AAP - why not have it for all of FCPS?

[Anonymous]

I wish they would strengthen level III though. Bright gen ed and middle of the pack & below in level IV are pretty much the same. But kids who don’t get in don’t get to be challenged. It’s completely unfair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish they would strengthen level III though. Bright gen ed and middle of the pack & below in level IV are pretty much the same. But kids who don’t get in don’t get to be challenged. It’s completely unfair.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish they would strengthen level III though. Bright gen ed and middle of the pack & below in level IV are pretty much the same. But kids who don’t get in don’t get to be challenged. It’s completely unfair.

+1

DP and also agree. It's not delivered equally across schools at all. If we've learned anything this year, it's that certain decisions should not be left up to individual principals because they'll do the absolute bare minimum until/unless they're pushed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish they would strengthen level III though. Bright gen ed and middle of the pack & below in level IV are pretty much the same. But kids who don’t get in don’t get to be challenged. It’s completely unfair.

+1

DP and also agree. It's not delivered equally across schools at all. If we've learned anything this year, it's that certain decisions should not be left up to individual principals because they'll do the absolute bare minimum until/unless they're pushed.

Also strengthening Level III would alleviate some of the push for Level IV. My base ES is a great example - no advanced math until 5th, part time AART, Level III is an hour once a week (at best as it is often the thing dropped for testing, assemblies, etc.). The difference between that and Level IV is massive.

[Anonymous]

I wish every school had at least one full time AART. Then there would be more time to allow the AART to push in or pull out to work with the Level III classes for each grade and maybe even a more robust Level II program. Something like the reading specialists that they have at the schools but for the advanced kids. That would allow the Teacher to work more with the struggling and grade level kid while giving the advanced kids some additional attention.

I think our AART is spread between 2 schools, maybe 3. Those hours are split so that there is less time for the kids at each school. If each school had a full time AART then there would be more hours, stronger Level III, and less pressure for Level IV services because kids who do fine but not necessarily thrive in Level IV would be able to have their needs met.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish they would strengthen level III though. Bright gen ed and middle of the pack & below in level IV are pretty much the same. But kids who don’t get in don’t get to be challenged. It’s completely unfair.

+1

DP and also agree. It's not delivered equally across schools at all. If we've learned anything this year, it's that certain decisions should not be left up to individual principals because they'll do the absolute bare minimum until/unless they're pushed.

Also strengthening Level III would alleviate some of the push for Level IV. My base ES is a great example - no advanced math until 5th, part time AART, Level III is an hour once a week (at best as it is often the thing dropped for testing, assemblies, etc.). The difference between that and Level IV is massive.

Some schools have advanced math starting in 3rd grade & some in 5th. I do think that’s messed up. My base school does not have local level IV or advanced math til 5th grade & that was a big reason to send our mathy kid to the center when we didn’t necessarily want to leave the base.

[Anonymous]

I’m surprised no one had sued FCPS about how unequal AAP is across the system. For a system worried about equity...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised no one had sued FCPS about how unequal AAP is across the system. For a system worried about equity...

I am retired from teaching now. We used to work hard to help kids more at Title I schools. But FCPS has been lowering standards for false
equity so that it is easier to say kids are not falling behind. There is no real worry about equity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish every school had at least one full time AART. Then there would be more time to allow the AART to push in or pull out to work with the Level III classes for each grade and maybe even a more robust Level II program. Something like the reading specialists that they have at the schools but for the advanced kids. That would allow the Teacher to work more with the struggling and grade level kid while giving the advanced kids some additional attention.

I think our AART is spread between 2 schools, maybe 3. Those hours are split so that there is less time for the kids at each school. If each school had a full time AART then there would be more hours, stronger Level III, and less pressure for Level IV services because kids who do fine but not necessarily thrive in Level IV would be able to have their needs met.

Part of the outside commission on AAP's recommendation was to have a full time AART at every school. Another part was to make every school a local level IV, which would have the effect of broadening access to level IV. Honestly they *should* call that level III and make level IV be what GT was years ago, just for the top 5% and at centers. GT kids could possibly accelerate even a little faster (5th grade math in 4th, 6th grade math in 5th, pre-algebra in 6th for all) or even do some different work (ex: Beast Academy for math? something like IEW for writing?).

This would sort of leave gen. ed as a remedial track, though.

[Anonymous]

“Saying everyone is special is another way of saying no one is”

[Anonymous]

They are working on Local Level IV at all schools. Fox Mill starts one next year and the communications that we received on the topic said that every ES would have LLIV in 3 years. That is great but I think that the full time AART at each school would be more beneficial.

I suspect that there are more kids that are advanced in Math or in LA then are advanced in both. A full time AART that could push in to classrooms once a week and work with the Level III kids for LA as well as the Level III pull out would be amazing. Advanced Math starting in third grade across all schools would meet the need for the advanced math kids. Then LLIV becomes the place for kids who are strong in both areas. Gen Ed Teachers get good support so that they can work more with the struggling kids and the kids who are on grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are working on Local Level IV at all schools. Fox Mill starts one next year and the communications that we received on the topic said that every ES would have LLIV in 3 years. That is great but I think that the full time AART at each school would be more beneficial.

I suspect that there are more kids that are advanced in Math or in LA then are advanced in both. A full time AART that could push in to classrooms once a week and work with the Level III kids for LA as well as the Level III pull out would be amazing. Advanced Math starting in third grade across all schools would meet the need for the advanced math kids. Then LLIV becomes the place for kids who are strong in both areas. Gen Ed Teachers get good support so that they can work more with the struggling kids and the kids who are on grade level.

LLIV at all ES would have how many classes for LLIV and LLIII

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are working on Local Level IV at all schools. Fox Mill starts one next year and the communications that we received on the topic said that every ES would have LLIV in 3 years. That is great but I think that the full time AART at each school would be more beneficial.

I suspect that there are more kids that are advanced in Math or in LA then are advanced in both. A full time AART that could push in to classrooms once a week and work with the Level III kids for LA as well as the Level III pull out would be amazing. Advanced Math starting in third grade across all schools would meet the need for the advanced math kids. Then LLIV becomes the place for kids who are strong in both areas. Gen Ed Teachers get good support so that they can work more with the struggling kids and the kids who are on grade level.

LLIV at all ES would have how many classes for LLIV and LLIII

LIII is a pull out, not a class. A school Fox Mill’s size will have 1 LLIV class, there are 90 kids in third this year, 2 Japanese Immersion classes and 2 Gen Ed classes. I am guessing LLIV will be about 10 kids selected for AAP and 10 Principal Placed kids, with the Principal Placed mainly from Gen Ed. But that is a guess. JI AAP kids will continue with Advanced Math in Japanese and probably join LLIV for LA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are working on Local Level IV at all schools. Fox Mill starts one next year and the communications that we received on the topic said that every ES would have LLIV in 3 years. That is great but I think that the full time AART at each school would be more beneficial.

I suspect that there are more kids that are advanced in Math or in LA then are advanced in both. A full time AART that could push in to classrooms once a week and work with the Level III kids for LA as well as the Level III pull out would be amazing. Advanced Math starting in third grade across all schools would meet the need for the advanced math kids. Then LLIV becomes the place for kids who are strong in both areas. Gen Ed Teachers get good support so that they can work more with the struggling kids and the kids who are on grade level.

LLIV at all ES would have how many classes for LLIV and LLIII

LIII is a pull out, not a class. A school Fox Mill’s size will have 1 LLIV class, there are 90 kids in third this year, 2 Japanese Immersion classes and 2 Gen Ed classes. I am guessing LLIV will be about 10 kids selected for AAP and 10 Principal Placed kids, with the Principal Placed mainly from Gen Ed. But that is a guess. JI AAP kids will continue with Advanced Math in Japanese and probably join LLIV for LA.

guessing 1/3-1/2 kids LLIII/LLIV atschool like FoxMill

[Anonymous]

Many parents prefer LLIV anyway since class sizes are smaller tham big AAP centers