[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by Everdeen

Yeah, I get it. ATEC is no Deerfield, but it's a very good public school and as good as any private school here.

You are being rather snide.

They didn't go to Harvard either, but they received a top notch college education.

It is not my intention to be snide. But to call ANY school in the CCSD system first-rate simply isn't honest.

Children can get a good education with CCSD. But there are no GREAT schools in CCSD. That's the point I'm trying to make.

[Everdeen]

Originally Posted by von949

Why not? And what's the alternative?




Motorola DynaTAC 8000x

They are used inappropriately and are highly controversial. Cheating, by adults, is rampant. Children are stressed to the point of tears, especially at the elementary level, while schools try to instill the importance of them. They are very expensive and do not give an accurate representation of students' levels. There is big, big money in the testing movement and the test writing companies are lobbying for even more, for obvious reasons.

Your kids don't have to take them. With the exception of the high school proficiency exam, they are of no consequence to the student, really. Sometimes, they are inappropriately used to pigeon hole students. Some states have an official opt out procedure - I'm not sure about Nevada, but it really doesn't matter. You will be harassed and harangued if you were to broach such an idea with your child's school, so you would have to have a pretty sturdy backbone.

As someone who sees what goes on year after year, I see how detrimental they are to our educational system.

[Everdeen]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

It is not my intention to be snide. But to call ANY school in the CCSD system first-rate simply isn't honest.

Children can get a good education with CCSD. But there are no GREAT schools in CCSD. That's the point I'm trying to make.

Well, you are being snide. I'm not being dishonest. Yes, ATEC is not an exclusive private academy. But my child received a very, very good education there. It's too bad for you if you took offense to use of the phrase first-rate, which not only has the meaning of "of the highest rank", but also "superb" or "excellent". ATEC was a Blue Ribbon school when my son was there. That is an excellent designation.

In the future, please publish a list of acceptable definitions of words we are allowed to use on CD. That way everyone can benefit from your infinite wisdom.

Oh, and, by the way, I hope you didn't take all this the wrong way.

[MAXIALE02]

Does anyone have any experience or opinions of Nevada Virtual Academy?

[aardogfsu]

Don't have kids yet, but the trash I see walking across the street wearing backpacks in "good" areas (western part of spring valley) makes me wonder if I'll want to be here when that time comes.

[MAXIALE02]

Originally Posted by aardogfsu

Don't have kids yet, but the trash I see walking across the street wearing backpacks in "good" areas (western part of spring valley) makes me wonder if I'll want to be here when that time comes.

I'm glad you don't have kids too
I suppose if these kids were wearing argyle and ties then you would let them be, eh? You can't judge a book by its cover. You sound really old or really jaded. Did you ever go through a "phase" as a kid?

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by Everdeen

Well, you are being snide. I'm not being dishonest. Yes, ATEC is not an exclusive private academy. But my child received a very, very good education there. It's too bad for you if you took offense to use of the phrase first-rate, which not only has the meaning of "of the highest rank", but also "superb" or "excellent". ATEC was a Blue Ribbon school when my son was there. That is an excellent designation.

In the future, please publish a list of acceptable definitions of words we are allowed to use on CD. That way everyone can benefit from your infinite wisdom.

Oh, and, by the way, I hope you didn't take all this the wrong way.

Not at all. I can understand why you might be upset -- which is why I prefaced with "Hope you don't take this the wrong way."

But if you call someone a first-rate athlete and they aren't in the Olympics, then they aren't really first-rate. The Olympics is first-rate. Professional sports is first rate. If you call someone a first-rate scientist, then they had better be working at JPL or Los Alamos or CERN or similar. THAT is first-rate.

To call ANY school in CCSD "first-rate" is to basically give up. "This is as good as we're ever going to get. There will never be any improvement on this system. These are the best schools we are capable of." Let's call them "first rate" and call it a day. It's good enough for Clark County.

So pardon me for comparing the schools in CCSD with the finest institutions in the country and asking, "Why can't we have THAT?" Yes, I absolutely realize that not everyone wants or needs a prestige school. But there are students here in Clark County who could benefit from a Deerfield or a Hotchkiss and they don't have any options (unless their parents are wealthy enough to make it happen elsewhere.)

So yes. I have a different opinion of what constitutes "first rate." And I see "first rate" as something we should be striving to attain. If you think that ANY school in CCSD can go head-to-head with the best our country has to offer, then we can agree to disagree.

[kimba01]

Aww, come on...I agree that the schools here need help but to say that someone is not first rate because they don't or can't pursue the Olympics or pro sports is a little bit of stretch. Not all first raters want to be where you think they should be.

[ScoopLV]

It's a sad fact of life that not everyone has the same skills and abilities. I will never be a rock star, even though I would love to play virtuoso guitar. I simply do not have the coordination or the ear to do so. I still practice, and I enjoy it. But I will never, ever, ever be a first-rate guitarist. Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani and Eddy Van Halen are first-rate guitarists.

Maybe someday I'll be "good." Maybe with enough work I'll even be "excellent." But let's be honest with ourselves -- I ain't never going to be "great" or "first-rate." And that's OK. Let the first-rate musicians go to places like the Boston Conservatory. They have the option to do so.

It's the same with schools. Students can excel on their own -- given the skills and enough ambition. But to say that CCSD is doing everything possible to challenge our brightest students simply does not square with reality.

Many schools under the CCSD umbrella are awful. Some are just mediocre. And most are average. A few are good. But what about great? Is anyone going to make an argument that even one of the nation's truly great schools is located in the Las Vegas Valley? I don't think this is a defensible position.

[kimba01]

I don't think it's sad...I'm happy we all have different skill sets. There are things I wish I could do better, like sing or paint...I understand that. I just think that there are many people with first rate skills who choose not to use them...like Phil on duck dynasty...he had first rate football skills and turned it down to hunt ducks...lol...he still ended up rich, though!