AAP - why not have it for all of FCPS?

[Anonymous]

I do not know how to fix FCPS. Sigh. Maybe break it into 2-3 separate smaller school systems.

We are now thinking maybe go private for K-8 then transfer to public for high school. Or maybe move into Falls Church City.

TJ is not factor for us, but we do want rigorous academics for the K-8 foundation years.

[Anonymous]

Is Falls Church City better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is Falls Church City better?

Falls Church city is a small enclave of rich people. Their school system is enclosed from poor and ESL in a way that FCPS is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't some FCPS schools have AAP in Gen Ed?

AAP is just an academic program. Is the selection process for kids needed? does it add any value?

Why not have AAP across all of FCPS and challenge truly exceptional kids with differentiation by their own school teachers (based on their specific needs)?

Do you know how hard differentiation is? I’d love for you to try it! Get 30 kids, create a lesson plan, and then create separate lessons for all those who need it. Then do that for every class every day.

Teaching to the lowest standard is not the answer. AAP is what gen ed was when I was teaching.

Not a teacher, but I think today's parenting styles and teaching models don't make differentiation any easier. In an era when kids were taught to sit still and do their work it had to have been easier.

+1 I taught before and after the smart phone. The difference in student behavior was noticeable. If classes had been like this when I student taught, I would have switched careers.

In addition, I can’t stress how much extra everything rich parents throw at their kids. No matter how we try to bring everyone up, there are parents prepared to spend thousands so their kid is the best. You can’t teach 25 kids at the same speed as a kid being tutored even twice a week. I’ve tutored myself, and the pace is much faster because the curriculum can be customized to the individual student. It’s like putting two cars in a stock car race, but giving one of them a custom engine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't some FCPS schools have AAP in Gen Ed?

AAP is just an academic program. Is the selection process for kids needed? does it add any value?

Why not have AAP across all of FCPS and challenge truly exceptional kids with differentiation by their own school teachers (based on their specific needs)?

Do you know how hard differentiation is? I’d love for you to try it! Get 30 kids, create a lesson plan, and then create separate lessons for all those who need it. Then do that for every class every day.

Teaching to the lowest standard is not the answer. AAP is what gen ed was when I was teaching.

Not a teacher, but I think today's parenting styles and teaching models don't make differentiation any easier. In an era when kids were taught to sit still and do their work it had to have been easier.

+1 I taught before and after the smart phone. The difference in student behavior was noticeable. If classes had been like this when I student taught, I would have switched careers.

In addition, I can’t stress how much extra everything rich parents throw at their kids. No matter how we try to bring everyone up, there are parents prepared to spend thousands so their kid is the best. You can’t teach 25 kids at the same speed as a kid being tutored even twice a week. I’ve tutored myself, and the pace is much faster because the curriculum can be customized to the individual student. It’s like putting two cars in a stock car race, but giving one of them a custom engine.

I don’t think most parents pay for supplementation to get their kids ahead. Yes, some do of course but IMO, the bast majority do it either help their child catch up or because they think the education their child is receiving is lacking in important things.

Personally, we are not rich but since last year I have been paying for supplementation, especially for L&A. I will keep it up even when things go back to normal because I now know how weak is FCPS L&A curriculum. Maybe it gets better at the MS and HS level? But for ES is weak.

IF I were rich, I would have sent my children to an excellent private school in a hot second. But Alas, we can only afford expensive supplementation for two children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Our AART said that around 10 kids a year are selected for AAP in a given year. No idea about numbers for LIII or Advanced Math, I think it would be creepy to count the kids in the virtual class. I have no idea who was accepted into LIV or who choose to move to the Center. I fully expect the LLIV class to be around 20 with the JI kids joining for LA.

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

[Anonymous]

Our AART said that around 10 kids a year are selected for AAP in a given year. No idea about numbers for LIII or Advanced Math, I think it would be creepy to count the kids in the virtual class. I have no idea who was accepted into LIV or who choose to move to the Center. But the LIII class would include all the AAP kids who stayed at Fox Mill. I fully expect the LLIV class to be around 20 with the JI kids joining for LA.

I screwed up the quote.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Our AART said that around 10 kids a year are selected for AAP in a given year. No idea about numbers for LIII or Advanced Math, I think it would be creepy to count the kids in the virtual class. I have no idea who was accepted into LIV or who choose to move to the Center. I fully expect the LLIV class to be around 20 with the JI kids joining for LA.

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

Is LIII like LLIV work for Math and Reading class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Falls Church City better?

Falls Church city is a small enclave of rich people. Their school system is enclosed from poor and ESL in a way that FCPS is not.

And yet George Mason high school test scores are lower than other nearby schools like Marshall. Oof enjoy paying your extra taxes for no reason

[Anonymous]

It really perplexed me WHY the curriculum is so bad in FCPS ES when most people agree it is pretty good in MS and HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really perplexed me WHY the curriculum is so bad in FCPS ES when most people agree it is pretty good in MS and HS

Honestly, because there is a lot more differentiation at the secondary level. No one wants to say it, but it's true. The kids who are below grade level or have behavior problems are put in separate classrooms from the kids who are able to keep up with the material and want to be in class. There is some differentiation at the ES level but it's a different beast. If 10-20% of an elementary class is at least one grade level behind in reading or math, those students anchor the entire group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Falls Church City better?

Falls Church city is a small enclave of rich people. Their school system is enclosed from poor and ESL in a way that FCPS is not.

And yet George Mason high school test scores are lower than other nearby schools like Marshall. Oof enjoy paying your extra taxes for no reason

+1 and the college placements are weaker

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really perplexed me WHY the curriculum is so bad in FCPS ES when most people agree it is pretty good in MS and HS

Honestly, because there is a lot more differentiation at the secondary level. No one wants to say it, but it's true. The kids who are below grade level or have behavior problems are put in separate classrooms from the kids who are able to keep up with the material and want to be in class. There is some differentiation at the ES level but it's a different beast. If 10-20% of an elementary class is at least one grade level behind in reading or math, those students anchor the entire group.

The important distinction is that in HS you are allowed to take any course you want. There is no iron curtain like in AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really perplexed me WHY the curriculum is so bad in FCPS ES when most people agree it is pretty good in MS and HS

Honestly, because there is a lot more differentiation at the secondary level. No one wants to say it, but it's true. The kids who are below grade level or have behavior problems are put in separate classrooms from the kids who are able to keep up with the material and want to be in class. There is some differentiation at the ES level but it's a different beast. If 10-20% of an elementary class is at least one grade level behind in reading or math, those students anchor the entire group.

The important distinction is that in HS you are allowed to take any course you want. There is no iron curtain like in AAP.

Sort of. If you barely passed Algebra I, you aren't taking AP Physics in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really perplexed me WHY the curriculum is so bad in FCPS ES when most people agree it is pretty good in MS and HS

Honestly, because there is a lot more differentiation at the secondary level. No one wants to say it, but it's true. The kids who are below grade level or have behavior problems are put in separate classrooms from the kids who are able to keep up with the material and want to be in class. There is some differentiation at the ES level but it's a different beast. If 10-20% of an elementary class is at least one grade level behind in reading or math, those students anchor the entire group.

The important distinction is that in HS you are allowed to take any course you want. There is no iron curtain like in AAP.

Sort of. If you barely passed Algebra I, you aren't taking AP Physics in high school.

But why are you assuming that the gen ed kid barely passed Algebra 1? Go read the threads of kids who got rejected. WISCs in the 140s. They will be ok in AP Physics. Also many gen ed kids are in Advanced Math.