Longfellow MS AAP overcrowding plans?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually full honors is AAP. And in middle school honors is self selected and it is working. Many students coming from the AAP centers are struggling with full honors in middle school. Elementary AAP needs to go no reason for it in the way it is today.

Multiple things wrong with this post. Full honors is considered level iv, still a level below the AAP center program. MS Honors may seem to be working to you, perhaps you are happy that it's accessible & not overly difficult for your GE child, but there are many for whom it is a step down/watered down vs. AAP and a disappointing option. I don't know anyone struggling with 'full honors' -- most kids I hear in 'full honors' whether aap or ge are coasting. The only kids that seem to be really challenged are those in AAP MS courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually full honors is AAP. And in middle school honors is self selected and it is working. Many students coming from the AAP centers are struggling with full honors in middle school. Elementary AAP needs to go no reason for it in the way it is today.

Multiple things wrong with this post. Full honors is considered level iv, still a level below the AAP center program. MS Honors may seem to be working to you, perhaps you are happy that it's accessible & not overly difficult for your GE child, but there are many for whom it is a step down/watered down vs. AAP and a disappointing option. I don't know anyone struggling with 'full honors' -- most kids I hear in 'full honors' whether (formerly) aap or ge are coasting. The only kids that seem to be really challenged are those in AAP MS courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually full honors is AAP. And in middle school honors is self selected and it is working. Many students coming from the AAP centers are struggling with full honors in middle school. Elementary AAP needs to go no reason for it in the way it is today.

Multiple things wrong with this post. Full honors is considered level iv, still a level below the AAP center program. MS Honors may seem to be working to you, perhaps you are happy that it's accessible & not overly difficult for your GE child, but there are many for whom it is a step down/watered down vs. AAP and a disappointing option. I don't know anyone struggling with 'full honors' -- most kids I hear in 'full honors' whether aap or ge are coasting. The only kids that seem to be really challenged are those in AAP MS courses.

What a nice smugfest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually full honors is AAP. And in middle school honors is self selected and it is working. Many students coming from the AAP centers are struggling with full honors in middle school. Elementary AAP needs to go no reason for it in the way it is today.

Multiple things wrong with this post. Full honors is considered level iv, still a level below the AAP center program. MS Honors may seem to be working to you, perhaps you are happy that it's accessible & not overly difficult for your GE child, but there are many for whom it is a step down/watered down vs. AAP and a disappointing option. I don't know anyone struggling with 'full honors' -- most kids I hear in 'full honors' whether aap or ge are coasting. The only kids that seem to be really challenged are those in AAP MS courses.

What a nice smugfest.

Seriously. Clearly one of those parents who wants the distinction (not there is one) to be clear that her child is in "center AAP" rather than the horribly dumbed-down "MS Honors". So incredibly smug and self-satisfied. I wonder if it's the parents or the children who are clamoring to be challenged in middle school. Regardless, MS honors classes offer plenty of challenge, whether or not AAP parents want to admit it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually full honors is AAP. And in middle school honors is self selected and it is working. Many students coming from the AAP centers are struggling with full honors in middle school. Elementary AAP needs to go no reason for it in the way it is today.

Multiple things wrong with this post. Full honors is considered level iv, still a level below the AAP center program. MS Honors may seem to be working to you, perhaps you are happy that it's accessible & not overly difficult for your GE child, but there are many for whom it is a step down/watered down vs. AAP and a disappointing option. I don't know anyone struggling with 'full honors' -- most kids I hear in 'full honors' whether aap or ge are coasting. The only kids that seem to be really challenged are those in AAP MS courses.

What a nice smugfest.

Seriously. Clearly one of those parents who wants the distinction (not there is one) to be clear that her child is in "center AAP" rather than the horribly dumbed-down "MS Honors". So incredibly smug and self-satisfied. I wonder if it's the parents or the children who are clamoring to be challenged in middle school. Regardless, MS honors classes offer plenty of challenge, whether or not AAP parents want to admit it.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Look, you all are very smug and self-satisfied in your group think re AAP being no different, all kids in AAP have been pushed in, all kids are just as smart and capable; I'm sorry you don't want to be confronted with alternative perspectives. But we are apparently stuck with all the GE naysayers on the AAP board and you are stuck occasionally hearing from some people who have real world experiences and opinions that differ from yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look, you all are very smug and self-satisfied in your group think re AAP being no different, all kids in AAP have been pushed in, all kids are just as smart and capable; I'm sorry you don't want to be confronted with alternative perspectives. But we are apparently stuck with all the GE naysayers on the AAP board and you are stuck occasionally hearing from some people who have real world experiences and opinions that differ from yours.

I see. So parents of Gen Ed children have no real world experiences of their own?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, you all are very smug and self-satisfied in your group think re AAP being no different, all kids in AAP have been pushed in, all kids are just as smart and capable; I'm sorry you don't want to be confronted with alternative perspectives. But we are apparently stuck with all the GE naysayers on the AAP board and you are stuck occasionally hearing from some people who have real world experiences and opinions that differ from yours.

I see. So parents of Gen Ed children have no real world experiences of their own?

Come on, seriously? ". . . differ from YOURS" = you have real world experiences and opinions too -- DIFFERENT ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, you all are very smug and self-satisfied in your group think re AAP being no different, all kids in AAP have been pushed in, all kids are just as smart and capable; I'm sorry you don't want to be confronted with alternative perspectives. But we are apparently stuck with all the GE naysayers on the AAP board and you are stuck occasionally hearing from some people who have real world experiences and opinions that differ from yours.

I see. So parents of Gen Ed children have no real world experiences of their own?

Come on, seriously? ". . . differ from YOURS" = you have real world experiences and opinions too -- DIFFERENT ones.

Many parents have experiences in Gen ed and AAP. There was one earlier in this thread that was basically ignored because it didn't fit into a few AAP parents paradigm that AAP is head and shoulder above Honors in MS.

[Anonymous]

From where I'm sitting it seems the anti-AAP posters are trying vey hard to drown out voices that disagree with them. BTW, see the other thread on this board right now on which a number of posters have posted similar observations that middle school honors classes seem to be significantly less challenging than AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From where I'm sitting it seems the anti-AAP posters are trying vey hard to drown out voices that disagree with them. BTW, see the other thread on this board right now on which a number of posters have posted similar observations that middle school honors classes seem to be significantly less challenging than AAP.

You're kidding, right? Every time a parent of a Gen Ed student (or of both GE and AAP students) has an opinion regarding AAP, s/he is completely dismissed by those who only have AAP kids and who feel AAP is the end-all, be-all. It's amazing to me that FCPS bends over backwards to accomodate all the parents who insist their child be in this program. If the admissions criteria were raised, we wouldn't be having the problem of over-crowding and likely most current AAP students would instead be in Gen Ed. If FCPS spent a fraction of the energy, money, and time on Gen Ed students that they've been spending on AAP issues like testing, identification, over-crowding, etc., imagine what a great General Ed. program we would have. But instead, they're completely cowed by aggressive, pushy parents who insist on the status quo (not particularly high admittance criteria) so that their average kids can be in the program. The whole system is corrupt and is failing the majority of kids in FCPS, the Gen Ed population. Not to mention the highly gifted kids who aren't even in a gifted program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From where I'm sitting it seems the anti-AAP posters are trying vey hard to drown out voices that disagree with them. BTW, see the other thread on this board right now on which a number of posters have posted similar observations that middle school honors classes seem to be significantly less challenging than AAP.

You're kidding, right? Every time a parent of a Gen Ed student (or of both GE and AAP students) has an opinion regarding AAP, s/he is completely dismissed by those who only have AAP kids and who feel AAP is the end-all, be-all. It's amazing to me that FCPS bends over backwards to accomodate all the parents who insist their child be in this program. If the admissions criteria were raised, we wouldn't be having the problem of over-crowding and likely most current AAP students would instead be in Gen Ed. If FCPS spent a fraction of the energy, money, and time on Gen Ed students that they've been spending on AAP issues like testing, identification, over-crowding, etc., imagine what a great General Ed. program we would have. But instead, they're completely cowed by aggressive, pushy parents who insist on the status quo (not particularly high admittance criteria) so that their average kids can be in the program. The whole system is corrupt and is failing the majority of kids in FCPS, the Gen Ed population. Not to mention the highly gifted kids who aren't even in a gifted program.

How old are your kids? By the time they are in high school, no one cares or talks much any more about middle-school AAP. It would be like an adult talking about her SAT scores to her work colleagues - not very relevant to the task at hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From where I'm sitting it seems the anti-AAP posters are trying vey hard to drown out voices that disagree with them. BTW, see the other thread on this board right now on which a number of posters have posted similar observations that middle school honors classes seem to be significantly less challenging than AAP.

You're kidding, right? Every time a parent of a Gen Ed student (or of both GE and AAP students) has an opinion regarding AAP, s/he is completely dismissed by those who only have AAP kids and who feel AAP is the end-all, be-all. It's amazing to me that FCPS bends over backwards to accomodate all the parents who insist their child be in this program. If the admissions criteria were raised, we wouldn't be having the problem of over-crowding and likely most current AAP students would instead be in Gen Ed. If FCPS spent a fraction of the energy, money, and time on Gen Ed students that they've been spending on AAP issues like testing, identification, over-crowding, etc., imagine what a great General Ed. program we would have. But instead, they're completely cowed by aggressive, pushy parents who insist on the status quo (not particularly high admittance criteria) so that their average kids can be in the program. The whole system is corrupt and is failing the majority of kids in FCPS, the Gen Ed population. Not to mention the highly gifted kids who aren't even in a gifted program.

How old are your kids? By the time they are in high school, no one cares or talks much any more about middle-school AAP. It would be like an adult talking about her SAT scores to her work colleagues - not very relevant to the task at hand.

I completely agree with you; but I'm not sure how your comment relates to PP, who I also completely agree with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From where I'm sitting it seems the anti-AAP posters are trying vey hard to drown out voices that disagree with them. BTW, see the other thread on this board right now on which a number of posters have posted similar observations that middle school honors classes seem to be significantly less challenging than AAP.

You're kidding, right? Every time a parent of a Gen Ed student (or of both GE and AAP students) has an opinion regarding AAP, s/he is completely dismissed by those who only have AAP kids and who feel AAP is the end-all, be-all. It's amazing to me that FCPS bends over backwards to accomodate all the parents who insist their child be in this program. If the admissions criteria were raised, we wouldn't be having the problem of over-crowding and likely most current AAP students would instead be in Gen Ed. If FCPS spent a fraction of the energy, money, and time on Gen Ed students that they've been spending on AAP issues like testing, identification, over-crowding, etc., imagine what a great General Ed. program we would have. But instead, they're completely cowed by aggressive, pushy parents who insist on the status quo (not particularly high admittance criteria) so that their average kids can be in the program. The whole system is corrupt and is failing the majority of kids in FCPS, the Gen Ed population. Not to mention the highly gifted kids who aren't even in a gifted program.

I don't know how many more times you can repeat this same mantra that the AAP program is responsible for so many of the school system's problems but the only takers are parents with a similar axe to grind, presumably parents of kids I can only assume you would describe as what, below average? I don't know why you believe it is responsible for all overcrowding; it's not at all clear that it is failing the GE population -- there are many arguments to the contrary; the budget for AAP is actually quite small and pales in comparison to GE and certainly to Special Ed, which serves far fewer children, probably compared to a number of other programs, especially in relation to kids served. Also, stop with the constant implication that every defender of AAP has "average children"? Believe it or not, there are many families around here with multiple kids with 130 and 140+ test scores (yes, uncoached), high GBRS, etc -- their crime is to accept the placement their child's teachers and the school system said was appropriate? Many moved here because they knew our child(ren) were candidates. I can assure you that many of these parents believe the system has been corrupted, if at all, by political correctness and trying to please parents like yourself, even when it's not educationally sound.

What's your end goal anyway -- you really think that you'd prefer an "average" student population? Or you just want to pretend everyone's the same? Do you not want to acknowledge that the AAP program in FCPS has long been considered a model system, which attracts and retains some of the brightest children and their families to come to FCPS? You could drive out many of the truly "highly gifted" but if not you still might not really be happy with the resulting model . . . Based on your post's fuzzy logic and unfounded accusations, I suppose that the program just makes you so crazy for personal reasons that you just want it gone, and you'll blame anything and everything on it, reason and reality be damned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From where I'm sitting it seems the anti-AAP posters are trying vey hard to drown out voices that disagree with them. BTW, see the other thread on this board right now on which a number of posters have posted similar observations that middle school honors classes seem to be significantly less challenging than AAP.

You're kidding, right? Every time a parent of a Gen Ed student (or of both GE and AAP students) has an opinion regarding AAP, s/he is completely dismissed by those who only have AAP kids and who feel AAP is the end-all, be-all. It's amazing to me that FCPS bends over backwards to accomodate all the parents who insist their child be in this program. If the admissions criteria were raised, we wouldn't be having the problem of over-crowding and likely most current AAP students would instead be in Gen Ed. If FCPS spent a fraction of the energy, money, and time on Gen Ed students that they've been spending on AAP issues like testing, identification, over-crowding, etc., imagine what a great General Ed. program we would have. But instead, they're completely cowed by aggressive, pushy parents who insist on the status quo (not particularly high admittance criteria) so that their average kids can be in the program. The whole system is corrupt and is failing the majority of kids in FCPS, the Gen Ed population. Not to mention the highly gifted kids who aren't even in a gifted program.

I don't know how many more times you can repeat this same mantra that the AAP program is responsible for so many of the school system's problems but the only takers are parents with a similar axe to grind, presumably parents of kids I can only assume you would describe as what, below average? I don't know why you believe it is responsible for all overcrowding; it's not at all clear that it is failing the GE population -- there are many arguments to the contrary; the budget for AAP is actually quite small and pales in comparison to GE and certainly to Special Ed, which serves far fewer children, probably compared to a number of other programs, especially in relation to kids served. Also, stop with the constant implication that every defender of AAP has "average children"? Believe it or not, there are many families around here with multiple kids with 130 and 140+ test scores (yes, uncoached), high GBRS, etc -- their crime is to accept the placement their child's teachers and the school system said was appropriate? Many moved here because they knew our child(ren) were candidates. I can assure you that many of these parents believe the system has been corrupted, if at all, by political correctness and trying to please parents like yourself, even when it's not educationally sound.

What's your end goal anyway -- you really think that you'd prefer an "average" student population? Or you just want to pretend everyone's the same? Do you not want to acknowledge that the AAP program in FCPS has long been considered a model system, which attracts and retains some of the brightest children and their families to come to FCPS? You could drive out many of the truly "highly gifted" but if not you still might not really be happy with the resulting model . . . Based on your post's fuzzy logic and unfounded accusations, I suppose that the program just makes you so crazy for personal reasons that you just want it gone, and you'll blame anything and everything on it, reason and reality be damned.

AMEN to this post...I actually had one GE parent insinuate that my DC would not be in AAP if it weren't for the low standards-how the heck do they presume to know my kid's CoGAT and GBRS? Really huge chip on their shoulder...and again, this thread is way off topic because of the AAP haters in the crowd..