On the chopping block: AAP Centers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good. It's about time. It's a tremendous waste of money and resources.

"Base kid" is a common taunt at our center school.

The AAP students are so segregated and operate in their own rarefied air beginning as young as third grade.

Very much an "us v. them" mentality fueled by hyper-competitive parents.

Enough!

The ugly reality is that FCPS is back to ersatz segregation, with the "elites" getting preferential treatment and in some center schools, "base kids" are the minority.

Interesting to note that some of the FCPS center schools HAD to become centers to avoid permanent closure.

+1. Even if all the kids in AAP don't need the program, some certainly do.

I haven't read through all of the pages of this post, but if you had a child that needed this program you wouldn't feel this way. My kid needs this program just like any other special needs child. If they do away with the centers I hope they have a plan in place for kids like mine.

The kids who need AAP didn't disappear just because a larger number of kids were admitted

2nd pp up here - Our base school offers level4 and we LOVE our base school. But, it's not a good option for a child like mine when she is put into a mixed classroom. She is not with her peers, but actually separated from her peers to even out these kids throughout the different classes. I also don't see any possible way for the teachers to teach to so many different levels of a curriculum. Her K teacher was amazing and taught to each kid's level, but most teachers aren't like her and as they get older it would get harder to teach that way.

The AAP teachers at our center school all have master's in special ed and they "get" my child. This first year in APP was an eye-opening experience for my child and for us as parents. If they close the centers I hope they have a better plan for the base schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good. It's about time. It's a tremendous waste of money and resources.

"Base kid" is a common taunt at our center school.

The AAP students are so segregated and operate in their own rarefied air beginning as young as third grade.

Very much an "us v. them" mentality fueled by hyper-competitive parents.

Enough!

The ugly reality is that FCPS is back to ersatz segregation, with the "elites" getting preferential treatment and in some center schools, "base kids" are the minority.

Interesting to note that some of the FCPS center schools HAD to become centers to avoid permanent closure.

+1. Even if all the kids in AAP don't need the program, some certainly do.

I haven't read through all of the pages of this post, but if you had a child that needed this program you wouldn't feel this way. My kid needs this program just like any other special needs child. If they do away with the centers I hope they have a plan in place for kids like mine.

The kids who need AAP didn't disappear just because a larger number of kids were admitted

+10000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good. It's about time. It's a tremendous waste of money and resources.

"Base kid" is a common taunt at our center school.

The AAP students are so segregated and operate in their own rarefied air beginning as young as third grade.

Very much an "us v. them" mentality fueled by hyper-competitive parents.

Enough!

The ugly reality is that FCPS is back to ersatz segregation, with the "elites" getting preferential treatment and in some center schools, "base kids" are the minority.

Interesting to note that some of the FCPS center schools HAD to become centers to avoid permanent closure.

+1. Even if all the kids in AAP don't need the program, some certainly do.

I haven't read through all of the pages of this post, but if you had a child that needed this program you wouldn't feel this way. My kid needs this program just like any other special needs child. If they do away with the centers I hope they have a plan in place for kids like mine.

The kids who need AAP didn't disappear just because a larger number of kids were admitted

+10000

But I think you can argue that with so many kids now in AAP, the need for centers has disappeared in some areas since kids can easily get a critical mass of their intellectual peers at their at their local school. It's tracking now, and that certainly, can be done without having to bus most kids around the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good. It's about time. It's a tremendous waste of money and resources.

"Base kid" is a common taunt at our center school.

The AAP students are so segregated and operate in their own rarefied air beginning as young as third grade.

Very much an "us v. them" mentality fueled by hyper-competitive parents.

Enough!

The ugly reality is that FCPS is back to ersatz segregation, with the "elites" getting preferential treatment and in some center schools, "base kids" are the minority.

Interesting to note that some of the FCPS center schools HAD to become centers to avoid permanent closure.

+1. Even if all the kids in AAP don't need the program, some certainly do.

I haven't read through all of the pages of this post, but if you had a child that needed this program you wouldn't feel this way. My kid needs this program just like any other special needs child. If they do away with the centers I hope they have a plan in place for kids like mine.

The kids who need AAP didn't disappear just because a larger number of kids were admitted

+10000

But I think you can argue that with so many kids now in AAP, the need for centers has disappeared in some areas since kids can easily get a critical mass of their intellectual peers at their at their local school. It's tracking now, and that certainly, can be done without having to bus most kids around the county.

Absolutely true.

[Anonymous]

I think instead of chopping AAP centers, the local school level III, II, I should be chopped.. Does high school have AAP centers ? . We have so many AAP teachers scattered in all the these base schools , which is waste of money.

All the AAP center school could really have truly gifted students thats it end of the story. only top 1-5 % from all base schools, with emphasis on STEM.. These could be like mini TJ schools, which cater to the truly gifted..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think instead of chopping AAP centers, the local school level III, II, I should be chopped.. Does high school have AAP centers ? . We have so many AAP teachers scattered in all the these base schools , which is waste of money.

All the AAP center school could really have truly gifted students thats it end of the story. only top 1-5 % from all base schools, with emphasis on STEM.. These could be like mini TJ schools, which cater to the truly gifted..

So what happens to the FSIQ=140+ kids who do not want STEM?

[Anonymous]

I went through the numbers of AAP children vs. General Ed children at each elementary school and only found a handful of schools where the AAP population outnumbered the general ed population in grades 3-6 by at least 50 students. Those schools are Greenbriar West, Stratford Landing, Haycock, Churchill Road, Colvin Run, White Oaks, Springfield Estates, and Keene Mill. Louise Archer used to have a higher AAP population in 3-6th, but now will be about even. I am not sure if Greenbriar West will still have a majority of AAP children or not now that it is being redistricted. I haven't checked middle schools but FCPS seems to be working on redistricting for these already. My guess is the majority of people complaining about AAP taking over a school have children attending one of the above schools. FCPS should focus on reducing AAP levels at these schools before it takes on the entire county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went through the numbers of AAP children vs. General Ed children at each elementary school and only found a handful of schools where the AAP population outnumbered the general ed population in grades 3-6 by at least 50 students. Those schools are Greenbriar West, Stratford Landing, Haycock, Churchill Road, Colvin Run, White Oaks, Springfield Estates, and Keene Mill. Louise Archer used to have a higher AAP population in 3-6th, but now will be about even. I am not sure if Greenbriar West will still have a majority of AAP children or not now that it is being redistricted. I haven't checked middle schools but FCPS seems to be working on redistricting for these already. My guess is the majority of people complaining about AAP taking over a school have children attending one of the above schools. FCPS should focus on reducing AAP levels at these schools before it takes on the entire county.

Forgot to add Willow Springs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went through the numbers of AAP children vs. General Ed children at each elementary school and only found a handful of schools where the AAP population outnumbered the general ed population in grades 3-6 by at least 50 students. Those schools are Greenbriar West, Stratford Landing, Haycock, Churchill Road, Colvin Run, White Oaks, Springfield Estates, and Keene Mill. Louise Archer used to have a higher AAP population in 3-6th, but now will be about even. I am not sure if Greenbriar West will still have a majority of AAP children or not now that it is being redistricted. I haven't checked middle schools but FCPS seems to be working on redistricting for these already. My guess is the majority of people complaining about AAP taking over a school have children attending one of the above schools. FCPS should focus on reducing AAP levels at these schools before it takes on the entire county.

Forgot to add Willow Springs.

Add Oak Hill: http://www.fcps.edu/OakHillES/docs/Oak%20Hillworking%20Class%20Size%20Projections%208-6-15.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think instead of chopping AAP centers, the local school level III, II, I should be chopped.. Does high school have AAP centers ? . We have so many AAP teachers scattered in all the these base schools , which is waste of money.

All the AAP center school could really have truly gifted students thats it end of the story. only top 1-5 % from all base schools, with emphasis on STEM.. These could be like mini TJ schools, which cater to the truly gifted..

So what happens to the FSIQ=140+ kids who do not want STEM?

Yes. Thanks to TJ we already have too many gifted kids thinking they have to be or pretending to be interested in STEM. Let's not start force-marching kids down this path in grade school. Exposure is enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think instead of chopping AAP centers, the local school level III, II, I should be chopped.. Does high school have AAP centers ? . We have so many AAP teachers scattered in all the these base schools , which is waste of money.

All the AAP center school could really have truly gifted students thats it end of the story. only top 1-5 % from all base schools, with emphasis on STEM.. These could be like mini TJ schools, which cater to the truly gifted..

"Truly gifted" kids in most other jurisdictions aren't shipped off to centers and do just fine. Centers should be cut and the teachers can differentiate as appropriate for the gifted kids. Fairfax County has become this crazy place where people think that without AAP and TJ kids will be total failures. I'm not sure how people from other parts of the country manage to get jobs without AAP and TJ. And before I get accused of being a bitter parent whose kids didn't get into AAP, I have two kids in AAP. I think centers are completely unnecessary, and the focus should be on improving the academics at the base schools. My kids' base school has no level IV, and does a poor job differentiating in the gen ed classrooms, so I send my kids to the center. I would way prefer a better gen ed curriculum at the base school than busing them to a center. Unfortunately the AAP craziness is too engrained in FCPS so centers aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think instead of chopping AAP centers, the local school level III, II, I should be chopped.. Does high school have AAP centers ? . We have so many AAP teachers scattered in all the these base schools , which is waste of money.

All the AAP center school could really have truly gifted students thats it end of the story. only top 1-5 % from all base schools, with emphasis on STEM.. These could be like mini TJ schools, which cater to the truly gifted..

So what happens to the FSIQ=140+ kids who do not want STEM?

Yes. Thanks to TJ we already have too many gifted kids thinking they have to be or pretending to be interested in STEM. Let's not start force-marching kids down this path in grade school. Exposure is enough.

+100
STEM is not the end-all be-all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think instead of chopping AAP centers, the local school level III, II, I should be chopped.. Does high school have AAP centers ? . We have so many AAP teachers scattered in all the these base schools , which is waste of money.

All the AAP center school could really have truly gifted students thats it end of the story. only top 1-5 % from all base schools, with emphasis on STEM.. These could be like mini TJ schools, which cater to the truly gifted..

"Truly gifted" kids in most other jurisdictions aren't shipped off to centers and do just fine. Centers should be cut and the teachers can differentiate as appropriate for the gifted kids. Fairfax County has become this crazy place where people think that without AAP and TJ kids will be total failures. I'm not sure how people from other parts of the country manage to get jobs without AAP and TJ. And before I get accused of being a bitter parent whose kids didn't get into AAP, I have two kids in AAP. I think centers are completely unnecessary, and the focus should be on improving the academics at the base schools. My kids' base school has no level IV, and does a poor job differentiating in the gen ed classrooms, so I send my kids to the center. I would way prefer a better gen ed curriculum at the base school than busing them to a center. Unfortunately the AAP craziness is too engrained in FCPS so centers aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

You are so right. People use the excuse that families will leave FCPS if centers are cut. That's just not the case. People will adjust just fine, just as they have to other changes FCPS has made. Most will stay and insist FCPS get its act together and improve the curriculum for all students, which would be a huge accomplishment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think instead of chopping AAP centers, the local school level III, II, I should be chopped.. Does high school have AAP centers ? . We have so many AAP teachers scattered in all the these base schools , which is waste of money.

All the AAP center school could really have truly gifted students thats it end of the story. only top 1-5 % from all base schools, with emphasis on STEM.. These could be like mini TJ schools, which cater to the truly gifted..

"Truly gifted" kids in most other jurisdictions aren't shipped off to centers and do just fine. Centers should be cut and the teachers can differentiate as appropriate for the gifted kids. Fairfax County has become this crazy place where people think that without AAP and TJ kids will be total failures. I'm not sure how people from other parts of the country manage to get jobs without AAP and TJ. And before I get accused of being a bitter parent whose kids didn't get into AAP, I have two kids in AAP. I think centers are completely unnecessary, and the focus should be on improving the academics at the base schools. My kids' base school has no level IV, and does a poor job differentiating in the gen ed classrooms, so I send my kids to the center. I would way prefer a better gen ed curriculum at the base school than busing them to a center. Unfortunately the AAP craziness is too engrained in FCPS so centers aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

You are so right. People use the excuse that families will leave FCPS if centers are cut. That's just not the case. People will adjust just fine, just as they have to other changes FCPS has made. Most will stay and insist FCPS get its act together and improve the curriculum for all students, which would be a huge accomplishment.

And what happens to the truly 1-3%-ers that most likely won't get what they need from teachers trying to differentiate in a gen ed classroom? These kids are just as much in need of special ed as the other ed of the special ed spectrum. The base schools don't seem to be able to deliver that service even in our base school that offers LIV services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think instead of chopping AAP centers, the local school level III, II, I should be chopped.. Does high school have AAP centers ? . We have so many AAP teachers scattered in all the these base schools , which is waste of money.

All the AAP center school could really have truly gifted students thats it end of the story. only top 1-5 % from all base schools, with emphasis on STEM.. These could be like mini TJ schools, which cater to the truly gifted..

"Truly gifted" kids in most other jurisdictions aren't shipped off to centers and do just fine. Centers should be cut and the teachers can differentiate as appropriate for the gifted kids. Fairfax County has become this crazy place where people think that without AAP and TJ kids will be total failures. I'm not sure how people from other parts of the country manage to get jobs without AAP and TJ. And before I get accused of being a bitter parent whose kids didn't get into AAP, I have two kids in AAP. I think centers are completely unnecessary, and the focus should be on improving the academics at the base schools. My kids' base school has no level IV, and does a poor job differentiating in the gen ed classrooms, so I send my kids to the center. I would way prefer a better gen ed curriculum at the base school than busing them to a center. Unfortunately the AAP craziness is too engrained in FCPS so centers aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

You are so right. People use the excuse that families will leave FCPS if centers are cut. That's just not the case. People will adjust just fine, just as they have to other changes FCPS has made. Most will stay and insist FCPS get its act together and improve the curriculum for all students, which would be a huge accomplishment.

And what happens to the truly 1-3%-ers that most likely won't get what they need from teachers trying to differentiate in a gen ed classroom? These kids are just as much in need of special ed as the other ed of the special ed spectrum. The base schools don't seem to be able to deliver that service even in our base school that offers LIV services.

Because no one will argue against the bottom 2% of kids, in terms of IQ, needing special accommodation-- that would make them look like an asshole. But if parents say that their child in the top 2% needs accommodation -- well, everyone loves to make snarky comments about that. It's apparently unimaginable that kids at the top of the bell curve really need support, just like kids at the bottom. Or it's more PC to bash AAP than other special Ed programs. Smh