AAP Colvin run vs private
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Anonymous
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Academically would aap at Colvin run be comparable or better than a mid range private school (15-20K/yr)
We’re not happy with our ES academically- but are in a good pyramid. We were kind of thinking AAP was what we needed, will we be disappointed? |
Anonymous
| Is your kid in the school already? |
Anonymous
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We just switched from AAP to a mid-range private school at the bottom of your price range. My answer is it depends on the kid, the exact set of teachers, and the principal.
For my oldest AAP was OK but not quite what they needed. The math was fine, but oldest is really good at math. It was just challenging enough not to be boring, but generally also not hard. The social studies and science were blah to non-existent. The thing that really didn't work was the language arts. The reading comprehension instruction DC got didn't work for them, and the writing instruction was nearly non-existent. DC learned some spelling at home from me and is a voracious reader, but it hasn't been enough. Socially DC was doing neither great nor terrible, with a small circle of friends every year. For my middle DC the AAP education was just about perfect. That DC somehow managed teachers who handled language arts better. Math is a little more challenging for middle DC, but instruction was good enough that DC was progressing steadily. Science and social studies could have been better, but DC didn't mind. DC had a great group of friends. For my youngest DC about to enter AAP (accepted but hadn't started) I was concerned. DC does the exact bare minimum expected. Math would have had high expectations, but again language arts might not have been great. I wanted DC to be held to high enough standards to bring out DC's potential. We switch to private largely for the more rigorous language arts while keeping rigor in math and adding more hands-on science and in-depth history. We've barely started, but early indications are promising. What I'm not seeing that I would have hoped for is much better behaved classrooms than AAP. No one's throwing scissors or chairs like they did in my kids' classes sometimes, but they're still loud and chatty, which bugs one of my kids. |
Anonymous
No |
Anonymous
| Just trying to get an idea how aap at a center school compares to a private school. |
Anonymous
Most schools still have about 30 kids per classroom, but kids are serious about learning. |
Anonymous
In general, although it depends on the school, including principal and teachers, private schools are geared towards on-grade level students and AAP is geared towards gifted and above grade level students. It's still grade school though, not hard or extremely challenging. Behavioral issues vary, not necessarily better or worse between public and private. A private school may counsel out students with behavioral issues but it's a process that can take years. Between my kids center school academic education and the academic education of my nieces and nephews at an excellent, expensive private school, they did some neat projects, my kids did some neat projects, and my kids' math is much better. |
Anonymous
At our elementary school the AAP classrooms are almost always smaller and max around 23-25. There was one year where an APP class had over 30 but that was an anomaly. They opened up a 2nd AAP classroom in that grade the next year. |
Anonymous
Your non-aap parents must have been a really complacent group |
Anonymous
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This is a personal opinion. I won’t go into details. I think Colvin Run AAP is better than most mid-range privates. I think higher end privates are probably better.
Can you give an example of a private you are considering? |
Anonymous
Do you consider Flint Hill, Basis McLean, the Langley School, Nysmith, Congressional, Westminster, etc. midrange? |
Anonymous
Yes. |
Anonymous
Some of those are midrange. Some are higher end. |
Anonymous
Which ones are on the higher end? |
Anonymous
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My kids go to Colvin Run ES and are in LIV AAP.
18 kids in my daughter’s class. Teacher is amazing; energetic, always looking for ways to incorporate STEM into lessons, good emphasis on reading. If you are thinking about CRES as a center school, are you zoned for Great Falls ES? They have a fantastic Japanese Immersion program. I met a family who kept their daughter in Sunset Hills Montessori for kindergarten, thinking she’d be ahead, but instead she was very behind by first grade. If your kid is motivated and driven, I would consider Nysmith, otherwise I think CRES or GFES are much better than most private schools around. |