How to improve AAP and General Ed Together

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Then it should be included as evidence for a suggestion rather than its own debate.

The SOL tests show how many kids pass advanced, pass, and fail. We have the number of special ed, general ed, and AAP level 2,3, and 4 students in FCPS. What more information is needed to know how many children can handle an advanced curriculum? Those numbers aren't exact, but they are close enough to propose policy changes.

Fcps has already determined who can handle the accelerated curriculum, how to screen students, how to offer differentiation in gen ed, and how to allow yearly access to AAP level IV programs so that a student is not limited to what they were ready for as a first or second grader.

Fcps already does exactly what you are proposing in this thread and tries to offer AAP to as many students as possible.

You are talking yourself in circles.

I didn't bring up an issue with the selection process. The issue seems to be that kids aren't mixing well creating division, schools are a turn off to some because of too few or too many AAP students, and general ed students including level 2 and 3 students aren't getting a great academic experience.

+1000
Great summary.

[Anonymous]

OP, the above illustrates why the improvement needs to start with consistent Level 3 programming. And let's be clear -- some of those in the Level 3 group qualified for AAP but their parents opted not to send them to the center for any number of reasons. For example some L3 kids who are every bit as "smart" as AAP kids in math (i.e. can move at the same lightning speed in math as those in AAP), are engaged once or twice a month in differentiated learning depending on the school -- a la pull-outs. Yet AAP/LLIV kids get reinforcement at that pace every day.

Let's take it a step further and look at AAP in middle school. My kids aren't there yet, but a friend with one aap kid and one L3 kid shared this disturbing tidbit. While FCPS touts the fact any kid can take honors math, but there is a special "secret" section reserved just for kids from aap. WTF?

I want my kids to move at the right pace -- they're faster than some, slower than others. I don't care what their level is. What I don't want is someone impeding their progress, if they're deemed at grade level in the first semester, and others aren't. I Also want consistency across the county.

Until the inconsistencies between schools are removed, it will be difficult for people to move past the debate you don't addressed here, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, the above illustrates why the improvement needs to start with consistent Level 3 programming. And let's be clear -- some of those in the Level 3 group qualified for AAP but their parents opted not to send them to the center for any number of reasons. For example some L3 kids who are every bit as "smart" as AAP kids in math (i.e. can move at the same lightning speed in math as those in AAP), are engaged once or twice a month in differentiated learning depending on the school -- a la pull-outs. Yet AAP/LLIV kids get reinforcement at that pace every day.

Let's take it a step further and look at AAP in middle school. My kids aren't there yet, but a friend with one aap kid and one L3 kid shared this disturbing tidbit. While FCPS touts the fact any kid can take honors math, but there is a special "secret" section reserved just for kids from aap. WTF?

I want my kids to move at the right pace -- they're faster than some, slower than others. I don't care what their level is. What I don't want is someone impeding their progress, if they're deemed at grade level in the first semester, and others aren't. I Also want consistency across the county.

Until the inconsistencies between schools are removed, it will be difficult for people to move past the debate you don't addressed here, OP.

What a crazy conspiracy theory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks seem to be thinking that heavenly manna is being dished out in the AAP classes. That ain't so. Believe me, the upper limit to what's being offered isn't that much higher than in GE.

Which will, of course, trigger a response along the lines of "if it's not much different, why not let all children have access to it." You can't win for trying on this board.

Still haven't heard a coherent, logical reason from any AAP parents as to why all children should not have access to it. Yes, there are some kids for whom an advanced curriculum wouldn't be appropriate. But no one really knows who can do what - unless and until the work is there for them to do in the first place.

Lol, get over yourself. No AAP parent needs to justify their child's education or owes you an explanation for how the county runs its schools. No statement by an AAP parent is going to change anything and anyway won't ever be considered "coherent and logical" unless it wholly agrees with you. As has been said again and again, all children have the opportunity to qualify for AAP, i.e., "access". Moreover, advanced curriculum is anyone's for the asking as soon as 7th grade. If you really want more information why your child can or can't be in AAP call FCPS. If you just want to try and fail to make other parents feel bad, just keep doing what you're doing, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks seem to be thinking that heavenly manna is being dished out in the AAP classes. That ain't so. Believe me, the upper limit to what's being offered isn't that much higher than in GE.

Which will, of course, trigger a response along the lines of "if it's not much different, why not let all children have access to it." You can't win for trying on this board.

Still haven't heard a coherent, logical reason from any AAP parents as to why all children should not have access to it. Yes, there are some kids for whom an advanced curriculum wouldn't be appropriate. But no one really knows who can do what - unless and until the work is there for them to do in the first place.

Lol, get over yourself. No AAP parent needs to justify their child's education or owes you an explanation for how the county runs its schools. No statement by an AAP parent is going to change anything and anyway won't ever be considered "coherent and logical" unless it wholly agrees with you. As has been said again and again, all children have the opportunity to qualify for AAP, i.e., "access". Moreover, advanced curriculum is anyone's for the asking as soon as 7th grade. If you really want more information why your child can or can't be in AAP call FCPS. If you just want to try and fail to make other parents feel bad, just keep doing what you're doing, I guess.

Well said!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks seem to be thinking that heavenly manna is being dished out in the AAP classes. That ain't so. Believe me, the upper limit to what's being offered isn't that much higher than in GE.

Which will, of course, trigger a response along the lines of "if it's not much different, why not let all children have access to it." You can't win for trying on this board.

Still haven't heard a coherent, logical reason from any AAP parents as to why all children should not have access to it. Yes, there are some kids for whom an advanced curriculum wouldn't be appropriate. But no one really knows who can do what - unless and until the work is there for them to do in the first place.

Lol, get over yourself. No AAP parent needs to justify their child's education or owes you an explanation for how the county runs its schools. No statement by an AAP parent is going to change anything and anyway won't ever be considered "coherent and logical" unless it wholly agrees with you. As has been said again and again, all children have the opportunity to qualify for AAP, i.e., "access". Moreover, advanced curriculum is anyone's for the asking as soon as 7th grade. If you really want more information why your child can or can't be in AAP call FCPS. If you just want to try and fail to make other parents feel bad, just keep doing what you're doing, I guess.

BRAVO!

[Anonymous]

OP again. As a start, can we all agree general ed and AAP kids should eat lunch and attend recess together no matter what the school? Hoping at least this part isn't controversial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. As a start, can we all agree general ed and AAP kids should eat lunch and attend recess together no matter what the school? Hoping at least this part isn't controversial.

Don't they already all do recess together? They did at my kid's center.

Lunch is a scheduling issue. My kids have attended five different elementary schools, and not one does open seating like they do in middle and high school.

At all five elementary schools they all sat by class in assigned tables that went in order by homeroom teachers. The times were staggered by class so that when one class got through the line another class was arriving and yet another class was leaving, so that there were always 2-4 classes actively sitting at the tables eating and 3 classes rotating between arriving, leaving and getting their food.

I think eating by class is fairly universal in elementary in all but the smallest schools, and has nothing whatsoever to do with AAP.

Lunches are about logistics and not student feelings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. As a start, can we all agree general ed and AAP kids should eat lunch and attend recess together no matter what the school? Hoping at least this part isn't controversial.

Don't they already all do recess together? They did at my kid's center.

Lunch is a scheduling issue. My kids have attended five different elementary schools, and not one does open seating like they do in middle and high school.

At all five elementary schools they all sat by class in assigned tables that went in order by homeroom teachers. The times were staggered by class so that when one class got through the line another class was arriving and yet another class was leaving, so that there were always 2-4 classes actively sitting at the tables eating and 3 classes rotating between arriving, leaving and getting their food.

I think eating by class is fairly universal in elementary in all but the smallest schools, and has nothing whatsoever to do with AAP.

Lunches are about logistics and not student feelings.

OP. Our school has homerooms which are mixed. Its the homerooms that eat as a class. I don't see why this can't be done at all schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. As a start, can we all agree general ed and AAP kids should eat lunch and attend recess together no matter what the school? Hoping at least this part isn't controversial.

Where doesn't this happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. As a start, can we all agree general ed and AAP kids should eat lunch and attend recess together no matter what the school? Hoping at least this part isn't controversial.

Where doesn't this happen?

Not sure, but some people wrote in and said their center doesn't make this a scheduling priority. I think all schools should be able to figure this out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. As a start, can we all agree general ed and AAP kids should eat lunch and attend recess together no matter what the school? Hoping at least this part isn't controversial.

Where doesn't this happen?

Not sure, but some people wrote in and said their center doesn't make this a scheduling priority. I think all schools should be able to figure this out.

Lunch I can see depending on how the overall scheduling falls, but field trips and specials (plus recess) should be mixed when possible.

However, at my other kid's base school, the classes only mix for PE, strings/band and recess (plus math in the upper grades).

Lunch is by class, as are art, music, technology and field trips.

I think it all depends on how the overall schedule for the school as a whole plays out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. As a start, can we all agree general ed and AAP kids should eat lunch and attend recess together no matter what the school? Hoping at least this part isn't controversial.

Where doesn't this happen?

Not sure, but some people wrote in and said their center doesn't make this a scheduling priority. I think all schools should be able to figure this out.

Lunch I can see depending on how the overall scheduling falls, but field trips and specials (plus recess) should be mixed when possible.

However, at my other kid's base school, the classes only mix for PE, strings/band and recess (plus math in the upper grades).

Lunch is by class, as are art, music, technology and field trips.

I think it all depends on how the overall schedule for the school as a whole plays out.

Again. The homeroom class should be mixed and that homeroom class should go to lunch and recess together. I don't see any reason why this can't happen. Make it a scheduling priority like so many other schools do.

[Anonymous]

Again. The homeroom class should be mixed and that homeroom class should go to lunch and recess together. I don't see any reason why this can't happen. Make it a scheduling priority like so many other schools do.

Not all schools employ home rooms. Our base school only used them for sixth graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Again. The homeroom class should be mixed and that homeroom class should go to lunch and recess together. I don't see any reason why this can't happen. Make it a scheduling priority like so many other schools do.

Not all schools employ home rooms. Our base school only used them for sixth graders.

Exactly. I think this needs to be changed to ensure kids are mixed for lunch and recess. Most schools do use a homeroom class for this reason. There's no reason I see that the other schools can't.