The sheer number of posts relating to AAP and CoGAT and TAG and G&T is staggering

[Anonymous]

I'm just glad my kids are smart ones and in AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is stranger is why there are so few posts about special education. The amount of money spent on special education is staggering. For instance there are about 10 special education specialists at our school and only about 30 children who qualify for special education services. There are about 160 children who qualify for AAP services and only one AAP specialist. And classrooms with AAP children tend to have higher class sizes probably negating the cost of that additional specialist. I don't know why there is such a fuss over AAP when this is not a program that is really using any extra tax dollars.

I will start by saying that I have one child in AAP (4th), and one receiving Special Education Services through FCPS (K). The reason there are such a large number of Special Educators related to students receiving services is that each child who is found eligible (as part of Federal Law to ensure the education of children with delays, physical disabilities, etc.) is given a specific amount of hours of service according to their IEP. I can assure you that the Special Ed. teachers are spread as thin as the schools are able to spread them.

Do I wish the schools had more AART's to allow for more differentiation?, Sure, but I can assure you, if the Special Educators were not working with the children, there would be many parents up in arms that their "gifted" child was not receiving enough of the classroom teacher's time.

Not sure if this came across as I intended, but insinuating that schools are padding their special ed. departments at the expense of the "gifted" does not sit well with me.

[Anonymous]

I had the same reaction, PP. Good post.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that schools get federal funding for every special education child but not for gifted children.

[Anonymous]

I agree 1000% with 12:03. Let's not make this a case of special education vs. "gifted" kids. Clearly, the PP does not know what all is entailed in the IEP process.
In the end, there has to be the resources allocated to special ed because of IDEA. Gifted kids are not afforded the same legal rights as kids with disabilities in Virginia. In other states such as Pennsylvania, gifted kids are given IEPs and have similar legal rights (at least that is my understanding). However, you can bet there are truly a lot fewer gifted kids identified in Pennsylvania and other states.
And yes, the special ed teachers and related services specialists are spread so thin....let alone keeping up with the documentation required for special ed. The situation is not going to change and if anything fewer resources will go towards non-mandatory services, such as the immersion programs/ AAP, etc.

[Anonymous]

You are probably right about the work for special education, but that is a strange statement to say there are more gifted children in Virginia than Pennsylvania or any other state for that matter especially along the NE coast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are probably right about the work for special education, but that is a strange statement to say there are more gifted children in Virginia than Pennsylvania or any other state for that matter especially along the NE coast.

Umm...I don't think that PP was implying that there are fewer naturally gifted children in PA than in VA. She was implying that, because gifted children in PA receive an IEP and other special services, they aren't labeled gifted just for the hell of it. They are actually truly gifted. Thus, they are receiving special services that cost a lot of money and effort within the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm just glad my kids are smart ones and in AAP.

Heh heh. Me too.

[Anonymous]

Trust me that you do not want to force your child into the program by making their test scores seem better than their own natural abilities. It is a tough program -- many hours of homework, many very very bright kids in class. If your child gets in and cannot keep up, that will not be good for your child's development. The material covered is not all things that any child could learn or grasp. First of all, the classes move at such a fast pace that there simply isn't time. Second, a good deal of it is based on assuming a level of logical cognition that is advanced for many children. If your child is not there yet, it does no good to force it. That doesn't mean your child won't be extremely smart and innovative and wonderful soon, but people develop differently.

[Anonymous]

Think about all the poor kids who get rejected twice because their mom can't handle being the non-GP woman among her circle of friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess some parents want to be on top of this, and clearly understand the best way for their children to get in the program. It is one of the best in the country for advanced academics at the elementary level. We have friends in Silicon Valley, New Jersey, and Chicago whose children are quite advanced and bored in their elementary school programs. They do not have an advanced academic cirriculum (except for once a week in one case) and are quite surprised at the depth of that offered in Fairfax County. The fact my son was admitted was a big relief, as we value education and would have sent him to a private school had he not been admitted through the appeal process. Now I know he will be at least a grade ahead and academically ready when he goes to 9th grade.

From reading this board, we know a lot more about the admission, testing, and other hurdles to get in the program. It is a process and it is not at all transparent by any stretch of the imaginiation. There is much that the County intentionally keeps vague, such as the admission criteria, the weighting of the various submissions, favoritism to minorities (or not), the value of the WISC, etc.

PP, I am sorry you are put off by parents who may appear to be "worried". I think they are simply trying to assure that their children have the best chance to gain admittance to a program that offers the highest quality education that a public school can offer.

The more I read about AAP the more confused I get. It'll be nice if parents with kids in this program just create a to do list/ FAQ for those that are interested in the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trust me that you do not want to force your child into the program by making their test scores seem better than their own natural abilities. It is a tough program -- many hours of homework, many very very bright kids in class. If your child gets in and cannot keep up, that will not be good for your child's development. The material covered is not all things that any child could learn or grasp. First of all, the classes move at such a fast pace that there simply isn't time. Second, a good deal of it is based on assuming a level of logical cognition that is advanced for many children. If your child is not there yet, it does no good to force it. That doesn't mean your child won't be extremely smart and innovative and wonderful soon, but people develop differently.

Must be a different school from the one my DC attends.

[Anonymous]

11:25: The county has done it on the FCPS AAP site. What is not answered is the acceptance criteria. That is because the county understands that these are 2nd graders, and theoretically evaluates everyone on there own merits. Hence no formula where X*gbrs + Y*cogat=value; numbers over a threshold are in. That does not exist. Perhaps we could reverse engineer the formula.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The more I read about AAP the more confused I get. It'll be nice if parents with kids in this program just create a to do list/ FAQ for those that are interested in the program.

So glad that there is one already:

http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/aap/faqs.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The more I read about AAP the more confused I get. It'll be nice if parents with kids in this program just create a to do list/ FAQ for those that are interested in the program.

So glad that there is one already:

http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/aap/faqs.html

what's this? the official site? show me a wiki page or some blogs else all that is just a lie!