2016 AAP admissions Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child is Asian and the gbrs is much lower than the test scores, they assume you cheated the tests via test prep classes etc and the scores don't carry much weight with the committee. Especially the NNAT bc that style of test is much easier to swing by cheating.

Exactly how does one go about "cheating" on either one of these tests?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WISC-V 137
GBRS - 14

IN. No other test scores bc DD is homeschooled.

How does GBRS work when you're homeschooled? No bias there

Same as teachers writing the GBRS. You still need to provide specific examples of the behaviors. Proof of examples was included in submission. There is a specific packet for homeschooled students applying for AAP online - check it out if you are interested.

I had already been through this process with my older two daughters, also Level IV accepted, through the "regular" channels (school recommended). This child is similar to her older sisters, made sense to apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child is Asian and the gbrs is much lower than the test scores, they assume you cheated the tests via test prep classes etc and the scores don't carry much weight with the committee. Especially the NNAT bc that style of test is much easier to swing by cheating.

Exactly how does one go about "cheating" on either one of these tests?

Did parents seriously tutor their kids in advance of these tests? I didn't even know about them and my child aced them on her own. They are aptitude tests. Hard to cheat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cogat 128
NNAT 118
GBRS 11

IN!!!!!!!

No sour grapes here and not trying to blunt someone else's celebration, but how was this child accepted?

- Borderline Cogat (not even in the pool, right?)
- Low NNAT
- Borderline GBRS (<12)

Really makes me wonder about FCPS's admission criteria.

Maybe he/she had a strong packet. Excellent work samples, strong recommendations and certificates, strong parent referral. You have no idea. NNAT, CogAT and GBRS are only a part of the packet.

Maybe it's the school they are coming from - borderline at a bad school gets you in?

The sour grapes - and I love grape drank - is not because your borderline kid got in and mine didn't. It is because your borderline kid is in the same class as my advanced kid and will drag the class speed down.

It only seems like high SES parents think their kids are brilliant but just poor test takers.

What a bunch of crap! My now 4th grader got "borderline" scores on NNAT and CogAT and wasn't in pool. She also got a 9 GBRS. She wasn't borderline and she doesn't bring anyone down in AAP. In fact her IQ tested at 139. You people need a life.

People need to be kind and not get too carry away by this AAP business. We transferred from Illinois two years ago...did not knew about these AAP tests, nor have time to submit portfolio. My "borderline" did not get in AAP. We chose not to appeal. But at 6th grade graduation, her academic related achievement awards out-numbered many AAP kids. At 7th grade at Longfellow MS she is taking math one level ahead of her peers, receiving All A honor roll for two quarter in the row, and representing LMS to State final competitions. Not only teachers but many of her peers at 6th and 7th grade even questioned why she is not even in AAP. Yes. AAP is subjective.
My two cents: Kids thrive as long as they have parents who don't give up on them, and teachers who continue to inspire them. Big Congregates to those who made AAP pool. But Don't be despair if your kids did not get in. Yes. you can appeal. Learning is life time thing. If you looked back after 14 or 20 years. AAP or not is not that much of a big deal. Really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cogat 128
NNAT 118
GBRS 11

IN!!!!!!!

No sour grapes here and not trying to blunt someone else's celebration, but how was this child accepted?

- Borderline Cogat (not even in the pool, right?)
- Low NNAT
- Borderline GBRS (<12)

Really makes me wonder about FCPS's admission criteria.

Maybe he/she had a strong packet. Excellent work samples, strong recommendations and certificates, strong parent referral. You have no idea. NNAT, CogAT and GBRS are only a part of the packet.

Maybe it's the school they are coming from - borderline at a bad school gets you in?

The sour grapes - and I love grape drank - is not because your borderline kid got in and mine didn't. It is because your borderline kid is in the same class as my advanced kid and will drag the class speed down.

It only seems like high SES parents think their kids are brilliant but just poor test takers.

What a bunch of crap! My now 4th grader got "borderline" scores on NNAT and CogAT and wasn't in pool. She also got a 9 GBRS. She wasn't borderline and she doesn't bring anyone down in AAP. In fact her IQ tested at 139. You people need a life.

People need to be kind and not get too carry away by this AAP business. We transferred from Illinois two years ago...did not knew about these AAP tests, nor have time to submit portfolio. My "borderline" did not get in AAP. We chose not to appeal. But at 6th grade graduation, her academic related achievement awards out-numbered many AAP kids. At 7th grade at Longfellow MS she is taking math one level ahead of her peers, receiving All A honor roll for two quarter in the row, and representing LMS to State final competitions. Not only teachers but many of her peers at 6th and 7th grade even questioned why she is not even in AAP. Yes. AAP is subjective.
My two cents: Kids thrive as long as they have parents who don't give up on them, and teachers who continue to inspire them. Big Congregates to those who made AAP pool. But Don't be despair if your kids did not get in. Yes. you can appeal. Learning is life time thing. If you looked back after 14 or 20 years. AAP or not is not that much of a big deal. Really.

Congratulations to your bright child. There is a difference between a bright child and a "gifted" child.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/gifted-ed-guru/201201/the-bright-child-vs-the-gifted-learner-whats-the-difference

[Anonymous]

^^Neglected to add a link to a slide deck distinguishing between the two:

http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/cms/lib09/UT01001306/Centricity/Domain/73/Learning%20Distinctions%20Between%20High%20Achievers%20and%20Gifted.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GBRS does not award points for docile, well-behaved kids. GBRS awards points for gifted behaviors that may be directly contrary to that type of behavior but indicate a different way of thinking the norm.

Now, it is a bit strange they still use GBRS since FCPS does not claim the program is a gifted program anymore.

FCPS DOES still claim it's a gifted program. This is the program FCPS uses to satisfy the requirements imposed by Virginia to provide gifted services. The change in the name from GT to AAP was to let people know that it is an academic gifted program, not an arts gifted program. That's why they still use the NNAT, CogAT and GBRS. Now, do they include a broader range of kids than a lot of other gifted programs? Yes, but that's a different issue than whether FCPS claims it's a gifted program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cogat 128
NNAT 118
GBRS 11

IN!!!!!!!

No sour grapes here and not trying to blunt someone else's celebration, but how was this child accepted?

- Borderline Cogat (not even in the pool, right?)
- Low NNAT
- Borderline GBRS (<12)

Really makes me wonder about FCPS's admission criteria.

Maybe he/she had a strong packet. Excellent work samples, strong recommendations and certificates, strong parent referral. You have no idea. NNAT, CogAT and GBRS are only a part of the packet.

Maybe it's the school they are coming from - borderline at a bad school gets you in?

The sour grapes - and I love grape drank - is not because your borderline kid got in and mine didn't. It is because your borderline kid is in the same class as my advanced kid and will drag the class speed down.

It only seems like high SES parents think their kids are brilliant but just poor test takers.

What a bunch of crap! My now 4th grader got "borderline" scores on NNAT and CogAT and wasn't in pool. She also got a 9 GBRS. She wasn't borderline and she doesn't bring anyone down in AAP. In fact her IQ tested at 139. You people need a life.

People need to be kind and not get too carry away by this AAP business. We transferred from Illinois two years ago...did not knew about these AAP tests, nor have time to submit portfolio. My "borderline" did not get in AAP. We chose not to appeal. But at 6th grade graduation, her academic related achievement awards out-numbered many AAP kids. At 7th grade at Longfellow MS she is taking math one level ahead of her peers, receiving All A honor roll for two quarter in the row, and representing LMS to State final competitions. Not only teachers but many of her peers at 6th and 7th grade even questioned why she is not even in AAP. Yes. AAP is subjective.
My two cents: Kids thrive as long as they have parents who don't give up on them, and teachers who continue to inspire them. Big Congregates to those who made AAP pool. But Don't be despair if your kids did not get in. Yes. you can appeal. Learning is life time thing. If you looked back after 14 or 20 years. AAP or not is not that much of a big deal. Really.

Congratulations to your bright child. There is a difference between a bright child and a "gifted" child.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/gifted-ed-guru/201201/the-bright-child-vs-the-gifted-learner-whats-the-difference

I really don't think pp cares about the labels. Her point is, not getting into AAP doesn't determine where a child ends up academically. Colleges won't have your child's IQ or know whether your child was in AAP, but they will know pp's child's grades and academic achievements, including representing her school in state competitions if she continues to do them. Good luck when your kid gets to high school and tries to hang his hat on being gifted instead of being academically accomplished. There's no AAP in high school.

[Anonymous]

Gbrs- 15
nnat-127
Cogat-132
In

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cogat 128
NNAT 118
GBRS 11

IN!!!!!!!

No sour grapes here and not trying to blunt someone else's celebration, but how was this child accepted?

- Borderline Cogat (not even in the pool, right?)
- Low NNAT
- Borderline GBRS (<12)

Really makes me wonder about FCPS's admission criteria.

Maybe he/she had a strong packet. Excellent work samples, strong recommendations and certificates, strong parent referral. You have no idea. NNAT, CogAT and GBRS are only a part of the packet.

Maybe it's the school they are coming from - borderline at a bad school gets you in?

The sour grapes - and I love grape drank - is not because your borderline kid got in and mine didn't. It is because your borderline kid is in the same class as my advanced kid and will drag the class speed down.

It only seems like high SES parents think their kids are brilliant but just poor test takers.

What a bunch of crap! My now 4th grader got "borderline" scores on NNAT and CogAT and wasn't in pool. She also got a 9 GBRS. She wasn't borderline and she doesn't bring anyone down in AAP. In fact her IQ tested at 139. You people need a life.

People need to be kind and not get too carry away by this AAP business. We transferred from Illinois two years ago...did not knew about these AAP tests, nor have time to submit portfolio. My "borderline" did not get in AAP. We chose not to appeal. But at 6th grade graduation, her academic related achievement awards out-numbered many AAP kids. At 7th grade at Longfellow MS she is taking math one level ahead of her peers, receiving All A honor roll for two quarter in the row, and representing LMS to State final competitions. Not only teachers but many of her peers at 6th and 7th grade even questioned why she is not even in AAP. Yes. AAP is subjective.
My two cents: Kids thrive as long as they have parents who don't give up on them, and teachers who continue to inspire them. Big Congregates to those who made AAP pool. But Don't be despair if your kids did not get in. Yes. you can appeal. Learning is life time thing. If you looked back after 14 or 20 years. AAP or not is not that much of a big deal. Really.

Congratulations to your bright child. There is a difference between a bright child and a "gifted" child.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/gifted-ed-guru/201201/the-bright-child-vs-the-gifted-learner-whats-the-difference

I really don't think pp cares about the labels. Her point is, not getting into AAP doesn't determine where a child ends up academically. Colleges won't have your child's IQ or know whether your child was in AAP, but they will know pp's child's grades and academic achievements, including representing her school in state competitions if she continues to do them. Good luck when your kid gets to high school and tries to hang his hat on being gifted instead of being academically accomplished. There's no AAP in high school.

I have one child in middle school and one child in high school. Both have attended AAP Centers. Neither of my children "hang their hat on being gifted" (to use your words) and, quite frankly, I would think my parenting challenges would be easier if they were academically accomplished instead of "only" being "gifted."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child is Asian and the gbrs is much lower than the test scores, they assume you cheated the tests via test prep classes etc and the scores don't carry much weight with the committee. Especially the NNAT bc that style of test is much easier to swing by cheating.

Exactly how does one go about "cheating" on either one of these tests?

Did parents seriously tutor their kids in advance of these tests? I didn't even know about them and my child aced them on her own. They are aptitude tests. Hard to cheat.

There is no way to "tutor" these tests. They are different each time they are administered, and the school does the testing (not the parent).

The GBRS are dependent on the child's IN CLASS performance, so that cannot be controlled by the parents either.

[Anonymous]

NNAT 123
WISC 144
CoGAT 146
GBRS 14

WISC was done because we were applying for a private school after seeing NNAT, but decided to stay for one more year due to the amazing 2nd grade teacher. Overall DC is OK staying even though he would prefer the private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child is Asian and the gbrs is much lower than the test scores, they assume you cheated the tests via test prep classes etc and the scores don't carry much weight with the committee. Especially the NNAT bc that style of test is much easier to swing by cheating.

Exactly how does one go about "cheating" on either one of these tests?

Did parents seriously tutor their kids in advance of these tests? I didn't even know about them and my child aced them on her own. They are aptitude tests. Hard to cheat.

Yes, there are tons of classes (mostly run out of language schools) that are specifically test prep for the CogAt and NNAT. The whole reason Fairfax has its own version of the CogAt was that one of their teachers was moonlighting at a Korean language school teaching test prep and using an actual copy of the CogAt that she stole.

[Anonymous]

NNAT 145
Cogat 138
GBRS do not know.

IN.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child is Asian and the gbrs is much lower than the test scores, they assume you cheated the tests via test prep classes etc and the scores don't carry much weight with the committee. Especially the NNAT bc that style of test is much easier to swing by cheating.

Exactly how does one go about "cheating" on either one of these tests?

Did parents seriously tutor their kids in advance of these tests? I didn't even know about them and my child aced them on her own. They are aptitude tests. Hard to cheat.

There is no way to "tutor" these tests. They are different each time they are administered, and the school does the testing (not the parent).

The GBRS are dependent on the child's IN CLASS performance, so that cannot be controlled by the parents either.

There are businesses out there making a lot of money by telling parents that their "tutoring" can help kids to get higher scores than they would without the class. I'm not sure whether there is evidence either way.