Moving to to Fairfax county - test for AAP or no?
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Anonymous
| We'll be moving to Fairfax county with an upper elementary school kid. I don't know much, if anything about AAP. What are the cutoff equivalents for tests done in DCPS that provide percentile placement (i.e. I-ready or PARCC)? Does the school test a new kid before the year starts to determine placements? Can you do separate placements foe math vs language/writing if more advanced in one vs the other? |
Anonymous
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AAP generally is shorthand for the full-time Level IV services, which are not subject based, you’re in it or you’re in General Ed (caveat for exceptions with year-by-year principal placement at non-center schools). You need to apply for this program if interested in it when moving into FCPS, for how you do so go here:
https://www.fcps.edu/registration/advanced-academics-identification-and-placement/students-new-fcps Levels II and III are subject-based and, as that same page linked above describes, those assessments are handled by the school once your student is on-site. More about the different levels of services here: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary/advanced-academic-programs |
Anonymous
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Level III services and Advanced Math services are evaluated annually for all kids in ES. Level III is more reading, writing, social studies, critical thinking skills and deep dives. Kids are added and removed through out the year at my kids school. Some kids leave because they don’t like the extra work. It is an hour pull out once a week, or it is supposed to be but it seems to vary from school to school. Kids have to make up the material they missed in their regular class. For some kids that means extra homework and they are not thrilled by that. They also read novels to themselves in class, something they don’t do in their regular class, and there are higher expectations for their writing and participation.
Advanced Math is normally determined on an annual basis using test scores, in class performance, and a skills test at the beginning of the year. It feels to me that there is more movement in and out of the group in grades 3 and 4. In grade 5 they skip to grade 6 math so it is harder to remove a kid in grade 6. Kids were added to my sons Advanced Math class but not removed in grade 6. LIV services are the ones that you submit test scores for and has the option to move to the Center or participate in the base schools Local program. The Local program might be its own class or using a cluster method. |
Anonymous
You should contact your future school's AART and ask about the Level IV placement process. I think it's absolutely worth trying if you haven't missed any cutoff dates for referrals. The school doesn't automatically test new kids coming in for Level IV AAP. Level III services are separate for math, language, etc. but the quality and frequency of services vary a lot by school. |
Anonymous
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OP here. Thank you all. My kid is very accelerated in reading, like consistently 95th-99th percentile on i-ready assessments. Math is more grade level (anywhere from 70th-90th percentile), which is why I was wondering (went from 90th percentile pre-pandemic to the 70's-80s).
He does love math though and always scores well on teacher created worksheets/quizzes (if anything might miss one problem), and will do problems for fun, so very engaged/interested in learning. Sounds like the Leveled services may be more appropriate so that he can get targeted work where he accelerates but not be overwhelmed in math. I was similar at his age, accelerated in reading, but then later I sort of reversed and was more advanced in math as I got older, and loved it. I just want to make sure that if he is similar as he gets into older grades and picks up in math, he's not sort of stuck where he is. |
Anonymous
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AAP is more about accelerated math. If he's outside AAP in middle school he could take math honor class.
In any case, talk to your local school's Advanced Academy Resource Teacher once he's enrolled. |
Anonymous
That all depends on whether it's a high SES school or a low one. In a lower SES school, AAP is the only chance a kid has to even see the teacher or get any instruction in language arts. I had an advanced reader in a gen ed program in a Title I school. Her reading group met with the teacher for 15 minutes every other week. The remaining time out of a 2 hour daily language arts block was independent work time. It wasn't horrible for my kid, who just read a ton of books during that time, but that is what you're going to get as an advanced reader in a school with a large FARMS and ESOL population. But otherwise, PP's point is correct. After you've moved, meet with the principal or AART for your zoned school to discuss your child's best placement. They should be able to look at your child's test scores and grades, and then tell you whether you ought to apply for AAP, whether your child should be considered for LIII or advanced math, and so on. In middle school, which is grades 7 and 8 in FCPS, kids in AAP will take AAP classes for English, History, and Science. Everyone else can opt to take Honors for all of those subjects. For the most part, the AAP and Honors classes are the same. In math, kids in AAP or gen ed advanced math will take tests that determine whether they are eligible to take Algebra I in 7th. Some of them will. The rest will take Math 7 Honors, which is somewhat accelerated pre-algebra. Anyone can choose to enroll in Math 7 Honors, which will lead to Algebra I in 8th grade. |
Anonymous
This is the best advice, but Id also point out that Honors classes a low/middle SES school are quite definitely not the "same" as a Level IV center MS. Not every middle school has AAP, so the Honors classes between schools and AAP centers can vary wildly... especially the language arts. I would suggest you try to get your child into a LIV center if you want the best education. These advanced paths are probably going to go away soon or change pretty dramatically. |
Anonymous
Just flagging that meeting with the AART is Step 3 in the process described on the FCPS website (linked in prior post). _If_ you think you want to pursue AAP LIV, then I'd suggest following the described process (i.e., not skipping steps 1 and 2). If you think LII/III is appropriate (as it sounds like you are inclined) then you're fine with that approach, but you're limiting your option for LIV this year, as the student would be placed into a Gen Ed classroom and seems it would run the risk of a longer timeline and higher bar to move them over to an AAP classroom once they've already started this school year in a Gen Ed classroom. They have the pre-enrollment process described in that link for a reason. |
Anonymous
Would they be likely to qualify for level IV with math i-ready percentiles in the 70s/80s? Understand I'd need to have them formally tested. I guess I'm worried too because of switching from DCPS to Fairfax county schools, if teaching will generally be on par with wherever my kid left off in their DCPS school or if my kid may need some time to get up to speed anyway. |
Anonymous
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Advanced math isn't *that* advanced. Plenty of kids in AAP are very strong in language arts but only above average in math. For gen ed advanced math, which is technically the same track as AAP math, they're looking for CogAT Q scores of 115 or higher, which is around the 84th percentile.
For the questions of whether your kid would likely qualify for AAP, would have their needs met in gen ed, etc., it's all highly school dependent. If your kid will be attending school in McLean, there would be a large cohort of advanced kids in gen ed. If your kid is going to attend school in Annandale, your kid needs AAP. In your shoes, I would have my kid take the CogAT at GMU. Gather report cards and whatever other evidence you have. Then, before the summer AAP deadline, meet with the AART or principal of your school to discuss where they think your child's needs would best be met. If the CogAT scores are high, I would apply for AAP either way, because you can choose to defer placement the first year and then activate it after that. |
Anonymous
Thanks! What about at schools in Burke or West Springfield area? Annandale, but the outside the beltway area (Canterbury Woods, etc.)? |