Anyone's child not able to stay in AP?

[Anonymous]

Hi, my child had high test scores but just does not have the work habits and study skills for AAP. She is not an eager beaver about school. The AAP teacher describes for me that these are kids who are really INTO their studies. My child just isn't. So we are going to remove her from AAP. Honestly I had my doubts when we put her in, but I figured, I wouldn't deprive her of the opportunity. The teacher tells me that if my child "matures" she may be able to go back into AAP in later years.

Has anyone removed your child from AAP? How did you break it to your child? How did your child take it? We also have to decide whether to put her in Gen Ed in her new center school or to put her back in her base school. I will consult my child's feelings about that.

Are we the only ones??? Looking for input from those who have BTDT. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I knew of a child who was put back from GT into Gen Ed. If the child is not ready it is the best thing to do

[Anonymous]

If she's really struggling and feeling bad about herself then it sounds like a good idea. Our DS isn't making the best grades, B/Cs with a few As and can get down on himself sometimes, but he gets the material no problem and just has trouble applying himself to writing it down 100% of the time. Thus we wouldn't pull him. If your DC is truly miserable with the workload, then it sounds reasonable. Good luck OP.

[Anonymous]

PS since you have "the letter" your DC can come back in during any year up to 8th grade. Lots of kids switch in for 7/8th and seem to do well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I knew of a child who was put back from GT into Gen Ed. If the child is not ready it is the best thing to do

The child would not have been put back, but the school may have recommended it. Once admitted, services are available through the end of the eighth grade.

[Anonymous]

OP you are not the only ones. I would stress to your child that s/he is very capable, but that you think a less rigorous workload is best for right now. I would be most focused on self esteem at this point. You also may want to explore whether ADHD is at play -- often goes hand in hand with high IQ and is often a reason why smart kids underperform. Just a thought -- I've been down that road! Best wishes to your family.

[Anonymous]

my girlfriend took her DD out of AAP after 4th grade. She did have ADHD and the workload became too much. Many on this forum say that ADHD do fine in AAP but that wasn't her experience. The class sizes were big, the teacher seemed unhappy about dealing with the issues.

[Anonymous]

We have recently been debating this exact topic. We have had attention and impulsivity issues since preschool, but at the same time, every teacher and many adults have expressed how bright and articulate our ds is. Though he was in pool for 3rd grade admittance, even maxing out one subtest on the CogAt (and scoring at 90th %ile and above on all others with a 99% composite) he did not make it in the first round. I requested a copy of his file, and saw a poor work sample (that I felt did not represent his best work by a longshot) and his GBRS was a 9. I asked to meet with his teacher and the guidance counselor just to get their opinion. They both felt that his emotional immaturity as they called it at the time meant that likely one more year, and he would breeze through. Interestingly, there is NO mention of behavior or emotional maturity on the GBRS, but I feel ds's was clouded by behavior issues. We did appeal, but without new test scores, and were denied. (same GBRS of course).

In 3rd grade our school had one teacher who did AAP Math/Science, and one who taught AAP Language/Social Studies. Though my ds was not in the AAP group, he had those teachers, both of whom said he should be in AAP, and that I should reapply. He still had impulsivity/attention/organization issues, but his 3rd grade teachers seemed to find ways to work with him, challenge him, and keep things going relatively well. We reapplied last Spring on parent referral, with his old FCPS test scores (and a new GBRS from his 3rd grade teacher) and he breezed through on the first round.

So, this fall in 4th grade is his first experience in AAP. I had really hoped it was the magic ticket. Well, it has not been. The work is not too difficult, he has all "A"s for the academic grades BUT, I began to receive emails the first week regarding his distractedness, disorganization, impulsivity, and they have continued. We worked with the teacher and guidance counselor on some accomodations, and I began the ball rollling on him seeing a developmental pediatrician. In the end, and in face this week, he was in fact diagnosed with ADHD combined type.

I asked the Dev. Ped if I should just pull him from AAP, and she totally felt that was the wrong move for my ds. She remarked that he was one of the most articulate 9 year olds she had met, and that she felt that his test scores indicated that he was indeed one of the 20% (she used that number) of children who have ADHD and are also gifted. I know many teachers (and parents) hope for a room full of children who are perfectly mindful and able to concentrate, but sometimes, this is just not the reality. What we plan to do now with this information is request a 504 plan with accommodations from the school, and we are beginning a medication trial.
Sorry for the long post, this is all fresh for us, so I thought I would share. Interestingly enough, ds’s teacher, who I always felt just thought he was a total pain (which I know he could be with his issues), said in one of her narratives that “With an improvement in focus, and impulsivity ds will easily surpass many of his peers in achievement”. We shall see. GL! In our case, we are definitely dealing with ADHD, and it has begun to impact his self esteem, even though his grades are excellent (not so for the behavior grades) he feels “stupid” with the constant need for redirection and repeating of instructions.

[Anonymous]

PP again, BTW, we have the organization issues too. Our guidance counselor started an organizing lunch group, and ds is doing that now as well.

[Anonymous]

I think some AAP centers deal with these issues better than others. My child's center had lots of kids with various ADD and ADHD issues and the teachers seemed to know how to deal with them. Is there anyway to consult with teachers from another center program?

[Anonymous]

I'd advise kicking back in less rigorous classes while still getting easy As. Then onto a state school on full scholarship and an easy major. Encourage her to spend her down time, which she should have a lot of, pursuing something she likes and sees a need for and to start her own business and build it up. I am 100% serious about this.

[Anonymous]

To the original poster, is it possible that the material is still too easy for her which is why she isn't "into her studies"? Few people like to spend 6-8 hours a day on something that is easy day in and day out.

My son has a friend in his AAP class who tends to get in trouble a lot (talking, joking around). His friend said he doesn't like school because he is just bored (the other kids all agree that he is the smartest in the class).

[Anonymous]

14:43 may sound snarky, but has a point. My 8 year old DD has been on a roller coaster since AAP started. Grades are all over the place. She tries hard, but she is not (and I believe many of the kids are not) uniformly gifted in all areas of the curriculum. It can be stressful, and reduces time for exploring her own interests. I see her really blossoming in college or grad school, when abstract thinking is king. (She does not do as well with rote learning.) However - college is 9 years from now!

The "person" 14:43 describes may sound like an "underachiever" at first blush. However, that person also seems like they may be savvy, confident and happy with their studies/career path. I find myself wondering if AAP would ever foster those traits in my child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd advise kicking back in less rigorous classes while still getting easy As. Then onto a state school on full scholarship and an easy major. Encourage her to spend her down time, which she should have a lot of, pursuing something she likes and sees a need for and to start her own business and build it up. I am 100% serious about this.

You are very wise.

[Anonymous]

Many kids in DS's class have been struggling since they started AAP this year (3rd). The teacher had to talk to the class b/c most of the kids weren't used to getting S and were upset. I agree most kids aren't uniformly gifted. Also I think there are 2 types at school. The really gifted and the high achievers. The high achievers have to study and work hard to get those grades and with more work and harder concepts to grasp quickly it becomes harder for them. As I thought, they took all the kids who were maybe top 5 in their class and put them together - and now some of those kids have to be at the bottom of the aap class.