What really IS the point of AAP?

[Anonymous]

AAP is meant to give kids who are excelling in ES a place to learn where the pace moves more quickly and they have a chance to learn at a pace that keeps them engaged. It helps the kids who are at the top of the class by giving them a similar peer group and letting them move more quickly and with more depth in subjects.

It helps Teachers by decreasing the number of kids that they have to differentiate for. It removes a couple of groups from their list so that they should need to differentiate for 3-4 groups instead of 5-6 groups in their class.

It is not the kids fault that some parents see AAP as a status symbol or something that they can brag about. It is not the kids fault that parents have turned ES into a rat race of sorts. The kids should be offered a place where they can learn at a pace that fits them.

Some kids pick up foundational material more quickly then others. Some kids need less repetition to understand concepts. Those kids are at risk of getting bored and becoming uninterested in school when in a class with kids who need the repetition and practice. Most of the kids in Gen Ed will be perfectly capable of taking AP/IB classes when they get to HS because they will have a solid foundation but many kids take longer to build that foundation then the kids who AAP is intended for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no point period.

I did gifted and talented 30 years ago in elementary school and there is absolutely no point.

There is no point to accelerate math, there is no point to attend afterschool training classes, there is no point for TJ either.

Accelerating math does more harm than good in many cases. Most folks aren't actually learning the material properly, additionally 1 class of Calculus in high school is plenty. Skipping more than one math sequence in college is universally panned.

The workplace does not care about AAP or TJ.

Success in life is based on who you know and your work ethic. Raw intelligence can make things easier and faster sometimes but that's about it.

It's hard to develop a work ethic when everything comes too easily. I am one of unfortunately many people out there who attended regular schools, never had to try for an A, sailed through a college STEM major without really trying, and then reached grad school where I had no study skills and no resilience when things were challenging.

AAP fails spectacularly at this, but the point of a gifted program should be to make sure that no child can sail through school without putting in any effort. If academics are too easy for a kid through K-12, they will be set up for failure at some point down the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no point period.

I did gifted and talented 30 years ago in elementary school and there is absolutely no point.

There is no point to accelerate math, there is no point to attend afterschool training classes, there is no point for TJ either.

Accelerating math does more harm than good in many cases. Most folks aren't actually learning the material properly, additionally 1 class of Calculus in high school is plenty. Skipping more than one math sequence in college is universally panned.

The workplace does not care about AAP or TJ.

Success in life is based on who you know and your work ethic. Raw intelligence can make things easier and faster sometimes but that's about it.

It's hard to develop a work ethic when everything comes too easily. I am one of unfortunately many people out there who attended regular schools, never had to try for an A, sailed through a college STEM major without really trying, and then reached grad school where I had no study skills and no resilience when things were challenging.

AAP fails spectacularly at this, but the point of a gifted program should be to make sure that no child can sail through school without putting in any effort. If academics are too easy for a kid through K-12, they will be set up for failure at some point down the road.

Sorry, but sailing through college and encountering difficulty in grad school is not a failure of the student or of the school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no point period.

I did gifted and talented 30 years ago in elementary school and there is absolutely no point.

There is no point to accelerate math, there is no point to attend afterschool training classes, there is no point for TJ either.

Accelerating math does more harm than good in many cases. Most folks aren't actually learning the material properly, additionally 1 class of Calculus in high school is plenty. Skipping more than one math sequence in college is universally panned.

The workplace does not care about AAP or TJ.

Success in life is based on who you know and your work ethic. Raw intelligence can make things easier and faster sometimes but that's about it.

It's hard to develop a work ethic when everything comes too easily. I am one of unfortunately many people out there who attended regular schools, never had to try for an A, sailed through a college STEM major without really trying, and then reached grad school where I had no study skills and no resilience when things were challenging.

AAP fails spectacularly at this, but the point of a gifted program should be to make sure that no child can sail through school without putting in any effort. If academics are too easy for a kid through K-12, they will be set up for failure at some point down the road.

Sorry, but sailing through college and encountering difficulty in grad school is not a failure of the student or of the school system.

Yup hate to break it to you folks. Most jobs are boring and repetitive. No one cares how smart you are or how high your IQ is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no point period.

I did gifted and talented 30 years ago in elementary school and there is absolutely no point.

There is no point to accelerate math, there is no point to attend afterschool training classes, there is no point for TJ either.

Accelerating math does more harm than good in many cases. Most folks aren't actually learning the material properly, additionally 1 class of Calculus in high school is plenty. Skipping more than one math sequence in college is universally panned.

The workplace does not care about AAP or TJ.

Success in life is based on who you know and your work ethic. Raw intelligence can make things easier and faster sometimes but that's about it.

It's hard to develop a work ethic when everything comes too easily. I am one of unfortunately many people out there who attended regular schools, never had to try for an A, sailed through a college STEM major without really trying, and then reached grad school where I had no study skills and no resilience when things were challenging.

AAP fails spectacularly at this, but the point of a gifted program should be to make sure that no child can sail through school without putting in any effort. If academics are too easy for a kid through K-12, they will be set up for failure at some point down the road.

Sorry, but sailing through college and encountering difficulty in grad school is not a failure of the student or of the school system.

Yup hate to break it to you folks. Most jobs are boring and repetitive. No one cares how smart you are or how high your IQ is.

This does not reflect my workplace experience at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no point period.

I did gifted and talented 30 years ago in elementary school and there is absolutely no point.

There is no point to accelerate math, there is no point to attend afterschool training classes, there is no point for TJ either.

Accelerating math does more harm than good in many cases. Most folks aren't actually learning the material properly, additionally 1 class of Calculus in high school is plenty. Skipping more than one math sequence in college is universally panned.

The workplace does not care about AAP or TJ.

Success in life is based on who you know and your work ethic. Raw intelligence can make things easier and faster sometimes but that's about it.

It's hard to develop a work ethic when everything comes too easily. I am one of unfortunately many people out there who attended regular schools, never had to try for an A, sailed through a college STEM major without really trying, and then reached grad school where I had no study skills and no resilience when things were challenging.

AAP fails spectacularly at this, but the point of a gifted program should be to make sure that no child can sail through school without putting in any effort. If academics are too easy for a kid through K-12, they will be set up for failure at some point down the road.

Sorry, but sailing through college and encountering difficulty in grad school is not a failure of the student or of the school system.

Yup hate to break it to you folks. Most jobs are boring and repetitive. No one cares how smart you are or how high your IQ is.

This does not reflect my workplace experience at all.

Humm what industry are you in. From my experience most workplaces care about profitability and then kissing butt to folks above to rise through the ranks fastest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no point period.

I did gifted and talented 30 years ago in elementary school and there is absolutely no point.

There is no point to accelerate math, there is no point to attend afterschool training classes, there is no point for TJ either.

Accelerating math does more harm than good in many cases. Most folks aren't actually learning the material properly, additionally 1 class of Calculus in high school is plenty. Skipping more than one math sequence in college is universally panned.

The workplace does not care about AAP or TJ.

Success in life is based on who you know and your work ethic. Raw intelligence can make things easier and faster sometimes but that's about it.

It's hard to develop a work ethic when everything comes too easily. I am one of unfortunately many people out there who attended regular schools, never had to try for an A, sailed through a college STEM major without really trying, and then reached grad school where I had no study skills and no resilience when things were challenging.

AAP fails spectacularly at this, but the point of a gifted program should be to make sure that no child can sail through school without putting in any effort. If academics are too easy for a kid through K-12, they will be set up for failure at some point down the road.

Sorry, but sailing through college and encountering difficulty in grad school is not a failure of the student or of the school system.

Yup hate to break it to you folks. Most jobs are boring and repetitive. No one cares how smart you are or how high your IQ is.

This does not reflect my workplace experience at all.

Humm what industry are you in. From my experience most workplaces care about profitability and then kissing butt to folks above to rise through the ranks fastest.

Are you in sales? There’s a whole world of other professions out there and many require high intelligence.

[Anonymous]

In the workplace work ethic is defined by punctuality, efficiency, being pro- active and being a team player.

I am in the medical field in Radiology , which has a 24 hour round service need. When I start a shift at 8:30 there are already patients waiting for me who attended A&E overnight and the night staff where too busy to see yet. There is hardly any “give” in the system. Everyone hates the colleagues who always rolls in late and leaves early. They put extra work on the rest of use and, trust me, it’s remembered when they are running for a promotion or even a lateral move. We all talk to each other.

[Anonymous]

If a parent is sports focused, they get to be portrayed by Will Smith in a movie ("King Richard") win an Oscar and be widely acclaimed. Do the same thing for academics, you get called as a "cheat", "privileged", "micromanaged" and all sorts of names on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a parent is sports focused, they get to be portrayed by Will Smith in a movie ("King Richard") win an Oscar and be widely acclaimed. Do the same thing for academics, you get called as a "cheat", "privileged", "micromanaged" and all sorts of names on DCUM.

Just the poors getting angry cause they can't IQ good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a parent is sports focused, they get to be portrayed by Will Smith in a movie ("King Richard") win an Oscar and be widely acclaimed. Do the same thing for academics, you get called as a "cheat", "privileged", "micromanaged" and all sorts of names on DCUM.

Not sure how this relates to the topic, but glad you got it off your chest.

You can return to your. Heating and micromanaging (just kidding)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like this question comes up a lot. If your base school has the majority of kids at or slightly above grade level, AAP is one of those things that’s probably not necessary for most kids, except for the advanced math part. If your base school has 20+% of kids who are 2-3 grades behind, AAP is the only reason a lot of families with kids who are above average will consider staying at the school. Teachers can’t differentiate that much within a single classroom and even if they could, the kids who are behind are going to require/ receive much more attention.

This is exactly what it is. My two kids were in local Level IV. I live in an area that is convenient for me but the school has wayyy too many poor kids that create classroom problems. If my third kid doesn't get into AAP in a few years we are going to move to the Langley pyramid. I don't enjoy maxing my housing budget but I am prepared to do it.

*ding, ding, ding*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To make wealthy white praents feel good about their kids.

Ironic that you say that because majority of AAP kids are Asian.🙄

I

Not at my kids school. This is very dependent on location. Also AAP is not the same as TJ.

[Anonymous]

If a kid is identified as smart, others will treat him as smart and it will most likely be a self-fulfilling prophecy. The opposite is true too. I hate it. I hate the tracking. It goes against everything that public education should stand for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It made a difference for my kid. There are faster paced classes, fewer distractions, and socially my child finally found a group of friends where they fit in bc their peers are more quirky, academically-driven students v. the sports-obsessed kids in GenEd. I’m not arguing one is better than the other but in our experience AAP has been a better fit for my child and they finally feel like they fit somewhere.

Hahahahaha AAP is for children of ambitious parents. In my kids ES that means the kids who are supposedly strong academically (most of whom get extensive tutoring btw) are the same ones whose parents sign them up for sports every season. They’re the overbooked kids and they’re all involved in the same things so it’s very cliquey/mean girl type behavior starting in third grade. This is from the perspective of an LLIV school, not a center.