Local v Center? What are your considerations?

[Anonymous]

I would love to hear about the different pros/cons/questions/logistics that people are weighing for choosing between local, center, or even deferral.

[Anonymous]

For us, local is the center so no choices to make, thankfully. (I'm done with worrying !)

[Anonymous]

I need to choose between the center and the local school. I plan to make my decision after attending both orientations. However, the FCPS school profile information makes me lean toward the center. The number of full-time AAP students at my child’s local school is quite low (less than 5% of the total students), indicating that there are more principal placed students.

[Anonymous]

My two biggest questions:

1. How many students participate in the program at each location? Whichever has enough to have more than one AAP class is preferable from a social aspect.

2. Is the local program a dedicated AAP classroom or is it the cluster model? If it's the cluster model there'd have to be something else very desirable about the local program, or something very unappealing about the center, to keep us local. Not because I have any issue with GE kids, but from experience it seems the less differentiation that needs to happen in the classroom the better. If your kid is likely to be in the bottom half of the AAP cohort, though, the cluster model may be desirable as a better pace for them.

[Anonymous]

What is the cluster model?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the cluster model?

From the descriptions I've read here it's just a normal classroom with differentiation. AAP kids are sprinkled throughout all the classes, usually with pullouts for advanced math with other advanced math students.

[Anonymous]

LOCAL
-Pros: close to home; smaller class size (<20); somewhat established friends/community; familiar with school admin, processes, some teachers
-Cons: likely set up as cluster model (even though could have one full class of level IV AAP kids, will be separated into 2-3 classes with others principal placed level III kids; level IV kids would combine for subject specific classes like math); kid may continue to have to help others catch up, rather than being challenged to advance

CENTER
-Pros: likely at least 2 classes with all level IV AAP kids; AAP certified teachers
-Cons: far from home; likely bigger class size (>20); different pyramid so if new friends are in different pyramids, likely will not be with them in middle/high school; unknown admin/processes/community

Have not yet gone to orientation at Center, but likely to choose Center. Kid has mentioned too many times of being bored and wants a challenge. Likely will stay in local school SACC so can continue to be part of local school community and keep in touch with friends not in Center. If we don't like the Center, we always have the option to transfer back to our local base school.

[Anonymous]

We are going to stay local. We have built up a nice community and our kid has a lot of friends at the local school, plus our younger is starting K this year at the local. We also really like our local AART so I think the program will be run well.

At the end of the day, AAP alone is not gonna be enough, whether it's at a center or local. We plan to work with our kid at home and supplement anyway. So the time saved on not having to bus/commute to center school can be used to spend more time with them on extracurriculars and enrichment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOCAL
-Pros: close to home; smaller class size (<20); somewhat established friends/community; familiar with school admin, processes, some teachers
-Cons: likely set up as cluster model (even though could have one full class of level IV AAP kids, will be separated into 2-3 classes with others principal placed level III kids; level IV kids would combine for subject specific classes like math); kid may continue to have to help others catch up, rather than being challenged to advance

CENTER
-Pros: likely at least 2 classes with all level IV AAP kids; AAP certified teachers
-Cons: far from home; likely bigger class size (>20); different pyramid so if new friends are in different pyramids, likely will not be with them in middle/high school; unknown admin/processes/community

Have not yet gone to orientation at Center, but likely to choose Center. Kid has mentioned too many times of being bored and wants a challenge. Likely will stay in local school SACC so can continue to be part of local school community and keep in touch with friends not in Center. If we don't like the Center, we always have the option to transfer back to our local base school.

Not all center teachers are AAP certified, just FYI. There are even teacher trainees in these positions.

[Anonymous]

Every child, AAP or GenEd is doing Benchmark. AAP might have more in depth learning or writing expectations, but they are still doing what everyone else is doing. Adv Math is offered at the majority of schools. I would find out if they have a designated class or cluster model. If they have a designated class, I would keep local. AAP is nothing like it was even last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOCAL
-Pros: close to home; smaller class size (<20); somewhat established friends/community; familiar with school admin, processes, some teachers
-Cons: likely set up as cluster model (even though could have one full class of level IV AAP kids, will be separated into 2-3 classes with others principal placed level III kids; level IV kids would combine for subject specific classes like math); kid may continue to have to help others catch up, rather than being challenged to advance

CENTER
-Pros: likely at least 2 classes with all level IV AAP kids; AAP certified teachers
-Cons: far from home; likely bigger class size (>20); different pyramid so if new friends are in different pyramids, likely will not be with them in middle/high school; unknown admin/processes/community

Have not yet gone to orientation at Center, but likely to choose Center. Kid has mentioned too many times of being bored and wants a challenge. Likely will stay in local school SACC so can continue to be part of local school community and keep in touch with friends not in Center. If we don't like the Center, we always have the option to transfer back to our local base school.

This doesn't factor in much. Our center includes only AAP members. 3rd Grade was 16 and 17 children in the 2 AAP classrooms, whereas the LLIV dedicated classroom was 25+, as their goal was to create equal sized classrooms. It all depends on the schools approaches and the numbers, which is nearly impossible to figure out given the inclusion of multiple school's kids to the center. For example, a few less students attending center in our year and there would have been 1 very large class instead of 2 small ones.

[Anonymous]

Main reasons for choosing LLIV:

Other siblings in same school, Friend Group, After school care considerations, ease for no transition, less "competitive" - I use this term in the negative to try to point out the hyper status association with some centers...

Main reasons for choosing Center:
Higher peer qualifications (they will say same curriculum but its really all about who else is in the classroom), more established teachers, multiple classes allow teachers to plan together, variety year to year on class make-up, Avoiding "cluster" model, which continues commingling skill levels like 2nd grade.

If you're making this choice, your child is obviously smart and will do well in either situation. Given that - Center offers more educational opportunities, while LLIV will offer more logistical flexibility and comfort. There's no wrong decision (though you'll second guess yourself regardless).

[Anonymous]

We are likely staying local. Our considerations

Local - has language immersion (DD loves it), sibling at the school, we know the admin/processes/PTA. It's the first year they are doing local AAP so I am sure there will be some growing pains.

Center - bigger AAP peer group, I actually think DD could enjoy making new friends. A lot of people have bad feedback about this school

For us, the biggest considerations are the language and sibling at local school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Main reasons for choosing LLIV:

Other siblings in same school, Friend Group, After school care considerations, ease for no transition, less "competitive" - I use this term in the negative to try to point out the hyper status association with some centers...

Main reasons for choosing Center:
Higher peer qualifications (they will say same curriculum but its really all about who else is in the classroom), more established teachers, multiple classes allow teachers to plan together, variety year to year on class make-up, Avoiding "cluster" model, which continues commingling skill levels like 2nd grade.

If you're making this choice, your child is obviously smart and will do well in either situation. Given that - Center offers more educational opportunities, while LLIV will offer more logistical flexibility and comfort. There's no wrong decision (though you'll second guess yourself regardless).

The centers do not necessarily have more established teachers. You can have a brand new teacher or non certified AAP teacher in a center too. I hate this narrative that the teachers are better at the center. This is false. For example, I have friends at our center. Their teacher is a brand new teacher. My kid is at a LL4 and all of the AAP teachers have been there for years. We have compared what the kids are doing and my kid is definitely doing more as this new teacher is just trying to get the basics of teaching and curriculum.


While this is not the case at all centers, you should ask about years of experience and how long they have been in that role. If that is important to you. But, your kid win’t be guaranteed an experienced/established AAP teacher at a center. So let’s stop with that narrative.

[Anonymous]

We chose center over local bc my kid was being bullied for acceleration at local. Either school was a drive bc of FCPS boundaries.