The entire AAP program should be eliminated

[Anonymous]

OK so then which ability levels are you OK with being publicly funded as part of public school? And which are you not OK with?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s private school on the public’s dime. And then those parents have the gall to pretend they support public school.

No way! Private schools don’t have 30 kids per class, especially not in elementary or middle school

[Anonymous]

The GT program was the ONLY thing that kept me sane throughout my 90s public school education. We were lower middle class, two working parents, so no one to finesse the system. The GT program and the subsequent track/peers it gave me in HS definitely gave me tools to succeed continue to be successful today. Stripping AAP out of public schools is such a disservice to all our children, regardless if they qualify or not. Mine didn't but I still support gifted learners.

[Anonymous]

If you are not in favor of AAP, let your child be in Gen Ed. Even if your child is selected for AAP services, you can decline it. No one is forcing you.
But it’s will be a huge disservice to kids who need more and are advanced beyond their peers. They need that kind of peer group and academic advancement. I know this as my one child is gifted and one is not. The child who is gifted needs AAP, not everyone can afford the expensive private schools in NOVA area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is classist, racist, and inequitable.

We need to follow NYC’s lead and get rid of AAP:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1006426.page

Not going to happen.

Sorry your kid didn't make the cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It should be changed so it's not pay to play anymore where the elitist moms of not so special kids can buy their way in bringing the teacher cupcakes, test prep courses, appeals, principal placement, etc. It's all very unfair to other kids who deserve those spots but don't have mammies working the system.

I think the solution is leveled classes based on ability year to year. If you can't keep up, you drop down a level. If it's too easy, you move up. Without having to obtain admission to an elitist program.

They have changed it in exactly the way you had hoped except they are not that savvy about it. The testing numbers matter less and less and the teacher evaluation part matters more and more. From what I have seen, the result is that they are excluding a lot of naturally bright kids and including a lot of well-behaved kids with strong executive functions. The program has not been elitist (or elite) for many years and it is increasingly less so.

All that said, I actually completely agree with your solution. I have two kids who are very strong in math. All they "need" (to borrow from the ridiculous language people use) are advanced math classes. But the school won't allow kids to take only advanced math so Level IV it is. Which turns out to be fine because there are very few all around advanced kids so, just like most kids, mine get fabulous grades with almost no effort.

[Anonymous]

So what would you propose for meeting the needs of advanced students in the absence of AAP? Or do we only meet the needs of students average or below or with some other special circumstance EXCEPT for advanced ability? We should just let those kids suffer from boredom and sap their interest in education, amirite?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The GT program was the ONLY thing that kept me sane throughout my 90s public school education. We were lower middle class, two working parents, so no one to finesse the system. The GT program and the subsequent track/peers it gave me in HS definitely gave me tools to succeed continue to be successful today. Stripping AAP out of public schools is such a disservice to all our children, regardless if they qualify or not. Mine didn't but I still support gifted learners.

They have already been “stripped out” into centers.

[Anonymous]

Woke mentality! Just stop.
Gifted kids have ad much right to get an education as everyone else. In most regular classes they’re ignored or assigned to “teach” others. That happened to my kid until identified for AAP. Thanks to the program kid flourished.
And we are a minority family, low SE. what has to change is how kids are identified early on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what would you propose for meeting the needs of advanced students in the absence of AAP? Or do we only meet the needs of students average or below or with some other special circumstance EXCEPT for advanced ability? We should just let those kids suffer from boredom and sap their interest in education, amirite?

I grew up in rural America with not only no GT but not even a single AP class. I find your language pretty overwrought. The advanced kids “needs” were met and we learned the value of self directed learning, including by participating in Academic Decathlon. Advanced kids aren’t as delicate as you seem to think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what would you propose for meeting the needs of advanced students in the absence of AAP? Or do we only meet the needs of students average or below or with some other special circumstance EXCEPT for advanced ability? We should just let those kids suffer from boredom and sap their interest in education, amirite?

Stop with this argument that kids are bored. It is possible to differentiate in a classroom where there different learning levels. You’ve convinced yourself that the only way is to separate out kids for the entire day. So anything less than that will result in children crying every hour from boredom.

[Anonymous]

My mom's actually a reading teacher and while we were all in gifted she mentioned how frustrating it was easier to get a gifted kid resources than her special needs clients.

So I have some agreements, while I'm going to hope to get my kid into the program (he's preschool now), I do question how equitable the programs are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It should be changed so it's not pay to play anymore where the elitist moms of not so special kids can buy their way in bringing the teacher cupcakes, test prep courses, appeals, principal placement, etc. It's all very unfair to other kids who deserve those spots but don't have mammies working the system.

I think the solution is leveled classes based on ability year to year. If you can't keep up, you drop down a level. If it's too easy, you move up. Without having to obtain admission to an elitist program.

Or segregated program. Because that's what it is. It segregates those kids from the rest of their cohort.

It should be based on IQ. That would eliminate most of the kids- regardless of color. Then the program would become very small. Just for those who truly need it. Nothing wrong with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It should be changed so it's not pay to play anymore where the elitist moms of not so special kids can buy their way in bringing the teacher cupcakes, test prep courses, appeals, principal placement, etc. It's all very unfair to other kids who deserve those spots but don't have mammies working the system.

I think the solution is leveled classes based on ability year to year. If you can't keep up, you drop down a level. If it's too easy, you move up. Without having to obtain admission to an elitist program.

Or segregated program. Because that's what it is. It segregates those kids from the rest of their cohort.

It should be based on IQ. That would eliminate most of the kids- regardless of color. Then the program would become very small. Just for those who truly need it. Nothing wrong with that.

Exactly, the way they identify the kids now is ludicrous. Kids with high test scores might not get in if they don’t get a good teacher evaluation, while kids with lower scores do get in. I don’t blame the parents doing everything they can to get their kids in when the school sets up the system the way it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what would you propose for meeting the needs of advanced students in the absence of AAP? Or do we only meet the needs of students average or below or with some other special circumstance EXCEPT for advanced ability? We should just let those kids suffer from boredom and sap their interest in education, amirite?

Stop with this argument that kids are bored. It is possible to differentiate in a classroom where there different learning levels. You’ve convinced yourself that the only way is to separate out kids for the entire day. So anything less than that will result in children crying every hour from boredom.

By the way, in our ES the AAP kids only have core subjects together and classes are mixed for specials.