Feedback on Wolftrap ES for kindergarten (Vienna, Falls Church: neighborhoods, elementary school, income)

[arabellava]

Hi- has anyone's child (or children) attended Wolftrap ES starting in kindergarten? I would appreciate any and all feedback.. DMs are good.. thank you!

[michgc]

One of my very good friends has a child at Wolftrap. Plus I know a few others there as well. They all seem to like it well enough. Nobody has complained about it. The school, in general, has a very good reputation. However, the one negative I have heard is that it is test-score driven and the parents are pretty competitive with regards to academics - who got into the GT program, what their scores were, etc. But overall, it is a great school.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by michgc

One of my very good friends has a child at Wolftrap. Plus I know a few others there as well. They all seem to like it well enough. Nobody has complained about it. The school, in general, has a very good reputation. However, the one negative I have heard is that it is test-score driven and the parents are pretty competitive with regards to academics - who got into the GT program, what their scores were, etc. But overall, it is a great school.

I've seen reference previously to Wolftrap "teaching to the test," but would be surprised if it were any more test-score driven than other public schools in the area. SOLs are a fact of life in the public schools and teachers are told to prepare students to pass the SOLs. No school wants to be labeled "did not make AYP" under NCLB because some subset of its student population didn't do well enough on the SOLs. That's a giant headache.

I think students at Wolftrap do about as well on the standardized tests as one would expect for a school that draws from that part of Vienna, but I don't recall ever hearing the administration there make a special point of emphasizing what percentage of the students passed, passed advanced, etc. Pretty much all the kids there live in SFHs in upper-income neighborhoods, so you'd expect them to do fairly well as a group.

There are some parents there who are quite involved with their kids and want to call all the shots, but the principal there tries to be fair, knows all the kids by name, and has experience with kids from lots of different backgrounds (she used to be principal at Timber Lane, which is a considerably more diverse elementary school over in Falls Church).

[michgc]

I have heard that there is more test prep. there. From what my friend told me the parents are pretty competitive as far as how well their students do with regards to test scores. Last year, both of our daughters were in 2nd grade trying to get into the AAP. At her AAP meeting, they were told how many students in their school made it into the pool (approximately 30 out of 90). My friend said that for days (weeks?) that is all any of the parents discussed. Did your kid get in the pool? What score did she get? What optional materials are you handing in?

Compare that to my school, which is on the south side of Maple Avenue. At our AAP meeting, there was absolutely no mention of how many kids made it into the pool. I never heard NOT ONE (and I'm pretty involved in the school) person discuss their kid's score, what materials they were submitting, etc. At our school, it was just not discussed AT ALL.

Again, this is what I have heard from someone who goes to this school. It is not necessarily a bad thing. And yes, I would expect this school to do well as a whole based on their socioeconomic status. People in that socioeconomic status are concerned about grades, test scores, getting into AAP, etc. It is what it is. I personally wouldn't have a problem with it. I was dying to ask other people what they were going to do -whether they would send their kids to the AAP center but it was very hush hush at my kid's school.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by michgc

I have heard that there is more test prep. there. From what my friend told me the parents are pretty competitive as far as how well their students do with regards to test scores. Last year, both of our daughters were in 2nd grade trying to get into the AAP. At her AAP meeting, they were told how many students in their school made it into the pool (approximately 30 out of 90). My friend said that for days (weeks?) that is all any of the parents discussed. Did your kid get in the pool? What score did she get? What optional materials are you handing in?

Compare that to my school, which is on the south side of Maple Avenue. At our AAP meeting, there was absolutely no mention of how many kids made it into the pool. I never heard NOT ONE (and I'm pretty involved in the school) person discuss their kid's score, what materials they were submitting, etc. At our school, it was just not discussed AT ALL.

Again, this is what I have heard from someone who goes to this school. It is not necessarily a bad thing. And yes, I would expect this school to do well as a whole based on their socioeconomic status. People in that socioeconomic status are concerned about grades, test scores, getting into AAP, etc. It is what it is. I personally wouldn't have a problem with it. I was dying to ask other people what they were going to do -whether they would send their kids to the AAP center but it was very hush hush at my kid's school.

It sounds exhausting either way. My kids are a bit older (heavy sigh of relief, as sandy beach and caipirinha start to gently beckon in the future) so I can't attest to the behavior of the parents of current second-graders at Wolftrap or any other Vienna-area school.

I suspect discussions like the one you describe can be viral. No one wants to be the first one to broach the topic, as it might seem uncouth. But once someone starts talking, the flood gates open and people with an interest in the topic talk for days or weeks, until they get bored and move on to the next burning issue.

[arabellava]

Thanks everyone - I did get a sense that testing is big at Wolftrap by listening to neighbors with older kids. I don't know anyone who has younger kids who started K there.. Do you have any insights as to bullying policies or if it's an issue? I am aware that there were some bullying issues at a non public school nearby and would like to be aware if it is an issue at Wolftrap. thank you again..