Hang in there. Our school is technically the 2nd to lowest rating classification due to changes in the ways school ratings grades are calculated. It's ridiculous. On paper you could look at it and think OH SHIT, but in reality it has a great PTA, active, caring teachers, and while the principal is meh, the other things balance out. Kids are happy and learning there. Try not to put too much stock in government ratings of schools. There are a lot of politics, and HUGE money, involved in the new school classification systems being put into place, and I strongly believe they give a warped picture of the school (to benefit all sorts of people, none of whom are students and parents).
If the staff is mostly the same, under the same leadership from when it was a "good" school, try to take a deep breath and consider giving it a chance. How's the PTA? That can make a big difference, even in a "failing" school. Parents can get shit done, as you know. Schools with a high population on free and reduced lunch can still have a good infrastructure that supports learning that isn't quantifiable by standardized tests.
I hope you can tour the school soon, and that that, with other info people have here, can put your mind at ease a little.
Unfortunately, he probably can't be tested for Gifted yet. Generally, they don't start testing in the county until at least 1st grade. Otherwise, you'd have to get private testing done, which is expensive.
If you can't work out a parochial school/charter doesn't open up and you have to choose between homeschooling and supplementing (part time homeschooling), I'd go with supplementing. It is good for X to learn from an adult who isn't a parent, at least to start. If over the course of the school year you are very uncomfortable with the school, you can choose to start homeschooling at any time. I hope it doesn't come to that, since it isn't something you are very interested in.
Unfortunately, he probably can't be tested for Gifted yet. Generally, they don't start testing in the county until at least 1st grade. Otherwise, you'd have to get private testing done, which is expensive.
If you can't work out a parochial school/charter doesn't open up and you have to choose between homeschooling and supplementing (part time homeschooling), I'd go with supplementing. It is good for X to learn from an adult who isn't a parent, at least to start. If over the course of the school year you are very uncomfortable with the school, you can choose to start homeschooling at any time. I hope it doesn't come to that, since it isn't something you are very interested in.
I was wondering how that worked. DS started Gifted in 2nd grade. He was having behavior issues in 1st and the teacher thought it was because he was bored and would be better suited for the gifted program, which also seemed to have different teaching methods that were better suited for him. He started out in a blended classroom with some kindergartners in it and I was wondering how they were already tested.
@smace I know he is still young and this is probably not the case for you, but I just learned of something called The McKay Scholarship www.floridaschoolchoice.org/Information/McKay/ which gives help for private schools if your child has a learning disability. My son qualifies since he has ADHD and we may end up using it if he continues to struggle with middle school. I'm not saying you should go out and have your child tested or anything; just that, maybe there is something similar available that you don't know about that could help.
I'm not SMACE, but I also live in FL. The county I live in (also different from SMACE) very rarely approves variances. It usually only happens if your child is in a Gifted program and the school you are zoned for doesn't have it, or if your parent works at an out of zone school. I went through this when we moved and my son had just been diagnosed with ADHD. We worried that changing schools right when he was beginning treatment and seeing an improvement would cause him to backtrack. We were denied and when I asked why, they told me most variances are.
@smace I think in my county, if the school is rated a D, you can ask to move to a different school. Maybe that could be an option? Have him tested for Gifted and get a variance that way? i hate that you are going through this and can relate. Florida's education system is totally lacking and it is so frustrating.
No. Only if it's an F three years in a row (i think re:3 years. I know for sure it's only available for f schools)
I'm sorry. Is there a way you can be on a waiting list if spots open up at the other schools?
I'm not sure what your work situation is, but maybe you can volunteer at zoned school when X starts so you get a better idea of what's going on in the classroom? You may like his teacher, even if the school has a bad grade. You can always supplement at home, too. Sort of like post time homeschooling without wanting to rip your hair out.
Yes, I'm on a waiting list but they said to not hold my breath, kids from the WLs rarely get in.
I was supposed to work at X's preschool next year so I can afford for Wesley to attend, so if that doesn't happen, Wesley cannot go to school and I'll likely burn bridges pretty severely by not working after I promised I would.
We were waitlisted and we got the email about 6 days before school started saying we got in. It is a long shot but maybe this will happen for you?
I am so sorry. It sucks, and I know I was in a similar situation as you. Is your local school really that bad? We were zoned for a "C" school but this year with a new principal that school is moving up to a "B".
Is there a catholic school near you? They provide need based tuition assistance.
the few I've looked into had assistance only available for Church members and i dont want to switch. I love where i am.And i dont think that id even be eligible even if i did switch, at least not for that immediate year. Our church has a waiting period for the discount, as most do in the area.
Of course i didnt research them all just the ones that popped up on google.
Yeah, this is what sucks about private schools. I can't afford $15K a year to send my kid to private school. But I make too much to get any discounts or help so crappy school I am zoned or get lucky and get into a charter school. Wah. We were literally jumping for joy when we got the email that he got in.
Post by statlerwaldorf on Mar 3, 2015 10:47:48 GMT -5
Have you talked to people with children who attend the school? DD goes to a school with pretty low scores and 85% free or reduced lunch. I've been happy with her school. The teachers and principal are really great. They have a lot of turn over, children being raised by grandparents, parents that work evenings and can't help their children with homework, homeless students, etc. I've heard a lot of negative things about her school, but not from actual parents of students.
Is there a catholic school near you? They provide need based tuition assistance.
the few I've looked into had assistance only available for Church members and i dont want to switch. I love where i am.And i dont think that id even be eligible even if i did switch, at least not for that immediate year. Our church has a waiting period for the discount, as most do in the area.
Of course i didnt research them all just the ones that popped up on google.
I'm really sorry about your situation. Educating my kids has caused me a ton of stress and my oldest isn't even 5. Still, I would explore every possible option you have for private school, regardless of church affiliation. It doesn't hurt to try, kwim? In Seattle, most of our independent schools -- and some parochial schools-- operate off the same admissions and financial aid system.
Have you talked to people with children who attend the school? DD goes to a school with pretty low scores and 85% free or reduced lunch. I've been happy with her school. The teachers and principal are really great. They have a lot of turn over, children being raised by grandparents, parents that work evenings and can't help their children with homework, homeless students, etc. I've heard a lot of negative things about her school, but not from actual parents of students.
This is a really good point. There are parts of Central Florida that have a fairly high transient population which can impact test scores. That doesn't necessarily mean the school and teachers aren't good.
Hang in there. Our school is technically the 2nd to lowest rating classification due to changes in the ways school ratings grades are calculated. It's ridiculous. On paper you could look at it and think OH SHIT, but in reality it has a great PTA, active, caring teachers, and while the principal is meh, the other things balance out. Kids are happy and learning there. Try not to put too much stock in government ratings of schools. There are a lot of politics, and HUGE money, involved in the new school classification systems being put into place, and I strongly believe they give a warped picture of the school (to benefit all sorts of people, none of whom are students and parents).
If the staff is mostly the same, under the same leadership from when it was a "good" school, try to take a deep breath and consider giving it a chance. How's the PTA? That can make a big difference, even in a "failing" school. Parents can get shit done, as you know. Schools with a high population on free and reduced lunch can still have a good infrastructure that supports learning that isn't quantifiable by standardized tests.
I hope you can tour the school soon, and that that, with other info people have here, can put your mind at ease a little.
I have a stupid question, is this a regional thing? Or is this about private school vs. public school? I had never heard of school lotteries before I started posting here. I just thorough you sent your kid to the school district you're in or put them in catholic school or something.
I'm sorry, @smace. I hope something comes up that you are comfortable and happy with.
If I remember correctly she was looking at a charter school. We applied to three charters and only got into one after being waitlisted.
What really annoys me is that there are many parents who are actually zoned for great "A" schools who have their kids in the charters. STAHP people! LOL.
I live in the Orlando area and my sister in law has been an elementary school teacher for over a decade in this area. If you want to pm me the school name I might be able to get you some insider info on the admin and teachers if she has worked there or one of her many teacher friends have.
But other than that, I would try to remain positive. Worst case scenario: he goes to a crappy school for one year while you work out a solution for next year. Best case scenario: the school is better than it seems on paper or he gets a great teacher.
This is a really good point. There are parts of Central Florida that have a fairly high transient population which can impact test scores. That doesn't necessarily mean the school and teachers aren't good.
See, but this is my whole concern. The student demographic has never changed and they went from straight A's to a D in 4 years. Other people have said there were changes in testing procedure but to drop so far so quick, I mean am I crazy to be worried?
I know the administration has been a big problem at the school.
Not crazy to be worried but I was hopeful there were other factors impacting the grade.
FWIW, my son was in kindergarten at an A rated school and had the WORST teacher ever. I knew from experience because she was my CCD teacher when I was younger. I kept him in there because I thought that maybe it would be good for him to have a strict teacher, but looking back, I so wish I had him moved out. Her class had the least amount of kids in it out of all of the kindergarten classes and it didn't start out that way at the beginning of the year. lol
I definitely think that administration makes a difference too. After we left the school due to moving, they got a new principal who took away recess and made other changes not received well by the teachers. We moved to a lower income based school and had the best experience there.
I get the anxiety, though. I remember feeling that way when our variance was denied. I hate not knowing what to expect and feeling like I don't have control of a situation.
And i just want to be clear, my concern isnt that it's a lower income school. My concern is the rapid decline and mot hearing anything positive to make me feel better or not giving me something else to judge the school on other than the grade from standardized tests.
There is an elementary school where I live that scored bad and the people who go there loved the school. Same with an area high school.
I really hate the standardized testing thing and how much weight they give to everything. I know there is a big movement happening now with the new FSA test. DD is supposed to take hers on Friday and the county suspended the testing after the servers went down yesterday when kids tried to take it.
I didn't mean to imply that you are worried because of the economical makeup. I just meant that people in my area tended to turn their nose up when this particular school was mentioned and they judged it by the location. It wasn't until DS went there that we experienced first hand how awesome the school actually is.
In your place, I'd send him to the public school. And then just supplement with activities at home. While the school itself might be low-rated, there are hidden gems to be found in even the crappiest school.
I just went through a very similar process with DD. My friend in education assured me that research shows that what matters most is parental involvement and that, in the meantime while you possibly figure out a better solution, your kiddo will be fine at a low-rated school, as long as you supplement and stay involved with his education. FWIW DD's school doesn't look great on paper but we've had an awesome experience thus far.