Do kids every in AAP ever get counseled out due to stress or academics?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a kid scores high and is in AAP they must be brilliant. WHETHER OR NOT THEY DO SHIT IN CLASS. Scores clearly tell the teachers that a child is a genius. NOT AT ALL. I teach 3rd grade AAP in FCPS and I have so many under qualified kids whose parents forced them into GT. These kids struggle to do their work and should not be here even though they are brilliant! I wish i had students who applied themselves to their work. Because so many parents appeal and threaten to sue we have kids who are the equivalnet of mushrooms in our AAP program. They thrive on shit and they are shit. I wish things went bacvk to when I began in the county and the GT kids were actually bright. Now most are ther because their parents are pushy.

With all due respect, you are missing the point of AAP. If they aren't working in class, then maybe you need to do a better job to engage them. They scored high. That means they are in the top 5% of the country (or higher) from an intelligence standpoint. They would not be any better served in a non AAP class. Teaching AAP kids doesn't mean that teacher's job suddenly becomes a walk in the park. All teachers have to work, AAP or non AAP. How exactly is a parent "pushing" their child into AAP when their child is clearly gifted? That's what AAP is for.

[Anonymous]

If families are ever counseled that AAP is not a good fit for their child, I suspect they just don't want to hear it.

Remember last year when there was such an uproar about the large number of kids at TJ who were struggling with math, of all subjects? Maybe some of those struggling math students had been getting tutoring all through school but at TJ it just became too difficult. I can only imagine how bad those kids felt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents decision. Sounds like a ambitious mom pushing average/borderline kid in AAP. Very not desirable.

This is not a solid assumption. I can attest to having a highly sensitive child -- who scored 99th percentile on verbal and 97th composite. Seriously, when a kid is in the top 5 % of all kids in the country, you can't really say that they are "average" or "borderline" and that their mother is pushing them too much. If you had a sensitive kid, you'd know it doesn't matter if it's AAP or regular classroom, the kid tends toward the drama. Yeah, they may be average or below average on Emotional IQ. Be careful who you're judging if you don't have a PhD in child psych/development.

The difference is your sensitive child qualified qualified for the program through scores and I assume your sensitive child isn't in tears every night over schoolwork. I also assume you don't have to tutor your child on a regular basis.
Nobody here is saying gifted kids can't be both sensitive and gifted. Plenty of gifted children are emotionally complex. The issue here is are the tears because this is gifted stuff or because a child is being pushed beyond his ability and he is stressed out. Kids have many years of school ahead of them you want them to feel positive about learning, even if it's just the child loves Science, but doesn't enjoy Math. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, but if the issue is the program is not the right fit why should a child have to spend his nights this upset. Even if he is gifted and he's just not a good test taker, that doesn't mean the AAP program is what is best for his individual needs. It sounds like once a kid is in the parents are the only people deciding whether or not the fit continues to be ideal.

Re:school counselor. I would assume if the child appears stressed the teacher would recommend it. Don't get the sense this mom would refer her child to a counselor or at least would be open to the suggestion from another parent.

Actually, my sensitive child wasn't in the pool b/c last year being 97th percentile wasn't good enough, and I didn't refer primarily because I thought the homework would be too much in AAP. And yes, my child was in tears reguarly this fall b/c DC has NO resillience. As I've observed DC this school year, I've come to the conclusion that it's probably not the difficulty of the material, it's just DC's emotional ways. The approach to challenges would have been the same whether it was AAP or not.

Oh well... I'm o.k. with having a kid who's not at a center. Might consider referring DC in another year if I see some maturity bloom. On the issue of tutors -- yeah, I agree that it's kind of questionable if a kid needs a tutor in AAP, but whatever... it's not my problem. On the issue of drama -- I think there's a lot that is personality driven and it doesn't necessarily reflect a inappropriate placement in AAP.

[Anonymous]

To 21:07
You need to read some of the other threads on this site.
The whole issue is that these AAP kids are NOT in the top 5% these days. Kids are being prepped for IQ tests with copies of the test FCPS has been giving. This invalidates their scores. Parents are appealing--and quite frankly, the private testers are motivated to get high scores for their clients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^
I certainly hope that you are not my child's teacher. Crude language is never necessary and never respected.

+1000. Plus, maybe you shouldn't be teaching young minds if you actually feel comfortable calling kids "shit." Let's say their parents put them in a situation they shouldn't be in having their teacher thinking they are "shit" doesn't really help them either.You are talking about 8 year olds. You need to take a look in the mirror.

[Anonymous]

If you child has average test scores they do not belong in AAP. Kids that "test" in are at the right pace - no tears, no tutors, they are happy to be challenged.

[Anonymous]

To 21:07

I get it. Some kids are maybe sliding into AAP but I think the problem is a bit overstated on this site.

Do some kids slide in? Sure, but how many (or few)?
Are the vast majority of kids in AAP (even those that slide in) at or near 2 standard deviations above the national mean in intelligence. YES.

That should be good enough for most kids to be able to
"handle" AAP. There are other factors at play that determine a child's academic success, but the intelligence is there. Blaming pushy parents and suggesting the entire system needs to be overhauled is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Last post was actually for 21:15.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To 21:07

I get it. Some kids are maybe sliding into AAP but I think the problem is a bit overstated on this site.

Do some kids slide in? Sure, but how many (or few)?
Are the vast majority of kids in AAP (even those that slide in) at or near 2 standard deviations above the national mean in intelligence. YES.

That should be good enough for most kids to be able to
"handle" AAP. There are other factors at play that determine a child's academic success, but the intelligence is there. Blaming pushy parents and suggesting the entire system needs to be overhauled is ridiculous.

True, but there sometimes are issues.

Remember last year when there was such an uproar about the large number of kids at TJ who were struggling with math, of all subjects? Maybe some of those struggling math students had been getting tutoring all through school but at TJ it just became too difficult. I can only imagine how bad those kids felt.

This was in the news quite a bit last spring. I was surprised when I heard about this that kids at TJ were in need of tutors.

[Anonymous]

One of my daughter's classmates was struggling at math and the teacher kept her for half hour each day to get individual help. I have to say the some teachers at the AAP centers are super nice. They really want the kids to succeed.

[Anonymous]

You sound burned out - maybe you need to retire. I sure hope you look out for the really smart kids - the ones in the 99 percentile - they need you. And remember in that percentile - the IQs vary greatly by each point. You have an opportunity to change a child's life - please take it and make a difference! Yes, there are kids in the program that do not belong there and parents come in all flavors - have a sense of humor and just laugh - it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Kids in AAP who are having trouble are not "counseled out" It is not a private school. They just move them into an easier class (usually it is Math) It is really not a big deal at the school. The teachers are very supportive (aged out of GT now). It was a good experience for my DCs.

[Anonymous]

Some teachers may express concerns to parents and then parents can choose how to proceed. Sometimes parents on their own see that the fit is just not there and will request that the child be placed in a different class.

Some parents will just hire an after school tutor on a regular basis, through elementary, middle, and even high school AP classes. They want their kids in the "advanced" class and they will do whatever it takes to keep the child there, even if it takes outside extra help to keep the child in that advanced class.

[Anonymous]

If a kid scores high and is in AAP they must be brilliant. WHETHER OR NOT THEY DO SHIT IN CLASS. Scores clearly tell the teachers that a child is a genius. NOT AT ALL. I teach 3rd grade AAP in FCPS and I have so many under qualified kids whose parents forced them into GT. These kids struggle to do their work and should not be here even though they are brilliant! I wish i had students who applied themselves to their work. Because so many parents appeal and threaten to sue we have kids who are the equivalnet of mushrooms in our AAP program. They thrive on shit and they are shit. I wish things went bacvk to when I began in the county and the GT kids were actually bright. Now most are ther because their parents are pushy.

I can't believe this person is a teacher within FCPS much less an AAP teacher. If true, it seems like the AAP teacher qualifications are also slipping.

[Anonymous]

Obviously, this so-called "teacher" is rude and appears to be lacking in vocabulary skills.

But apart from that, there are all kinds of reasons kids might struggle with their work. A real teacher would look at each child individually to figure out why a chid is having problems and then work with the parents to help the child. Some students might need outside help for a while, but that should not be an ongoing solution. If the child truly cannot understand what is being taught in an AAP class without outside help, then maybe that child's needs would be better met in the regular classroom.