Does anyone regret putting their kids in a level IV AAP center?

[Anonymous]

Please share stories . . . (if there are any)

[Anonymous]

I regret it. My son is in 3rd grade and attended a Level IV center. My husband and I recently pulled him out of the center and sent him back to his base school, where they are better equipped to handle his autism/ADHD. (He has an IEP).

The sad part is that he was actually learning a lot at the center, as shown by his performance on tests and quizzes; however, they couldn't handle his challenging behavior in class and they lacked resources/skills to help him be successful. If you have a twice-exceptional student (gifted, but with disabilities) make sure you really investigate the Center before you make the decision to send your child. Find out who will be working directly with your child and what their qualifications are. We thought we had done our homework prior to sending him, but were disappointed in the lack of support available.

From my perspective, AAP is best for highly self-motivated, organized students. Even if your child is brilliant, if they don't conform to the model of a good student, they probably won't be successful at a center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I regret it. My son is in 3rd grade and attended a Level IV center. My husband and I recently pulled him out of the center and sent him back to his base school, where they are better equipped to handle his autism/ADHD. (He has an IEP).

The sad part is that he was actually learning a lot at the center, as shown by his performance on tests and quizzes; however, they couldn't handle his challenging behavior in class and they lacked resources/skills to help him be successful. If you have a twice-exceptional student (gifted, but with disabilities) make sure you really investigate the Center before you make the decision to send your child. Find out who will be working directly with your child and what their qualifications are. We thought we had done our homework prior to sending him, but were disappointed in the lack of support available.

From my perspective, AAP is best for highly self-motivated, organized students. Even if your child is brilliant, if they don't conform to the model of a good student, they probably won't be successful at a center.

Which does suggest FCPS has sort of lost the plot in terms of what a center is supposed to be. GT Centers were created to provide a "special education" for highly gifted students whose needs could not be met at their base schools -- which would seem to mean your twice exceptional son. By definition a lot of gifted students don't conform to the model of a good student or "achiever", which was why the program was created in the first place.

How sad that it's been co-opted by a bunch of kids for whom it was never intended -- highly motivated, organized kids who would do well anywhere. What a sham!!

You really ought to write the school board about your experience.

[Anonymous]

My 2E kids have had wonderful experiences in the AAP Centers, with strong support by the classroom teachers, the counseling staff, and the administration. I think it really varies from school to school.

[Anonymous]

I'm the Mom of the 3rd grader mentioned earlier. I agree that AAP probably varies a lot from center to center, and he may have had a much different experience in another Level IV program.

Unfortunately, he needs BOTH advanced academics AND special education, but we had to choose between the two as they obviously couldn't meet his needs.

I'm confident that his base school can do a better job of working with him. It's just a shame, however, that his Center couldn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 2E kids have had wonderful experiences in the AAP Centers, with strong support by the classroom teachers, the counseling staff, and the administration. I think it really varies from school to school.

Same here. It really varies from school to school.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone share their center school name? Those of us considering center schools would sincerely appreciate it! (either if t did or didn't work for your child)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the Mom of the 3rd grader mentioned earlier. I agree that AAP probably varies a lot from center to center, and he may have had a much different experience in another Level IV program.

Unfortunately, he needs BOTH advanced academics AND special education, but we had to choose between the two as they obviously couldn't meet his needs.

I'm confident that his base school can do a better job of working with him. It's just a shame, however, that his Center couldn't.

There's a big difference between

he needs BOTH advanced academics AND special education, but we had to choose between the two as they obviously couldn't meet his needs.

and

From my perspective, AAP is best for highly self-motivated, organized students.

[Anonymous]

Haycock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 2E kids have had wonderful experiences in the AAP Centers, with strong support by the classroom teachers, the counseling staff, and the administration. I think it really varies from school to school.

Ditto for us-and I am glad DC can have the peer group of AAP; I think it really helps a 2E kid stay on task and give them some positive "peer pressure" to succeed in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

The OPs question is soliciting negative experiences so take this with a grain of salt when deciding where to send your child ..

[Anonymous]

[b]

Anonymous wrote:The OPs question is soliciting negative experiences so take this with a grain of salt when deciding where to send your child ..

And gee, let me see, that would weigh against the multitude of threads praising the AAP experience. Hopefully, anyone with a kid smart enough for AAP knows how to evaluate these responses.

It absolutely kills me how fearful some people are on this forum to hear ANYTHING negative about AAP. Just for the record my son had a great experience in AAP, though ironically his best friends are AAP kids who went to his base school. So much for not having a group of peers.

I know of three kids, two girls and a boy who have returned to our base school because they didn't like the AAP experience. One was pushed in in 5th grade because her mom thought she'd have a better chance of making friends there. The others I don't know why.

[Anonymous]

PP here-our base school is also our center school, so that perhaps makes a big difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I regret it. My son is in 3rd grade and attended a Level IV center. My husband and I recently pulled him out of the center and sent him back to his base school, where they are better equipped to handle his autism/ADHD. (He has an IEP).

The sad part is that he was actually learning a lot at the center, as shown by his performance on tests and quizzes; however, they couldn't handle his challenging behavior in class and they lacked resources/skills to help him be successful. If you have a twice-exceptional student (gifted, but with disabilities) make sure you really investigate the Center before you make the decision to send your child. Find out who will be working directly with your child and what their qualifications are. We thought we had done our homework prior to sending him, but were disappointed in the lack of support available.

From my perspective, AAP is best for highly self-motivated, organized students. Even if your child is brilliant, if they don't conform to the model of a good student, they probably won't be successful at a center.

Which does suggest FCPS has sort of lost the plot in terms of what a center is supposed to be. GT Centers were created to provide a "special education" for highly gifted students whose needs could not be met at their base schools -- which would seem to mean your twice exceptional son. By definition a lot of gifted students don't conform to the model of a good student or "achiever", which was why the program was created in the first place.

How sad that it's been co-opted by a bunch of kids for whom it was never intended -- highly motivated, organized kids who would do well anywhere. What a sham!!

You really ought to write the school board about your experience.

+100 Absolutely agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The OPs question is soliciting negative experiences so take this with a grain of salt when deciding where to send your child ..

And gee, let me see, that would weigh against [b]the multitude of threads praising the AAP experience. Hopefully, anyone with a kid smart enough for AAP knows how to evaluate these responses.

It absolutely kills me how fearful some people are on this forum to hear ANYTHING negative about AAP. Just for the record my son had a great experience in AAP, though ironically his best friends are AAP kids who went to his base school. So much for not having a group of peers.

I know of three kids, two girls and a boy who have returned to our base school because they didn't like the AAP experience. One was pushed in in 5th grade because her mom thought she'd have a better chance of making friends there. The others I don't know why.

New poster here. Not sure where these many threads praising AAP are...I see almost nothing but AAP bashers all over DCUM and then a handful of posts trying to balance things with positive takes on the program. As for your examples of kids moving out of AAP because it wasn't for them, please realize there also are also kids who move into AAP because their base schools couldn't meet their needs. I know three families who have done just that, -- moved kids who were bored from their base schools to AAP.

We're not afraid to hear anything negative; we're just sick of so many posts advocating dismantling of AAP from people who seem never to have had a child in the program. Full disclosure: DC was at a center all of elementary and MS as well and the experience was excellent, DC liked it and the quality of the teaching seemed great (DC's opinion, not just ours). Yeah, I can recognize issues in the program but it worked for US, at our particular schools.

OP, your post is a bit puzzling as you do, as someone else mentioned, see to be soliciting negative examples by the way you worded the post. Are you not really sold on the idea of sending your child to a center, so you're basically hoping for confirmation that it's a bad idea? That's frankly how it might come across. Not sure if you meant it that way.

I would find and talk to parents of kids currently at whatever center your kid would attend and talk to them. Every center is different. On here you will get a lot of posts from people whose kids went to different centers. And the thread's already been sidetracked with discussions of whether some centers meet the needs of 2E kids -- which was not your question.

If you havent' done so already: Tour the center. Visit the center. Ask the counselor to see you and tell you about the school. Talk to parents of kids who are there right now (and not parents of kids who were there a few years ago, or who don't have kids there yet but have "heard" this or that about it. Talk to your base school about what it can and can't provide to your kid if you stay at the base school. An anonymous forum gets you anonymous answers that may or may not be applicable to the particular center you are looking at.