Someone please explain to me the difference between tracking and the AAP program/centers.

[Anonymous]

Why aren't all children getting an equal opportunity for advanced elementary education?
Has this been forgotten; "Equal opportunity education for all students"!!
It still isn't equal in 2014!

[Anonymous]

How are they not getting the opportunity?
Every kid has the opportunity to apply to be in AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why aren't all children getting an equal opportunity for advanced elementary education?
Has this been forgotten; "Equal opportunity education for all students"!!
It still isn't equal in 2014!

they all get an equal opportunity to get into the advanced program, but see you have to get a certain score etc. - merit and all that.

[Anonymous]

Kids in fcps get an equal education based on their educational needs. Tracking is done in gen Ed also (reading groups, spelling groups, math, etc). This is not an AAP thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How are they not getting the opportunity?
Every kid has the opportunity to apply to be in AAP.

Really? You cant' figure that out? You truly believe they are getting equal opportunity? Please explain how you see the AAP program as equal opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are they not getting the opportunity?
Every kid has the opportunity to apply to be in AAP.

Really? You cant' figure that out? You truly believe they are getting equal opportunity? Please explain how you see the AAP program as equal opportunity.

Explain it to me like I'm a 5 year old, since I can't figure that out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are they not getting the opportunity?
Every kid has the opportunity to apply to be in AAP.

Really? You cant' figure that out? You truly believe they are getting equal opportunity? Please explain how you see the AAP program as equal opportunity.

you started the thread - how are they not getting an equal opportunity.? You take the test, you get a score. Everyone gets to appeal etc. How is it unequal?

[Anonymous]

Everyone is tested. Twice.

Every parent can refer their child for consideration, whether or not the child meets the testing cut offs.

Every child who is refered is looked at by the committee, regardless of the child's score or who referred the child.

If the child is not placed by the committee, the parents equally have the opportuity to appeal.

If the appeal is unsuccessful, the parent can refer the child the following school year, and the next year, and so on and so forth all the way until AAP ends in 8th grade.
Every single student in fcps has this equal opportunity to be considered for the AAP program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are they not getting the opportunity?
Every kid has the opportunity to apply to be in AAP.

Really? You cant' figure that out? You truly believe they are getting equal opportunity? Please explain how you see the AAP program as equal opportunity.

you started the thread - how are they not getting an equal opportunity.? You take the test, you get a score. Everyone gets to appeal etc. How is it unequal?

Not the OP, but the basis for the qualification is tracking. The 7 and 8-year-old students who score a certain score on a test have access to a curriculum for the next 6 years other students cannot access. This is tracking. For the GE program, they reassess the students regularly, giving students the opportunity for more advanced curriculum as it is needed per subject. AAP is a track that a student can only enter once a year. If the curriculum was open enrollment like in the high schools, it would not be tracking. With the invention of center schools, FCSP could never have AAP open enrollment - the best centers would be so over populated and the worst base schools would be empty. This is happening on a smaller scale now with all the parent referrals and appeals.

[Anonymous]

The lie of "Differentiated teaching" in most FCPS means that instead of putting all the kids who get things really fast (i.e. "smart kids") in one classroom where the teacher will teach ONE lesson, we mix up all the high/med/low kids in one room and expect the teacher to teach 3-6 lessons. The result is that kids are getting a fraction of the teacher's time b/c she has to "differentiate" and teach all levels. Apparently it makes the med/low kids feel better b/c they don't feel that they are in the "slow" group. Unfortunately, the high kids (i.e. smart that is, not intoxicated) are left to their own devices while the teacher is busy with the other groups b/c she knows that the high kids are already meeting the benchmark.

Race to mediocracy.

(I believe my example may not be the case at all schools, but it is in my kids' school. They do not have different teachers for different subjects. They are not "grouped" and sent to another room where there are other kids of similar ability. All kids stay with their one assigned teacher for all regular subjects -- not including the specials.)

[Anonymous]

13:02 here -- I forgot to mention that this was praised by the principal as the system that supports the best relationship b/t the teacher and student. I'm not sure I agree with that. Seems like it would be better to "track" kids by putting them in a room full of kids who are at the same level and then have the teacher teach all of them the same lesson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone is tested. Twice.

Every parent can refer their child for consideration, whether or not the child meets the testing cut offs.

Every child who is refered is looked at by the committee, regardless of the child's score or who referred the child.

If the child is not placed by the committee, the parents equally have the opportuity to appeal.

If the appeal is unsuccessful, the parent can refer the child the following school year, and the next year, and so on and so forth all the way until AAP ends in 8th grade.
Every single student in fcps has this equal opportunity to be considered for the AAP program.

+1 to the entire post, but I think the bolded part bears remembering, too.

"Equal opportunity" does not mean "equal."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are they not getting the opportunity?
Every kid has the opportunity to apply to be in AAP.

Really? You cant' figure that out? You truly believe they are getting equal opportunity? Please explain how you see the AAP program as equal opportunity.

you started the thread - how are they not getting an equal opportunity.? You take the test, you get a score. Everyone gets to appeal etc. How is it unequal?

Not the OP, but the basis for the qualification is tracking. The 7 and 8-year-old students who score a certain score on a test have access to a curriculum for the next 6 years other students cannot access. This is tracking. For the GE program, they reassess the students regularly, giving students the opportunity for more advanced curriculum as it is needed per subject. AAP is a track that a student can only enter once a year. If the curriculum was open enrollment like in the high schools, it would not be tracking. With the invention of center schools, FCSP could never have AAP open enrollment - the best centers would be so over populated and the worst base schools would be empty. This is happening on a smaller scale now with all the parent referrals and appeals.

You even mention yourself that students can enter once a year.
So if a student isn't in AAP in 4th, but their parents and teachers feel that it would be a good fit for 5th, they can appeal. And if accepted, they are then in the AAP program.

So, I'm still not understanding why this is an unequal opportunity. Where was the kid denied an opportunity?

[Anonymous]

Good point to PPs who explain how it is equal opportunity. Way beyond, really, because of all the checks and balances, appeals and multi-year chances. AAP is not for every learner.


Also, what is wrong with tracking? The system attempts to meet the needs of each learner. I believe that fails often but that is not because of AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are they not getting the opportunity?
Every kid has the opportunity to apply to be in AAP.

Really? You cant' figure that out? You truly believe they are getting equal opportunity? Please explain how you see the AAP program as equal opportunity.

you started the thread - how are they not getting an equal opportunity.? You take the test, you get a score. Everyone gets to appeal etc. How is it unequal?

Not the OP, but the basis for the qualification is tracking. The 7 and 8-year-old students who score a certain score on a test have access to a curriculum for the next 6 years other students cannot access. This is tracking. For the GE program, they reassess the students regularly, giving students the opportunity for more advanced curriculum as it is needed per subject. AAP is a track that a student can only enter once a year. If the curriculum was open enrollment like in the high schools, it would not be tracking. With the invention of center schools, FCSP could never have AAP open enrollment - the best centers would be so over populated and the worst base schools would be empty. This is happening on a smaller scale now with all the parent referrals and appeals.

You even mention yourself that students can enter once a year.
So if a student isn't in AAP in 4th, but their parents and teachers feel that it would be a good fit for 5th, they can appeal. And if accepted, they are then in the AAP program.

So, I'm still not understanding why this is an unequal opportunity. Where was the kid denied an opportunity?

It is tracking (unequal opportunity), because they use IQ tests to separate young children into different learning groups. That is the definition of tracking. Public schools should not use IQ test scores as a barrier to equal access to education. It is unequal, because all students do not have access to the advanced curriculum. Only the students who score well on the IQ tests are given access to the curriculum. As you see at the high school level, the schools do not use IQ tests to differentiate the classes. The kids who do not score well on the IQ test are not given an opportunity to receive the advanced curriculum. Many of the GE parents see this an unfair, because they would enroll their children in AAP if they were given the opportunity, like they do for honors classes in middle school and AP classes in high school. The problem is the lack of access in elementary school.