Those of you with kids in both AAP and gen ed...

[Anonymous]

We are at our base school and in 3rd grade some of the AAP kids are those that tested in, and the rest are the kids of the parents who complained the loudest. By 6th grade, the AAP class is twice the size of the gen Ed class and all PTA mom kids and wealthy children are in it. Gen Ed is full of non-Asian immigrants, less wealthy children, and those with learning differences. Many AAP kids have a very entitled attitude. My child in AAP misses time with her gen Ed friends and doesn’t enjoy the AAP peer group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at our base school and in 3rd grade some of the AAP kids are those that tested in, and the rest are the kids of the parents who complained the loudest. By 6th grade, the AAP class is twice the size of the gen Ed class and all PTA mom kids and wealthy children are in it. Gen Ed is full of non-Asian immigrants, less wealthy children, and those with learning differences. Many AAP kids have a very entitled attitude. My child in AAP misses time with her gen Ed friends and doesn’t enjoy the AAP peer group.

It's just silly at this point.

[Anonymous]

AAP center kid: 13-15 kids per classroom per year; western Fairfax; title 1 school but wealthier overall compared to title 1 base school

Base school kid: 1 point lower on CoGAT; good GBRS; immersion program (went from 3 to 1 class from K to 6); better teachers overall BUT they admit that they are unable to do as much with Level 3 kids like DC bc after breaks other kids need A LOT more hand holding — it sucks

The biggest difference is the expectations that FCPS has for non-AAP students. When I was in school, the AAP stuff was the standard for everyone. FCPS has not figured out how to walk and chew gum simultaneously. That is, keeping pace up for LEvel 2-3 kids while bringing up the rear. Vast majority of ESL kids here are bilingual by the time they get to K, so understanding instructions is not the issue. Attendance is, as well as rewards for truant kids (may help truant kids stay in school, but others decide to follow suit, because they see the boss kids getting rewarded. Ugh.) All the kids are smart — just in different ways. It is just that the system is not set up right now to provide an education for most kids not in Level 4 despite best efforts of teachers. The system is broken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AAP center kid: 13-15 kids per classroom per year; western Fairfax; title 1 school but wealthier overall compared to title 1 base school

Base school kid: 1 point lower on CoGAT; good GBRS; immersion program (went from 3 to 1 class from K to 6); better teachers overall BUT they admit that they are unable to do as much with Level 3 kids like DC bc after breaks other kids need A LOT more hand holding — it sucks

The biggest difference is the expectations that FCPS has for non-AAP students. When I was in school, the AAP stuff was the standard for everyone. FCPS has not figured out how to walk and chew gum simultaneously. That is, keeping pace up for LEvel 2-3 kids while bringing up the rear. Vast majority of ESL kids here are bilingual by the time they get to K, so understanding instructions is not the issue. Attendance is, as well as rewards for truant kids (may help truant kids stay in school, but others decide to follow suit, because they see the boss kids getting rewarded. Ugh.) All the kids are smart — just in different ways. It is just that the system is not set up right now to provide an education for most kids not in Level 4 despite best efforts of teachers. The system is broken.

Forgot to say largest immersion class was maybe 22.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know AAP parents don’t want I hear this but it’s a washout come high school. If the kid is bright and has good home support, they will end up in the same classes. Things that made a difference-love of reading, solid extracurriculars, encouraging them to pursue their interests.
The saddest part of all of this is that kids pick up on this whole AAP vs. not AAP in lower grades.

I think if you study the data - most AAP kids will do better in high school. There will be some outliers who don’t. And the reverse is true - there will be some outliers not in AAP who do just as well as the kids in AAP but it won’t be the majority.

What data? Please link to a specific FCPS study that backs up your claim.

Feel feted to share your data that shows the opposite. My data is only based on one school math data as a teacher.

This is hilarious. You make a ridiculous claim (bolded) and then tell others to “study the data” - which doesn’t exist outside of your one school and your imagination. Next time, don’t pretend there’s some kind of valid study you’re basing your opinion on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know AAP parents don’t want I hear this but it’s a washout come high school. If the kid is bright and has good home support, they will end up in the same classes. Things that made a difference-love of reading, solid extracurriculars, encouraging them to pursue their interests.
The saddest part of all of this is that kids pick up on this whole AAP vs. not AAP in lower grades.

I think if you study the data - most AAP kids will do better in high school. There will be some outliers who don’t. And the reverse is true - there will be some outliers not in AAP who do just as well as the kids in AAP but it won’t be the majority.

What data? Please link to a specific FCPS study that backs up your claim.

Feel feted to share your data that shows the opposite. My data is only based on one school math data as a teacher.

What if a child is in advanced math but not AAP? Any data for that?

Or advanced language arts but not math? There are too many kids who are advanced in one subject but not in others to lump them al into one “advanced” grouping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at our base school and in 3rd grade some of the AAP kids are those that tested in, and the rest are the kids of the parents who complained the loudest. By 6th grade, the AAP class is twice the size of the gen Ed class and all PTA mom kids and wealthy children are in it. Gen Ed is full of non-Asian immigrants, less wealthy children, and those with learning differences. Many AAP kids have a very entitled attitude. My child in AAP misses time with her gen Ed friends and doesn’t enjoy the AAP peer group.

It's just silly at this point.

+100
Beyond silly. We left for private school in the 5th grade when it became obvious how ridiculous the division of kids was. Came back to FCPS for high school and it’s been great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know AAP parents don’t want I hear this but it’s a washout come high school. If the kid is bright and has good home support, they will end up in the same classes. Things that made a difference-love of reading, solid extracurriculars, encouraging them to pursue their interests.
The saddest part of all of this is that kids pick up on this whole AAP vs. not AAP in lower grades.

I think if you study the data - most AAP kids will do better in high school. There will be some outliers who don’t. And the reverse is true - there will be some outliers not in AAP who do just as well as the kids in AAP but it won’t be the majority.

What data? Please link to a specific FCPS study that backs up your claim.

Feel feted to share your data that shows the opposite. My data is only based on one school math data as a teacher.

What if a child is in advanced math but not AAP? Any data for that?

Or advanced language arts but not math? There are too many kids who are advanced in one subject but not in others to lump them al into one “advanced” grouping.

This why AAP doesn’t make sense in middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I keep reading on this thread that AAP vs non AAP is a wash once the kids get to middle school.

If this is the case, why have AAP in elementary at all?

You probably don’t have a 2E kid so your kid doesn’t need it. I think AAP is best for 2E kids.

I have a 2E kid and while the peer group is wonderful in AAP for him, the executive functioning is extremely challenging. My typical learner younger child barely squeaked into AAP on appeal is doing light years better than my 2E kid bc he’s highly motivated and has amazing executive functioning.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids in level III services. It's hard not to feel like I've failed my kids when reading DCUM. Like any decently intelligent kid coming from educated parents should just be able to get their kids into level IV. And not just DCUM. I've had parents ask me on playdates if my kids are in AAP. It's just weird. Like I both feel awful that they are not in level IV services and I think this whole system is royally F-up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids in level III services. It's hard not to feel like I've failed my kids when reading DCUM. Like any decently intelligent kid coming from educated parents should just be able to get their kids into level IV. And not just DCUM. I've had parents ask me on playdates if my kids are in AAP. It's just weird. Like I both feel awful that they are not in level IV services and I think this whole system is royally F-up.

Don't feel bad. The system is screwed up. It's not a true GT program because schools are forced to pull more kids into the program when parents appeal and/or utilize private testing for admittance. Just like anything else in regards to our kiddos, too many parents get personal satisfaction out of placement and it's easy to tell who those people are and to keep them out of your orbit as much as possible. I've had a kid in both and found our GenEd connections to be more down-to-earth on the whole. The AAP kids in my oldest's grade were so competitive with one another they had a hard time creating true friendships. My non-AAP kid is now in classes with his AAP peers in HS. If I'd known that could be an outcome when my oldest was accepted I'm not sure we would have agreed to put him in the program. I suspect he would have been happier socially if he were in GenEd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course there are differences. The peer group is most different.

Both my kids are in AAP and they do not get mixed with gen Ed kids. It is like a segregated school at their AAP center.

I’m an AAP parent and parents like you are so insufferable. The reality is that except for a small minority, the difference between bright gen ed kids and AAP is minimal. In middle school, it matters less and in high school, it doesn’t matter at all.

This made me laugh out loud, heartily.

We were at an AAP Center school and I assure you that "segregated" is more or less how it was run. They did not mix for electives, field trips, nothing. When 6th grade graduation came around -a big deal at our school- the AAP parents wanted a separate ceremony for them. And I had one parent tell me, thinking my child was in AAP, that they were nervous about MS but hoped the "AAP kids could just stick to themselves."

Insufferable applies here but not to who you think it does.

Are you serious? They wanted a separate ceremony? Which ES?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at our base school and in 3rd grade some of the AAP kids are those that tested in, and the rest are the kids of the parents who complained the loudest. By 6th grade, the AAP class is twice the size of the gen Ed class and all PTA mom kids and wealthy children are in it. Gen Ed is full of non-Asian immigrants, less wealthy children, and those with learning differences. Many AAP kids have a very entitled attitude. My child in AAP misses time with her gen Ed friends and doesn’t enjoy the AAP peer group.

I don’t understand. The SB is worried about parents gaming the TJ system-even though the entrance process seemed a lot more straight forward and fair than AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How drastic is the difference in education and peer group. My first is in AAP and it’s a good fit. My second one is bright and in advanced math, but otherwise gen ed. Have you noticed major differences in both ES and middle school?

This is entirely school-dependent. And then even within a school it is teacher-dependent.

[Anonymous]

The existence of AAP is ugly