For parents that have one in gen ed and one in AAP

[Anonymous]

I have twins and one made it into AAP and one did not. My kids attend a center school, so they'll be at the same school but not the same classroom anymore. Both my kids are very upset with this.
I do not think my kid has a good chance at getting in with an appeal. My kid is a very well rounded student but doesn't have that puzzle-y type of brain. Below are my kid's stats.

For parents that have one child in gen ed and one in AAP, did you notice a huge difference in curriculum? Is gen ed really that bad?

NNAT - 108, COGAT - 134, WISC - 117.
GBRS - 2CO, 2FO.
All 4s on report card and ireadys are consistently in the 90+ percentile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have twins and one made it into AAP and one did not. My kids attend a center school, so they'll be at the same school but not the same classroom anymore. Both my kids are very upset with this.
I do not think my kid has a good chance at getting in with an appeal. My kid is a very well rounded student but doesn't have that puzzle-y type of brain. Below are my kid's stats.

For parents that have one child in gen ed and one in AAP, did you notice a huge difference in curriculum? Is gen ed really that bad?

NNAT - 108, COGAT - 134, WISC - 117.
GBRS - 2CO, 2FO.
All 4s on report card and ireadys are consistently in the 90+ percentile.

Appeal with a letter and work samples. Do not include the WISC. I think the CogAT and GBRS are good enough, if you can come up with a compelling letter explaining why your child's needs can't be met in a general education classroom. If your twins are roughly comparable in terms of ability, I'd mention in the letter that the twin who wasn't admitted is every bit as capable and in need of AAP as the twin who was admitted. The AAP committee members might not want to be responsible for a "smart twin" and "dumb twin" dynamic when the rejected kid would have no problems with handling AAP.

[Anonymous]

I am surprised they have been in the same class at all. Our schools policy is to separate twins. DS has three sets of twins in his class and none of them have been in class together.

[Anonymous]

OP here. They weren't at first but after a really bad bullying incident (kid was pushed off playground and broke leg), I requested they be together.

[Anonymous]

I have twins where one was in AAP and one wasn't. I was amazed by how much of the curriculum was exactly the same for AAP and non-AAP. I'd literally see the exact same tests come home while the AAP class talked about how advanced they were compared to the gen ed classes. But it was a huge self esteem hit for the twin in the non-AAP class. She started calling herself the "dumb twin" for being in the "dumb class" which she heard from other kids at school.

AAP is even more ridiculous in middle school where the honors classes are exactly the same as the AAP classes, with only the social separation.

My twins are in high school now and they are both taking similar advanced course loads and both getting straight As.

AAP is a terrible system.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thank you for this. This is exactly what I feared - gah!!

Anonymous wrote:I have twins where one was in AAP and one wasn't. I was amazed by how much of the curriculum was exactly the same for AAP and non-AAP. I'd literally see the exact same tests come home while the AAP class talked about how advanced they were compared to the gen ed classes. But it was a huge self esteem hit for the twin in the non-AAP class. She started calling herself the "dumb twin" for being in the "dumb class" which she heard from other kids at school.

AAP is even more ridiculous in middle school where the honors classes are exactly the same as the AAP classes, with only the social separation.

My twins are in high school now and they are both taking similar advanced course loads and both getting straight As.

AAP is a terrible system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have twins where one was in AAP and one wasn't. I was amazed by how much of the curriculum was exactly the same for AAP and non-AAP. I'd literally see the exact same tests come home while the AAP class talked about how advanced they were compared to the gen ed classes. But it was a huge self esteem hit for the twin in the non-AAP class. She started calling herself the "dumb twin" for being in the "dumb class" which she heard from other kids at school.

AAP is even more ridiculous in middle school where the honors classes are exactly the same as the AAP classes, with only the social separation.

My twins are in high school now and they are both taking similar advanced course loads and both getting straight As.

AAP is a terrible system.

This was not our experience at our center school with twins. The AAP class and gen ed class were doing different things, with the AAP class having more in-depth lessons, more critical thinking, and discussions. The center schools seem to vary in how similar or different the AAP and gen ed classes are.

In HS, the course load can be the same but it's not clear that would be the case for OP's kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have twins and one made it into AAP and one did not. My kids attend a center school, so they'll be at the same school but not the same classroom anymore. Both my kids are very upset with this.
I do not think my kid has a good chance at getting in with an appeal. My kid is a very well rounded student but doesn't have that puzzle-y type of brain. Below are my kid's stats.

For parents that have one child in gen ed and one in AAP, did you notice a huge difference in curriculum? Is gen ed really that bad?

NNAT - 108, COGAT - 134, WISC - 117.
GBRS - 2CO, 2FO.
All 4s on report card and ireadys are consistently in the 90+ percentile.

OP: The information you cited sounds like you have a well adjusted, above average kid. It's a shame that he/she is upset. Out of curiosity --genetically speaking-- are they identical twins? And what were the scores and GBRS of the kid accepted to AAP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have twins and one made it into AAP and one did not. My kids attend a center school, so they'll be at the same school but not the same classroom anymore. Both my kids are very upset with this.
I do not think my kid has a good chance at getting in with an appeal. My kid is a very well rounded student but doesn't have that puzzle-y type of brain. Below are my kid's stats.

For parents that have one child in gen ed and one in AAP, did you notice a huge difference in curriculum? Is gen ed really that bad?

NNAT - 108, COGAT - 134, WISC - 117.
GBRS - 2CO, 2FO.
All 4s on report card and ireadys are consistently in the 90+ percentile.

OP: The information you cited sounds like you have a well adjusted, above average kid. It's a shame that he/she is upset. Out of curiosity --genetically speaking-- are they identical twins? And what were the scores and GBRS of the kid accepted to AAP?

OP here. Identical twins. My other twin had the following stats:

NNAT - 121, COGAT - 136, WISC - 132
GBRS - 2CO, 2FO
Same grades on report card and ireadys in the 90+ percentile. My kid that didn't get in actually scores higher in the ireadys.

Thanks for the input!

[Anonymous]

I have 2 kids in HS now. One went to an AAP center and the other stayed in gen ed at their base school. Now in high school they are on almost identical paths.

[Anonymous]

The assignments and tests are remarkably similar in social studies, science, and language arts. They are teaching to the same standards of learning. The only difference was with the math where a little more accelerated content was delivered to AAP. That’s it, only the math appeared differently.

[Anonymous]

If the gen ed kids gets advanced math, the major difference is having ceasar's english in LIV

[Anonymous]

I have a 5th and 8th grader in AAP and a 2nd grader who wasn’t in the pool and I didn’t parent refer. In my old age, I don’t think it matters whether or not my youngest is in AAP and that she will still take all honors classes in middle school. Back when my older two were at the base school - the base school didn’t offer anything advanced and now since then, they’ve been forced to offer it so it makes even less of a difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have twins and one made it into AAP and one did not. My kids attend a center school, so they'll be at the same school but not the same classroom anymore. Both my kids are very upset with this.
I do not think my kid has a good chance at getting in with an appeal. My kid is a very well rounded student but doesn't have that puzzle-y type of brain. Below are my kid's stats.

For parents that have one child in gen ed and one in AAP, did you notice a huge difference in curriculum? Is gen ed really that bad?

NNAT - 108, COGAT - 134, WISC - 117.
GBRS - 2CO, 2FO.
All 4s on report card and ireadys are consistently in the 90+ percentile.

OP: The information you cited sounds like you have a well adjusted, above average kid. It's a shame that he/she is upset. Out of curiosity --genetically speaking-- are they identical twins? And what were the scores and GBRS of the kid accepted to AAP?

OP here. Identical twins. My other twin had the following stats:

NNAT - 121, COGAT - 136, WISC - 132
GBRS - 2CO, 2FO
Same grades on report card and ireadys in the 90+ percentile. My kid that didn't get in actually scores higher in the ireadys.

Thanks for the input!

OP, how is your base school. What prompted you to get WISC scores?

I would

1) appeal for second twin to be in LIV; maybe retake the NNAT because clearly it was used. As I see it, these kids are both borderline for LIV. One just tests a little better. If one gets in, the other should too. They are essentially performing the same in school, with the non accepted twin achieving better on iReady. I assume you didn't use the WISC score for the second kid's packet.

2) If the appeal fails: remember the LIV qualified kid can always move to the center's LIV. Then appeal again next year if you feel the center is preferable. Socially, they are better off in different classrooms so there is a silver lining to that.

[Anonymous]

To OP. First and Foremost, both of your children of smart. Don't let the acceptance into the LVL 4 program be what defines that.

COGAT test was good.
GBRS was good. 2/2 ratio usually gets you in.
WISC score is in avg range. Don't include this.
NNAT was unfortunately low. If this as in the 120s/130s then it would have been no brainer.

You should definitely appeal. Draft a cover explaining your child is not challenged enough in the normal class setting. Provide 5 work samples (maximum).

If the appeal fails, then try again the subsequent year if the test scores are better.

GL