school comparison question (Charlotte: neighborhood, private school, bus)

[AJ1972]

I know quite a few of you have come from Florida to NC.
I am in Southeast Florida, and I have a school question.
I know Florida schools are not that great
(I mean, who am I kidding, its almost a joke amongst other states
about the Florida education system). I am actually
from the NYC area, so I have seen the difference
between Florida and NY schools. My question is...
are the schools in the Charlotte area better than the Florida
schools? How are they better?
TIA.

[indraman]

You will find much discussion on not only the difference between other states schools and NC's schools, but also on how the schools withing each district here are different. We spent a year in FL before coming to NC so I know exactly what you are speaking of in terms of their schools . I think the biggest difference between the school system here (BTW, we are in Union Co) and our experience in FL is the ease of using the system. They really want to make sure you are accommodated and, even though us newcomers are squishing the native kids to death in the overcrowded schools, they really want to make sure you have a place for your kids all together. When we first moved here, our neighborhood school was over capacity and within an hour, the Asst. Superintendent called me personally to re-assign our kids and arrange for bus transportation. In FL, when I tried to register my kids, they told me I was out of luck for getting them all together only after I dragged myself down to the central "booking station" to get them registered and prove that we weren't illegal aliens. Needless to say, they ended up in private school in FL. The expectations as far as curriculum and discipline are greater here, but also will vary from school to school....so do your homework and visit the schools that you are considering. Within the district, my kids have been at two different schools that are as different as night and day. It pays to sit in and also to meet with the principal. My girls love our little school out here. Good luck.

[FLtoNC]

From Broward County to Union County & working in CMS - the writing curriculum and instruction is stronger in FL. However, the expectations are higher in reading and math. I had one in kindergarten & one in 7th grade when we moved here last year. Both thought school was harder here. Also, Union County has 6 grading periods as opposed to 4, but CMS has 4 grading periods like FL does. Here they take EOG (end of grade) tests in grades 3 - 8 and EOC (end of course) tests in high school. There are no state tests in grades 1 & 2 (FL has the SAT). The EOG test format is all multiple choice, unlike the FCAT, which has extended and gridded response at some grade levels. In high school, students must pass the EOC tests to pass the courses. In turn, they must pass them to receive a high school diploma. There are more high school diploma tracks here than FL offers.