Kid Not Eligible for AAP though scores seem great.
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Anonymous
| "Groomed" ??? |
Anonymous
| yeah probably not the right word lol |
Anonymous
It is, but not necessarily unreasonably so. I don't think people appreciate what a monumental task the AAP selection process is. They are reviewing around 5000 applications and need hundreds of people to plow through those. The reviewers don't have much time to spend on each application, and there's a limit to how consistent the process can be with so many different people involved. At your school, the AART probably has a bunch of packets to prepare with a very short deadline. Teachers may have to come up with work samples and GBRS for half of the kids in the class. They can't give high GBRS ratings without being able to justify it with some sort of sentence. If your kid is quiet or isn't doing something to stand out, the teacher might not have the anecdata needed to give your child a high rating. Some teachers are new and don't understand how to write a compelling GBRS. Some teachers are burned out and half-assed. FCPS knows that it's kind of a crapshoot. That's why they let you appeal and apply again every single year. |
Anonymous
| It would save a lot of time if they had test cutoffs--e.g., reading level of 28 and 98th percentile is an automatic in, or something like that. |
Anonymous
| 5000 applications, that is a lot. How many total second graders in FCPS and how many applications do they approve in the first round? |
Anonymous
But that’s not how you figure out which children need a different approach to learning than is available in the regular classroom. |
Anonymous
Its not Creative Academics, its Advanced Academics. |
Anonymous
Around 13,000 2nd graders in FCPS. About 2150 3rd graders are AAP eligible. The applications are not just for 2nd graders; kids in older grades apply too. |
Anonymous
| So they go thru 5000 and find less than half eligible. To be fair, a percentage of the massive pile are probably very obvious Yeses or Nos. |
Anonymous
But that’s going backwards. These types of programs used to get filled that way. People finally came to realize test scores aren’t everything and they need to look at more. Yes, it is harder and difficult to ensure consistency, but that doesn’t mean going back to the old way is better. I think they genuinely do the best they can and allowing appeals and referrals every year in addition to outside testing (i.e. WISC, SB, etc) as well as allowing one re-test is a pretty good attempt to ensure catching kids. |
Anonymous
Agree. Certain test scores should be in regardless. Even if heavily prepped, if the prepped kid can get 140 on CogAT, he or she can also do well in AAP. |
Anonymous
How would ensuring some kids got in automatically, thus cutting down on the workload for preparing and reviewing files, keep them from catching other kids who didn't score as high? |
Anonymous
I don't think you understand what anyone is proposing. The old way would have been that above a certain threshold is IN, and below is OUT. What some of us are suggesting is that above a certain threshold is IN, and below means that the packet is prepared and file reviewed, just like it is now. That approach could at least trim 1000-2000 files off of the pile. |
Anonymous
I don’t know. I was in FCPS GT in the 80’s and everyone in my class seemed legitimately really smart. Can’t say the same for my kid’s AAP classmates. |
Anonymous
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"My kid's score:
NNAT:131 CoGAT: 134 GBRS: 3O, 1F The reasoning/commentary by teacher and grades each quarter were great, however AAP marked as ineligible. DRA: 28. What are my options here so that I can get my kid to be considered for AAP? Kid is good at communication and got a certificate, kid participated in spelling bee and was only 1 from the class to be selected, good at constructive/out of box thinking. " Those are good scores and in most programs we would say that they are excellent scores. But in FCPS there are kids with far higher scores who did not get into AAP. The scores are in pool but right at the cut off for in pool and we don't know what the sub section scores are. Earning a certificate may or may not be a big thing, my kid participated in the Virginia Reads program and got a certificate. It is not that big a deal, what is the certificate in. Participating in a spelling bee is cool but not really that exciting. The comments are always going to be positive, your childs teacher sent a message to the committee by giving your child three occasionally on the GBRS. The teachers are not going to write negative comments. They know that parents can get the packets and are not going to risk saying that a child is not a good fit for these reasons. So the comments are going to be positive. The occasionally markings indicate that the teacher does not think your child is a good fit because they only sometimes see the characteristics that AAP is looking for in its students.
No test scores are not everything and the tests can be prepped but they could set a standard that guarantees admission, maybe a NNAT and CogAT 142 or higher is automatic admission. While the tests can be prepped, those are high enough scores that a kid who prepped was most likely in the 99th percentile anyway (around a 132) and likely very smart if not gifted. Set an in pool score that requires GBRS from teachers, the current NNAT and CogAT of 132. Parents can choose to write a letter or not but that bench mark is still there for kids who may be a good fit and whose parents are not as aware that the program exists. Allow for parent referrals for anyone not in pool using the methods that are used today. This would decrease the number of packets that AART have to put together and GBRSs that teachers have to complete and the number of packets that are reviewed. |