What Is Happening With Advanced Academics at Great Falls Elementary?

[Anonymous]

I wonder if the previous large numbers are because of so many redshirted kids post covid. I believe the current 4th grade class is significantly large. Maybe those kids appear to be more advanced because they’re older? I think the criteria for identifying full time students needs improvement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All APP files are screened centrally by people not associated in anyway with the school so you should maybe reach out to the AAP office to find out why. The central office deals with all the appeals as well, so if students aren't being found eligible at your school, you should address it with them not your school.

Not the complete story. The AAP files are screened centrally BUT they are prepared by the school and AART. I have seen the packages they’re prepared for a few children and many are poorly filled out and blank. In addition the “this was done at school” work they submit was rather poor.

When a kid produces significantly different-quality work at home than they do at school, the file should reflect that.

[Anonymous]

I have three children who have been through GFES. Parents claim their child is advanced without knowing what that means and then complain when the teacher challenges them too much and the kid gets frustrated. I've seen it over and over

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a crazy disgruntled “former” parent to me

[Anonymous]

I think it's obvious, PP. The kids got dumber.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are no poor kids there so everyone is fine being served by the general ed

This. We're in a school with similar (but not as wealthy) demographics. We didn't push for our kids to get into AAP because they were getting a great education in general ed. Meanwhile our friends at a school with a high low income and ESOL population were all test prepping and getting WISC tests and reapplying every year until their kid got into AAP so that they could be with a similar peer group. That peer group already existed in ALL of our school's classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All APP files are screened centrally by people not associated in anyway with the school so you should maybe reach out to the AAP office to find out why. The central office deals with all the appeals as well, so if students aren't being found eligible at your school, you should address it with them not your school.

Not the complete story. The AAP files are screened centrally BUT they are prepared by the school and AART. I have seen the packages they’re prepared for a few children and many are poorly filled out and blank. In addition the “this was done at school” work they submit was rather poor.

That's because mommy and daddy aren't there to create beautiful work products for their children at school.

[Anonymous]

Did people move away after Covid?

My older son's high school graduating class (2024) was a high water mark in student achievement in our district (non-FCPS). Sometimes I wonder if it's because they were a cohort whose parents didn't move due to 2009 recession in their pre-school years and Covid lock down in 8th-9th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All APP files are screened centrally by people not associated in anyway with the school so you should maybe reach out to the AAP office to find out why. The central office deals with all the appeals as well, so if students aren't being found eligible at your school, you should address it with them not your school.

Not the complete story. The AAP files are screened centrally BUT they are prepared by the school and AART. I have seen the packages they’re prepared for a few children and many are poorly filled out and blank. In addition the “this was done at school” work they submit was rather poor.

That's because mommy and daddy aren't there to create beautiful work products for their children at school.

No it’s because teachers are not teaching and not encouraging students. Kids are bored and don’t care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no poor kids there so everyone is fine being served by the general ed

This. We're in a school with similar (but not as wealthy) demographics. We didn't push for our kids to get into AAP because they were getting a great education in general ed. Meanwhile our friends at a school with a high low income and ESOL population were all test prepping and getting WISC tests and reapplying every year until their kid got into AAP so that they could be with a similar peer group. That peer group already existed in ALL of our school's classes.

The gened education is not great. In fact it’s quite poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's obvious, PP. The kids got dumber.

Not impossible. But also, I suspect the top group disproportionately exited to homeschool or private.

[Anonymous]

Most of the top group exits to the center school

[Anonymous]

Those that are smart and don’t get into AAP exit to private

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The AART claims when all the kids are high achieving no one is worthy of level IV instruction because they already have their peer group. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. The teachers lack skill in identifying these students and don’t put much effort into advancement.

I have no dog in this fight but their read on it shows how teachers in general (not just at GFES but at most Elementary schools) misread what advanced academic servhces are for and how to identify children who are best served with advanced academic servhces.
In general—what the AART is saying here pretty much aligns completely with how most schools treat this program…
That is—they use it as “ability-grouping” to pull out the high-achievers because if they don’t, the academic achievement/performance gap across a classroom of students in the same grade-level is so wide as to make a regular Gen Ed class nearly impossible for the teacher to manage. The AAP services in FCPS allows those student to be removed from the classroom and instructed separately so that the teacher can focus on the remaining students who at at or below (and sometimes 3-4 levels below) grade level.
And because of this, the AART is probably correct that they don’t really “need” the program because the students at GFES are generally performing and achieving at the same level.
AAP programs in FCPS haven’t actually been “gifted” programs for a very long time, imo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GFES teachers fail to challenge students. Grade 2 is extremely important but there is very little in terms of academic rigor at this level. Even kids entered into level IV are not getting the same education that they get at other cooper feeder schools. Performance at this grade most importantly determines entry to advanced academics. Those that do get accepted often leave for private or the center school. The focus at this school is the PTA fundraising activities and support of the teachers by the Principal.

Primary driver there is https://greatfallses.fcps.edu/academics/departments/japanese-immersion-program Unless FCPS now funds all the immersion teachers the English language class sizes were grotesque. 3 teachers so what is the pupil teacher ratio for JIP classrooms?

Great Falls always had a higher sending rate of AAP accepted students to centers than other schools since the days of the mega Forest Edge center. School is more complex than level iv stuff- 2025-26 has 45 transferring to Colvin Run. Forest Edge transfers: Forestville<10, Aldrin 15. Mega elementary Spring Hill only sends 34 to Churchill Rd.