Surprise top-down changes to AAP center this fall . . .

[Anonymous]

Is this the new tactic after last year's push for AAP expansion/dilution met such parental resistance? A poster on the FCAG listserve notified us that at their AAP center, Forest Edge, this fall suddenly AAP is to be "integrated" with base school -- AAP classes taught by base school teachers and vice versa. Other changes as well. Parents were not consulted at all, it was just a big surprise at back to school night.

I hope the parents will not stand for this and that it will not become the new trend spreading throughout FCPS AAP. We pulled our DC out of base school because LLIV was not going to provide the same academic (AND social/emotional) support for him as a center would . . . we thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this the new tactic after last year's push for AAP expansion/dilution met such parental resistance?

This is only a guess, but it appears that Cluster 1 schools are making big changes in AAP delivery of services at both Level IV centers and schools with Local Level IV. There appears to be even less consistency from school to school than there was before.

If I were a parent at one of the schools, I would be writing to my School Board members and I would also write to Dr. Karen Garza, the new superintendent.

[Anonymous]

I'm a parent at Forest Edge and heard about this (my kids are in different grades there). They are piloting the integration in 5th grade. Unfortunately, the communication of this pilot should have been handled in a different manner, which is often the case at our school. From what I heard of the parental reaction, that could have been handled differently as well.

[Anonymous]

Wasn't a big part of the whole idea of centers to provide a community of peers for our students who learn differently, etc.?

Wasn't this one of the findings in the independent study FCPS had done a few months ago -- that's why "critical mass" at new centers was said to be important and should be a factor in opening any new centers at MS level -- along with properly credentialed AAP teachers.

Now it seems they are ignoring, even reversing, these guiding principles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't a big part of the whole idea of centers to provide a community of peers for our students who learn differently, etc.?

Wasn't this one of the findings in the independent study FCPS had done a few months ago -- that's why "critical mass" at new centers was said to be important and should be a factor in opening any new centers at MS level -- along with properly credentialed AAP teachers.

Now it seems they are ignoring, even reversing, these guiding principles.

Parents: are the base school teachers teaching the Forest Edge AAP students credentialed, do you know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't a big part of the whole idea of centers to provide a community of peers for our students who learn differently, etc.?

Wasn't this one of the findings in the independent study FCPS had done a few months ago -- that's why "critical mass" at new centers was said to be important and should be a factor in opening any new centers at MS level -- along with properly credentialed AAP teachers.

Now it seems they are ignoring, even reversing, these guiding principles.

Agree and it is (largely) due to site-based management.

FCPS Advanced Academics can say whatever they would like as far as "guiding principles" for AAP, and the School Board can have as many AAP program reviews that they want to fund, but currently there is no way to enforce these guiding principles at each school. The school principal can do whatever he or she wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this the new tactic after last year's push for AAP expansion/dilution met such parental resistance? A poster on the FCAG listserve notified us that at their AAP center, Forest Edge, this fall suddenly AAP is to be "integrated" with base school -- AAP classes taught by base school teachers and vice versa. Other changes as well. Parents were not consulted at all, it was just a big surprise at back to school night.

I hope the parents will not stand for this and that it will not become the new trend spreading throughout FCPS AAP. We pulled our DC out of base school because LLIV was not going to provide the same academic (AND social/emotional) support for him as a center would . . . we thought.

So, centers that adopt this approach are essentially turning themselves into LLIVs? Why would they want to do this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this the new tactic after last year's push for AAP expansion/dilution met such parental resistance? A poster on the FCAG listserve notified us that at their AAP center, Forest Edge, this fall suddenly AAP is to be "integrated" with base school -- AAP classes taught by base school teachers and vice versa. Other changes as well. Parents were not consulted at all, it was just a big surprise at back to school night.

I hope the parents will not stand for this and that it will not become the new trend spreading throughout FCPS AAP. We pulled our DC out of base school because LLIV was not going to provide the same academic (AND social/emotional) support for him as a center would . . . we thought.

IME, parents are rarely consulted in anything FCPS. If they are, anything that comes out of the consultation is immediately dismissed.

[Anonymous]

I don't really see any problem if the AAP and non-AAP kids are mixed together for PE, Music, Art - so what?
They should be separated for English, Math, History, Science because those are the subjects in which academically advanced kids will most benefir from being with others like themselves, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see any problem if the AAP and non-AAP kids are mixed together for PE, Music, Art - so what?
They should be separated for English, Math, History, Science because those are the subjects in which academically advanced kids will most benefir from being with others like themselves, no?

I agree. I have a child in a center and I hate that until this year, DC was separated from the Gen Ed kids. It seemed to feed into the hatred that the base school Gen Ed parents have for the AAP parents. I like that they seem to be (from what I can tell from DC) mixing them for some specials. They should do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this the new tactic after last year's push for AAP expansion/dilution met such parental resistance? A poster on the FCAG listserve notified us that at their AAP center, Forest Edge, this fall suddenly AAP is to be "integrated" with base school -- AAP classes taught by base school teachers and vice versa. Other changes as well. Parents were not consulted at all, it was just a big surprise at back to school night.

I hope the parents will not stand for this and that it will not become the new trend spreading throughout FCPS AAP. We pulled our DC out of base school because LLIV was not going to provide the same academic (AND social/emotional) support for him as a center would . . . we thought.

Not sure what you mean by expansion/dilution. Isn't that contradictory?

[Anonymous]

Forest Edge already had mixed specials, lunch, and recess. This is going further.

[Anonymous]

Christ, the sense of entitlement with some of you. And your precious little snowflakes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this the new tactic after last year's push for AAP expansion/dilution met such parental resistance? A poster on the FCAG listserve notified us that at their AAP center, Forest Edge, this fall suddenly AAP is to be "integrated" with base school -- AAP classes taught by base school teachers and vice versa. Other changes as well. Parents were not consulted at all, it was just a big surprise at back to school night.

I hope the parents will not stand for this and that it will not become the new trend spreading throughout FCPS AAP. We pulled our DC out of base school because LLIV was not going to provide the same academic (AND social/emotional) support for him as a center would . . . we thought.

Not sure what you mean by expansion/dilution. Isn't that contradictory?

"Expanding" the program to make "every school a center" means at many schools there will not be a full cadre of students (critical mass), trained and experienced teachers, support for 2e kids' special needs, extracurriculars like Science Olympiad, etc. Essentially, expanding in name only, in reality, diluting what it means to be a center to the point that the name is meaningless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Christ, the sense of entitlement with some of you. And your precious little snowflakes.

Entitlement?

It was a hard decision to move our DC, who deals with anxiety and ADHD along with the "giftedness," to a new school (our center). We did it because the program represented itself a certain way, which come September, is suddenly changed without notice. Had we known, it probably would have impacted our choice about what was in his beswt interests. We didn't get any clue of this at the orientation in the spring.

I don't think any parent would like that.