AAP school experience

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Except most kids in AAP are average. I have been teaching AAP for the last 10 years. I usually have 1-3 TRULY gifted kids each year. There are many SMART kids but not truly gifted. Many of these SMART kids don’t want to put the effort in so their performance is average. I have a handful each year who struggle and I question how they were even selected. They have also continuously dumbed down the curriculum since I started.

If AAP is not a truly gifted program, then it should be taught at the base school.

I say this as an AAP teacher. Centers will be on the chopping block most likely during boundary adjustments.

AAP is not meant to be for truly gifted kids. It’s for children who are academically advanced and can understand the curriculum easily especially math. That is why by 5th grade they are ahead one year in the math curriculum. I don’t understand why people complain about the AAP program. It is just for students who are advanced and can keep up with the fast pace. Why should we get rid of it? They are students who are behind or right at grade level. The GE program serves those students perfectly fine.

No one is saying get rid of AAP. They are saying to get rid of centers and have all ES be local Level 4. You don’t need a separate school for a slightly advanced curriculum. They should be educated their base school.

Sorry how is a center bothering you? Transferring your child to a center is entirely optional. Our school is a centre school but it’s also our designated local school. So even if my kids were not in AAP, they would still go to this school. Again if your elementary school isn’t a centre school, why are you bothered by what others are doing?

+100

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Except most kids in AAP are average. I have been teaching AAP for the last 10 years. I usually have 1-3 TRULY gifted kids each year. There are many SMART kids but not truly gifted. Many of these SMART kids don’t want to put the effort in so their performance is average. I have a handful each year who struggle and I question how they were even selected. They have also continuously dumbed down the curriculum since I started.

If AAP is not a truly gifted program, then it should be taught at the base school.

I say this as an AAP teacher. Centers will be on the chopping block most likely during boundary adjustments.

AAP is not meant to be for truly gifted kids. It’s for children who are academically advanced and can understand the curriculum easily especially math. That is why by 5th grade they are ahead one year in the math curriculum. I don’t understand why people complain about the AAP program. It is just for students who are advanced and can keep up with the fast pace. Why should we get rid of it? They are students who are behind or right at grade level. The GE program serves those students perfectly fine.

The issue is that there are plenty of kids who can handle the slightly more advanced LA/Social Studies/Science portion but not the math who end up in LIV. Then he math slows down for the kids who can handle the math.

The kids who are ahead only in Math tend to stay in Gen Ed and are placed in Advanced Math, which would be fine if Advanced math was actually uniform across the County. Some schools start Advanced Math in 3rd, others in 5th, and a few not until 6. If you are at one of the schools that don't start until 5th or 6th then your kid is going to be bored in math.

Gen Ed is too broad right now. There are kids that are 1-2 grades behind all the way to kids who are a grade level ahead. And the kids who are on grade level to ahead end up getting little to know attention from the Teacher because the focus is on getting the kids who are behind up to speed.

+100
It’s insane that Gen Ed kids have a mixture of levels, while AAP classes are allowed to be separate. The bright GE kids are the ones being screwed here.

FCPS gives plenty of opportunities to test into AAP. You have the COGAT, and then you have classroom work samples and teacher input. Then you have the option to appeal and then try again every year. What more do you guys want?

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Except most kids in AAP are average. I have been teaching AAP for the last 10 years. I usually have 1-3 TRULY gifted kids each year. There are many SMART kids but not truly gifted. Many of these SMART kids don’t want to put the effort in so their performance is average. I have a handful each year who struggle and I question how they were even selected. They have also continuously dumbed down the curriculum since I started.

If AAP is not a truly gifted program, then it should be taught at the base school.

I say this as an AAP teacher. Centers will be on the chopping block most likely during boundary adjustments.

AAP is not meant to be for truly gifted kids. It’s for children who are academically advanced and can understand the curriculum easily especially math. That is why by 5th grade they are ahead one year in the math curriculum. I don’t understand why people complain about the AAP program. It is just for students who are advanced and can keep up with the fast pace. Why should we get rid of it? They are students who are behind or right at grade level. The GE program serves those students perfectly fine.

No one is saying get rid of AAP. They are saying to get rid of centers and have all ES be local Level 4. You don’t need a separate school for a slightly advanced curriculum. They should be educated their base school.

+ a million
Exactly this. AAP centers are redundant and wasteful. I can’t believe they’ve been permitted to continue as long as they have.

We now live in an affluent area but we used to live in a high FARMs area. Those schools may not have enough kids to fill a full AAP class and those kids would benefit from going to a center. A center also has a larger group to form academic teams for competitions.

This is an important point that many seem to overlook. Many also seem to overlook that some elementary schools still do not have Local Level IV programs. Some also don’t start advanced math until fifth grade.

Even if centers are taken away, some students will still be found eligible for Level IV services. And some won’t.

For parents asking to get rid of centers, will that really “fix” the issue for you? Or is the dominant issue that some kids are designated as needing “full time” AAP services?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone share your kids experience being at an AAP elementary school but not testing into the AAP
program?

Worst schools. Entitled behaviors from students and parents.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Except most kids in AAP are average. I have been teaching AAP for the last 10 years. I usually have 1-3 TRULY gifted kids each year. There are many SMART kids but not truly gifted. Many of these SMART kids don’t want to put the effort in so their performance is average. I have a handful each year who struggle and I question how they were even selected. They have also continuously dumbed down the curriculum since I started.

If AAP is not a truly gifted program, then it should be taught at the base school.

I say this as an AAP teacher. Centers will be on the chopping block most likely during boundary adjustments.

AAP is not meant to be for truly gifted kids. It’s for children who are academically advanced and can understand the curriculum easily especially math. That is why by 5th grade they are ahead one year in the math curriculum. I don’t understand why people complain about the AAP program. It is just for students who are advanced and can keep up with the fast pace. Why should we get rid of it? They are students who are behind or right at grade level. The GE program serves those students perfectly fine.

Except the kids are all getting the same LA curriculum. AAP kids and Gen ED are all doing Benchmark.

Not true. The LA curriculum is the same but the AAP program has more extensions and projects and the books they usually read for their book clubs are also a grade level ahead.

Not any more, the new benchmark program is mandated for all classes. There are no extensions or additions for LIV classes, my friends who Teach LIV are pretty livid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone share your kids experience being at an AAP elementary school but not testing into the AAP
program?

Worst schools. Entitled behaviors from students and parents.

I don’t know who these bitter parents are. My kids are in AAP at a centre school and for specials they are mixed so both GE and AAP kids can be doing orchestra/band together. My kids still hang out with the friends they made in first and second grade. They all play together in recess and still attend each other’s birthday parties. There is no entitlement at all.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Except most kids in AAP are average. I have been teaching AAP for the last 10 years. I usually have 1-3 TRULY gifted kids each year. There are many SMART kids but not truly gifted. Many of these SMART kids don’t want to put the effort in so their performance is average. I have a handful each year who struggle and I question how they were even selected. They have also continuously dumbed down the curriculum since I started.

If AAP is not a truly gifted program, then it should be taught at the base school.

I say this as an AAP teacher. Centers will be on the chopping block most likely during boundary adjustments.

AAP is not meant to be for truly gifted kids. It’s for children who are academically advanced and can understand the curriculum easily especially math. That is why by 5th grade they are ahead one year in the math curriculum. I don’t understand why people complain about the AAP program. It is just for students who are advanced and can keep up with the fast pace. Why should we get rid of it? They are students who are behind or right at grade level. The GE program serves those students perfectly fine.

No one is saying get rid of AAP. They are saying to get rid of centers and have all ES be local Level 4. You don’t need a separate school for a slightly advanced curriculum. They should be educated their base school.

+ a million
Exactly this. AAP centers are redundant and wasteful. I can’t believe they’ve been permitted to continue as long as they have.

We now live in an affluent area but we used to live in a high FARMs area. Those schools may not have enough kids to fill a full AAP class and those kids would benefit from going to a center. A center also has a larger group to form academic teams for competitions.

This is an important point that many seem to overlook. Many also seem to overlook that some elementary schools still do not have Local Level IV programs. Some also don’t start advanced math until fifth grade.

Even if centers are taken away, some students will still be found eligible for Level IV services. And some won’t.

For parents asking to get rid of centers, will that really “fix” the issue for you? Or is the dominant issue that some kids are designated as needing “full time” AAP services?

The number of schools without LLIV is pretty small now. There has been an effort to make sure that every school has a LLIV program. Smaller schools are using the cluster method, where clusters of LIV kids are in classes and all the kids are taught the LIV curriculum with extensions for the kids who can handle them. My sons school added a cluster program when he was in 4th grade, so he did not participate. My friends who have kids in it have said that the school added a LIV pull out, similar to the LIII pull out but daily, for the LIV kids. They seem happy with the program.

I don’t have a problem with the LIV program, I do think it can be taught at the local school. Smaller schools can create a class with the LIII kids and LIV kids or use the cluster method. Centers are not needed. But I would still prefer that they place kids by ability in each of the core subjects and allow the kids to change classes to be in the right grouping for each subject. It would work far better and reduce the competition for services.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Lady, the vast majority of kids in AAP are average. Including yours.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Except most kids in AAP are average. I have been teaching AAP for the last 10 years. I usually have 1-3 TRULY gifted kids each year. There are many SMART kids but not truly gifted. Many of these SMART kids don’t want to put the effort in so their performance is average. I have a handful each year who struggle and I question how they were even selected. They have also continuously dumbed down the curriculum since I started.

If AAP is not a truly gifted program, then it should be taught at the base school.

I say this as an AAP teacher. Centers will be on the chopping block most likely during boundary adjustments.

AAP is not meant to be for truly gifted kids. It’s for children who are academically advanced and can understand the curriculum easily especially math. That is why by 5th grade they are ahead one year in the math curriculum. I don’t understand why people complain about the AAP program. It is just for students who are advanced and can keep up with the fast pace. Why should we get rid of it? They are students who are behind or right at grade level. The GE program serves those students perfectly fine.

No one is saying get rid of AAP. They are saying to get rid of centers and have all ES be local Level 4. You don’t need a separate school for a slightly advanced curriculum. They should be educated their base school.

Sorry how is a center bothering you? Transferring your child to a center is entirely optional. Our school is a centre school but it’s also our designated local school. So even if my kids were not in AAP, they would still go to this school. Again if your elementary school isn’t a centre school, why are you bothered by what others are doing?

I am the PP you are responding and an AAP teacher. It is a waste of resources. These kids can be educated at their base schools in a LL4 class.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Except most kids in AAP are average. I have been teaching AAP for the last 10 years. I usually have 1-3 TRULY gifted kids each year. There are many SMART kids but not truly gifted. Many of these SMART kids don’t want to put the effort in so their performance is average. I have a handful each year who struggle and I question how they were even selected. They have also continuously dumbed down the curriculum since I started.

If AAP is not a truly gifted program, then it should be taught at the base school.

I say this as an AAP teacher. Centers will be on the chopping block most likely during boundary adjustments.

AAP is not meant to be for truly gifted kids. It’s for children who are academically advanced and can understand the curriculum easily especially math. That is why by 5th grade they are ahead one year in the math curriculum. I don’t understand why people complain about the AAP program. It is just for students who are advanced and can keep up with the fast pace. Why should we get rid of it? They are students who are behind or right at grade level. The GE program serves those students perfectly fine.

Except the kids are all getting the same LA curriculum. AAP kids and Gen ED are all doing Benchmark.

Not true. The LA curriculum is the same but the AAP program has more extensions and projects and the books they usually read for their book clubs are also a grade level ahead.

Not any more, the new benchmark program is mandated for all classes. There are no extensions or additions for LIV classes, my friends who Teach LIV are pretty livid.

I teach AAP. It will vary by school because some principals are rigid about following script. With that being said, there is so much work included, that extensions are hard to fit in. Every kid is doing the same thing as said above. Some teachers may have some flexibility to add things here or there but it is NOT the LA program of the past. So every kid in a grade is currently reading the same stories and writing the same essay. I am hoping next year we can go back to the AAP vocab programs because it is way better than Benchmark.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Lady, the vast majority of kids in AAP are average. Including yours.

Where did you meet the vast majority of AAP kids in all FCPS schools to be able to assess their overwhelming averageness?

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Except most kids in AAP are average. I have been teaching AAP for the last 10 years. I usually have 1-3 TRULY gifted kids each year. There are many SMART kids but not truly gifted. Many of these SMART kids don’t want to put the effort in so their performance is average. I have a handful each year who struggle and I question how they were even selected. They have also continuously dumbed down the curriculum since I started.

If AAP is not a truly gifted program, then it should be taught at the base school.

I say this as an AAP teacher. Centers will be on the chopping block most likely during boundary adjustments.

AAP is not meant to be for truly gifted kids. It’s for children who are academically advanced and can understand the curriculum easily especially math. That is why by 5th grade they are ahead one year in the math curriculum. I don’t understand why people complain about the AAP program. It is just for students who are advanced and can keep up with the fast pace. Why should we get rid of it? They are students who are behind or right at grade level. The GE program serves those students perfectly fine.

Really? You know that SPED kids are mainstreamed into Gen Ed classes, right? Why is that allowed? Plenty of Gen Ed kids are indeed capable of advanced work, whether it’s math or LA. That’s why we need flexible groupings for ALL kids to have their needs met. If FCPS is mandated to have a gifted program, AAP is NOT it. It should be a very small and selective GT program, as it used to be.
DP

AAP is already relatively selective. Only two in DC's second grade cohort got in, DC not included.

BS. 18 kids out of 24 in my DC’s 2nd grade class got in. 18. Eighteen. It’s gross.

Seems like there's a range. How is 18/24 gross, by the way? Seems great that there were that many smart kids.

You really don’t get it.

I think I do get something, seeing as both of my kids are in AAP. Maybe there's something you're not getting?

Let me spell it out for you: when the majority of a 2nd grade classroom is deemed "eligible" for AAP - which is supposed to be FCPS's answer to a "gifted program" - then it's clear this is nowhere near a gifted program. In a true GT, very, VERY few kids would actually qualify. It's a joke that they've allowed GT to morph into this silly bloated program when they could have simply made AAP the Gen Ed curriculum and kept a very small and selective GT program.
DP

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Except most kids in AAP are average. I have been teaching AAP for the last 10 years. I usually have 1-3 TRULY gifted kids each year. There are many SMART kids but not truly gifted. Many of these SMART kids don’t want to put the effort in so their performance is average. I have a handful each year who struggle and I question how they were even selected. They have also continuously dumbed down the curriculum since I started.

If AAP is not a truly gifted program, then it should be taught at the base school.

I say this as an AAP teacher. Centers will be on the chopping block most likely during boundary adjustments.

AAP is not meant to be for truly gifted kids. It’s for children who are academically advanced and can understand the curriculum easily especially math. That is why by 5th grade they are ahead one year in the math curriculum. I don’t understand why people complain about the AAP program. It is just for students who are advanced and can keep up with the fast pace. Why should we get rid of it? They are students who are behind or right at grade level. The GE program serves those students perfectly fine.

No one is saying get rid of AAP. They are saying to get rid of centers and have all ES be local Level 4. You don’t need a separate school for a slightly advanced curriculum. They should be educated their base school.

Sorry how is a center bothering you? Transferring your child to a center is entirely optional. Our school is a centre school but it’s also our designated local school. So even if my kids were not in AAP, they would still go to this school. Again if your elementary school isn’t a centre school, why are you bothered by what others are doing?

Because - like you - our neighborhood (local) school is also a center. Instead of a close, neighborly feel, we have a school divided and labeled. Since your kids are in AAP, you truly don't have a clue what it's like to be the Gen Ed kids at your center school. And I guarantee, if you *did* have Gen Ed kids at that center school, you would know what the rest of us are talking about.

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Anonymous wrote:What’s so sad is once a base kid moves into the AAP class, they lose all their friendships with the gen Ed kids because they literally never see them again.

This has been our experience at a school with an LLIV program. There are two regular classes and one AAP class. The girls in the 6th grade AAP class have cliqued up to the point where they even have their own sports teams in the local rec league. They stayed friends in 3rd, but my child and several others got dropped like a hot potato in 4th.

I knew a teacher who was really exasperated about one of those 2E kids in her classroom who threw screaming fits frequently. The kind where the rest of the class had to leave while the child exploded screaming. And, the irony: the kid really wasn't that smart. The mom pushed for it.

I don’t even know where to start with this, but it sounds a whole lot like frustration that students with disabilities can also be gifted.

Sorry that challenges your belief in eugenics

Do you even know what that means? That had nothing to do with the comment.

But, if the teacher did not think the child was gifted, why do you think that? You do know that parents who complain and push frequently get their kids admitted.

This surely demonstrates your ignorance about the program. Parents can’t “push” their kids into it. They have to be selected by a committee.

DP. Wrong. At our center, parents who were friends with the principal asked the principal to place their kids in the AAP classes. It's called "principal placing" and pushy parents use it to their advantage all the time.

Then your school isn’t a center. That would be a local level IV school. Principals cannot pupil place kids into center AAP classes.

DP but yes they can to round out class sizes. Otherwise you could have huge differences in class sizes between AAP and General Ed. You just can't have an AAP class that is 35 kids or two that are 17 when the general ed classes are 25. They pull from general education to even out class sizes.

You are completely wrong. In a center school, principals cannot round out class sizes to their liking. They can only do this at a local level IV school. In fact, that’s why many kids choose the center school - the class cannot be padded with Gen Ed kids. All the kids are committee placed only.

Do you even know what the difference is between a center school and a local level IV school?

You sound ridiculous when you talk about “kids” choosing centers. The parents typically make the decision.

Or do you think a lot of second graders really worry about being in a LLIV classroom at a non-center school where some kids may have been principal-placed?

“Oh, mommy, I must go to Mantua to avoid having a Gen Ed kid who may stunt my intellectual development in my class!”

With a kid getting ready to apply to college, you will see a big difference between all the kids. This disappointment in second grade is just one of many. I always tell my kids not to feel bad for failing. It teaches them grit.

Blaming parents of kids sending their kids to an AAP center is not the answer. You hear similar type complaints and jealous comments when Johnny gets in T10 while Bobby is going to XYZ state school. Lots of comments about Johnny is a legacy or his parents set him up with this internship or that. It is tiring. I don’t participate.

DP. Analogy fail. That has nothing to do with FCPS allowing certain kids to choose "special" schools if they score well enough on a test. Especially the FCPS that is constantly braying about "equity."

Shrug. The complaining sounds the same to me. Kid doesn’t make the baseball team or tennis team or basketball team complaining. An AAP center isn’t special. I actually like that kids in fcps can switch schools for sped, AAP, Spanish immersion, French immersion, etc. My kids didn’t have to switch because our base was a center and my kids’ needs were always served at our schools.

Some kids go to special schools to allow them to play more tennis, gymnastics, football…

There is nothing wrong with being average or being in gen ed. Most people are average. To me, the complaining all sounds the same whether it is about sports, AAP, TJ, college, med school, law school, internships, jobs.

Except most kids in AAP are average. I have been teaching AAP for the last 10 years. I usually have 1-3 TRULY gifted kids each year. There are many SMART kids but not truly gifted. Many of these SMART kids don’t want to put the effort in so their performance is average. I have a handful each year who struggle and I question how they were even selected. They have also continuously dumbed down the curriculum since I started.

If AAP is not a truly gifted program, then it should be taught at the base school.

I say this as an AAP teacher. Centers will be on the chopping block most likely during boundary adjustments.

AAP is not meant to be for truly gifted kids. It’s for children who are academically advanced and can understand the curriculum easily especially math. That is why by 5th grade they are ahead one year in the math curriculum. I don’t understand why people complain about the AAP program. It is just for students who are advanced and can keep up with the fast pace. Why should we get rid of it? They are students who are behind or right at grade level. The GE program serves those students perfectly fine.

The issue is that there are plenty of kids who can handle the slightly more advanced LA/Social Studies/Science portion but not the math who end up in LIV. Then he math slows down for the kids who can handle the math.

The kids who are ahead only in Math tend to stay in Gen Ed and are placed in Advanced Math, which would be fine if Advanced math was actually uniform across the County. Some schools start Advanced Math in 3rd, others in 5th, and a few not until 6. If you are at one of the schools that don't start until 5th or 6th then your kid is going to be bored in math.

Gen Ed is too broad right now. There are kids that are 1-2 grades behind all the way to kids who are a grade level ahead. And the kids who are on grade level to ahead end up getting little to know attention from the Teacher because the focus is on getting the kids who are behind up to speed.

+100
It’s insane that Gen Ed kids have a mixture of levels, while AAP classes are allowed to be separate. The bright GE kids are the ones being screwed here.

FCPS gives plenty of opportunities to test into AAP. You have the COGAT, and then you have classroom work samples and teacher input. Then you have the option to appeal and then try again every year. What more do you guys want?

DP. We've stated what we want. We want AAP to be offered at ALL elementary schools - no centers. And each school to use flexible groupings so that kids can access whichever group is appropriate for them at any given time. These kids aren't static. They're changing and developing all the time. To say, "sorry, you can wait until *next year* and try again" is absurd. Let every child have the opportunity to do more advanced work. If it doesn't work out, they can always cycle down until they're ready to try again.

AAP classes are full of kids who are struggling and probably shouldn't be there, or at least, not for all four core classes. The overlap with Gen Ed kids is huge. There is no need to label and sort them into two huge groups when they could all be educated together using flexible groups.

[Anonymous]

AAP classes are full of kids who are struggling and probably shouldn't be there, or at least, not for all four core classes. The overlap with Gen Ed kids is huge. There is no need to label and sort them into two huge groups when they could all be educated together using flexible groups.

This is a past model that worked.