On the chopping block: AAP Centers
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Anonymous
Gifted services includes ". . .gifted education service options from kindergarten through twelfth grade are offered continuously and sequentially, with instructional time during the school day and week to (i) work with their age-level peers, (ii) work with their intellectual and academic peers, (iii) work independently, and (iv) foster intellectual and academic growth of gifted students." - 8VAC20-40-60 http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+reg+8VAC20-40-60 One Center-eligible child in a grade at a base school receiving gifted services is not working "with their intellectual and academic peers" -- but would be at a Center. |
Anonymous
I agree. Complete inequity for the one or two students at the base school who are Center eligible. They should be at a Center. |
Anonymous
I think a lot of the anger directed toward the entire AAP situation can be summed up in this way: AAP kids are given a choice of schools that GE kids are not. The GE child who is bullied at his/her base school is stuck there unless the family can fulfill one of the very specific criteria for transferring. The bullied AAP kid, on the other hand, is able to leave for a center school, with no hoops to jump through as the GE student must. Another example is the family who moves into a "lesser" school boundary, but can send their AAP child to a better school simply because s/he gets into AAP. Meanwhile, the GE kids at this base school have no such option for leaving. Can you and others possibly see the incredible inequities the families of GE children (not to mention these kids themselves) see every day? If the situations were reversed, and your child was stuck unhappily at one school, but a large group of his/her peers were able to opt for another school - you'd be furious and speaking up about it too. The system is clearly sending a message to our General Ed kids - they are second class citizens within FCPS. |
Anonymous
So one or two (or even a handful) of kids at each base school should dictate how and where the rest of the kids in FCPS go to school? No. |
Anonymous
What works in one part of the county does not necessarily work in another part of the county. The services a child receives should not be dependent on zip code. |
Anonymous
My child does not have a large group of his peers going to another school. |
Anonymous
No one is saying that it should be (dependent on zip code). However, if the services a child needs can be provided at his base school, then those are the services he should receive. And I think most people would admit that the vast majority of AAP kids don't "need" anything that Gen Ed kids wouldn't also need. |
Anonymous
I will not speak for what other children need to receive or do receive for services. I will, however, speak for my child and do my best to advocate for his needs. He needs gifted services and the services he received at his base school for Level II were "ok" but the services he receives now at the Center school seem to be a much better fit. The staff and teachers also are addressing his needs as outlined in his IEP and his 504 Plan, something we really struggled with at the base school. |
Anonymous
I think something Gen Ed parents are missing that a lot of AAP parents are saying is that a lot of our kids are not better than your kids, but they can be very different. Smart helps in life, but so do things like EQ, Grit, the ability to adapt, etc., and AAP kids can have real issues in these areas. Sure, we all want our kids to be smart. But being exceptionally smart can comes with a whole host of other issues are very concerning for parents: ADHD (huge, especially among the smartest percent and hence the 2e phenomenon), social awkwardness, anxiety, difficulty with athletics, Aspergers. We worry about our kids a lot--not that they won't succeed academically (although that is not a given for 2e kids) but because they are struggling with so many other skills that are also necessary to be a successful adult. Because they know they are different than the other kids and are excluded and are deeply unhappy. An AAP Center or strong base school program is more than an "enriched curriculum." It 's teachers and administrators trained to deal with these issues. And yes, it's the chance for kids like mine to feel connected to peers and like they are not deeply flawed. My son's MS AAP Center team understands how to successfully implement his 504 plan-- because they are trained to work with kids like my son and implement dozens of similar plans each year. My DDs ES Center team knows what do do when I contact them to say that she is getting so anxious about "failing" her SoL that she is throwing up. And know how to implement her 504. Because they work with a dozen kids like her. This is what makes AAP special Ed. So, yes, if 's nice to get a letter saying that your kid is smart. But realize that in comes with significant strings attached. Be happy your kids is "normal" ( even though by the standards of 95% of the U.S. they are way above average). In this area, that usually means plenty of friends, a sports team, a good college and a good career. There is nothing second class about that. And nobody is saying there is. Be grateful for what you have, because a happy well adjusted child is an enormous gift. Try to find compassion for kids who are struggling. Even better, teach your kids compassion. |
Anonymous
EVERY school should provide appropriate educational services to ALL of it's zoned students. EVery other county in VA(except for FCPS) Does this. |
Anonymous
There are quite a few other posters on this thread and you seem to be attributing all comments to one single person. Please realize, a lot of people share the opinion that centers - especially those previously listed - need to go. I'm not the PP, but surely you can see how angry parents get when one group of kids is given a choice as to where to go to school, but the other kids aren't? It's completely inequitable. No. Just responding to that specific poster. I apologize if calling her out for meaness towards children, her chikd's schoolmates and part of her school community hit a nerve with you. There are a handful of very reasonable posts from folks against AAP. Their arguments carry more weight when they aren't being so rude and petty towards children. |
Anonymous
Honestly, I don't feel this is an issue of compassion, but rather of equity. You mention that there are often kids in AAP who are socially awkward, unathletic, overly anxious, etc. What you've just described is a portion of General Ed kids as well - my own child included. Another one of my children also throws up over severe SOL anxiety, yet she's not in AAP. And she unfortunately doesn't have "a team that knows what to do" when this occurs! How nice that your daughter does. Unfortunately, there is no "group" that consists wholly of well-adjusted and confident kids. There is a huge overlap between Gen Ed and AAP kids, as most people acknowledge. AAP kids are no longer what GT kids used to be considered - kind of quirky and a little awkward, often due to extremely high intelligence. Sure, there may be some kids like this in AAP, but due to opening it up to far more kids, this phenomenon has been severely diluted. So when I hear that a child who was bullied, or unable to find his "peer group" is allowed to switch schools, yet my own child - in a very similar situation - is not, I see it as inequity, plain and simple. |
Anonymous
I suggest completing a multipurpose referral form to have your child considered for special ed services. Eligibility for an IEP is first considered, then 504 Plan eligibility. We had private testing done for DD (we went to Stixrud but there are other places) and we worked with the AART, the school counselor, and the assistant principal to address issues in both the classroom as well as in large groups. We had a good experience with the behavior plan, as we worked with our therapist each week using the same system in the classroom, in PE, in music, in art, at recess, and at lunch. A strong staff with 2E expertise should be able to help your child. Good luck to you! |
Anonymous
Well said! I have a kid who is in the profoundly gifted range and would have qualified for this program whatever the form. He needed AAP, especially in elementary. AAP was amazing for him, and I credit tue teachers' understanding of kids like him during elementary school with getting him to the point where he doesn't necessarily "need" the program as much in middle school. AAP accomplished what it should with my kid. As much as he needed AAP, and kids in his range need AAP, the kids who more than any other in my opinion who really, undeniably need the AAP centers are the twice exceptional kids. They find their people in AAP, even if "people" just means more than one friend to eat with at lunch, hang out with at recess and sit next to in PE. Those kids desparately need the center program. And having that peer group helps many of them to have the confidence to relax, pick up social cues, learn to relate to some really interesting and supportive kids, and hopefully transition to the point that they don't need AAP quite as badly by middle or high school. Seeing the benefit for those kinds of kids make me a stong advocate for centers. I have seen tue benefits to them and I have also seen in my own family how terrible and lonely life can be for the 2E kids who struggle through life never ever finding their people. I imagine that is why some of the parents here are so passionate about their kid finding a peer group. |
Anonymous
It is not an inequity becasue every last child in the district is screened for entry into this program. Not once, but multiple times. Not limited to teacher recommendations or parent applications or school quotas as has been the case in the three other states we lived in. Every single child. If the parents don't agree with the results, they can provide their own testing or request rescreening. Every single student not accepted can reapply every single year. If you move in from out of state you are tested for the program, both with the cogat and the nnat. Even if you have tests from the other states, which might have qualified you for the GT program there but were too low to qualify in Fairfax County. FCPS leaves not a single stone unturned to do their utmost to provide this service to every possibke kid who could qualify. If that is not equitable than what is? |