AAP at Base School vs. Going to Center School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Who in FCPS is saying they are the same?

Some school principals say they are the same. But they are not. And the AAP Centers are also subject to site-based management so one AAP Center can be very different from another AAP Center, even if there are two (or more) grade levels per class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the above is true, could it be possible that Haycock could have children working in math 2-3 years ahead but very few other AAP centers could have this same differentiation because they don't have a large enough mass to make up an entire class at that level?

I know our AAP Center (not Haycock) has less-than-a-full-class of students working at 2+ years above grade level in math.

[Anonymous]

There are pacing guides for each grade which spells out exactly which skills should be taught. To me this is the curriculum. Maybe I should have said pacing guide? The projects and actual math problems may be different, but the skills should be the same. One poster made it clear that some children are 2-3 levels above in math at a center and have their own classroom for this level of work. That is a different set of skills then that is taught in those classes verses a local level IV program. I'm told a local level IV program cannot accommodate all of those math levels. We are considering many different schools since my husband has a job in the middle of the county and it would be daunting to check with all of them. How do I know if all the AAP centers are similar leaving out demographics. The numbers of AAP students at each center is very different from school to school. Some are in the 100's, others in the 200's, others in the 300's, and some like Haycock in the 400's. Does it matter how large the school is whether there are different classes taught at each grade? Are some children taught with others a year ahead or in combination classes for these smaller AAP centers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I've come to the conclusing that the local level IV programs are definitely not the same as the centers. I guess I was just under the impression that they were. I'm still unsure whether all the centers are similar. Any clarification you can give on this?

No question that the center offers more advanced classes, but there are other issues such as the differing start and end times if you have more than one child, whether your DC wants to do the extra work. You could check greatschools.com and get an idea about your base school.

[Anonymous]

The best thing you could do is to narrow down the schools you are looking at and talk to teachers and parents. You can't really leave out demographics- they have a big influence on the atmosphere of a school. People on a board can't really answer what is right for your children.
Are you moving here from somewhere else? Are your children already in the equivalent of the AAP program? Maybe their current teachers could be helpful in terms of what questions to ask.
You will find all sorts of variations depending on lots of different factors, but your kids can get a great education in just about any school here. In general, the AAP center is a better choice then local level IV, but not necessarily for every individual child.

[Anonymous]

13:02 How does the school handle half a class working at that level? Does the teacher have to teach to different levels or is it handled differently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:13:02 How does the school handle half a class working at that level? Does the teacher have to teach to different levels or is it handled differently?

The students are grouped together for math three times each week for a 30 minute advanced math session. Older students (6th graders) are bused to the middle school for Algebra I.

[Anonymous]

Which school buses 6th graders to a MS? Just curious,I have never heard of this.

[Anonymous]

At our center school, there is a group of the most advanced kids that go up with the next higher grade AAP class for math.

So, for example, in 4th grade this group went with the 5th grade AAP math classes. In 5th grade they went with the the 6th grade AAP math. In 6th grade they will be doing junior high math (I am not sure how this is handled as my kid is not one of those "most advanced of the advanced" math students)

This is in addition to any other grouping that goes on with the rest of the students.

[Anonymous]

Is it really necessary for parents to have to check up on each and every school to see how they do things differently from one another? If so, they should have more open houses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which school buses 6th graders to a MS? Just curious,I have never heard of this.

17:11 Here. (I am not the poster you are questioning)

This busing is what I think goes on with those advanced math kids that I mentioned in my post. However, since my kid is not one of these students I cannot say this with certainty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it really necessary for parents to have to check up on each and every school to see how they do things differently from one another? If so, they should have more open houses.

Not necessary.

What you need to do is look for the school community that fits the personality of your child and family.

What makes our center school great is not just the advanced opportunities, but the incredible staff, welcoming community, wonderful children, outstanding PTA, and the fact that there is so much fun and enrichment (after school activities, language, music teachers, etc). The peer group is outstanding, but it would be an outstanding school with or without AAP.

[Anonymous]

That is even more difficult to find out. How do you do that easily other than just looking at test scores and demographics and reading great schools or this board?

[Anonymous]

I also disagree somewhat that I need to find a school that fits the personality of my child and family. Don't public schools cater to everyone? Shouldn't I be welcomed and be welcoming to everyone?

[Anonymous]

15:56 please reply or were you exaggerating?