What's difference between honor classes at Center middle school and those at regular middle school?

[Anonymous]

My DS is in 5th grade. According to the FCPS website, honor classes are offered at all middle school. "Students eligible for full-time Level IV placement have the option to take full Honors at the local middle school."

Then under Advance Academic description :
"Full-Time Advanced Academic Program, Grades 3-8 (Level IV)
Students found eligible for placement in a full-time Advanced Academic Program (Level IV) through a central selection process receive a highly challenging instructional program in language arts, science, and social studies. The Level IV program is designed to meet the needs of advanced learners with a strong emphasis on higher level thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making. Students have ongoing opportunities for reflection and self-assessment that develop an understanding of the characteristics, demands, and responsibilities of advanced intellectual development."

Why are there Center middle school? Are honor classes at regular middle school lower caliber than honor classes at center middle school?

Any parents with experiences in both center and non-center middle school?

[Anonymous]

The center school offers both AAP classes and honors classes, while the non-center school offers honors classes, but not AAP classes.

The honors classes should be the same at both the center and the neighborhood middle school. AAP classes are usually different than honors classes.

[Anonymous]

The county tries to illustrate the difference with this chart, but the language is so diplomatic that real differences are not explained well: http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/pdfs/AAPforMSdiagram.pdf

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks. What are the AAP classes in middle school? Are the AAP classes at higher level than honor classes?

Does this mean, similar to center elementary school, there are Level IV students with their AAP classes and general students with their regular classes but with the option to take honor classes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks. What are the AAP classes in middle school? Are the AAP classes at higher level than honor classes?

Does this mean, similar to center elementary school, there are Level IV students with their AAP classes and general students with their regular classes but with the option to take honor classes?

It depends. IME, with my children, the teacher was the bigger determinant to rigor than any differences between Honors or AAP in MS. The differences were too small to be easily identified, if they existed at all. The exception, of course, is math and then everyone is placed in their appropriate math class regardless of Gen-ed or AAP designation. Others on this board have indicated that their experience was different and they saw larger differences between the Honors and AAP classes. The curriculum and the extensions are the same IME.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks. What are the AAP classes in middle school? Are the AAP classes at higher level than honor classes?

Does this mean, similar to center elementary school, there are Level IV students with their AAP classes and general students with their regular classes but with the option to take honor classes?

It depends. IME, with my children, the teacher was the bigger determinant to rigor than any differences between Honors or AAP in MS. The differences were too small to be easily identified, if they existed at all. The exception, of course, is math and then everyone is placed in their appropriate math class regardless of Gen-ed or AAP designation. Others on this board have indicated that their experience was different and they saw larger differences between the Honors and AAP classes. The curriculum and the extensions are the same IME.

+1 on the bolded part.

At our middle school, there was a large difference between "all honors" and the AAP Center course rigor. It appears to differ from school to school, however, as outlined by the PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks. What are the AAP classes in middle school? Are the AAP classes at higher level than honor classes?

Does this mean, similar to center elementary school, there are Level IV students with their AAP classes and general students with their regular classes but with the option to take honor classes?

It depends. IME, with my children, the teacher was the bigger determinant to rigor than any differences between Honors or AAP in MS. The differences were too small to be easily identified, if they existed at all. The exception, of course, is math and then everyone is placed in their appropriate math class regardless of Gen-ed or AAP designation. Others on this board have indicated that their experience was different and they saw larger differences between the Honors and AAP classes. The curriculum and the extensions are the same IME.

+1
Our experiences have been as you described - little to no difference between AAP and Honors classes. We've had kids in both, and I honestly don't even know why they make a distinction.

[Anonymous]

My DC was in the AAP program but (for various reasons, scheduling, etc.) ended up taking Honors Science 8 instead of AAP Science 8. So DC had a lot of friends in the other class. They covered the same curriculum in both classes, but DC reported that friends in the AAP Science class had a lot more projects to do. And FWIW, DC is now at TJ and doing fine there. Frankly, I was perfectly happy that DC got to "miss out" on doing a lot of the project work since I think that most of it is useless anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC was in the AAP program but (for various reasons, scheduling, etc.) ended up taking Honors Science 8 instead of AAP Science 8. So DC had a lot of friends in the other class. They covered the same curriculum in both classes, but DC reported that friends in the AAP Science class had a lot more projects to do. And FWIW, DC is now at TJ and doing fine there. Frankly, I was perfectly happy that DC got to "miss out" on doing a lot of the project work since I think that most of it is useless anyway.

This is what I've come to feel about AAP as a whole (one of my kids went through it). My other kids are happy to not be in AAP and not have to deal with the useless extra projects - and so am I! Once they get to high school, then they can take AP and honors classes - and those are the only ones that matter anyhow. I'd much rather not have them burned out in elementary and middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks. What are the AAP classes in middle school? Are the AAP classes at higher level than honor classes?

Does this mean, similar to center elementary school, there are Level IV students with their AAP classes and general students with their regular classes but with the option to take honor classes?

It depends. IME, with my children, the teacher was the bigger determinant to rigor than any differences between Honors or AAP in MS. The differences were too small to be easily identified, if they existed at all. The exception, of course, is math and then everyone is placed in their appropriate math class regardless of Gen-ed or AAP designation. Others on this board have indicated that their experience was different and they saw larger differences between the Honors and AAP classes. The curriculum and the extensions are the same IME.

+1 on the bolded part.

At our middle school, there was a large difference between "all honors" and the AAP Center course rigor. It appears to differ from school to school, however, as outlined by the PP.

Ditto the second post above, OP. Middle school honors and middle school AAP classes at our MS center school were quite different.

Here's an example: There was a seventh grade biography paper that all students did (general ed, honors or AAP). At each of those three levels the expectations about details, sources and length increased. And then the AAP students were required to go further, picking a current topic or conflict and explaining how they thought their chosen biographical subject person would have handled that (for example, if a kid did a bio on Teddy Roosevelt, the student might choose, say, the Syrian war and discuss theoretically how Roosevelt might have handled that situation, based on what the student learned about Roosevelt from doing the bio project). I don't recall how honors was different from general ed and AAP for that one example but I know the expectations for the honors students were different from those for general ed.

If you have a student who is not yet in MS or just starting MS, ask a teacher for a concrete example like that and ask if honors in the center MS is any different from honors at an MS without a center. It should not be different, but so much depends on the individual school....

[Anonymous]

Yes, the project work can be very stimulating for the younger elementary student, but by middle school, when the general curriculum is more challenging, some kids would be happier and healthier without the extra projects. We may change our 7th grade AAP kid to honors next year, if the work load is too much this year.

[Anonymous]

There are AAP classes taught in Local Level IV middle schools, too (not just in AAP centers). I believe the Local Level IV middle schools are Franklin and Cooper, though there might be more. I'm not certain which schools also offer services.

At our middle school, it is relatively clear that there are differences among general education, honors, and Level IV classes. Some materials seem to be shared, but there seem to be differences in complexity, assessment, and assignments among the three different levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are AAP classes taught in Local Level IV middle schools, too (not just in AAP centers). I believe the Local Level IV middle schools are Franklin and Cooper, though there might be more. I'm not certain which schools also offer services.

At our middle school, it is relatively clear that there are differences among general education, honors, and Level IV classes. Some materials seem to be shared, but there seem to be differences in complexity, assessment, and assignments among the three different levels.

Our middle school added LLIV in recent years. DC was in one of the pilot classes. The teachers' general response was one of surprise and also enthusiasm at how quickly the kids moved through the curriculum, and how much more thoroughly tue kids as a group liked to explore topics. They said there was a difference in the intensity and depth of the instruction compared to the honors classes.

We have friends whose kids did mostly regular classes in seventh and switched to all honors in eighth and they all said the same thing about the differences between those two levels.