What Is Happening With Advanced Academics at Great Falls Elementary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's obvious, PP. The kids got dumber.

Not impossible. But also, I suspect the top group disproportionately exited to homeschool or private.

[Anonymous]

Most of the top group exits to the center school

[Anonymous]

Those that are smart and don’t get into AAP exit to private

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The AART claims when all the kids are high achieving no one is worthy of level IV instruction because they already have their peer group. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. The teachers lack skill in identifying these students and don’t put much effort into advancement.

I have no dog in this fight but their read on it shows how teachers in general (not just at GFES but at most Elementary schools) misread what advanced academic servhces are for and how to identify children who are best served with advanced academic servhces.
In general—what the AART is saying here pretty much aligns completely with how most schools treat this program…
That is—they use it as “ability-grouping” to pull out the high-achievers because if they don’t, the academic achievement/performance gap across a classroom of students in the same grade-level is so wide as to make a regular Gen Ed class nearly impossible for the teacher to manage. The AAP services in FCPS allows those student to be removed from the classroom and instructed separately so that the teacher can focus on the remaining students who at at or below (and sometimes 3-4 levels below) grade level.
And because of this, the AART is probably correct that they don’t really “need” the program because the students at GFES are generally performing and achieving at the same level.
AAP programs in FCPS haven’t actually been “gifted” programs for a very long time, imo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GFES teachers fail to challenge students. Grade 2 is extremely important but there is very little in terms of academic rigor at this level. Even kids entered into level IV are not getting the same education that they get at other cooper feeder schools. Performance at this grade most importantly determines entry to advanced academics. Those that do get accepted often leave for private or the center school. The focus at this school is the PTA fundraising activities and support of the teachers by the Principal.

Primary driver there is https://greatfallses.fcps.edu/academics/departments/japanese-immersion-program Unless FCPS now funds all the immersion teachers the English language class sizes were grotesque. 3 teachers so what is the pupil teacher ratio for JIP classrooms?

Great Falls always had a higher sending rate of AAP accepted students to centers than other schools since the days of the mega Forest Edge center. School is more complex than level iv stuff- 2025-26 has 45 transferring to Colvin Run. Forest Edge transfers: Forestville<10, Aldrin 15. Mega elementary Spring Hill only sends 34 to Churchill Rd.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know what you’re taking about. The classes in first grade have 15-16 kids all day. And in 2nd they have 18-19 all day.

Pretty sure you’re confused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know what you’re taking about. The classes in first grade have 15-16 kids all day. And in 2nd they have 18-19 all day.

Pretty sure you’re confused.

Not confused. Actual class sizes can change from year to year based on total membership, staffing ratios, etc. The school had a long term class size problem. Numbers per class? FCPS membership by grade is 1st 55, 2nd 70. Prior staffing models would have had 2 classes per grade pre JIP pull out.