Gearing up for AAP appeal
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Anonymous
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I posted on a different thread that my DC didn't get the most glowing HOPE ratings. They were solid but only one box was checked. Spoke to AART who said DC is bright but has a group of peers in class in most subjects (i.e., doesn't stand out from them). I mentioned that some or most of these peers could move on to AAP and then there would be no or fewer such peers, which was not disputed. The internal committee (AART and teacher?) made these decisions based on work samples in school and class participation. So I'm pretty certain DC is not getting in the first round, despite my efforts in the parent forms/home work samples.
I wanted to ask those who've been through this: what does the appeal process entail? Do I write a statement? Submit new work samples? Does the committee still see the old packet in addition to the new info? I'm told the school will not submit anything and it's totally parent driven. Do I submit directly to the central office? Thanks for any tips anyone can provide. I would love to submit some inspiring school work samples but most of what comes home is worksheet type material. |
Anonymous
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Information about appeals is here:
https://www.fcps.edu/registration/advanced-academics-identification-and-placement/Full-Time-Appeals In the appeal you will submit a cover letter, up to 5 work samples, and any new test scores (WISC, etc). You send this information directly to the central office - your school or AART does not see it. The advice I've always received is to avoid complaining about the teacher or AART. Try to provide evidence as to why your child does need AAP. The central office eventually sends you an email indicating that they have received your application. Later (I think June timeframe) they will send you an email with the final decision. |
Anonymous
| Oh, and yes, the committee reviews the original packet as well as the information in your appeal. |
Anonymous
| Get WISC if need higher score and spend time writing the why AAP, but like other poster said, don’t bash teachers and make it more than just all DC peers picked. |
Anonymous
Thank you so much. So I gather from the website this is something you must mail in. Did you use registered mail or tracking? I will avoid complaining about the teacher or AART--that is sound advice. On another note, I am surprised so many get in on appeal if the teacher/AART evaluations are highly weighted. |
Anonymous
Thanks, we will likely schedule a WISC but I worry because DC is not the most gregarious with strangers so might underperform. In terms of "the why AAP" I'm curious what counts as compelling reasons. We know we can't just say DC is advanced, bored in class, etc. Wording is everything. Any advice is appreciated. |
Anonymous
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I forgot exactly what method for mailing I used last year. It involved tracking but I did not require a signature upon receipt.
Yes, a poor HOPE rating is hard to overcome, and it's frustrating. Definitely try to appeal, but if that's not successful then there's a good chance your child will get a much more positive HOPE rating from their teacher next year. The HOPE is highly subjective and every teacher fills it out differently, even for the same child. |
Anonymous
Thank you. The challenge with the HOPE is not so much the ratings but the check boxes. By selecting advanced in only one area (math) they've basically made it plain that they don't think DC requires full-time services (even though advanced math is 30 min a week at our school). My hope (no pun intended) is that the following year the HOPE will be better as DC gets a better understanding of what the expectations are for work. But to your point about subjectivity, isn't it an additional issue that the AART is the same year after year so they may be reluctant to change ratings? Or is it more based on the teacher's judgments? |
Anonymous
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It sounds like your HOPE form wasn't that bad. I think it would be harder to overcome if the ratings were terrible. Yes, it's helpful if more checkboxes were checked but I don't think it's a dealbreaker. That's just my impression - I'm no expert. You can give good work samples for writing that show that your child is advanced in writing.
My understanding is that the ratings are primarily driven by the teacher. The AART may help with the comments. I'm not sure who decides the advanced checkboxes. |
Anonymous
| If your child has high iReady scores for reading, then I wouldn't worry too much about the advanced checkboxes for reading/writing. |
Anonymous
Thank you. I was feeling this was the kiss of death (the lack of checkboxes). DC's CogAT score is very good but not out of this world. I thought I submitted good work samples but knowing what I know now I might have opted for other ones. The ratings were decent but not as awesome as they could have been. The AART referred to the 'committee', which made it sound like a very joint decision but that could be a cover. My child says they rarely see the AART so I'm skeptical they could have had much input. Teacher seems overworked and possibly not eliciting kids' best work. |
Anonymous
That's what I thought too but the AART seemed to suggest this wasn't relevant. The school is mostly mid-to-higher SES and it was suggested that DC is just one of many who are reading well and not so advanced as I think. Yet I'm skeptical that many in the class got 99th on reading for the I-ready and DC's score on the VALLSS was almost perfect. But as mentioned in another thread, DC's I-ready score for reading was not included in the packet (I failed to mention it myself in the app because I assumed it would be included but was not; for some unknown reason this school only included the reading I-Ready from Fall, which DC did not complete). The problem is these omissions, and the not-great work samples they submitted, suggest a not-very-advanced reader/writer. My work samples and narrative suggest more, but they may discount it as it comes from me. Nevertheless, with the appeal and the option to submit 5 new samples, I will try to convey a more accurate picture that they can't easily dismiss. |
Anonymous
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You could also take a deep breath and wait to see what the result is. Advanced Math in 2nd grade might be 30 minutes but Advanced Math in 3-6 might start as something that seems like 30 minutes but moves to a full grade jump by 5th grade. If you are at a high SES school your kid will have peers in his classroom and will be fine. All of the kids are following the same LA curriculum, so there is no difference in curriculum for LA and the science and social studies differences are not that great. The main difference is in the math curriculum and kids in Advanced Math do the same math as the kids in AAP.
Honestly, most of the kids in AP/IB were not in AAP. LIV matters the most at lower SES ES/MS where there are fewer peers, or the peers have started behind and have lots of ground to make up. LIV at a higher SES school is nice but not that different then the regular classroom, especially with the changes that they have made to the curriculum. |
Anonymous
Re: the bolded. Look at the old GBRS. Take "advanced" and "bored in class" and re-word them so that they look like "has these specific GBRS traits." Yes it's been a year but many of these teachers were trained on the GBRS before the HOPE and they still think of those things as gifted behaviors (because they are). Here's the GBRS, still online: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/AAPGiftedBehaviorRatingScale_0.pdf |
Anonymous
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^^^
And you'll note the GBRS had places for teachers to put commentary of specific examples. This is key in the parent referral and the parent questionnaire. List a trait. Show a (preferrably recent) time that your kid demonstrated the trait. Paint a word picture of your kid as a kid who is basically a walking GBRS. If your kid also demonstrates HOPE skills then do that too. |