Why is the GT program in APS so anemic?

[Anonymous]

Because a lot of elementry education is focused on social-emotional learning, which you might think would be a doorway into getting a handle on 2e, but I don't think it is (can't be sure because my kids are just vanilla GT)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS knows it’s market of chill parents who value short commute and no homework. Parents that want GT left for McLean FFX. It’s a mile away.

Never in all my years in Arlington have I collectively heard APS parents described as “chill”.

So you have never met a FCPS parent.

Maybe PP has spent some time among the crazy Yorktown lacrosse parents.

[Anonymous]

Send your kid to Mathnasium or better yet, let them focus on those areas where they aren’t “two years ahead”.

[Anonymous]

The push and model is garbage. Our school did pull out when my child was in lower elementary and there was definitely a difference. Once they moved to push in, they weren’t getting the same sort of attention/challenge. A lot of times the gifted teacher would work with the whole class while the classroom teacher would pull a few for remediation.

[Anonymous]

Which school, OP? And which grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The push and model is garbage. Our school did pull out when my child was in lower elementary and there was definitely a difference. Once they moved to push in, they weren’t getting the same sort of attention/challenge. A lot of times the gifted teacher would work with the whole class while the classroom teacher would pull a few for remediation.

Pull out was a different world and my DD thrived. The switch to pull in was kinda devastating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The push and model is garbage. Our school did pull out when my child was in lower elementary and there was definitely a difference. Once they moved to push in, they weren’t getting the same sort of attention/challenge. A lot of times the gifted teacher would work with the whole class while the classroom teacher would pull a few for remediation.

Pull out was a different world and my DD thrived. The switch to pull in was kinda devastating.

Push in. Clearly I wasn’t GT.

[Anonymous]

OP, since you mentioned math specifically-- post-pandemic, any differentiation in math is going to be focused solely on pulling up the kids who are still behind grade level. APS did a terrible job teaching math during the pandemic, and a lot of kids fell behind grade level. You should look up the math SOL scores pre- and post-pandemic for some background. The ES teachers are under tremendous pressure to bring all kids back to grade level. If your kid is way ahead in math, they are just going to be bored and you may need to supplement outside of APS.

Even in middle school, where there is tracking for math, there still isn't sufficient challenge for the kids with exceptionally high math ability. At our middle school, I know of a number of parents who appealed to push their 6th graders into the pre-Algebra track because they were concerned that Math 6 would be too easy. They were probably right that Math 6 is too easy, but that's because they got rid of the middle math track during the pandemic. (In 6th grade, there used to be Math 6, Math 6 Extended, and Pre-Algebra.) The problem with pushing all the kids who needed a middle option into Pre-Algebra is that is slows down that class for the kids who really needed a more rigorous math class. This became especially obvious in my kid's 7th grade Algebra 1 Intensified class last year, where a lot of the kids who were pushed ahead by their parents into 6th grade Pre-Algebra then needed tutoring to get through the subsequent 7th grade Intensified Algebra 1 course.

Unfortunately, things in the APS math department are just a hot mess right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS knows it’s market of chill parents who value short commute and no homework. Parents that want GT left for McLean FFX. It’s a mile away.

Never in all my years in Arlington have I collectively heard APS parents described as “chill”.

Talk to some of these Fairfax parents prepping to get into AAP like it's time to apply for Harvard. You will hear the panic in their voices and be glad you live in Arlington.

+1

So glad to avoid all of the toxicity.

[Anonymous]

Many APS parents pay for outside enrichment, OP.

[Anonymous]

I actually like the "anemic" style of the gifted program. It substantially reduced boredom but at the same time it was low-stress.

You really cannot expect any school district to accommodate a kid who is two years ahead. Even if the gifted program were more like other districts, your kid would still be bored. You are in a really sucky situation because your only options are to push through it, homeschool, or maybe find a private school that can offer a challenge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually like the "anemic" style of the gifted program. It substantially reduced boredom but at the same time it was low-stress.

You really cannot expect any school district to accommodate a kid who is two years ahead. Even if the gifted program were more like other districts, your kid would still be bored. You are in a really sucky situation because your only options are to push through it, homeschool, or maybe find a private school that can offer a challenge.

By the way I didn't mention enrichment as a solution because OP's kid is still going to have to sit through boring classes, enrichment or no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS knows it’s market of chill parents who value short commute and no homework. Parents that want GT left for McLean FFX. It’s a mile away.

Never in all my years in Arlington have I collectively heard APS parents described as “chill”.

Talk to some of these Fairfax parents prepping to get into AAP like it's time to apply for Harvard. You will hear the panic in their voices and be glad you live in Arlington.

+1

So glad to avoid all of the toxicity.

It's just a different brand of toxicity in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

OP, which school and which grade? Some schools do a better job with enrichment for gifted learners than others.

It got better for my kids in late elementary when they were grouped by ability and their groups were preparing for the advanced MS math track which both were placed in. This included my 2E kiddo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, which school and which grade? Some schools do a better job with enrichment for gifted learners than others.

It got better for my kids in late elementary when they were grouped by ability and their groups were preparing for the advanced MS math track which both were placed in. This included my 2E kiddo.

PP again, however, I want to add that APS gifted offerings are never going to rival our neighbor in FCPS. APS has a completely different model and philosophy. If you want better gifted programs, you should move to Fairfax. Fairfax brings its own issues though, including admission to the program which can feel quite high stakes. And there are still issues with 2E support in Fairfax too.