What is so special about AAP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The curriculum is not "better"--it is appropriate for the kids who are at that particular learning level.

A curriculum designed for English Language Learners is not "better" or "worse" than the standard curriculum. It is the appropriate curriculum for the child with those particular learning requirements.

If testing results indicate that the student would benefit from AAP, they will benefit from it. If testing results don't indicate that, they will be served by the standard curriculum.

What about those kids whose tests results show they "would benefit from AAP" [in the pool] but don't get in? What about those kids whose test results show they "would not benefit from AAP" [not in the pool] and do get in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's better because it utilizes curricula that encourages critical thinking and problem solving skills.

It uses more 'real life' projects and examples for students to more fully engage in the problem solving challenge.

The English/Vocab curriculum encourages greater understanding of the English language by utilizing methods to understanding via stem words.

This also greatly increases the child's ability for later standardized tests such as the SATs.

The teachers in AAP have more training and are skilled at making learning easily accessible for different types of learners.

They learn techniques and strategies to help a child think more deeply and use these strategies in classroom lessons.

Instead of simply instructing, Socratic seminars are more common to get kids talking, debating and learning.



In a nutshell, AAP is better because it is an empirically greater method of learning and teaching.

Thanks a lot for the reply. Does it mean that the kids in the regular curricula do not get exposed to these things at school?

For the most part no. But there are some schools that use the Level IV curriculum with all the kids so in those schools the kids do get that in the curricula.

Can you please name some?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's better because it utilizes curricula that encourages critical thinking and problem solving skills.

It uses more 'real life' projects and examples for students to more fully engage in the problem solving challenge.

The English/Vocab curriculum encourages greater understanding of the English language by utilizing methods to understanding via stem words.

This also greatly increases the child's ability for later standardized tests such as the SATs.

The teachers in AAP have more training and are skilled at making learning easily accessible for different types of learners.

They learn techniques and strategies to help a child think more deeply and use these strategies in classroom lessons.

Instead of simply instructing, Socratic seminars are more common to get kids talking, debating and learning.



In a nutshell, AAP is better because it is an empirically greater method of learning and teaching.

Thanks a lot for the reply. Does it mean that the kids in the regular curricula do not get exposed to these things at school?

For the most part no. But there are some schools that use the Level IV curriculum with all the kids so in those schools the kids do get that in the curricula.

Can you please name some?

All the McLean schools, Wolftrap Elementary, Mantua, Canterbury Woods. There are more, but I only know a couple of them. Many schools offer compacted math without AAP.

[Anonymous]

AAP in our center is much more advanced in verbal as well as math. I have one in the regular school (not the same school as the center) and she has had adv. math. It's not the same... not by any stretch of the imagination.

The vocab/spelling that my AAP 3rd grader has is much "harder"/more advanced than what my non-AAP 5th grader is doing. I know that my non-AAP 5th grader is in the highest reading group, so it's not a question of that. It's just that the standards and expectations are much higher at the AAP center school. As 3rd graders, they have given at least 4 presentations already this year. I think my 5th grader has done one -- maybe.

The AAP center is very transparent about what the expectations are for a project (they give rubrics all the time) and they are very transparent about the test scores and homework scores and what rating that is (i.e. a 1, 2, 3, or 4). Grading seems very quantitative. Grading at the non-AAP school is very opaque -- and seems much more qualitative.... no one ever knows what is expected to get a 4 on a project (well, there aren't many projects, but even if I think back to the one project in 3rd grade or 4th grade -- there weren't any rubrics or expressly provided "requirements" to get a 2, 3, or 4 on it). We never get notice of how a child scored on ecart at the non0AAP school. We always get that from the AAP school.

The AAP school will give the kids access to a pre-ecart test and the post ecart test showing what they got right and wrong. The non-AAP school never has the kids do a pretest (at least not at home) and we cannot see their results/questions they got wrong after they take the test.

The AAP kid has homework every night -- more than the non-AAP kid. More at-home support is expected from the AAP teachers. The non-AAP teachers expect almost nothing of parents re: home support.

To say there is no difference is just not so. (BTW, my non-AAP kid is not at a Title 1 school. There are only 10-ish% FARMS. It's not a matter of kids being poor or not having home support. It's just that IMO, the school/teachers don't expect excellence. The AAP school definitely expects kids to work more, and there is a difference in outcomes).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People,stop replying to the OP. This is the same troll who constantly rants about AAP program in another thread. I guess she has some mental problems.

You are a complete idiot, not to mention a blowhard. I'm the so-called "troll" from the other thread - not the OP of this one. Guess what? There are many people who don't agree with the way AAP is implemented. Guess you're just going to have to (gasp) deal with and accept that all kinds of opinions are valid. You certainly are a vontrol freak, aren't you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The curriculum is not "better"--it is appropriate for the kids who are at that particular learning level.

A curriculum designed for English Language Learners is not "better" or "worse" than the standard curriculum. It is the appropriate curriculum for the child with those particular learning requirements.

If testing results indicate that the student would benefit from AAP, they will benefit from it. If testing results don't indicate that, they will be served by the standard curriculum.

What about those kids whose tests results show they "would benefit from AAP" [in the pool] but don't get in? What about those kids whose test results show they "would not benefit from AAP" [not in the pool] and do get in?

I know - this can be so confusing and frustrating. I've personally noticed that the ones that "would benefit from AAP" [in the pool] but don't get in a lot of times appeal and get in at some point along their elementary years. The ones that "would not benefit from AAP" [not in the pool] are more of a mix - some do just as well as the ones who initially were in the pool, and some struggle so much to a point that they leave the program.

[Anonymous]

Control^^^

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People,stop replying to the OP. This is the same troll who constantly rants about AAP program in another thread. I guess she has some mental problems.

You are a complete idiot, not to mention a blowhard. I'm the so-called "troll" from the other thread - not the OP of this one. Guess what? There are many people who don't agree with the way AAP is implemented. Guess you're just going to have to (gasp) deal with and accept that all kinds of opinions are valid. You certainly are a vontrol freak, aren't you?

Forgot your med today,hon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why AAP is better then the regular curriculum

Depending upon the student, it's not "better" but it is different.

Anonymous wrote:What are the advantages in the long run?

The difference is meeting students where they are. I suggest viewing this presentation deck:
http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/pdfs/aapac/AAPACpresentationJan2013.pdf

and the curriculum/resources for each grade level listed on this page:
http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/resources/parent.shtml

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People,stop replying to the OP. This is the same troll who constantly rants about AAP program in another thread. I guess she has some mental problems.

You are a complete idiot, not to mention a blowhard. I'm the so-called "troll" from the other thread - not the OP of this one. Guess what? There are many people who don't agree with the way AAP is implemented. Guess you're just going to have to (gasp) deal with and accept that all kinds of opinions are valid. You certainly are a vontrol freak, aren't you?

Forgot your med today,hon?

Ah, the zinging rejoinder of someone who has nothing to say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's better because it utilizes curricula that encourages critical thinking and problem solving skills.

It uses more 'real life' projects and examples for students to more fully engage in the problem solving challenge.

The English/Vocab curriculum encourages greater understanding of the English language by utilizing methods to understanding via stem words.

This also greatly increases the child's ability for later standardized tests such as the SATs.

The teachers in AAP have more training and are skilled at making learning easily accessible for different types of learners.

They learn techniques and strategies to help a child think more deeply and use these strategies in classroom lessons.

Instead of simply instructing, Socratic seminars are more common to get kids talking, debating and learning.



In a nutshell, AAP is better because it is an empirically greater method of learning and teaching.

Thanks a lot for the reply. Does it mean that the kids in the regular curricula do not get exposed to these things at school?

For the most part no. But there are some schools that use the Level IV curriculum with all the kids so in those schools the kids do get that in the curricula.

Can you please name some?

All the McLean schools, Wolftrap Elementary, Mantua, Canterbury Woods. There are more, but I only know a couple of them. Many schools offer compacted math without AAP.

I don't think this is true for all these schools. The "McLean schools" is correct last I heard.

[Anonymous]

As parent of a child who's been through FCPS and now college freshman in a top VA state university and another in second grade now (don't ask), I can honestly say AAP does not matter - its the kid. First one got into AAP and we decided to stay at the local school and did very well. We know first ones friends who went to AAP did not do that well. Now with our second, we are might be facing the same dilemma and might go through the AAP system. Don't know. But I can honestly tell you that it depends on your child and how you raise them. If they are smarter kids, they will thrive wherever they go as long as you as a parent don't throttle them.

[Anonymous]

Wolftrap uses the AAP curriculum for Science and Social Science for all kids, but does separate AAP and non-AAP classes and teachers for LA and Math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As parent of a child who's been through FCPS and now college freshman in a top VA state university and another in second grade now (don't ask), I can honestly say AAP does not matter - its the kid. First one got into AAP and we decided to stay at the local school and did very well. We know first ones friends who went to AAP did not do that well. Now with our second, we are might be facing the same dilemma and might go through the AAP system. Don't know. But I can honestly tell you that it depends on your child and how you raise them. If they are smarter kids, they will thrive wherever they go as long as you as a parent don't throttle them.

+1000
You're so right. I have an almost identical situation except that my college freshman in a top VA state university was not in AAP in elementary school. When middle and high school rolled around, he took all the Honors and AP classes he wanted to and excelled. AAP really has no bearing on life after elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone seen AAP make a difference for a kid who complains of being "bored" all of the time at school? Our child did not make it into Level IV at the end of 2nd grade, but now half way through 3rd grade and getting Level II in 3 subjects and Level III pull-out complains of boredom. We parent-referred this year after discussions with the teacher, but honestly may not go to Level IV even if we are accepted because there are other skills our child needs to work on that are best handled at the base school. Not sure if that would be a mistake?