Difference(s) between AAP in center vs non-center schools (in higher SES zone)
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Anonymous
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DC is a rising kindergartener and we are still figuring out where we'll move and where he'll go to school. I'm very interested in AAP and I am wondering what to expect if he ends up at a school that is not a center, local level IV, higher SES. The school we're thinking about has about 20% of kids in AAP (part-time or full). I hear folks on this forum saying gen ed is essentially the same as AAP at higher SES schools and I know that is unlikely, but this school seems to do well over all.
A concern is peer group. While I don't want DC in a school that is hyper-focused on competition and achievement-based social comparison, I also don't really want an environment where many parents aren't too interested in their kids' academic success. Maybe I'm wrong but if it's a higher SES school and there's not much level 2/3 participation, that seems a bit worrisome to me. |
Anonymous
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OP, this is not intended to be snarky or rude, but you are way ahead of yourself. Your DS is not even in kindergarten yet, so you don't have a great idea of how he will perform in school relative to his peers. Even if he is "ahead" now, that does not necessarily translate to being AAP in 2nd grade.
And finally, your concern about "peer group" is a non-issue in a high SES school in Fairfax County. High SES is going to be the "peer group" you seem to want. |
Anonymous
You do whatever you want with your kid. Why would you care what other kids is doing or not doing? It's impossible to find a "peer group" just fit your "want" perfectly. Welcome to real world. |
Anonymous
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OP, every elementary school in FCPS will have Local Level IV when your DS is in 3rd grade. Some may have a LLIV class/classes while others may use the cluster model. Probably the choice of center school or base school will be available but that may change.
Our base school is a center school which meant that our kids didn't have to change schools in 3rd grade, but their friends are all from other base schools and those children were fine with changing schools (at least they were after the first week). |
Anonymous
NP. Peer group is important. A good peer group keeps a kid on the right path, a bad peer group can derail a kid. Sometimes it's not obvious which is which, and oftentimes a parent cannot control it. But choosing a school is something that a parent can do and be thoughtful about -- and something every parent on this forum is thoughtful about. |
Anonymous
| Look at how many AAP students stay at the local level school and how many actually go to the AAP center school. My kids went to Chesterbrook and most AAP identified students stayed. Its local level program was larger than a few of the smaller AAP center schools elsewhere in the county. I would call it a robust program. Based on conversations with others, it seems that Spring Hill is similar. If you are specific about which school you are considering, I am sure posters will be able to help you. |
Anonymous
| I will add that based on how they do AAP now, it is harder to get into AAP at the higher SES schools because there are so many well prepared smart students and they don’t need a separate program to support them. |
Anonymous
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The most important difference is that kids in AAP are accelerated one year for math starting in third grade. Even at a high SES school, the kids in Gen Ed stay on grade level for math. The high SES school may say they will do pull-outs for gen ed kids for math if they need more challenge, but those kids won’t accelerate a year.
Acceleration is important if you want your kid to take AP calculus HS. |
Anonymous
Just because you keep saying it is so, doesn’t make it true. Higher SES schools are indeed making it virtually impossible to get into AAP, but they aren’t offering the advanced curriculum or differentiating learning in GenEd to accommodate those 98-99% kids they’re now rejecting. You’ll find a lot of frustrated parents at these schools since moving to “local norms” and many have/are pulling their kids for private school if they can afford it. Admin keeps insisting that genEd is the same thing as AAP but it’s not. |
Anonymous
My children were not in Level IV AAP, but still were in the accelerated math class at our ES. |
Anonymous
Thank you and absolutely agree. |
Anonymous
Interesting. I have some data from last year that says Chesterbrook has roughly 15% in LII/III and 20% in LIV. I'm looking at a few different schools, like Oakton ES, Crossfield, and Wakefield Forest. WFES has 10% and 16%, respectively. A couple of these schools could be more of a pain for us to switch to the center if DC gets into AAP, and I'm not sure about Jackson Middle. |
Anonymous
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In a nutshell LIV at a center means every student was formally found eligible by the committee. A student never loses that designation (you don’t reapply or ever get “kicked out”). By the rules, no other students are in this classes and they follow the official AAP curriculum and pacing.
A LLIV, by definition not at a center, is pretty much unregulated and run how the principal wants. This includes what students make up the class (which can change any time) as well as that they don’t have to follow the LIV curriculum or pacing. Some might still follow it, but not all do nor do they have to. The cluster model some schools use just has a small group of AAP students in an otherwise gen ed class, and therefore is unlikely to follow full AAP curriculum and pacing. There are pros and cons to the tradeoffs between the two, the details of which depend on which center school and which base/local level iv. If at a great local school you may jot care about the center. You have to trust the principal a lot at a local since they can do pretty much whatever they want. |
Anonymous
This is very helpful, thank you! |
Anonymous
| Question: what are the high-SES schools/school zones? |