Moving soon - looking for advice on AAP center schools

[Anonymous]

OP, are you targeting Longfellow, Carson, and Rocky Run because you're already trying to maximize your son's chances of getting into TJ for high school? There are a lot of decent middle schools in FCPS, so it seems weird to fixate on those three unless you want to be in a TJ-feeder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP
Thank you to everyone to posted. Yes, I am overthinking and struggling to make a decision. I don’t know if DC will qualify for AAP, so that is adding to my confusion about what to do.

My priorities have been in this order..
1) ES school with good results, also zoned to one of the top 3 MS. (DC has a strong interest in STEM)
2) affordability (<$2000 rent)
3) Total commute < 1 hr
4) Amenities

DC’s 4th grade class if we continue staying here would have been 27-29 kids and in a trailer.

Apart from Floris, Fox Mill, Crossfield mentioned above, would appreciate if posters can help with names of other good Level IV schools that are zoned to Carson or Rocky Run or Longfellow.

First off: the top three MS may not be that forever. Fun fact: demographic shifts in the next 3 years could make you want to move anyway.

Pick 2-4 first. Then look at the schools and look at the demographics (how certain populations do in the school). Center schools aren't all that great if the teachers are miserable.

If you can: find someplace where you can supplement your kids' enrichment easily. The higher demographics hire tutors. You need to find decent after school programs to supplement.

You need to meet with your new school's principal and see about testing. From reading this, I can't tell if you're moving from out of the county into the county. If you are, you need to see if your current school did Cogat testing or Naglieri testing: of which you would need to score above the 95% to get into AAP. If you haven't gotten this testing done, you will in FCPS. If you are in FCPS and don't know if your kid got into AAP: chances are, they didn't. To which moving to Carson or another MS of that caliber means your kid will be left behind.

Find a medium ground and work up. Save money for science-summer camps and enrichment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP

06:12 - My understanding is that if DC does not qualify for AAP, they would be in the Gen Ed class at the center. Is this incorrect? Can we not register at the AAP center as a base school?

06:28 - yes.

07:49- The class size was 18. The selected kids had to get 98% in 1 nationally normed IQ test + 98% in 1 national Achievement test to directly qualify. Or get 95% or above each in 2 IQ tests+ 1 Achievement test.

08:13 - I don’t 100% know DC would get selected for AAP but I think there is a good chance. I thought a center will have more similarly minded peers. I also don’t want to change schools if selected for AAP. There are so many ES choices it is confusing what to do

You do not register for AAP—you apply. Good test scores don’t guarantee acceptance. Many students in this area score in the 95th percentile or above, so it’s quite a competitive process.

[Anonymous]

Some students get 99 percentile and don’t get in. Teacher recommendation is everything.

[Anonymous]

And some students score 85 percentile and do get in.

[Anonymous]

OP .. I am a tad confused. you say your DC is in 4th grade. S/He should already know if they are in AAP or not ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP .. I am a tad confused. you say your DC is in 4th grade. S/He should already know if they are in AAP or not ?

OP is moving from another state. Her kid qualified from services where they are now. They won't know if the child qualifies for AAP in this area until they are here and jump through the necessary hoops.

[Anonymous]

Kent Gardens does Math by section in 2nd Grade (for non immersion). So DC 1 (non immersion)was in an ‘advanced math Section - except they don’t call it that. But, the immersion kids also can be instructed on above grade materials as well. Not sure how it works but DC2 (immersion) was doing above grade math in 2nd as well (by 3rd quarter).

We really like Kent Gardens - the staff are great and they are also excellent in making sure that 2e kids perform to the best of their ability!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kent Gardens does Math by section in 2nd Grade (for non immersion). So DC 1 (non immersion)was in an ‘advanced math Section - except they don’t call it that. But, the immersion kids also can be instructed on above grade materials as well. Not sure how it works but DC2 (immersion) was doing above grade math in 2nd as well (by 3rd quarter).

We really like Kent Gardens - the staff are great and they are also excellent in making sure that 2e kids perform to the best of their ability!

I don’t think there are any rentals for under 2k in McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kent Gardens does Math by section in 2nd Grade (for non immersion). So DC 1 (non immersion)was in an ‘advanced math Section - except they don’t call it that. But, the immersion kids also can be instructed on above grade materials as well. Not sure how it works but DC2 (immersion) was doing above grade math in 2nd as well (by 3rd quarter).

We really like Kent Gardens - the staff are great and they are also excellent in making sure that 2e kids perform to the best of their ability!

I don’t think there are any rentals for under 2k in McLean.

There are small apartments in some of the houses that are below $2k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kent Gardens does Math by section in 2nd Grade (for non immersion). So DC 1 (non immersion)was in an ‘advanced math Section - except they don’t call it that. But, the immersion kids also can be instructed on above grade materials as well. Not sure how it works but DC2 (immersion) was doing above grade math in 2nd as well (by 3rd quarter).

We really like Kent Gardens - the staff are great and they are also excellent in making sure that 2e kids perform to the best of their ability!

I don’t think there are any rentals for under 2k in McLean.

OP: Apart from avoiding a few schools, there's not a lot of variation in the AAP schools. Some MS become TJ feeders because parents who really want to send their kids to TJ and do a lot of outside supplementing move there and so it becomes a bit self-fulfilling. But you get strong STEM programs in the majority of FCPS high schools--it's routine to have schools offering 25+ different courses and having students fill all of them. Focus on you--your commute, your budget. As others have noted FCPS serves a highly educated demographic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kent Gardens does Math by section in 2nd Grade (for non immersion). So DC 1 (non immersion)was in an ‘advanced math Section - except they don’t call it that. But, the immersion kids also can be instructed on above grade materials as well. Not sure how it works but DC2 (immersion) was doing above grade math in 2nd as well (by 3rd quarter).

We really like Kent Gardens - the staff are great and they are also excellent in making sure that 2e kids perform to the best of their ability!

I don’t think there are any rentals for under 2k in McLean.

OP: Apart from avoiding a few schools, there's not a lot of variation in the AAP schools. Some MS become TJ feeders because parents who really want to send their kids to TJ and do a lot of outside supplementing move there and so it becomes a bit self-fulfilling. But you get strong STEM programs in the majority of FCPS high schools--it's routine to have schools offering 25+ different courses and having students fill all of them. Focus on you--your commute, your budget. As others have noted FCPS serves a highly educated demographic.

DS is in ES so I can only go by what others have posted here but I believe that the types and amounts of extra curriculars vary greatly at the different AAP Centers in ES and in MS. Oak Hill and Carson are known to have a large and more varied number. So even if the curriculum is suppose to be the same, the broader offering of academic based clubs and activities after school can be very beneficial to kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kent Gardens does Math by section in 2nd Grade (for non immersion). So DC 1 (non immersion)was in an ‘advanced math Section - except they don’t call it that. But, the immersion kids also can be instructed on above grade materials as well. Not sure how it works but DC2 (immersion) was doing above grade math in 2nd as well (by 3rd quarter).

We really like Kent Gardens - the staff are great and they are also excellent in making sure that 2e kids perform to the best of their ability!

I don’t think there are any rentals for under 2k in McLean.

OP: Apart from avoiding a few schools, there's not a lot of variation in the AAP schools. Some MS become TJ feeders because parents who really want to send their kids to TJ and do a lot of outside supplementing move there and so it becomes a bit self-fulfilling. But you get strong STEM programs in the majority of FCPS high schools--it's routine to have schools offering 25+ different courses and having students fill all of them. Focus on you--your commute, your budget. As others have noted FCPS serves a highly educated demographic.

DS is in ES so I can only go by what others have posted here but I believe that the types and amounts of extra curriculars vary greatly at the different AAP Centers in ES and in MS. Oak Hill and Carson are known to have a large and more varied number. So even if the curriculum is suppose to be the same, the broader offering of academic based clubs and activities after school can be very beneficial to kids.

Sure, there's some variation but in the end I'm not sure it matters that much. These things are so much less important than being in budget and having a reasonable commute. If you have a little more spare money and time you can provide a lot more value for your kids/family. Stretching family resources tight because kids at one ES currently has a more robust Math Counts, First Robotics or Odyssey of the Mind program seems pointless. I value education and have had 2 kids go through two different AAP centers (due to moves)--one that's considered really good and one that's middle of the pack. The biggest differences were between the quality of the teachers in a given class/grade in an AAP center than between centers. My eldest is now in HS and I'm realizing that what seemed like super important differences in ES are fairly inconsequential. But of course experiences/values differ.

[Anonymous]

100% agree but the posts on this board clearly indicate that not every parent feels that way. The OP is targeting the MS with a rep for getting kids into TJ so I am guessing that OP is in the "more is better crowd."

[Anonymous]

To be safe I would focus on McLean and Langley high pyramids.