Anyone with a kid who wasn't in AAP but was successful in High school honors/AP classes

[Anonymous]

Parent who has kids in HS, MS and ES. By the time your kid gets through freshman year in HS , you’ll realize that AAP was just a nice program for your kid to be in for 3-6th grade. If you are in one of the large highly competitive HS a good majority of kids succeed in HN and AP classes regardless if they were in AAP in ES. Our MS is all HN and the kids, while still separated in AAP classes, are all doing the same tests, quizzes and projects as the kids not in AAP. They all compare notes, scores work on projects together.

[Anonymous]

^^ adding on that Math is the big exception. There are many different levels on math. Many kids are a year”ahead” regardless of AAP in ES. Some are two years “ ahead”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do Gen Ed or Non-AAP students get President's award even if they excel and get excellent grades in gen ed classes?

YES

[Anonymous]

Lots of kids in our area stick with language immersion instead of AAP through 8th. They do fine in AP classes. If your kid is ready for AP work they’ll be fine, with or without AAP.

[Anonymous]

I’m just making up these percentages but my spouse is a teacher and I’ve worked in various education capacities since 1999. I would say something like roughly the bottom 25% of the kids in AAP are no smarter than kids in gen Ed and the top 25% of Gen Ed are just as smart as the kids in AAP. Its not end all, be all.

I have 3 kids - 1 in HS (was in AAP), 1 in AAP, and 1 in Gen Ed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of newly accepted kid question: should I even bother having kid do it? Is there any payoff? Sounds like my child is signing up for lots more stress in AAP, during remaining childhood years before becoming a teenager.

AAP was not high stress IME.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As the parent of an AAP kid, it's not a big deal. All the "advancement" evens out by high school. Your smart, well supported kids will do fine.

I second that. Both my kids went through AAP and are now in college. In high school, a bunch of their peers from scouts, sports, and the neighborhood, who didn't go through the program surpassed them with better GPAs, and got into more exclusive colleges. Those kids had better work ethics than my kids. It definitely evened out in high school.

+1. Same thing we observed with our kids. Everything starts over in HS and tons of non AAP kids take the most rigorous classes and end up at the top of the class. Also noticed that several of the high achieving ES kids ended up in the middle of the pack and mediocre students. Some kids are late bloomers academically so they may not qualify for AAP but then excel when it clicks.

Our experience in FCPS too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was in AAP, took rigorous APs (Calc BC, Physics C,...) got offers from UVA, Vtech, William & Mary,... into computer science major, but ended up taking offer from CMU.
My niece was not in AAP took easy APs (human geo, psychology...) got offers from Vtech, William & Mary, GMU, VCU,.... but into Business major

All said, effort ny the student matters the most, not what's given to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m just making up these percentages but my spouse is a teacher and I’ve worked in various education capacities since 1999. I would say something like roughly the bottom 25% of the kids in AAP are no smarter than kids in gen Ed and the top 25% of Gen Ed are just as smart as the kids in AAP. Its not end all, be all.

I have 3 kids - 1 in HS (was in AAP), 1 in AAP, and 1 in Gen Ed.

Same here. My AAP kid is capable of doing more than my gen ed kid. Both are placed appropriately.

[Anonymous]

The path to elite colleges are no longer about merit. I would not be concerned about aap and honors for college entry. I’m not saying the programs don’t help a child meet them where they are. Elite schoolsneed to hit certain goals and grades, tests, class types ar

Anonymous wrote:How likely is it for a kid in FCPS general ed (elementary) to do well in middle school honors classes and high school honors/AP classes?
Is the only path to being a strong candidate for elite colleges to get into AAP in elementary/middle? Assuming no hooks or URM status

[Anonymous]

Two kids in AAP, one not, all took the same level classes in high school other than one, who was one year ahead in math.

The non-AAP child did the best of the three in his world language classes.

[Anonymous]

The idea that the selection for "gifted" programming in 2nd grade determines your college path makes me want to cry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The idea that the selection for "gifted" programming in 2nd grade determines your college path makes me want to cry.

Agree. The title of this post makes me cry. Whether the OP intended to or not, the title implies that if you are not in AAP when you are 8 YEARS OLD, you may not succeed in some high school classes because some random committee decided you were not smart enough when your were 8 YEARS OLD. It is bonkers how obsessed parents are with this program. If your child is hard working, determined to not give up and enjoys learning they will succeed in HN and AP classes in HS regardless of their former AAP status.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea that the selection for "gifted" programming in 2nd grade determines your college path makes me want to cry.

Agree. The title of this post makes me cry. Whether the OP intended to or not, the title implies that if you are not in AAP when you are 8 YEARS OLD, you may not succeed in some high school classes because some random committee decided you were not smart enough when your were 8 YEARS OLD. It is bonkers how obsessed parents are with this program. If your child is hard working, determined to not give up and enjoys learning they will succeed in HN and AP classes in HS regardless of their former AAP status.

Parents want regular standards of education for their child. AAP is regular standard, not advanced, and gen ed is remedial standard. how putting your child in remedial for entire K12!

[Anonymous]

DC was the first in their FCPS HS graduating class to become doctor and was not in AAP.