Why is Falls Church HS So Low-Performing? (elementary school, income)

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Grsz11

Wouldn't the percent passing be from just those that were tested, so that 31% of 50% is greater overall than 33% of 39%.

The 31% for Stuart was an adjusted pass rate based on 50% of students taking IB courses and a 62% "pass" rate (i.e., a score that typically might receive some college credit) for those taking the IB exams. Not sure which other school was the source of the other numbers, but obviously the comparison needs to be an apples-to-apples comparison to make sense.

Also, the US News methodology weights the adjusted rate (for Stuart, 31%) 75% and the unadjusted rate (for Stuart, 50%) 25% in determining the "college readiness" index. Depending on the numbers, you could have a situation where a school with a higher participation rate ends up being assigned a higher rating than a school with a lower participation rate, but a higher "pass" rate.

[Merucy]

I've taught for 17 years and have worked at 3 other FCPS schools. This is my second year teaching at Falls Church HS. Falls Church HS is my favorite school to teach at. The children are nicer to each other than any other schools I have taught at. We now have the best computer science department in the county.

[homebeyer2013]

Originally Posted by Merucy

I've taught for 17 years and have worked at 3 other FCPS schools. This is my second year teaching at Falls Church HS. Falls Church HS is my favorite school to teach at. The children are nicer to each other than any other schools I have taught at. We now have the best computer science department in the county.

Perhaps, you should ask nana to assist with grammar.

[leighland]

Originally Posted by homebeyer2013

Perhaps, you should ask nana to assist with grammar.

Home Buyer, honey. Home Buyer..

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by homebeyer2013

Perhaps, you should ask nana to assist with grammar.

Nothing wrong with ending a sentence with a preposition. Would you really say "at which I have taught" in anything but the a very formal document?

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by homebeyer2013

Perhaps, you should ask nana to assist with grammar.

Worst post of 2014

[FindingZen]

Grammar can be discussed over on the Education forum. Let's return back to topic, please...

[marie5v]

Originally Posted by Merucy

I've taught for 17 years and have worked at 3 other FCPS schools. This is my second year teaching at Falls Church HS. Falls Church HS is my favorite school to teach at. The children are nicer to each other than any other schools I have taught at. We now have the best computer science department in the county.

Interesting to have a teacher point of view. How are the administrators, and are the teachers there mostly as happy as you are? Is there a lot of stress over test scores and student home problems?

[Merucy]

Originally Posted by marie5v

Interesting to have a teacher point of view. How are the administrators, and are the teachers there mostly as happy as you are? Is there a lot of stress over test scores and student home problems?

This is Mr. Yohe's first year as our principal and he's being a great leader. I've seen him handle discipline effectively. He works hard at getting teachers into position to do their best and staying out of the way. Our principal's priority appears to be putting a stellar product on the table and promoting that fact to correct the inaccurate perceptions of our school.
The AP's are not perfect but are a solid group. I believe each has the students' best interest at heart. I have not seen a single AP make an executive decision without reason. When the best choice is unclear, they put the decision in the hands of the subject area teachers. In many other schools, the admins tend to have bloated egos and would give directives as if he/she was an expert. Again, our AP's, like our principal, try to not interfere in areas that are best left to the subject specialist. They trust us to do our absolute best.
The teachers appear to be happier than teachers at other schools. Most share my opinion that our kids are the nicest students. Our primary point of frustration is the 50% rule. If a student does nothing, we are required to give them a grade no lower than 50%. There is currently a discussion to inflate our grades further by changing to a quality point system. In that system, a student can earn a D+ first quarter and do nothing the rest of the year and still average out to a passing grade for the course.
With regards to test scores: we are constantly concerned about these issues. Our kids may be kinder, but academically they function similar to other high poverty schools. Our job is to ensure they continue to out perform the expectations of outsiders. Because of our attachment to the students, their struggles fuel us to constantly try to find ways to effectively reach our children. We believe that the culmination of every effort our community puts forth will continuously improve the lives of our children. Every school must deal with data. The data is not a true reflection of the amount of learning happening in schools. However, in the absence of good data, schools must answer to bad data because that's what the public sees.
In 2013-2014, if there was a student happiness meter in all of the FCPS high schools, Falls Church High School students would be on top. Our athletics are superb and have brought close knit school even closer. We are adding three new Advance Placement courses for the next school year. The other county schools, including TJ, are looking at the way our Computer Science program is run. Our students have started a Girls In Technology club that has caught the attention of the National Center for Women in Technology. We also have a new robotics club that is fielding two competition teams.

[Anne S]

Merucy, thanks for your insight into FCHS. Our son is heading to Luther Jackson in the fall for seventh grade and will be taking honors courses. When our family bought our house in Holmes Run Acres many years ago, we swore we would move before middle school as the school at that time was dicey. Now we hear only good things about Luther Jackson, and our son is looking forward to attending next year. That said, we are very worried about Falls Church High School. Whenever we ask other parents about the school the first thing they talk about is the athletic program. Well, our kids aren't jocks. Academics are our main concern. Many families in our neighborhood send their kids to Marshall for the IB program to avoid Falls Church. We don't want to go that route. We've contemplated moving into the Woodson pyramid, where we know our kids will attend school with other high-achieving students but won't be exposed to as much diversity. Plus we LOVE our neighborhood and have been happy with our local elementary school, Woodburn. Has Falls Church HS been successful in raising the academic achievement of the low-income/ESOL cohort while also pushing bright/gifted children from English-speaking households where both parents have at least an undergrad degree to excel? I don't want our kids to be shocked when they get to college and can't handle a rigorous course load.