Sound off if you think AAP is BS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child that just started in the AAP program this year. My initial thoughts are that it is a good program. I like the higher expectations and focus on critical thinking, however I don't think it is all that much of a gifted program. My DC is one of those kids that tests in the highly gifted range but is lazy and will rise to only to whatever expectations are set for the class unless he is interested in the what he is doing. He needs a class that is more in depth and accelerated than what the current AAP program offers.

That said I think the Aap extensions that focus on critical thinking would benefit all kids and should be provided as part of the general education curriculum.
I do think the current program is bloated and clearly includes kids who don't belong in a traditional gifted classroom. I know lots of kids that got in without the requisite test or GBRS scores. I am all for offering the current AAP curriculum as the general education curriculum and reducing the current AAP cohort to the top 2% of FCPS takers and offering a truly accelerated and gifted program. That way the vast majority of kids can benefit from the AAP focus on critical thinking that I think that most generally bright kids can handle.

Your kid has only spent nine days in an AAP classroom.

They were 9 superficial, non-in-depth days, with no critical thinking.

9 days of AAP and still no quadratic equations!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To whomever posted the pet my brain line: Brilliant!

Low standards of brilliance.

Brilliant by GE standards...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think anyone would say that being in an AAP center program is a bad thing for a student who is identified as gifted, via the usual tests and observation.

I don't think anyone would say that special programs are a bad thing for kids with learning disabilities, autism, or who don't speak much English.

So leave those programs alone, as they are doing the job in helping meet those students' needs.

Change your focus to the kids in gen ed who desperately need the attention and more differentiation and more challenging work. Stop trying to blame the one program you can blame and still feel PC. It's misguided.

This is a great point. ELL has to have as many kids as AAP, and certainly makes huge demands on the resources. Special Ed is smaller, but again, is very resource intensive. AAP cost nothing extra except busing. And certainly there is an argument to be made that it brings in tax dollars that more than offset it's cost if parents and business move here, instead of MD, Alington, DC, Loudon, PW County, etc because of AAP. As the Arlington vs FCPS NMSF debate on the other thread (why is FCPS so much more successful than Arlington at having kids get NMSFs?). AAP also creates a successful pipeline to TJ and produces students who make the whole school system look good. Nevertheless, it's the program GE parents want to target-- because it looks bad to gripe about Special Ed and ELL. And because they aren't jealous of the kids in Special Ed and ELL.

It's not just the top kids who are NMSFs. Whatever FCPS is doing to attract families to the county, it also appears to benefit kids taking the SOLs. Yorktown, Arlington's ritziest school, has lower SOLs than (in order) Langley, Marshall, McLean, West Springfield, Woodson, Madison, Oakton and Chantilly. Washington-Lee, in turn, has lower SOL scores than Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Disruptive classes in app? Yes! There are too many kids in aap who need meds!

And too many with parents who are in denial about their child's behavior. He's is not disruptive because he's "bored by curriculum that isn't challenging him." He's disruptive because you've never taught him not to be (or he needs to be on meds). Some of those AAP classrooms are out of control.

And many GE classrooms are out of control (especially when there are pushing) , and some HS classrooms are out of control, etc. Some students of all intelligence levels are disruptive. And some teachers at all levels are incompetent. On whole, though 2e kids will do better in an AAP setting. Which is good for that kid, and good for GE classroom, where the teacher really can't manage the kid, and he is a distraction to other students.

And AAP teachers self select, because they have to be AAP certified, or working on it. So someone out there wants to teach AAP kids.

I didn't realize one of the goals of AAP was the take the problem children out of GE so those poor kids can have a better learning environment. My entire outlook on the program has changed.

My original point, which still stands, is that parents cannot be sure their child will get a "better" education in an AAP class, because it's not all about how smart the rest of the kids in the classroom are. The attitudes and behaviors of those classmates also matters.

When it comes to Gen. Ed. and AAP, it's not about "better" it's about your child getting the education they need. For 1 child Gen. Ed. is better for that child. For another child, AAP is better for that child. You should be less concerned about who is in what type of class and worry more about the best learning environment for your child. For my child with a 143 IQ, AAP is better. If my child had a 127, Gen Ed. would be better. It's all about the best placement for an individual child's needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a shame it's not just the top 2%. The current % is so disruptive to the whole system.

Top 2% of FCPS is not top 2% nationally. It's why the FCPS CogAT is not nationally normed. For perspective-- about 2% of each FCPS class is admitted to TJ.

Who cares nationally? Locally, it's causing a huge disruption and it's time to revisit the goal of AAP and also the approach. Something got lost along the way.

Sorry your snowflake didn't make it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 25 - 50% in AAP, the term "gifted" has lost all meaning.

There are NOT 25-50% of fcps kids in AAP centers/level IV.

You need to try to brush up on facts.

No, you need to brush up on your facts. Of the three schools closest to my house: One has 35%, one has 33% and the other has 25%. There are schools with up to 50% kids in AAP. That is a fact.

If you you know that the three schools closest to your home have these specific numbers, several things are true: (1) you live in a very specific area in the Western part of the county that's a TJ feeder zone, (2) you have way too much time on your hands, (3) which you spend on some weird obsession you have with a program that your child doesn't even attend, and (4) you would be a lot happier if you just moved somewhere like Lake Braddock. Or heck-- try a Stuart zoned school. Your kid will look like a rocket scientist by virtue of the fact they speak English. If your kids can't keep up, you should definately teach them that the solution is just to surround themselves with lower performing people.

^^ beyond any issues related to the children, here is another reason why people dislike AAP: the parents.

Same reason people with gifted kids want to run to centers and out of Gen. Ed. - the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 25 - 50% in AAP, the term "gifted" has lost all meaning.

It is not a gifted program. FCPS did away with its gifted program (in early 2000s??). Now it is Advanced Academics. There is a difference - AAP is intended to be more inclusive. It is not intended to be only for the gifted. So gifted still has its meaning - it just doesn't apply to FCPS AAP.

+1.

I'd love this DCPS offered this too, instead of catering everything to the lowest common denominator.

[Anonymous]

This thread playing out the way you hoped, OP? Seems like rather than a bunch of bitter GE parents in a circle jerk, they've ended up have their asses handed to them.

Although I do like the PP who said AAP was destroying the social fabric of Fairfax County. Hard to think of which is worse, AAP or meth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a shame it's not just the top 2%. The current % is so disruptive to the whole system.

Top 2% of FCPS is not top 2% nationally. It's why the FCPS CogAT is not nationally normed. For perspective-- about 2% of each FCPS class is admitted to TJ.

Who cares nationally? Locally, it's causing a huge disruption and it's time to revisit the goal of AAP and also the approach. Something got lost along the way.

Sorry your snowflake didn't make it.

My kid is 7, asshole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 25 - 50% in AAP, the term "gifted" has lost all meaning.

There are NOT 25-50% of fcps kids in AAP centers/level IV.

You need to try to brush up on facts.

No, you need to brush up on your facts. Of the three schools closest to my house: One has 35%, one has 33% and the other has 25%. There are schools with up to 50% kids in AAP. That is a fact.

If you you know that the three schools closest to your home have these specific numbers, several things are true: (1) you live in a very specific area in the Western part of the county that's a TJ feeder zone, (2) you have way too much time on your hands, (3) which you spend on some weird obsession you have with a program that your child doesn't even attend, and (4) you would be a lot happier if you just moved somewhere like Lake Braddock. Or heck-- try a Stuart zoned school. Your kid will look like a rocket scientist by virtue of the fact they speak English. If your kids can't keep up, you should definately teach them that the solution is just to surround themselves with lower performing people.

^^ beyond any issues related to the children, here is another reason why people dislike AAP: the parents.

Same reason people with gifted kids want to run to centers and out of Gen. Ed. - the parents.

Really? Are you that socially awkward that you need a special school? Sorry if normal folks intimidate you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 25 - 50% in AAP, the term "gifted" has lost all meaning.

There are NOT 25-50% of fcps kids in AAP centers/level IV.

You need to try to brush up on facts.

No, you need to brush up on your facts. Of the three schools closest to my house: One has 35%, one has 33% and the other has 25%. There are schools with up to 50% kids in AAP. That is a fact.

If you you know that the three schools closest to your home have these specific numbers, several things are true: (1) you live in a very specific area in the Western part of the county that's a TJ feeder zone, (2) you have way too much time on your hands, (3) which you spend on some weird obsession you have with a program that your child doesn't even attend, and (4) you would be a lot happier if you just moved somewhere like Lake Braddock. Or heck-- try a Stuart zoned school. Your kid will look like a rocket scientist by virtue of the fact they speak English. If your kids can't keep up, you should definately teach them that the solution is just to surround themselves with lower performing people.

^^ beyond any issues related to the children, here is another reason why people dislike AAP: the parents.

Same reason people with gifted kids want to run to centers and out of Gen. Ed. - the parents.

Really? Are you that socially awkward that you need a special school? Sorry if normal folks intimidate you.

Very few of the handful of butthurt Gen Ed parents who latch on to threads like this would seem to fit any commonly accepted definition of "normal."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 25 - 50% in AAP, the term "gifted" has lost all meaning.

There are NOT 25-50% of fcps kids in AAP centers/level IV.

You need to try to brush up on facts.

No, you need to brush up on your facts. Of the three schools closest to my house: One has 35%, one has 33% and the other has 25%. There are schools with up to 50% kids in AAP. That is a fact.

If you you know that the three schools closest to your home have these specific numbers, several things are true: (1) you live in a very specific area in the Western part of the county that's a TJ feeder zone, (2) you have way too much time on your hands, (3) which you spend on some weird obsession you have with a program that your child doesn't even attend, and (4) you would be a lot happier if you just moved somewhere like Lake Braddock. Or heck-- try a Stuart zoned school. Your kid will look like a rocket scientist by virtue of the fact they speak English. If your kids can't keep up, you should definately teach them that the solution is just to surround themselves with lower performing people.

^^ beyond any issues related to the children, here is another reason why people dislike AAP: the parents.

Same reason people with gifted kids want to run to centers and out of Gen. Ed. - the parents.

Really? Are you that socially awkward that you need a special school? Sorry if normal folks intimidate you.

Very few of the handful of butthurt Gen Ed parents who latch on to threads like this would seem to fit any commonly accepted definition of "normal."

"Butthurt"? Yes, definitely awkward. My kid just started 2nd and these threads really just make me want to avoid AAP altogether.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a shame it's not just the top 2%. The current % is so disruptive to the whole system.

Top 2% of FCPS is not top 2% nationally. It's why the FCPS CogAT is not nationally normed. For perspective-- about 2% of each FCPS class is admitted to TJ.

Who cares nationally? Locally, it's causing a huge disruption and it's time to revisit the goal of AAP and also the approach. Something got lost along the way.

Sorry your snowflake didn't make it.

My kid is 7, asshole.

So are the the AAP kids all the GE posters are so nasty about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 25 - 50% in AAP, the term "gifted" has lost all meaning.

There are NOT 25-50% of fcps kids in AAP centers/level IV.

You need to try to brush up on facts.

No, you need to brush up on your facts. Of the three schools closest to my house: One has 35%, one has 33% and the other has 25%. There are schools with up to 50% kids in AAP. That is a fact.

If you you know that the three schools closest to your home have these specific numbers, several things are true: (1) you live in a very specific area in the Western part of the county that's a TJ feeder zone, (2) you have way too much time on your hands, (3) which you spend on some weird obsession you have with a program that your child doesn't even attend, and (4) you would be a lot happier if you just moved somewhere like Lake Braddock. Or heck-- try a Stuart zoned school. Your kid will look like a rocket scientist by virtue of the fact they speak English. If your kids can't keep up, you should definately teach them that the solution is just to surround themselves with lower performing people.

^^ beyond any issues related to the children, here is another reason why people dislike AAP: the parents.

Same reason people with gifted kids want to run to centers and out of Gen. Ed. - the parents.

Really? Are you that socially awkward that you need a special school? Sorry if normal folks intimidate you.

Very few of the handful of butthurt Gen Ed parents who latch on to threads like this would seem to fit any commonly accepted definition of "normal."

"Butthurt"? Yes, definitely awkward. My kid just started 2nd and these threads really just make me want to avoid AAP altogether.

NP here: I haven't been in on these ridiculous posts, but I have to say that you don't seem like you have any intention of avoiding AAP if you have a brand new 2nd grader and are already on this forum. I'm really not trying to be mean at all...just seems like you are actually wanting your child in (as opposed to perhaps someone who starts posting and reviewing this section after the pool letters are mailed.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 25 - 50% in AAP, the term "gifted" has lost all meaning.

There are NOT 25-50% of fcps kids in AAP centers/level IV.

You need to try to brush up on facts.

No, you need to brush up on your facts. Of the three schools closest to my house: One has 35%, one has 33% and the other has 25%. There are schools with up to 50% kids in AAP. That is a fact.

If you you know that the three schools closest to your home have these specific numbers, several things are true: (1) you live in a very specific area in the Western part of the county that's a TJ feeder zone, (2) you have way too much time on your hands, (3) which you spend on some weird obsession you have with a program that your child doesn't even attend, and (4) you would be a lot happier if you just moved somewhere like Lake Braddock. Or heck-- try a Stuart zoned school. Your kid will look like a rocket scientist by virtue of the fact they speak English. If your kids can't keep up, you should definately teach them that the solution is just to surround themselves with lower performing people.

^^ beyond any issues related to the children, here is another reason why people dislike AAP: the parents.

Same reason people with gifted kids want to run to centers and out of Gen. Ed. - the parents.

Really? Are you that socially awkward that you need a special school? Sorry if normal folks intimidate you.

Very few of the handful of butthurt Gen Ed parents who latch on to threads like this would seem to fit any commonly accepted definition of "normal."

"Butthurt"? Yes, definitely awkward. My kid just started 2nd and these threads really just make me want to avoid AAP altogether.

Please do.