combination class at AAP Center?

[Anonymous]

How is your child's overall performance at school? Does she seem to struggle with subjects or take more time? Is she in the advanced math group?

I ask because it seemed from my outside perspective that my kid's center school started tracking the AAP classes a bit in fifth and almost certainly in 6th. The highest performers were all funneled into one class by sixth grade and that class moved very fast compared to the other two classes.

Could your school be doing something similar?

[Anonymous]

The combination class was strictly due to having too many kids to fit them into the other 4th and 5th grade classes but not enough kids to have separate classes. (There are twenty four kids.) Parents were told the brightest kids who needed the least amount of teacher attention were assigned to this combination class.

[Anonymous]

We had mixed 1st and 2nd for our DS when he was in 2nd. Probably one of the best things that ever happened to him. He and other older kids were chosen for patient and stable personalities and getting to work with younger kids every day really reinforced that. And did not hold him back. If anything it moved the younger kids up. 2nd grade wasn't AAP yet but DS did go AAP and is now at TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The combination class was strictly due to having too many kids to fit them into the other 4th and 5th grade classes but not enough kids to have separate classes. (There are twenty four kids.) Parents were told the brightest kids who needed the least amount of teacher attention were assigned to this combination class.

That makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you mind sharing the name of the school?

Not the OP, but it is Canterbury Woods.

[Anonymous]

AAP kids do not go to gen Ed classes unless there is an ability issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AAP kids do not go to gen Ed classes unless there is an ability issue.

At some centers the AAP and GE mix for some subjects, like math, science, or social studies. When they are learning the same material, all the teachers for a grade level will team teach. They mix the kids to build relationships with the two groups.

[Anonymous]

Not the op - Chesterbrook also looks like it has combination grades?

[Anonymous]

Not at most centers. Our center keeps AAP kids together for core subjects and mixes for eletive-like classes. What center mixes? The AAP teachers are certified in GT, Gen ed teachers are not. Are you sure this is a CENTER and not a LLIV school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not at most centers. Our center keeps AAP kids together for core subjects and mixes for eletive-like classes. What center mixes? The AAP teachers are certified in GT, Gen ed teachers are not. Are you sure this is a CENTER and not a LLIV school?

Not the OP, but there are plenty of teachers at our center who aren't "certified" AAP yet teach AAP classes. Our center mixes the kids quite a bit for science, math, etc. Honestly, why are they even segregated in the first place? There's a huge amount of overlap - too much to say one group must learn this way and the other learns that way. It just doesn't work like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP kids do not go to gen Ed classes unless there is an ability issue.

At some centers the AAP and GE mix for some subjects, like math, science, or social studies. When they are learning the same material, all the teachers for a grade level will team teach. They mix the kids to build relationships with the two groups.

Interesting. At the AAP centers our kids have gone to, they don't mix except for electives. They make a point of explaining that while the kids are being taught the same curriculum, the center kids are supposed to be going more in depth and with more expectations for complex thinking. What would be the point of centers if the classes are the same?

[Anonymous]

In the McLean pyramid, the curriculum is the same, as that was part of a test project. I know they combine the kids for math at Haycock. They also have combined them for social studies and science, but that isn't all the time.

Regarding whether the centers are really needed if they have so much overlap with the GE, I think that's what people are referencing. In the areas with high performing base students, do we really need to separate the students into two, labeled groups when they aren't that far apart academically.

[Anonymous]

Can you link to the test proect please? Would be an interesting read. Thank you

[Anonymous]

MS does NOT mix. AAP only kids in AAP. High performing GE are in honors. There is a difference. Glad I'm not in McLean!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the McLean pyramid, the curriculum is the same, as that was part of a test project. I know they combine the kids for math at Haycock. They also have combined them for social studies and science, but that isn't all the time.

Regarding whether the centers are really needed if they have so much overlap with the GE, I think that's what people are referencing. In the areas with high performing base students, do we really need to separate the students into two, labeled groups when they aren't that far apart academically.

Please tell me more about combining them at Haycock for math? Do you mean combine grades or combine ASAP and gen Ed? I do not have an issue with either, just curious what to expect...,