Does anyone regret putting their kids in a level IV AAP center?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The OPs question is soliciting negative experiences so take this with a grain of salt when deciding where to send your child ..

And gee, let me see, that would weigh against [b]the multitude of threads praising the AAP experience. Hopefully, anyone with a kid smart enough for AAP knows how to evaluate these responses.

It absolutely kills me how fearful some people are on this forum to hear ANYTHING negative about AAP. Just for the record my son had a great experience in AAP, though ironically his best friends are AAP kids who went to his base school. So much for not having a group of peers.

I know of three kids, two girls and a boy who have returned to our base school because they didn't like the AAP experience. One was pushed in in 5th grade because her mom thought she'd have a better chance of making friends there. The others I don't know why.

New poster here. Not sure where these many threads praising AAP are...I see almost nothing but AAP bashers all over DCUM and then a handful of posts trying to balance things with positive takes on the program. As for your examples of kids moving out of AAP because it wasn't for them, please realize there also are also kids who move into AAP because their base schools couldn't meet their needs. I know three families who have done just that, -- moved kids who were bored from their base schools to AAP.

We're not afraid to hear anything negative; we're just sick of so many posts advocating dismantling of AAP from people who seem never to have had a child in the program. Full disclosure: DC was at a center all of elementary and MS as well and the experience was excellent, DC liked it and the quality of the teaching seemed great (DC's opinion, not just ours). Yeah, I can recognize issues in the program but it worked for US, at our particular schools.

OP, your post is a bit puzzling as you do, as someone else mentioned, see to be soliciting negative examples by the way you worded the post. Are you not really sold on the idea of sending your child to a center, so you're basically hoping for confirmation that it's a bad idea? That's frankly how it might come across. Not sure if you meant it that way.

I would find and talk to parents of kids currently at whatever center your kid would attend and talk to them. Every center is different. On here you will get a lot of posts from people whose kids went to different centers. And the thread's already been sidetracked with discussions of whether some centers meet the needs of 2E kids -- which was not your question.

If you havent' done so already: Tour the center. Visit the center. Ask the counselor to see you and tell you about the school. Talk to parents of kids who are there right now (and not parents of kids who were there a few years ago, or who don't have kids there yet but have "heard" this or that about it. Talk to your base school about what it can and can't provide to your kid if you stay at the base school. An anonymous forum gets you anonymous answers that may or may not be applicable to the particular center you are looking at.

Oh, here we go again with the bored kids. Again not who AAP was intended for.

[Anonymous]

I'm the mom of the 3rd grader. I'm not AAP bashing at all. It just wasn't good for my son. I have a younger daughter that would do just fine there, because she is a well-behaved, good student who is very eager to please her teachers. My son, though very smart, doesn't fit that profile. Parents have to consider what's best for the child - some will do very well in AAP and others will struggle. It depends on the kid.

[Anonymous]

Was great for my kids. Really a good program. But the center school is near their base school, so that helped.

[Anonymous]

Sorry OP but it totally depends on the particular school, and even within that, the teacher and counselor, and how they work together. It's so hard to assess that ahead of time.

Our experience was that the center staff was very familiar with 2E issues and worked well with DC. I'm sure that's not always the case.

[Anonymous]

Does base school's AAP have dedicated classes or do kids get pulled out for differentiated cirriculum? If the latter, your DC would likely get less AAP overall. But centers can have large class sizes, and no more facilities than base school.

[Anonymous]

No, we dont regret it but our base was a center. I dont think AAP is worth the loss of old friends familiar surroundings... espcially if that is a concern for the child. I know parents that didn't want the upset in their childs life of switching to a center. The child is doing fine at their base.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I regret it. My son is in 3rd grade and attended a Level IV center. My husband and I recently pulled him out of the center and sent him back to his base school, where they are better equipped to handle his autism/ADHD. (He has an IEP).

The sad part is that he was actually learning a lot at the center, as shown by his performance on tests and quizzes; however, they couldn't handle his challenging behavior in class and they lacked resources/skills to help him be successful. If you have a twice-exceptional student (gifted, but with disabilities) make sure you really investigate the Center before you make the decision to send your child. Find out who will be working directly with your child and what their qualifications are. We thought we had done our homework prior to sending him, but were disappointed in the lack of support available.

From my perspective, AAP is best for highly self-motivated, organized students. Even if your child is brilliant, if they don't conform to the model of a good student, they probably won't be successful at a center.

I wouldn't want my child's AAP teacher to have to deal with challenging behavior in class.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't want my child's AAP teacher to have to deal with challenging behavior in class.

I certainly understand that, and the main reason my child was being disruptive is that he wasn't getting the special education support that he should have been receiving. The AAP center was very strong in academics, and may have been strong in providing special ed to the general-ed student body, but just couldn't
(or wouldn't) provide adequate support in the AAP setting. I also think that their disciplinary tactics often backfired, making the behavior worse. They couldn't seem to understand how an otherwise smart kid could have such problems with organization, work habits, and self-discipline.

Back at the base school, in a team-taught class with a special education teacher and a general ed teacher, he is doing a lot better behavior-wise. It's just too bad that the AAP Center wasn't equipped to help him be successful. He is certainly as bright as his peers in the AAP center despite having a disability.

His base school is a much better place for him, but what the County really needs is a magnet program for Twice Exceptional kids with learning differences. There, they could get the higher level academics that they need, but in a smaller group setting with services for kids with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, etc. I think Montgomery County, Maryland already has such a program. Why is FCPS lagging behind?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I wouldn't want my child's AAP teacher to have to deal with challenging behavior in class.

I certainly understand that, and the main reason my child was being disruptive is that he wasn't getting the special education support that he should have been receiving. The AAP center was very strong in academics, and may have been strong in providing special ed to the general-ed student body, but just couldn't
(or wouldn't) provide adequate support in the AAP setting. I also think that their disciplinary tactics often backfired, making the behavior worse. They couldn't seem to understand how an otherwise smart kid could have such problems with organization, work habits, and self-discipline.

Back at the base school, in a team-taught class with a special education teacher and a general ed teacher, he is doing a lot better behavior-wise. It's just too bad that the AAP Center wasn't equipped to help him be successful. He is certainly as bright as his peers in the AAP center despite having a disability.

His base school is a much better place for him, but what the County really needs is a magnet program for Twice Exceptional kids with learning differences. There, they could get the higher level academics that they need, but in a smaller group setting with services for kids with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, etc. I think Montgomery County, Maryland already has such a program. Why is FCPS lagging behind?

With all teh backlash on this board about AAP, I don't see how a 2E AAP would even be considered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I wouldn't want my child's AAP teacher to have to deal with challenging behavior in class.

I certainly understand that, and the main reason my child was being disruptive is that he wasn't getting the special education support that he should have been receiving. The AAP center was very strong in academics, and may have been strong in providing special ed to the general-ed student body, but just couldn't
(or wouldn't) provide adequate support in the AAP setting. I also think that their disciplinary tactics often backfired, making the behavior worse. They couldn't seem to understand how an otherwise smart kid could have such problems with organization, work habits, and self-discipline.

Back at the base school, in a team-taught class with a special education teacher and a general ed teacher, he is doing a lot better behavior-wise. It's just too bad that the AAP Center wasn't equipped to help him be successful. He is certainly as bright as his peers in the AAP center despite having a disability.

His base school is a much better place for him, but what the County really needs is a magnet program for Twice Exceptional kids with learning differences. There, they could get the higher level academics that they need, but in a smaller group setting with services for kids with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, etc. I think Montgomery County, Maryland already has such a program. Why is FCPS lagging behind?

You seem to have a really strong sense of entitlement. Most public school systems wouldn't offer this level of support in any classroom. I am tired of paying for all the current AAP programs, much less layering all this 2E babble on top.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I wouldn't want my child's AAP teacher to have to deal with challenging behavior in class.

I certainly understand that, and the main reason my child was being disruptive is that he wasn't getting the special education support that he should have been receiving. The AAP center was very strong in academics, and may have been strong in providing special ed to the general-ed student body, but just couldn't
(or wouldn't) provide adequate support in the AAP setting. I also think that their disciplinary tactics often backfired, making the behavior worse. They couldn't seem to understand how an otherwise smart kid could have such problems with organization, work habits, and self-discipline.

Back at the base school, in a team-taught class with a special education teacher and a general ed teacher, he is doing a lot better behavior-wise. It's just too bad that the AAP Center wasn't equipped to help him be successful. He is certainly as bright as his peers in the AAP center despite having a disability.

His base school is a much better place for him, but what the County really needs is a magnet program for Twice Exceptional kids with learning differences. There, they could get the higher level academics that they need, but in a smaller group setting with services for kids with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, etc. I think Montgomery County, Maryland already has such a program. Why is FCPS lagging behind?

You seem to have a really strong sense of entitlement. Most public school systems wouldn't offer this level of support in any classroom. I am tired of paying for all the current AAP programs, much less layering all this 2E babble on top.

Absolutely agree. When is FCPS going to wake up and stop kow-towing to the AAP parents?

[Anonymous]

My 2E kids have had wonderful experiences in the AAP Centers, with strong support by the classroom teachers, the counseling staff, and the administration. I think it really varies from school to school.

New poster and this was our experience as well. Our base school tried, but couldn't really meet her needs. Our AAP center was a much better fit for her socially and the admins/counselors were wonderful and supportive. But having a 2E kid, I do think that the support of the admin staff, especially the counselor, is critical. If your base school does a better job with that, then I would stay there.

[Anonymous]

Regret Oak Hill GTC/AAP. Huge class sizes; mediocre teachers.

[Anonymous]

Churchill Road AAP is much better than the GE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Churchill Road AAP is much better than the GE.

Do you have children in both programs there?