Possible AAP changes at ES

[Anonymous]

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.

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.

LIII is a pullout. Kids who miss class for the LIII program have to complete the work that they missed. Some kids needed to take that home to complete it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

When center eligible kids leave a base school, test scores for that school go down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

When center eligible kids leave a base school, test scores for that school go down.

Ding ding ding! If you look at the goals for all schools and the use of funds, it is to increase test scores. This will happen by providing LLIV services at all schools and eliminating centers. I'm thinking we are 2 years out from no more centers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

When center eligible kids leave a base school, test scores for that school go down.

Ding ding ding! If you look at the goals for all schools and the use of funds, it is to increase test scores. This will happen by providing LLIV services at all schools and eliminating centers. I'm thinking we are 2 years out from no more centers.

I would guess that Centers will be eliminated once all schools have a LLIV program. They might have a grandfather period where kids who are at a Center are allowed to stay unitl they move to MS but not open any more LIV classes with kids from feeder schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

When center eligible kids leave a base school, test scores for that school go down.

Ding ding ding! If you look at the goals for all schools and the use of funds, it is to increase test scores. This will happen by providing LLIV services at all schools and eliminating centers. I'm thinking we are 2 years out from no more centers.

I would guess that Centers will be eliminated once all schools have a LLIV program. They might have a grandfather period where kids who are at a Center are allowed to stay unitl they move to MS but not open any more LIV classes with kids from feeder schools.

I do think this is likely the case, though that does not mean I am a fan or support the plan.

My biggest issue is that while some may say this is being done in the name of equity, the reality is that this removes opportunities for those students who need them most. Those in a “good” school are relatively unaffected. The really bright kid with little or no academic peers, which let’s admit is in all probability at a not so good school, loses the chance to go to a center where they can find peers in cumulative mass. I don’t think it feels very equitable from that perspective.

And if this clustering is the real goal…that is not even tracking locally which at least would allow teachers to differentiate more effectively. No centers and clustering at those not so good schools will really hurt some kids IMO..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

When center eligible kids leave a base school, test scores for that school go down.

Ding ding ding! If you look at the goals for all schools and the use of funds, it is to increase test scores. This will happen by providing LLIV services at all schools and eliminating centers. I'm thinking we are 2 years out from no more centers.

I would guess that Centers will be eliminated once all schools have a LLIV program. They might have a grandfather period where kids who are at a Center are allowed to stay unitl they move to MS but not open any more LIV classes with kids from feeder schools.

I do think this is likely the case, though that does not mean I am a fan or support the plan.

My biggest issue is that while some may say this is being done in the name of equity, the reality is that this removes opportunities for those students who need them most. Those in a “good” school are relatively unaffected. The really bright kid with little or no academic peers, which let’s admit is in all probability at a not so good school, loses the chance to go to a center where they can find peers in cumulative mass. I don’t think it feels very equitable from that perspective.

And if this clustering is the real goal…that is not even tracking locally which at least would allow teachers to differentiate more effectively. No centers and clustering at those not so good schools will really hurt some kids IMO..

Closing centers would mean that 1/4 of elementary schools would have their enrollments shrink by 20%+ overnight. That would mean redrawing lines, and if there is one thing FCPS avoids at all costs, it's redrawing boundaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

When center eligible kids leave a base school, test scores for that school go down.

Ding ding ding! If you look at the goals for all schools and the use of funds, it is to increase test scores. This will happen by providing LLIV services at all schools and eliminating centers. I'm thinking we are 2 years out from no more centers.

I would guess that Centers will be eliminated once all schools have a LLIV program. They might have a grandfather period where kids who are at a Center are allowed to stay unitl they move to MS but not open any more LIV classes with kids from feeder schools.

I do think this is likely the case, though that does not mean I am a fan or support the plan.

My biggest issue is that while some may say this is being done in the name of equity, the reality is that this removes opportunities for those students who need them most. Those in a “good” school are relatively unaffected. The really bright kid with little or no academic peers, which let’s admit is in all probability at a not so good school, loses the chance to go to a center where they can find peers in cumulative mass. I don’t think it feels very equitable from that perspective.

And if this clustering is the real goal…that is not even tracking locally which at least would allow teachers to differentiate more effectively. No centers and clustering at those not so good schools will really hurt some kids IMO..

Closing centers would mean that 1/4 of elementary schools would have their enrollments shrink by 20%+ overnight. That would mean redrawing lines, and if there is one thing FCPS avoids at all costs, it's redrawing boundaries.

Gotta start somewhere. And some center schools are busting at the seams....like Sangster. Sangster will just send those kids back to Orange Hunt and Hunt Valley.

[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.

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.

LIII is a pullout. Kids who miss class for the LIII program have to complete the work that they missed. Some kids needed to take that home to complete it.

Why is this? They obviously know the material already, so why force them to increase their workload with busywork? It's not like we expect regular 3rd graders to "make up" 2nd grade worksheets at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

When center eligible kids leave a base school, test scores for that school go down.

Ding ding ding! If you look at the goals for all schools and the use of funds, it is to increase test scores. This will happen by providing LLIV services at all schools and eliminating centers. I'm thinking we are 2 years out from no more centers.

I would guess that Centers will be eliminated once all schools have a LLIV program. They might have a grandfather period where kids who are at a Center are allowed to stay unitl they move to MS but not open any more LIV classes with kids from feeder schools.

I do think this is likely the case, though that does not mean I am a fan or support the plan.

My biggest issue is that while some may say this is being done in the name of equity, the reality is that this removes opportunities for those students who need them most. Those in a “good” school are relatively unaffected. The really bright kid with little or no academic peers, which let’s admit is in all probability at a not so good school, loses the chance to go to a center where they can find peers in cumulative mass. I don’t think it feels very equitable from that perspective.

And if this clustering is the real goal…that is not even tracking locally which at least would allow teachers to differentiate more effectively. No centers and clustering at those not so good schools will really hurt some kids IMO..

Closing centers would mean that 1/4 of elementary schools would have their enrollments shrink by 20%+ overnight. That would mean redrawing lines, and if there is one thing FCPS avoids at all costs, it's redrawing boundaries.

Gotta start somewhere. And some center schools are busting at the seams....like Sangster. Sangster will just send those kids back to Orange Hunt and Hunt Valley.

That's once center. There are other centers that are newly renovated and at but not over capacity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

When center eligible kids leave a base school, test scores for that school go down.

Ding ding ding! If you look at the goals for all schools and the use of funds, it is to increase test scores. This will happen by providing LLIV services at all schools and eliminating centers. I'm thinking we are 2 years out from no more centers.

I would guess that Centers will be eliminated once all schools have a LLIV program. They might have a grandfather period where kids who are at a Center are allowed to stay unitl they move to MS but not open any more LIV classes with kids from feeder schools.

I do think this is likely the case, though that does not mean I am a fan or support the plan.

My biggest issue is that while some may say this is being done in the name of equity, the reality is that this removes opportunities for those students who need them most. Those in a “good” school are relatively unaffected. The really bright kid with little or no academic peers, which let’s admit is in all probability at a not so good school, loses the chance to go to a center where they can find peers in cumulative mass. I don’t think it feels very equitable from that perspective.

And if this clustering is the real goal…that is not even tracking locally which at least would allow teachers to differentiate more effectively. No centers and clustering at those not so good schools will really hurt some kids IMO..

Closing centers would mean that 1/4 of elementary schools would have their enrollments shrink by 20%+ overnight. That would mean redrawing lines, and if there is one thing FCPS avoids at all costs, it's redrawing boundaries.

Gotta start somewhere. And some center schools are busting at the seams....like Sangster. Sangster will just send those kids back to Orange Hunt and Hunt Valley.

That's once center. There are other centers that are newly renovated and at but not over capacity.

The center didn't get renovated, the elementary school did.

I'd say that's great for that school. Send all the kids back to their home schools for LLIV. Centers should only be used for those kids that don't have LLIV....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

When center eligible kids leave a base school, test scores for that school go down.

Ding ding ding! If you look at the goals for all schools and the use of funds, it is to increase test scores. This will happen by providing LLIV services at all schools and eliminating centers. I'm thinking we are 2 years out from no more centers.

I would guess that Centers will be eliminated once all schools have a LLIV program. They might have a grandfather period where kids who are at a Center are allowed to stay unitl they move to MS but not open any more LIV classes with kids from feeder schools.

I do think this is likely the case, though that does not mean I am a fan or support the plan.

My biggest issue is that while some may say this is being done in the name of equity, the reality is that this removes opportunities for those students who need them most. Those in a “good” school are relatively unaffected. The really bright kid with little or no academic peers, which let’s admit is in all probability at a not so good school, loses the chance to go to a center where they can find peers in cumulative mass. I don’t think it feels very equitable from that perspective.

And if this clustering is the real goal…that is not even tracking locally which at least would allow teachers to differentiate more effectively. No centers and clustering at those not so good schools will really hurt some kids IMO..

Closing centers would mean that 1/4 of elementary schools would have their enrollments shrink by 20%+ overnight. That would mean redrawing lines, and if there is one thing FCPS avoids at all costs, it's redrawing boundaries.

Gotta start somewhere. And some center schools are busting at the seams....like Sangster. Sangster will just send those kids back to Orange Hunt and Hunt Valley.

That's once center. There are other centers that are newly renovated and at but not over capacity.

The center didn't get renovated, the elementary school did.

I'd say that's great for that school. Send all the kids back to their home schools for LLIV. Centers should only be used for those kids that don't have LLIV....

When schools are renovated, capacity is taken into account. When a center school is renovated, that capacity includes kids attending the center. Closing centers mean those schools become under enrolled and base schools that are at or near capacity become over enrolled. The board won't do it because it would mean boundary adjustments, and they are terrified out boundary adjustments

[Anonymous]

AAP is definitely going to change. The wheels are already in motion at many elementary schools to provide LLIV.

Agree or disagree with limiting center enrollment, it is going to happen.

The emphasis on equity will be felt everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AAP is definitely going to change. The wheels are already in motion at many elementary schools to provide LLIV.

Agree or disagree with limiting center enrollment, it is going to happen.

The emphasis on equity will be felt everywhere.

Yep. Step removing those smart kids from our schools so that my kid can be around peers that challenge him. It will be great for a lot of the kids to be around really smart kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP is definitely going to change. The wheels are already in motion at many elementary schools to provide LLIV.

Agree or disagree with limiting center enrollment, it is going to happen.

The emphasis on equity will be felt everywhere.

Yep. Step removing those smart kids from our schools so that my kid can be around peers that challenge him. It will be great for a lot of the kids to be around really smart kids.

Personally I think treating some kids as enrichment for others is wrong (borderline dehumanizing).

All kids deserve to have peers, be challenged, and the opportunity to fail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP is definitely going to change. The wheels are already in motion at many elementary schools to provide LLIV.

Agree or disagree with limiting center enrollment, it is going to happen.

The emphasis on equity will be felt everywhere.

Yep. Step removing those smart kids from our schools so that my kid can be around peers that challenge him. It will be great for a lot of the kids to be around really smart kids.

Personally I think treating some kids as enrichment for others is wrong (borderline dehumanizing).

All kids deserve to have peers, be challenged, and the opportunity to fail.

But segregating kids from others is borderline dehumanizing. Those non AAP kids could be just as smart if given the right opportunity but systemic racism has led them to be in a position they can’t help. That’s why the move to clustering will be beneficial for all.