Are AAP centers relatively equal (in standard)

[Anonymous]

DC is in 3rd grade at a center and for the most part just gets weekly worksheet homework. Sounds nothing like homework from other centers. Even general ed classes usually stop weekly homework after 1st grade. Is it possible that some centers are run at a lower level? I actually prefer that more of the work is done in the classroom where it is actually the child's work, but am not sure that is happening either. I do know that this center's sol scores are definitely lower than others. Wouldn't the county AAP office see this? Is there any site to compare sol scores of just AAP classes rather than the whole school?

[Anonymous]

There are differences from one AAP Center to another. Unfortunately there is no way to compare AAP scores from classroom to classroom.

[Anonymous]

OP what is your center?

[Anonymous]

I believe all the "centers" have both AAP and non-AAP in them. So the non-AAPers can pull down the SOL scores, or putting it the other way, a big group of AAPers can really pull a school's SOL scores up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP what is your center?

BR

[Anonymous]

Teachers and administrators within the school would have the info to break down SOL scores classroom by classroom, but this is not public information. (Nor should it be!) If there were truly a problem of one AAP classroom lagging behind all the others, it would be flagged for attention as part of the teacher's evaluation. Schools with a center rely on those AAP classrooms to bump up the school's average, and would not let something like that slide.

That said, AAP centers do differ from one another, sometimes substantially. Small centers or centers in high-poverty schools have different challenges than larger centers with higher-income PTAs. While there are terriffic teachers in every school in the county, statisitcally there are bound to be a larger number of creative (i.e., non-worksheet) teachers in a larger school who collaborate thier peers. Principals also have alot of influence on how teachers teach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers and administrators within the school would have the info to break down SOL scores classroom by classroom, but this is not public information. (Nor should it be!) If there were truly a problem of one AAP classroom lagging behind all the others, it would be flagged for attention as part of the teacher's evaluation. Schools with a center rely on those AAP classrooms to bump up the school's average, and would not let something like that slide.

That said, AAP centers do differ from one another, sometimes substantially. Small centers or centers in high-poverty schools have different challenges than larger centers with higher-income PTAs. While there are terriffic teachers in every school in the county, statisitcally there are bound to be a larger number of creative (i.e., non-worksheet) teachers in a larger school who collaborate thier peers. Principals also have alot of influence on how teachers teach.

OP here - when I asked about comparing SOL scores, I meant between AAP classes in one center and another and not within a center. The latter would obviously not be public knowledge. Sorry for not being clear earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP what is your center?

BR

I wonder if you can compare SOL "high pass" numbers between schools, proportionate to the number of AAP students at your school versus another?

[Anonymous]

FCPS has site based management. Unfortunately the management/board doesn't seem to want to get down and do the dirty business of analyzing actual classes at schools.

[Anonymous]

OP, your question seems to have gotten sidetracked by replies gettiing into SOLs etc. I figure you want to focus on your child's experience at your current center--?

I was surprised at first by how much I heard "We got that finished in school" or "We're supposed to work on that research project in school and we're getting time to do it in class and in library time." Some AAP teachers give kids a lot of school time to work on things, and for us at least - that has been good. That may be what's going on with your child's class. Just because there is little homework, that does not mean your child isn't getting an "advanced academics" level of work and discussion during the school day. It may just be a case of a teacher who is very good at organizing the work into the school day structure and who does not want to overdo homework or projects that must be done at home, especially at third grade level. Sometimes parents of new (third grade) AAP students expect that AAP means LOTS more homework but that's not necessarily so.

Really the best thing here is to go have an in-depth talk with the teacher. He or she has probably been asked before why there's so little homework, so this shouldn't be new. If you approach it as "I want to understand how my child's day works and how the work is more in-depth now," as opposed to "My kid should be doing more homework!" it should be a productive talk. The teacher might surprise you with some details of what your child and classmates are really doing.

My child is now in 6th grade in an AAP center and gets much of her homework (and there is plenty) done during the school day, and has group projects that are at least partly done in school (and the rest gets done online -- it'll happen before you know it!)

Don't waste energy comparing your center with others too much. Ensure that your child is being challenged but-- if you heard the grass was greener at other centers, what could you do about it short of moving to a new home in an area covered by a different center? Get to know the teachers and specialists and it will give you a good idea of what's going on, and whether the center and school need more help.