Possible AAP changes at ES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is the cluster model going after a quarter into the year?

It's going great! Our school is teaching the AAP curriculum to all children and then sending them to different classrooms if they are advanced math.

It was my understanding, based on the info session for our new this year local level iv, that the cluster model does not involve or include sending kids to different classrooms. There is just supposed to be in class differentiation. (we opted for center instead so I can’t comment first hand how it’s going)

I'm the one who said it's going great -- every school is doing it differently. Ours has had LLIV for a long time and this is the first year of clustering. As I said already, everyone is learning the same curriculum (the AAP curriculum), but the kids switch teachers for math only, presumably so that only one teacher has to teach advanced math. Other than one dud teacher (unrelated to clustering) everyone seems pleased with how it has turned out.

I am glad to hear your child’s experience is going well. I am a teacher in the county and have children in the school system. My older son is in the level IV program, and my youngest is in the general Ed classroom. I cannot imagine the differentiator that must occur to make this program work. Kudos to the teachers for being able to meet the needs of such a range of learners.

I don't really understand this comment because this is how most school districts do it. Most school districts don't have a completely separate class for advanced learners, they will have like a half day gifted program and math pull outs. I don't see how this "new/old" way of doing things in FCPS is any different than that.

There are close to 30 (elementary) center schools in FCPS and many more base school programs. Other districts may offer advanced services using the model you mentioned, but I’m not familiar with those districts. In order for typical learners to succeed being instructed with only advanced materials, lots of scaffolding and front loading must occur. These curriculums were designed for the advanced learner, not for ‘on level’ or struggling students. My comment was specific— in order to properly support the variety of learners using this model, an incredible amount of differentiation must occur. (Much more than the typical classroom.)


I would guess that most of the schools using the AAP-curriculum-for-all approach are the high SES schools with no ESOL kids and with almost all kids in the average to above average range. If the classroom has no struggling students, it wouldn't be that difficult to provide enough scaffolding for "on level" learners to access AAP materials. AAP isn't honestly that advanced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is the cluster model going after a quarter into the year?

It's going great! Our school is teaching the AAP curriculum to all children and then sending them to different classrooms if they are advanced math.

I think our school does this? My kid's teacher said that in 3rd they only do pull-outs for advanced math. She thinks he should do advanced math next year, so I'm thinking we just pursue the Level III approach and not bother with a Level IV application. I think advanced Language Arts might be a bit of a stretch for him. Level III is decided within the school, right? This is so confusing and the AAP meeting at the school wasn't super helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is the cluster model going after a quarter into the year?

It's going great! Our school is teaching the AAP curriculum to all children and then sending them to different classrooms if they are advanced math.

I think our school does this? My kid's teacher said that in 3rd they only do pull-outs for advanced math. She thinks he should do advanced math next year, so I'm thinking we just pursue the Level III approach and not bother with a Level IV application. I think advanced Language Arts might be a bit of a stretch for him. Level III is decided within the school, right? This is so confusing and the AAP meeting at the school wasn't super helpful.

Kids who are not committee placed into LIV can be added to LIII if their base school decides they need that service, same for Advanced Math. Each school will have it's own criteria for placing a child in LIII and Advanced Math.

Level III and Advanced Math is guaranteed to any child who is determined eligible for LIV by the committee who defers Center placement. we deferred for DS because he is in a LI program and we value that program. He has received LIII pull outs and Advanced Math since third grade started. His school creates an Advanced Math class in 5th grade because the kids are skipping a full year of math. That class seems to have become the defacto LLIV class because many of the kids in the Advanced Math class are also in LIII. Our school started LLIV when DS was in in 4th grade so it was not an option for him. The school is using the cluster model any way so it is not a huge deal.

We have friends whose kids were found eligible for LIV by the committee where the parents choose the LIII pull out and passed on the Advanced Math because their child was not not comfortable with accelerated math. DS has friends who were in LIII pullouts that are no longer in LIII pullouts. The parents told us that they did not like their child missing an hour of class and having to make up that work. The kid was not able to make it up at school and needed to bring work home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I would guess that most of the schools using the AAP-curriculum-for-all approach are the high SES schools with no ESOL kids and with almost all kids in the average to above average range. If the classroom has no struggling students, it wouldn't be that difficult to provide enough scaffolding for "on level" learners to access AAP materials. AAP isn't honestly that advanced.

Nope, we are at a 30% ESOL, 30% FARMS, minority majority school that is doing clustering of LLIV students, teaching AAP to all students, and switching for math classes grouped by ability.

[Anonymous]

For the PP, has your child always received his/her level IV instruction with this model?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the PP, has your child always received his/her level IV instruction with this model?

Thisi is the first year.

[Anonymous]

Is the cluster model working? Or are parents pulling their kids to go to the center next year?

Non AAP parents seems very happy, but AAP parents seems to very mixed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make opt-in AAP available for all, but then create a true gifted program for truly gifted--not just bright--kids.

What qualifies them as truly gifted? Test scores? Back to square 1.

A better method might be to look at parental income level to determine "giftedness." I hear there's a correlation.

[Anonymous]

I heard that MANY families from my cluster model school are considering going to the Center school.
The principal has said, anyone that wants to leave should leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I heard that MANY families from my cluster model school are considering going to the Center school.
The principal has said, anyone that wants to leave should leave.

The principal will be signing a different tune when test scores go down.

[Anonymous]

… meant singing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard that MANY families from my cluster model school are considering going to the Center school.
The principal has said, anyone that wants to leave should leave.

The principal will be signing a different tune when test scores go down.

There are principals who are hostile to AAP, Level IV, and Local Level IV. As well as people at Gatehouse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard that MANY families from my cluster model school are considering going to the Center school.
The principal has said, anyone that wants to leave should leave.

The principal will be signing a different tune when test scores go down.

There are principals who are hostile to AAP, Level IV, and Local Level IV. As well as people at Gatehouse.

Why wouldn't they go up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a general Ed child take any kind of AP classes in high school? Or do they need to have some pre requisite?

In middle school, honors is open enrollment (aap classes still set apart)
In high school, there is no aap and all courses, honors/AP/ib/de are open to anyone who signs up for them.

Really? You can have 9th graders taking algebra 1 and Physics C E&M because they signed up for the latter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is the cluster model going after a quarter into the year?

It's going great! Our school is teaching the AAP curriculum to all children and then sending them to different classrooms if they are advanced math.

I think our school does this? My kid's teacher said that in 3rd they only do pull-outs for advanced math. She thinks he should do advanced math next year, so I'm thinking we just pursue the Level III approach and not bother with a Level IV application. I think advanced Language Arts might be a bit of a stretch for him. Level III is decided within the school, right? This is so confusing and the AAP meeting at the school wasn't super helpful.

Kids who are not committee placed into LIV can be added to LIII if their base school decides they need that service, same for Advanced Math. Each school will have it's own criteria for placing a child in LIII and Advanced Math.

Level III and Advanced Math is guaranteed to any child who is determined eligible for LIV by the committee who defers Center placement. we deferred for DS because he is in a LI program and we value that program. He has received LIII pull outs and Advanced Math since third grade started. His school creates an Advanced Math class in 5th grade because the kids are skipping a full year of math. That class seems to have become the defacto LLIV class because many of the kids in the Advanced Math class are also in LIII. Our school started LLIV when DS was in in 4th grade so it was not an option for him. The school is using the cluster model any way so it is not a huge deal.

We have friends whose kids were found eligible for LIV by the committee where the parents choose the LIII pull out and passed on the Advanced Math because their child was not not comfortable with accelerated math. DS has friends who were in LIII pullouts that are no longer in LIII pullouts. The parents told us that they did not like their child missing an hour of class and having to make up that work. The kid was not able to make it up at school and needed to bring work home.

I might be confused here, but why would a child doing advanced math need to make up work for math that school and teacher both know is below their ability? That sounds punitive.