Once again, FCPS fails to do the right thing for our students. Even though the research shows that our grading scale is hurting our students in college admissions, and college scholarships, Dr.Dale is recommending that it not be changed. Since our school board works for Dale and staff, they will support this no change policy.

Read Fairgrades excellent response here, the fist pdf file:
http://www.fairgrade.org/topic.aspx?cat=34

Please remember this when the school board begs you to lobby the board of supervisors to increase your taxes so that they can have more money to waste, more money to spend against your best interests. Refusing to change the grading scale just took money out of the pocket of every parent who hopes to send their child to college. They don't care about the students or the parents yet they will expect you to want to pay more in taxes so that they can have more money for their big, fancy, second, staff office building, and millions more for their ever expanding, useless, bureaucracy. They need a raise in pay, but you don't need to save money on college tuition. Just another thumb to the eye from FCPS.

There is already a thread about this. Please check the site first before you push your mommy agenda and most of us could give a crap less about anyways.

J-man it's really you???????????

Hang in there buddy.
Attachments:

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Once again, FCPS fails to do the right thing for
> our students. Even though the research shows that
> our grading scale is hurting our students in
> college admissions, and college scholarships,
> Dr.Dale is recommending that it not be changed.
> Since our school board works for Dale and staff,
> they will support this no change policy.
>
> Read Fairgrades excellent response here, the fist
> pdf file:
> http://www.fairgrade.org/topic.aspx?cat=34
>
> Please remember this when the school board begs
> you to lobby the board of supervisors to increase
> your taxes so that they can have more money to
> waste, more money to spend against your best
> interests. Refusing to change the grading scale
> just took money out of the pocket of every parent
> who hopes to send their child to college. They
> don't care about the students or the parents yet
> they will expect you to want to pay more in taxes
> so that they can have more money for their big,
> fancy, second, staff office building, and millions
> more for their ever expanding, useless,
> bureaucracy. They need a raise in pay, but you
> don't need to save money on college tuition. Just
> another thumb to the eye from FCPS.


Give me a break. It does not hurt a child's chances at college the way FCPS grades. Every transcript carries a grading scale for all admissions officers to see. Fairfax students go to colleges in record numbers. The grading policy does not matter, students have been doing fine with it for years. Fairfax students have no problem finding a college.
This is just a cry from parents with under-achieving children, who want their children's GPA higher. Even if it is higher, it still comes with a grading scale and means the same thing. Please get it through your head. It is good for kids to struggle for grades now, teaches them to work harder in college and in life. Today too many kids are being babied.
"my kid can't go to a slum at South Lakes, I want her in a heroin factory, with kids capable of shooting up the school at Westfield." "my kid has a 72 that should be a C not a D+, give me a damn break."

FCPSschoolboardSupporter,

Ridiculous post from someone whose writing style indicates that they "might" have graduated from high school, but certainly didn't go to college. Are you by any chance the editor for the Sun Gazette? Or maybe Jack Dale?

Jesus Christ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is already a thread about this. Please check
> the site first before you push your mommy agenda
> and most of us could give a crap less about
> anyways.


I really thought that Neen had crawled back under her rock when the redistricting thread died. I pray that this isn't the catalyst for another 200K post discussion which turns into a pissing contest between Neen and her antagonists.

Neen.....get a life and tell you children to buckle down and keep up with the rest of us

For those of you who are anti-Neen, please stfu and let her post whatever or whenever she wishes. Welcome back, Neen!

Neenfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> For those of you who are anti-Neen, please stfu
> and let her post whatever or whenever she wishes.
> Welcome back, Neen!


Does Neen really need you to defend her? I think that she made it very clear on the redistricting page that she has PLENTY of time to read bulletin boards and write long, passionate screeds. We know that she has MAJOR issues with the FCPS SB; we know that she is smarter than all of us; we know that she sinks her teeth into this like one of Michael Vick's pit bulls. The thing is, most of us really don't care.

I would have thought Neen was too busy reducing the price on her fabulous close-to-Madison HS-and-Vienna-metro home (just down $20K, with further reductions sure to follow) to jump back into the fray.

But now I'm confused - is NEED THE SAME ANTI-DALE POSTER WHO POSTS IN ALL CAPS ON THE OTHER THREAD? OR DOES HE/SHE JUST LIFT HER POSTS VERBATIM AND POST THEM UNDER HIS OWN SCREEN NAME?

Welcome back, Neen!

This is such a relief, I was very concerned that you may have done something rash after my election on Nov 4.

If Neen is so worried that FCPS is screwing her kids, then she should move to another county. Problem solved. Oh wait, FCPS is actually one of the better school systems around. She can't have her cake and eat it too.

FCPS has a lot of problems, that much is certain, but I hate these types of people. People who want the entire world to lower their standards and cater to them so they don't have to apply themselves. Way to teach your kids that they don't have to work hard, they just need to wait until the standards are low enough for them to qualify.

And by the way, colleges know what the grading system is for FCPS, because it's on the transcript. So the colleges can weigh it within their own admissioin standards.

Not Sure Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If Neen is so worried that FCPS is screwing her
> kids, then she should move to another county.
> Problem solved. Oh wait, FCPS is actually one of
> the better school systems around. She can't have
> her cake and eat it too.
>
> FCPS has a lot of problems, that much is certain,
> but I hate these types of people. People who want
> the entire world to lower their standards and
> cater to them so they don't have to apply
> themselves. Way to teach your kids that they
> don't have to work hard, they just need to wait
> until the standards are low enough for them to
> qualify.
>
> And by the way, colleges know what the grading
> system is for FCPS, because it's on the
> transcript. So the colleges can weigh it within
> their own admissioin standards.

Get with the program. Neen's kids are long out of the FCPS system and she did move to another county (or will do so as soon as she sells her depreciating asset near the Vienna metro). She still hates the SB, however, as a matter of principle.

Yeah right, I'm sure admissions offices take the time to look at the school system's grading scale and convert the applicable transcript to the equivalent of a ten point scale before they stamp the application with a big, fat NO.

Not Sure Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And by the way, colleges know what the grading
> system is for FCPS, because it's on the
> transcript. So the colleges can weigh it within
> their own admissioin standards.


Spot on...we just finished getting our last child into college and there wasn't an admission's counselor at any school who did not know about the FCPS grading policy and we are talking about schools well outside Virginia including Pomona, Pepperdine, Vanderbilt, Emory, Auburn, LSU, Marquette, Tennessee and Texas.

I have not heard from any friends with children at Lake Braddock, Robinson, TJ, Woodson, Fairfax or Centreville who have been denied merit aid based on their subpar grades. Good students are recognized for their accomplishments. The current grading system does not reward mediocrity. Using the example cited earlier, I don't see why a student with a 91 or 92 should get the same grade in a course as a student with a 97, 98 or 99. I do agree with the recommendation that AP/IB courses receive a 1-point increase in letter grade, but with a stipulation that the original grade is a 'B' or better.

Not Sure Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If Neen is so worried that FCPS is screwing her
> kids, then she should move to another county.
> Problem solved. Oh wait, FCPS is actually one of
> the better school systems around. She can't have
> her cake and eat it too.
>
> FCPS has a lot of problems, that much is certain,
> but I hate these types of people. People who want
> the entire world to lower their standards and
> cater to them so they don't have to apply
> themselves. Way to teach your kids that they
> don't have to work hard, they just need to wait
> until the standards are low enough for them to
> qualify.
>
> And by the way, colleges know what the grading
> system is for FCPS, because it's on the
> transcript. So the colleges can weigh it within
> their own admissioin standards.


Right on. FCPS has had this grading policy for years and kids from this county get into many fine schools..

For the people who think Admissions Officers do not look at the grading scales, that is a stupid argument. FCPS is one of the top education systems in the country and admissions officers all over the country are familiar with it.

Stop making excuses for your children to slack by lowering standards. The grade scale does not affect the students very much, and even if they did change it, if 20,000 kids got an "A" instead of a "B+" colleges would have to deny more of the kids who earned their A's, because their are still quotas. So a change in the grading system would hurt those students that work harder.

If you work a bit and get a 3.0 in Fairfax, you will get to attend a decent school.

For those you who don't read the Post, which appears to be the majority here, you might want to read today's front page. Your little anecdotal stories conflict with the facts as FCPS's own study demonstrated.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/02/AR2009010202430.html?hpid=topnews

Don't you love it when staff spends tens of thousands of dollars on a study and then ignores it? Don't you love it when they cost taxpayers money in loss of scholarships for their kids, and then turn around ask them to lobby to have their taxes raised so that the educrats can get a bigger raise and a fancier new office building while kids go to schools with bad plumbing, leaking roofs, and over crowded trailers? Gotta love 'em. They've got more guts than Superman. And the crazy thing is, it will work! People will actually BEG the county to raise their taxes so these clowns can waste more of the their money! hahaha......too funny!

FCPSschoolboardSupporter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not Sure Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If Neen is so worried that FCPS is screwing her
> > kids, then she should move to another county.
> > Problem solved. Oh wait, FCPS is actually one
> of
> > the better school systems around. She can't
> have
> > her cake and eat it too.
> >
> > FCPS has a lot of problems, that much is
> certain,
> > but I hate these types of people. People who
> want
> > the entire world to lower their standards and
> > cater to them so they don't have to apply
> > themselves. Way to teach your kids that they
> > don't have to work hard, they just need to wait
> > until the standards are low enough for them to
> > qualify.
> >
> > And by the way, colleges know what the grading
> > system is for FCPS, because it's on the
> > transcript. So the colleges can weigh it
> within
> > their own admissioin standards.
>
>
> Right on. FCPS has had this grading policy for
> years and kids from this county get into many fine
> schools..
>
> For the people who think Admissions Officers do
> not look at the grading scales, that is a stupid
> argument. FCPS is one of the top education
> systems in the country and admissions officers all
> over the country are familiar with it.
>
> Stop making excuses for your children to slack by
> lowering standards. The grade scale does not
> affect the students very much, and even if they
> did change it, if 20,000 kids got an "A" instead
> of a "B+" colleges would have to deny more of the
> kids who earned their A's, because their are still
> quotas. So a change in the grading system would
> hurt those students that work harder.
>
> If you work a bit and get a 3.0 in Fairfax, you
> will get to attend a decent school.

A 'decent' school? Some people have slightly higher standards. And, believe it or not, some people want to send their kids to schools outside of the Old Dominion, where there are no geographical quotas. AND, hold on to your socks, not every one of the 10,000 colleges in the US is aware of the funny little, penalizing, grading scale in Fairfax county, Virginia. So, yes, as the county study proved, our students suffer by not being accepted into Honors Programs and Scholarship Money.

I suggest you actually read the study, or at least the Washington Post article, before you comment again and expose your ignorance to an even wider audience. But it's entirely up to you. I always enjoy the posters here for their entertainment value.

Short Seller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not Sure Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If Neen is so worried that FCPS is screwing her
> > kids, then she should move to another county.
> > Problem solved. Oh wait, FCPS is actually one
> of
> > the better school systems around. She can't
> have
> > her cake and eat it too.
> >
> > FCPS has a lot of problems, that much is
> certain,
> > but I hate these types of people. People who
> want
> > the entire world to lower their standards and
> > cater to them so they don't have to apply
> > themselves. Way to teach your kids that they
> > don't have to work hard, they just need to wait
> > until the standards are low enough for them to
> > qualify.
> >
> > And by the way, colleges know what the grading
> > system is for FCPS, because it's on the
> > transcript. So the colleges can weigh it
> within
> > their own admissioin standards.
>
> Get with the program. Neen's kids are long out of
> the FCPS system and she did move to another county
> (or will do so as soon as she sells her
> depreciating asset near the Vienna metro). She
> still hates the SB, however, as a matter of
> principle.

REally? Do tell? Ignorance of facts is what keeps this place so amusing.

YOU also might want to read the report, or at least the Post article.
Oops, I forgot, they cancelled your subscription due to lack of payment. You can still check it out here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/02/AR2009010202430.html?hpid=topnews

FCPS School board supporter,
I heard that there was one! Wow! Awesome that you came here! It's always fun to meet a famous person!

Neen, are you actually urging people to read the Washington Post?

Shocking

Hey Short Seller,
Don't quit your day job at Starbucks. A detective you ain't. You obviously don't know Neen, or you would know where she lives. You would also know that houses near the metro are not the ones losing value, like the ones in your Reston neighborhood.

Gotten the bank to agree to that short sale yet? We coulda told ya that a Reston shack would never be worth what you paid for it. Too bad your kids got stuck in that crummy school because his ONE 'rent was so dumb.

Schools are notified of the FCPS grading scale. They take it into account when looking at various students....This has been going on forever...Why be a retard about it now?

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> A 'decent' school? Some people have slightly
> higher standards. And, believe it or not, some
> people want to send their kids to schools outside
> of the Old Dominion, where there are no
> geographical quotas. AND, hold on to your socks,
> not every one of the 10,000 colleges in the US is
> aware of the funny little, penalizing, grading
> scale in Fairfax county, Virginia. So, yes, as the
> county study proved, our students suffer by not
> being accepted into Honors Programs and
> Scholarship Money.

Neen you are an ignorant shit. The first line in the Washington Post is the grading scale does not affect the children's shot at getting into in a college. If it affects scholarship money, tell your kids to work harder, why make excuses. The harder they work in high school, the more ready they will be for college. That's exactly what FCPS's grading system supports.

The thing about Fairfax is there are alot of students. Almost all of them apply out of state. Schools out of Virginia know about Fairfax as it is a top 5 school system, and guess what Neen..... Schools out of Virginia get the same transcript with the grade scale as those in Virginia. Plus Fairfaxs kids get accepted more, because colleges realize their parents have more money, and the more money you have the less likely you are to get a substantial scholarship.

Your ignorance is sad. What is more sad is that you spend all day on these boards bashing FCPS. Get a Life. Ofcourse you are going to win this argument because you're not going to stop. Kids in Fairfax go to college, just as anywhere else, colleges know Fairfax County. Damn it Neen.

You must be right about Neen's property. Clearly, it isn't losing value, since it "shows like a dream." She just tried to sell it for more than it was ever worth. In any event, the price was recently cut $20K. Maybe after it stays unsold another three months reality will start to kick in.

Alright kids, listen here. I was bored so i read the entire 120 page report.

The report and the post artice both note that there was no conclusive evidence that the grading scale hurt FFX student's chances of getting accepted at colleges.

The report also says why this is: the report-writers were lazy. They did not do any sort of comparision between an FCPS applicant and a 10-point grade scale applicant to a college. There can be no evidence that the FCPS grade scale hurts FCPS applicants if the study did not observe any.

To me this seems like a good way to bias the report in the favor of keeping the grade scale.

Agreed, from a 3rd year college student who HAS done his 12 years in FCPS. This is just an excuse for under achieving children.

FCPSschoolboardSupporter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Neen you are an ignorant shit. The first line in
> the Washington Post is the grading scale does not
> affect the children's shot at getting into in a
> college. If it affects scholarship money, tell
> your kids to work harder, why make excuses. The
> harder they work in high school, the more ready
> they will be for college. That's exactly what
> FCPS's grading system supports.
>
> The thing about Fairfax is there are alot of
> students. Almost all of them apply out of state.
> Schools out of Virginia know about Fairfax as it
> is a top 5 school system, and guess what Neen.....
> Schools out of Virginia get the same transcript
> with the grade scale as those in Virginia. Plus
> Fairfaxs kids get accepted more, because colleges
> realize their parents have more money, and the
> more money you have the less likely you are to get
> a substantial scholarship.
>
> Your ignorance is sad. What is more sad is that
> you spend all day on these boards bashing FCPS.
> Get a Life. Ofcourse you are going to win this
> argument because you're not going to stop. Kids
> in Fairfax go to college, just as anywhere else,
> colleges know Fairfax County. Damn it Neen.

saw that someone posted the question in collegeconfidential, and it is clear from the responses that many systems in the nation use the FCPS scale.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/630510-fairfax-grading-tough-94-a.html?highlight=fairfax+grading

Agreed from an FCPS senior who has done 12 years in FCPS that this is just an excuse for under achieving children.

Travis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Agreed from an FCPS senior who has done 12 years
> in FCPS that this is just an excuse for under
> achieving children.


Agreed from another FCPS grad aswell. Colleges will take you, if you do decent in FCPS, and I feel when I went to college, I was much more prepared for it than kids from other areas.

I went to Mason, while it required work, it was much easier for me to do well because of FCPS. I got better grades in college then I did in high school, back at Westfield, and I did not put in much more time. The county just does a good job teaching you the basics of education, and it makes college so much easier being ahead of the game.

barack Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Welcome back, Neen!
>
> This is such a relief, I was very concerned that
> you may have done something rash after my election
> on Nov 4.

Hahaha, thank you! I survived the election, just hope that we all survive the next 4 years. So far, Harry Reid and Governor Blago are making it a lot of fun.

FCPSschoolboardSupporter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Neen Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > A 'decent' school? Some people have slightly
> > higher standards. And, believe it or not, some
> > people want to send their kids to schools
> outside
> > of the Old Dominion, where there are no
> > geographical quotas. AND, hold on to your
> socks,
> > not every one of the 10,000 colleges in the US
> is
> > aware of the funny little, penalizing, grading
> > scale in Fairfax county, Virginia. So, yes, as
> the
> > county study proved, our students suffer by not
> > being accepted into Honors Programs and
> > Scholarship Money.
>
> Neen you are an ignorant shit. The first line in
> the Washington Post is the grading scale does not
> affect the children's shot at getting into in a
> college. If it affects scholarship money, tell
> your kids to work harder, why make excuses. The
> harder they work in high school, the more ready
> they will be for college. That's exactly what
> FCPS's grading system supports.
>
> The thing about Fairfax is there are alot of
> students. Almost all of them apply out of state.
> Schools out of Virginia know about Fairfax as it
> is a top 5 school system, and guess what Neen.....
> Schools out of Virginia get the same transcript
> with the grade scale as those in Virginia. Plus
> Fairfaxs kids get accepted more, because colleges
> realize their parents have more money, and the
> more money you have the less likely you are to get
> a substantial scholarship.
>
> Your ignorance is sad. What is more sad is that
> you spend all day on these boards bashing FCPS.
> Get a Life. Ofcourse you are going to win this
> argument because you're not going to stop. Kids
> in Fairfax go to college, just as anywhere else,
> colleges know Fairfax County. Damn it Neen.

Hahaha, there, there, dear. Of course you are right, every college in the US, and abroad, is aware of how special Lake Wobegone is. Oops, I meant how FCPS. Everyone is well above average and every college knows that. (Just keep telling yourself that, it makes you feel better).

Bless your heart. Try not to feel so defensive, being the last supporter of the school board is a very special place to be. We all respect your convictions. The loneliness must be terrible for you. God love you.

Funny thing, You sound just like our own very special school board member, or his very special friend, both being well over 50, considering the references. Or maybe just his special friend du jour. wink, wink.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2009 10:33PM by Neen.

FCPSschoolboardSupporter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Travis Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Agreed from an FCPS senior who has done 12
> years
> > in FCPS that this is just an excuse for under
> > achieving children.
>
>
> Agreed from another FCPS grad aswell. Colleges
> will take you, if you do decent in FCPS, and I
> feel when I went to college, I was much more
> prepared for it than kids from other areas.
>
> I went to Mason, while it required work, it was
> much easier for me to do well because of FCPS. I
> got better grades in college then I did in high
> school, back at Westfield, and I did not put in
> much more time. The county just does a good job
> teaching you the basics of education, and it makes
> college so much easier being ahead of the game.

duh. of course you were well prepared for the school you could get into. FCPS kids have high SATs and lower GPAs. That means they go to schools that are filled with students who aren't as smart as they are. They can't get into the challenging schools because their GPA's are comparable. Of course you look good compared to the others at your colleges. You are not at the schools where you should be because of the inferior grading scale of FCPS.

Did you see Marc Fisher's article? He makes some excellent points. Since when does a 1200-1249 SAT mean a student should have a really high GPA, really a 4.0? That simply means other districts have grade inflation. Here it is:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010502769.html

Interesting...I graduated from FCPS in 1991 with the same grading scale. I got accepted to 6 out of 7 colleges I applied to (in state and out of state) and went to the one I had my heart set on (VA Tech). All of my friends went to the college of their choice. As a matter of fact almost all of my graduation class went to college. Same with my younger sister and my younger cousins.

While in college I met many people from FCPS, so it looks like they got into a good college as well. I, along with all of my college friends and family, are now gainfully employed and fairly successful.

Wow. I didn't realize I was being screwed over. Imagine what my life would be like if I could have gotten an "A" with an extra four grading points!! Oh, yeah, probably the same - college grad, good job....

Quit bitching and make your kids appreciate the fact that to succeed you should work harder than the next guy. If you think this country is in trouble now, just wait until all of these kids who have been completely coddled and bottle-fed through life get to the point where they are "in charge". Hopefully I'll be dead by then.

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> You are not at the
> schools where you should be because of the
> inferior grading scale of FCPS.


Are you implying that students with higher GPAs should be at specific schools? I always thought that you should attend the school that is the right fit for you. One of my daughters, a TJ grad, got into MIT, but opted for Georgia Tech for a host of reasons, not the least of which was the culture of the school. Are her GPA and SAT scores well above her peers? Yes, but she is very happy in Atlanta. Another daughter had a 3.9 at Robinson with full IB and decided on Colorado State over Duke and Dartmouth.

.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2009 09:12PM by Awakened.

Awakened Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Who the fuck cares? We should have the same damn
> opportunity. You don't want grade inflation? then
> FINE. Remove it from ALL COUNTIES AROUND HERE/IN
> THE NATION

Whew, I guess you are awake. I merely posted the article because he did make an interesting point, in my opinion. Plenty of people whom I disagree with make interesting points, that is the beauty of a discussion.

It will be interesting to see how the discussion goes tonight. I do hope those speaking on behalf of FAIRGRADE don't exclaim quite as rudely or loudly as you did, if they hear a point made by someone they disagree with.

TomMadison Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Neen Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > You are not at the
> > schools where you should be because of the
> > inferior grading scale of FCPS.
>
>
> Are you implying that students with higher GPAs
> should be at specific schools? I always thought
> that you should attend the school that is the
> right fit for you. One of my daughters, a TJ
> grad, got into MIT, but opted for Georgia Tech for
> a host of reasons, not the least of which was the
> culture of the school. Are her GPA and SAT scores
> well above her peers? Yes, but she is very happy
> in Atlanta. Another daughter had a 3.9 at
> Robinson with full IB and decided on Colorado
> State over Duke and Dartmouth.

Choice, my dear, CHOICE. With the current scale, it lessens the choices that our students have. If you have math kids, I know that you are smart enough to figure this out.

There must be more to life than being one of these. In general I'm glad you care but enough is enough.


http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/warriorshtm/issues.htm