reviewed all the online information of classes and tutoring available to each student? Are you denying the emphasis from the ACPS School Board on focus on low income students year after year-and rightfully so but shall not be at the expense of exclusionary emphasis from the Board of others. Every class is open to all takers who meet pre-requisites. All AP courses are open to every high schooler. There is much tutoring for students available to succeed in advance classes, both by teachers and by volunteers in the College and Career Center. The same opportunities are provided to middle and upper income students.

You seem to miss the point: ACPS, starting with ex Superintendent Mort Sherman (famed "buses to Fairfax" line) has made very clear that those students and parents who are upset at this very public emphasis on low income students-who are the majority-comes at an expense to those in Alexandria City who are not low income. A public education suited to the needs of all students is the legal DOE requirement. ACPS has for many years has missed the mark on this, seemingly without chagrin, at great cost to our community as families who might consider involvement with ACPS go private and businesses who might move into the City decline due to ACPS. People ask why, ACPS, why can't you improve? The answer is partly in the attitude that lower income kids is where the budget and emphasis will go. Arlington and Fairfax County parents never would tolerate this ACPS attitude and neither should Alexandrians.

It's time to never again hear on the ACPS Dias that one group of students deserves more attention than the other. We are a democracy. All students of all capabilities publicly matter. To say else wise is to doom ACPS to continued failure.

http://www.acps.k12.va.us/guidehs/

College and Career Center

Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days, the College and Career Center (CCC) provides information about colleges and universities, standardized testing and test preparation, financial aid and scholarships, career information, summer opportunities and more. CCC programs include Building Better Futures, Career Coach, College Guide, College Summit, LEAP (Latinas Empowered to Achieve Their Potential), Pathway to the Baccalaureate, Project Discovery and the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria.


Graduation Requirements and Planning

Planning your child's middle and high school program of studies is essential to ensure your child's success in meeting graduation requirements under Virginia's Standards of Learning, preparing for the future, and exploring his/her talents, abilities, and interests. Our planning guides are designed to provide you and your child with information about academic requirements and options to assist in the planning process.



Graduation Requirements (PDF)
Program of Studies Planning Guide (Grades 6-12) (PDF)
Letter to Parents (Rising 9th Graders) (PDF)
Letter to Parents (Grades 9-12) (PDF)
George Washington Middle School Calendar (PDF)
Francis C. Hammond Middle School Calendar (PDF)
English Handbook (PDF)
Online Learning Program

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But it's such a small population. That's what I don't understand about JH. If it was a "test only" honors school, people would flock. I don't understand why it doesn't do this sort of pilot program, like AAP.

Because that's not the population the school district believes it serves.

This is true. Unbelievable. I have heard one current ACPS school board member expound on this exact topic "whom we serve" for hours to his peers, always pulling the race demography card right before a pivotal vote! Never have I seen nor heard a public school board and public school system short change vociferously the middle and upper middle kids like they do here in Alexandria City. No wonder so many kids here go to private here: who wants to go to ACPS where they embrace whom they will serve and not the others.

No, they actually short change vociferously the lower income kids; thus, those kids never stand a real chance at getting a decent education. The low expectations and the presumption that non-white kids can not do advanced academic work and then worse imparting that to the kids directly is the biggest shame.

Several of the School Board members have no kids. That's problem #1.