Work Samples - Meeting with AART

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm trying to figure out which part of this is the best demonstration that you have WAY too much time on your hands, the fact that you actually made an appt. with the AART? the fact that you actually analyzed and critiqued your child's work samples? Or the fact that you posted it all here like this nonsense matters. I recommend you get a job or a find a hobby. If this is the type of micromanaging you do for an 8 year old, you'll drive yourself crazy by college. Have some faith in your kid and the system. sounds like they'll both do fine on their own.

I also thought the comments were helpful and also mirror what I saw (was not too impressed by school work samples). My child also got into the pool by one score. And I wasn't sure what his teacher/school thought of him. I know what I see at home, but was he exhibiting these things at school? Seeing the GBRS made me realize that the school DOES see the same things we see.

I agree. I thought the post was helpful.

[Anonymous]

Glad you thought the post was helpful. But as someone how has BTDT with three kids, I've seen this all the way through to college and I'm telling you you will laugh at yourselves later for all the anxiety and time you put into worrying about AAP. Grade school teachers I talk to these days are aghast at the hysteria they see from parents over getting their kids into the program. The time you spend with the AART complaining about work samples is time that she can't be working with the children she's supposed to be teaching in the school. It's bad enough that level III services are all but suspended during this whole application process (remember those kids, they need special education too), but it gets worse every year.

I can understand if you have a child whose gifts are not readily obvious -- an off-the-charts bright child who is so quiet and reticent that maybe the teachers don't realize how smart they are. But to arrange a meeting to check the file of an in-pool kid, who clearly performs well and you know is smart is more involved than you need to be, imo. Couldn't you just have asked the child's teacher what she thought?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Glad you thought the post was helpful. But as someone how has BTDT with three kids, I've seen this all the way through to college and I'm telling you you will laugh at yourselves later for all the anxiety and time you put into worrying about AAP. Grade school teachers I talk to these days are aghast at the hysteria they see from parents over getting their kids into the program. The time you spend with the AART complaining about work samples is time that she can't be working with the children she's supposed to be teaching in the school. It's bad enough that level III services are all but suspended during this whole application process (remember those kids, they need special education too), but it gets worse every year.

I can understand if you have a child whose gifts are not readily obvious -- an off-the-charts bright child who is so quiet and reticent that maybe the teachers don't realize how smart they are. But to arrange a meeting to check the file of an in-pool kid, who clearly performs well and you know is smart is more involved than you need to be, imo. Couldn't you just have asked the child's teacher what she thought?

OP here: First, I have a full time job, but thanks for the helpful suggestions on how I occupy my time. Second, I asked the AART for a copy of my kid's file. She said she provides it as part of a meeting. I didn't ask for the meeting. Third, I didn't say anything to her about a "complaint" about work samples. I simply noted to myself that I thought they were poor examples. Fourth, I put anxiety and little time into this. She said she likes to have a meeting on the hand off. I had to get to work. I arranged for the meeting 10 minutes before school started so I'd be in and out. Finally, I actually don't know if I even want my kid in the program. He's doing great now and I'm not sure I want to rock the boat.

Now, aside from responding to your ridiculous and wrong presumptions, let ME tell YOU that if you've BTDT and have kids through college, then why the hell are you on this board?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Glad you thought the post was helpful. But as someone how has BTDT with three kids, I've seen this all the way through to college and I'm telling you you will laugh at yourselves later for all the anxiety and time you put into worrying about AAP. Grade school teachers I talk to these days are aghast at the hysteria they see from parents over getting their kids into the program. The time you spend with the AART complaining about work samples is time that she can't be working with the children she's supposed to be teaching in the school. It's bad enough that level III services are all but suspended during this whole application process (remember those kids, they need special education too), but it gets worse every year.

I can understand if you have a child whose gifts are not readily obvious -- an off-the-charts bright child who is so quiet and reticent that maybe the teachers don't realize how smart they are. But to arrange a meeting to check the file of an in-pool kid, who clearly performs well and you know is smart is more involved than you need to be, imo. Couldn't you just have asked the child's teacher what she thought?

OP here: First, I have a full time job, but thanks for the helpful suggestions on how I occupy my time. Second, I asked the AART for a copy of my kid's file. She said she provides it as part of a meeting. I didn't ask for the meeting. Third, I didn't say anything to her about a "complaint" about work samples. I simply noted to myself that I thought they were poor examples. Fourth, I put anxiety and little time into this. She said she likes to have a meeting on the hand off. I had to get to work. I arranged for the meeting 10 minutes before school started so I'd be in and out. Finally, I actually don't know if I even want my kid in the program. He's doing great now and I'm not sure I want to rock the boat.

Now, aside from responding to your ridiculous and wrong presumptions, let ME tell YOU that if you've BTDT and have kids through college, then why the hell are you on this board?

"no" anxiety I meant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I met with our AART on Monday to look at my child's file. I have to say I was very disappointed with the work samples the school selected. My child did get a very high GBRS and is in the pool, so I am not writing this because I'm thinking he won't be offered placement. I am only saying it for future parents for appeals or for next year that you may want to send in your own work samples, which we thankfully did.

I got our file with GBRS today and had the same experience, poor work samples (though our GBRS wasn't as high). Definitely send in your own samples next year.

[Anonymous]

This board is no longer (if it ever was) a means of sharing or disseminating useful information to parents. Instead, it's become a forum for angry individuals to vent their frustrations at the shark tank environment that is the DC metro area.

I plan on meeting with our AART for my in pool child also, and did the same with my older child 2 years ago. My main reason for going is because one gets no feedback whatsoever from the second grade teachers and the GBRS is finally a chance for some honest, no holds barred view into what the educators are thinking-something I feel obligated to know as a parent. And it takes all of 10-15 minutes, tops.

[Anonymous]

I think it would be interesting to have all 2nd graders complete the same 2 or 3 assignments in school, and use at least one of those as a work sample. A cleverly designed open ended problem integrating more than one subject.

[Anonymous]

They do sort of do that with mind map creation.

[Anonymous]

Thankfully AAP is not ever-expanding.

[Anonymous]

But it is. We may as well just say all of FCPS is "advanced" since that's clearly what everyone wants to hear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But it is. We may as well just say all of FCPS is "advanced" since that's clearly what everyone wants to hear.

But it is not. See the statistics posted as follow up materials to the July 2013 School Board meeting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But it is. We may as well just say all of FCPS is "advanced" since that's clearly what everyone wants to hear.

But it is not. See the statistics posted as follow up materials to the July 2013 School Board meeting.

But it is. Stats from a couple of recent years don't tell the whole story. How many new AAP centers are they opening to reduce overcrowding? If you build it they will come. I predict those will become as crowded as the ones they replaced. It's much easier for principals to allow additional AAP students who are at the margin if there's the perception that there's room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But it is. We may as well just say all of FCPS is "advanced" since that's clearly what everyone wants to hear.

But it is not. See the statistics posted as follow up materials to the July 2013 School Board meeting.

But it is. Stats from a couple of recent years don't tell the whole story.

But it is not, as one can see from the statistics posted as follow up materials to the July 2013 School Board meeting, which are NOT from "a couple of recent years."

[Anonymous]

^^ unless one calls ten years' worth of data "a couple of recent years."

[Anonymous]

No, but in the past ten years, the trend was an increasing proportion of students going into AAP until recently.