AAP school choice - local or center

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Local is a great option if the local program is strong.

The thing is, how can the base school program be as strong if it's mostly kids who didn't qualify for LIV, in order to fill up a class? It stands to reason that the teacher will have to teach to the ability of the class. Our school has 10 Level II/III kids for every 1 Level IV, so it's bound to be a Level II/III dominant classroom. And this is the best case scenario since some schools use the cluster model where all the LIV qualified kids are dispersed among the classrooms.

If that’s your scenario then it’s obvious to move to center.

In our school, there will be 4-6 LLIV kids per grade level and the rest principal placed.

[Anonymous]

If the base school has a strong program, many students choose to remain there. Not all Center schools have the strongest program and students. It really depends on the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you have to teach other levels as implied here or only the level iv curriculum

I am teacher poster from earlier. They all get Level 4 curriculum if they are in my class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few considerations:

1. Where are the other siblings at? Sending a kid to center school might mess up family logistics.

2. Where are his friends going? Some kids has friends going or not going to center, and it might affect their intention.

3. Center has all LIV students, so one would assume the teacher is more focused on the curriculum.

4. How is local AAP organized? There are clusters model, which is distribute LIV students into different classes just like a non-LIV students, or principal placement model, where all LIV and most LIII students are grouped in one class and principal place whoever he see fits to fill out the class.

As you can see at local class the teacher would have to teach two or three different curriculums to students at different level in his class, would that bother you?

I am sure there are more considerations, but these are a few I am struggling with.

How do we know about cluster or not at local school. Is there a classification of this for local centers, or do we have to talk to school officials?

This should be shared at orientation but you can ask parents. In fact I am shocked there is not a thread on here listing which schools are doing cluster cs designated class.

[Anonymous]

What about Colvin Run vs. the Japanese Immersion Program at Great Falls?

[Anonymous]

Where do people check the stats of how many kids qualified for AAP at each local school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do people check the stats of how many kids qualified for AAP at each local school?

Not sure about this, but you can see how many are in LIV and LII/III at each school under the FCPS school profile/demographics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about Colvin Run vs. the Japanese Immersion Program at Great Falls?

We are at Fox Mill JI so I can’t compare the schools. Our choice was based on what was more important to us, a challenge with the Japanese or moving to Oak Hill for LIV. We chose the language because we knew that Fox Mill had Advanced Math. We were fine with that.

For us it was less about the school and more about the program we thought was more important. We like that DS will be able to complete 2 years of language at Carson. Now that is no longer a big deal because Carson is allowing 7th graders to take French and Spanish so they can get in language at Carson without the Japanese.

[Anonymous]

We went to our local school meeting, and the principal seemed to care more about the Level 4 program for the school (cluster model) than the AAP students. We sent our kid to the center. She's happy and thrives.

[Anonymous]

AAP teacher here at LL4 with one class. Some years the makeup is 50 percent Level 4 and other years it is 80 percent LL4. The rest of the kids placed in are high achieving students (Level 3 and 2). Many Level 3 students are strong students who just didn’t get in. They often get in a year or two later. I have had Level 4 students who are clearly not Level 4. Last year I had 22 kids and 17 were Level 4. This year I have 20 kids and 11 are level 4.

Question my DD is a 4th with an IEP for dyslexia. Her school is a center school and current had level 2 for math and goes to the AAP class each day for math. The teachers, AART all think she should be in AAP. She was rejected. Could they do a pupil placement at her school since it’s a center?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Local is a great option if the local program is strong.

The thing is, how can the base school program be as strong if it's mostly kids who didn't qualify for LIV, in order to fill up a class? It stands to reason that the teacher will have to teach to the ability of the class. Our school has 10 Level II/III kids for every 1 Level IV, so it's bound to be a Level II/III dominant classroom. And this is the best case scenario since some schools use the cluster model where all the LIV qualified kids are dispersed among the classrooms.

For the most part, LIII and LIV kids are indistinguishable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Local is a great option if the local program is strong.

The thing is, how can the base school program be as strong if it's mostly kids who didn't qualify for LIV, in order to fill up a class? It stands to reason that the teacher will have to teach to the ability of the class. Our school has 10 Level II/III kids for every 1 Level IV, so it's bound to be a Level II/III dominant classroom. And this is the best case scenario since some schools use the cluster model where all the LIV qualified kids are dispersed among the classrooms.

For the most part, LIII and LIV kids are indistinguishable.

Says who? This is not my experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
AAP teacher here at LL4 with one class. Some years the makeup is 50 percent Level 4 and other years it is 80 percent LL4. The rest of the kids placed in are high achieving students (Level 3 and 2). Many Level 3 students are strong students who just didn’t get in. They often get in a year or two later. I have had Level 4 students who are clearly not Level 4. Last year I had 22 kids and 17 were Level 4. This year I have 20 kids and 11 are level 4.

Question my DD is a 4th with an IEP for dyslexia. Her school is a center school and current had level 2 for math and goes to the AAP class each day for math. The teachers, AART all think she should be in AAP. She was rejected. Could they do a pupil placement at her school since it’s a center?


If your child is in 4th and the AART thinks she should be in full time AAP why do they only have her in level II math. Why not level III all subjects? I would request that then appeal stating she is level III and how successful she is in the level IV classroom. You can be vague and not state that she is in the classroom only for math. Ask the school if principal placement is allowed in their center but you want to have the confirmed placement by appealing. I’m not a teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
AAP teacher here at LL4 with one class. Some years the makeup is 50 percent Level 4 and other years it is 80 percent LL4. The rest of the kids placed in are high achieving students (Level 3 and 2). Many Level 3 students are strong students who just didn’t get in. They often get in a year or two later. I have had Level 4 students who are clearly not Level 4. Last year I had 22 kids and 17 were Level 4. This year I have 20 kids and 11 are level 4.

Question my DD is a 4th with an IEP for dyslexia. Her school is a center school and current had level 2 for math and goes to the AAP class each day for math. The teachers, AART all think she should be in AAP. She was rejected. Could they do a pupil placement at her school since it’s a center?

Centers don’t always allow principal placement.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know about stats, but a few years ago, at the center school orientation for my one of my kids, there was a sign in by base school … which listed every kid from my kid’s 2nd grade who was eligible. I believe there were 11.

(FWIW, all families that year chose LLIV.)

Anonymous wrote:Where do people check the stats of how many kids qualified for AAP at each local school?