Student being given extra work due to referral

[Anonymous]

I filled out the application to refer my sixth grader for level IV services. Today she came home from school and said that because I referred her, she was now being required to do extra work at school. Something about a poem and Jacob's Ladder. I am not sure what she was going on about, but I am very confused. Is this normal? I thought teachers were supposed to provide examples of student work, not make the students produce specific work for the application.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I filled out the application to refer my sixth grader for level IV services. Today she came home from school and said that because I referred her, she was now being required to do extra work at school. Something about a poem and Jacob's Ladder. I am not sure what she was going on about, but I am very confused. Is this normal? I thought teachers were supposed to provide examples of student work, not make the students produce specific work for the application.

That's common. Some AARTs like to have everyone do the same very open ended, creative type sample, since they know the type of thing the AAP panel likes to see. It makes it easier for them to address and justify the gifted behaviors that they're seeing when they make the packet.

[Anonymous]

I'd be more frustrated that your DC wasn't getting this type of work prior to being submitted, as they weren't on their radar. The AART is finally doing his/her job, and now is getting complaints?

[Anonymous]

I would also be happy for the extra work and explain to my child why she needs it. I’m surprised she was told it’s because your parents submitted a referral.

[Anonymous]

I would guess that every kid is getting the sheet and that your daughter is just noticing the AAP bit because she knows you referred her. DS had several work samples that were in his packet that came home in his Thursday folder. The difference was that the work sheet that came home in his folder didn’t have comments from the AART on it and the worksheet in the packet did. The AART wrote “Demonstrating his math thought process” or something like that. Every child had completed the worksheet. AARTs are supposed to be visiting classrooms regularly and giving all the kids “level 1” services.

Our kid never commented on the AART worksheets because we never discussed AAP with him.

[Anonymous]

My child is already in a local level IV program. She told me that she was told this was because she was referred and told me the names of the other three kids who were given the same work.

For the record, I was not complaining. I was just confused as to the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is already in a local level IV program. She told me that she was told this was because she was referred and told me the names of the other three kids who were given the same work.

For the record, I was not complaining. I was just confused as to the process.

It most likely means that you have an experienced AART who knows what types of things the committee wants to see and is doing their best to make sure the kids have the right type of samples.

[Anonymous]

My second grader had a pullout for the first time this week and it sort of sounded like they just pulled out the kids who need to create work samples for the AAP packet. It was 1 math and 1 LA worksheet for him to do without any instruction. We are already at a center. My kid was told it's just once a week only for the month of January.

[Anonymous]

They probably don't have any work samples because he's in 6th grade. For 2nd graders, they do occasional pull outs so that they have samples in case a parent refers.

[Anonymous]

Regular schoolwork, even in a LLIV classroom, doesn't typically show the types of GBRS bullet point type traits that the committee wants to see. Because so many 2nd graders are in pool or referred, the AART often gives everyone the ideal AAP type work samples during the LI visits to the classroom.

For kids older than 2nd, few apply for AAP, and it's easier to just pull out the kids who are applying and give only those kids the extra AAP type work samples.

A school work sample does not need to be organically produced as regular classroom work. It simply means that the parents had no input or involvement with the work. It's kind of ideal when the AART pulls kids to create these, since the classroom teacher and the kid's friends also can't help in some way with the sample.