Science says: never get rid of AAP
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Anonymous
But they cast a very wide net for AAP eligibility. They aren't missing gifted kids or even bright, close to gifted kids. There really aren't many TJ caliber kids being missed in the AAP process. There are some extra, non-TJ caliber UMC kids getting into AAP, but they don't belong at TJ and ideally are unlikely to get admitted. That being said, the issue isn't that only AAP kids should be admitted to TJ. The issue is that nearly 1/3 of the FCPS TJ spots are flat out reserved for kids not participating in middle school AAP. This could easily be solved by using pyramid level quotas rather than school level. Or it could be solved by eliminating MS AAP centers and instead having LLIVs at every middle school. FCPS does not want to do this, though. They crunched the numbers and saw that forcing a significant number of non-AAP kids into TJ reduced the share of Asians. That's really all that they care about. |
Anonymous
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And why should kids attending Middle School AAP have an advantage over kids in a non-AAP MS? The kids in a non-AAP MS can take honors classes and Algebra 1 H in 7th or 8th grade, just like their peers in an AAP MS. Or do you think the kids at AAP MS are all taking Algebra in7th grade, because they are not. A good number of kids in Advanced Math or AAP end up taking Math 7 Honors and then Algebra Honors in 8th.
My kid will be going to an AAP MS, it is his base. He has not been in AAP, we deferred, and we will be activating AAP in MS. I suspect he will be just fine in class with the kids from the AAP Centers. He is a smart kid who loves math and has been at RSM since 3rd grade. I doubt you would be able to tell him apart from the AAP Center kids. And I would guess that it is the same for the kids from MS that are not AAP Centers. The kids are still smart and still capable and will most likely be able to handle TJ academics. If you are so worried about your kids chances of getting into TJ from a Center school, then feel free to attend your base MS and improve your odds. Let us know how that works out. |
Anonymous
Neither AAP nor non-AAP kids should have an advantage. That's why they should use pyramid level quotas and evaluate all kids in the pyramid on an equal footing. They already aren't giving bonus points for being in AAP, taking 4 AAP/honors classes rather than only 3, taking Algebra in 7th, and achieving anything noteworthy in STEM ECs. How, exactly, then would non AAP kids be incapable of earning TJ spots in a pyramid level quota system? Relocating 200+ of the top kids out of the base school's competitive pool and into the center's gives a huge advantage to kids in the base school and a huge disadvantage to all kids in the center. The kids disadvantaged include many kids in both AAP and gen ed who are zoned to the center and can't simply choose to attend a base MS. It is pretty awful that a gen ed kid zoned to Carson has almost no chance of TJ admissions, while an equally talented gen ed kid zoned to a neighboring non-AAP center can easily secure a TJ spot. |
Anonymous
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Parents have a choice to send their kids to the Center or not. If you are worried about TJ, then keep your kid at the base. If you think that it is in your kids best interest to send them to the Center, then that is on you. Only your family can decide that for your kid.
You know what the variables are, make a choice that fits your family. |
Anonymous
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And my kid’s base school is Carson. He will be fine. If he applies for TJ and isn’t accepted, he will do well at SLHS. Plenty of people are very successful in life having never attended TJ. Plenty of people go on to be engineers or programmers or Doctors or any number of STEM related degrees without attending TJ.
There is more to life then TJ. |
Anonymous
Work on your reading comprehension. Many parent do not have a choice of center vs base. They are zoned to the center and must attend. Bright gen Ed kids zoned to Carson or Longfellow have almost no chance of TJ admissions since they have to compete with overly many AAP kids. Your argument is only valid if gen Ed kids zoned to the canter can instead choose to attend a non AAP school. |
Anonymous
Check you reading comprehension. My kids base school is Carson so I get it. And Carson still has a large number of kids who attend TJ. Well above the 1.5% that they are allotted. Stop thinking that TJ is everything and understand that your kid will be fine where ever they go to high school. |
Anonymous
But how many gen ed kids zoned to Carson have any real chance of being admitted to TJ? Your main concern appears to be giving gen ed kids have a fair shot. If so, why is it okay for one group of gen ed kids to have a very easy time with TJ admissions due to almost no competition for the spots, while other groups of gen ed kids have slim to no chances of being admitted? Your position makes no sense at all, unless you're trying to tokenize gen ed kids rather than give them a truly fair shot at TJ. |
Anonymous
Also, if you "get it" and have adequate reading comprehension, why do you keep posting the following, even after people have explained ad nauseam to you that it doesn't work that way. You keep saying [quote = previous poster]Parents have a choice to send their kids to the Center or not. If you are worried about TJ, then keep your kid at the base. . Why are you refusing to understand that most parents in FCPS have no say as to their middle school? It's honestly not a difficult concept. |
Anonymous
I don’t care if kids who are accepted are in AAP or in Gen Ed. You have to have taken Honors/AAP Math, Science, and at least one other class in 7th and 8th grade to be considered for TJ. I do think that TJ should represent all of FCPS and have no issues with the 1.5% seat allotment for each MS. I think that it helps to make sure that kids from every school have a chance to attend TJ. The students have to meet basic requirements. Which means that the kids who are capable of handling 3 honors classes and meeting the 3.5 GPA requirement are considered. I would be fine with them raising the GPA to 3.75, requiring all honors classes where possible, and requiring Geometry. I think they could make the requirements more stringent. I just don’t have a problem with allotting seats for each MS. And yes, I know that the kids whose base schools are Centers are in a touch spot. They have more competition for those 1.5% spots. But those same Center schools are still sending a much higher number of kids then other schools so I don’t see them as being harmed by the policy. Parents who are choosing to send their kids to from the base to the center are the ones who have a choice. I would imagine that the TJ driven families will start to keep their kids at the base schools. The reality is that kids were not accepted at TJ who passed the Q test, had good letter of recommendations, and were strong candidates before the current set up. I think the school should look like the County with representation from each MS. I am less worried about the racial balance at the school. I doubt that there is going to be much change there until we can figure out how to close the education gap that exists. That is a far bigger problem then TJ. But making sure that kids from all MS who meet the standards are able to attend TJ is a good thing. |
Anonymous
The problem is that you're living in a wealthy area and have no clue what it's like elsewhere in the county. Sometimes the AAP center is the much lower income school, while the feeder base school is pretty wealthy. Here's a good example: Thoreau vs. Luther Jackson. Luther Jackson is the lower SES school with many more FARMS kids. It's also the AAP center fed into by wealthier areas. Lower income kids zoned to Luther Jackson, both gen ed and AAP alike, have to compete with the wealthy AAP kids who are zoned to Thoreau but attending the Jackson AAP center. The wealthy, mediocre kids at Thoreau who weren't smart enough to qualify for AAP despite having motivated UMC parents now have a red carpet rolled out for TJ admissions. Jackson does not have an overabundance of kids getting admitted to TJ. A bright gen ed kid or a lower income but not quite FARMS AAP kid at Jackson is horribly hurt by the policy that preferences mediocre wealthy Thoreau kids over them. There is literally no reason that the Thoreau kids shouldn't have to compete with the Jackson kids in the same allocated pool for AAP. |
Anonymous
| A lot of people think Massachusetts has the best schools and they don’t really do anything like AAP in majority of districts and schools… can’t name one district that does, but could be a few. So no, I don’t think it’s necessary. |
Anonymous
Basically. My school did tracking for math amongst AAP. So had a class with higher scores for AAP math and a class for lower scores. Did not really make sense to me. |
Anonymous
Because its school systems are much smaller and segregated. The best schools have mostly well off parents. Biggest predictor of academic success is family SES/parents educational level. They don't need AAP. Read between the lines in this forum. AAP is as much about selecting a "good peer group" as it is about the academic challenge. |
Anonymous
The problem is that in FCPS, "selecting a good peer group" and receiving "academic challenge" are basically the same thing. Since FCPS prioritizes focusing on the kids who are behind and ignoring the kids who are ahead, it is impossible to get academic challenge for an above average kid in a gen ed class with too many kids who are behind. UMC kids with educated parents don't need AAP or any self contained program. They do still need some reasonable share of the teacher's attention as well as some reasonable attempt by the teacher to challenge them. |