Why such obvious hate toward AAP parents or hope-to-be in AAP parents

[Anonymous]

Curriculums will vary from place to place and schools will cover the same material in a different order. For instance, most school districts do American history in fifth grade and ancient history in sixth. FCPS flips these two. So, if you moved here when your child was starting sixth grade, you could think the schools here were behind. That wouldn't be the case at all, they are just covering the same material, but in a different order.

Also, there is much repetition of subject matter throughout the elementary and even the secondary years.
As children progress in age, subjects are covered in more depth or from a different perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AAP at the early grades is focused primarily on math and language arts, at least if FFX County. The way the program is set up is doesn't allow for support to kids who may be gifted/talented in other areas like music and arts at a young age. It is the difference between right and left brain smarts...kids can be strong on either side.

Arlington has programs for kids who are gifted in art and/or music starting in 3rd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest that music and arts are a core element of being academically talented. (lots of affirmative research on the connection between early advanced music education and early development of math knowledge). Student are gifted differently and this focus leaves those other gifts unattended, to all students detriment.

Parents of kids who are gifted in the arts can seek out things like the PTA Reflections program (which has categories for visual art, filmmaking, literature, music composition, dance choreography) for their kids to try -- it is not a class or course, but it does give kids an outlet to try something new in the arts outside the regular classroom. Or parents of kids who are musical and who play instruments can ask the school music teachers about having their kids aim to participate in the FCPS Solo and Ensemble Festival for orchestra or band instruments; they can ask about the All-County Chorus for elementary students; they can have their kids participate in various judged musical events that give kids something to work toward (such as exams by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, done in this area each year). There are also other arts outlets and competitions that kids can do if they and the parents seek them out. I am not pushing competition as the goal, (in the solo festival for instance, kids are not competing against each other, just getting feedback on their own skills). I'm just noting that these events can provide a goal for a kid to work toward. And there are several excellent kids' theatre programs including one in Arlington where the kids do all the acting as well as the technical work. These are not in school, true, but they are out there to explore.

Yes, it is a pity that there is not a program for "advanced" kids in music and arts AT school but the public schools have to draw a line somewhere and they choose to provide academically advanced programs. There is absolutely a connection between music and arts and academics, but the school just can't be everything to everyone. That's why it's good that there are so many other outlets in this area for kids who want to pursue music and arts. And some of those outlets are low- or no-cost like Reflections.

Not a perfect solution, I agree, but at least we are in an area where kids whose gifts are in art or music have more opportunities than they would in other areas.

[Anonymous]

FCPS has several elementary and high schools with an arts emphasis. Students are chosen through a lottery at the elementary level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest that music and arts are a core element of being academically talented. (lots of affirmative research on the connection between early advanced music education and early development of math knowledge). Student are gifted differently and this focus leaves those other gifts unattended, to all students detriment.

Parents of kids who are gifted in the arts can seek out things like the PTA Reflections program (which has categories for visual art, filmmaking, literature, music composition, dance choreography) for their kids to try -- it is not a class or course, but it does give kids an outlet to try something new in the arts outside the regular classroom. Or parents of kids who are musical and who play instruments can ask the school music teachers about having their kids aim to participate in the FCPS Solo and Ensemble Festival for orchestra or band instruments; they can ask about the All-County Chorus for elementary students; they can have their kids participate in various judged musical events that give kids something to work toward (such as exams by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, done in this area each year). There are also other arts outlets and competitions that kids can do if they and the parents seek them out. I am not pushing competition as the goal, (in the solo festival for instance, kids are not competing against each other, just getting feedback on their own skills). I'm just noting that these events can provide a goal for a kid to work toward. And there are several excellent kids' theatre programs including one in Arlington where the kids do all the acting as well as the technical work. These are not in school, true, but they are out there to explore.

Yes, it is a pity that there is not a program for "advanced" kids in music and arts AT school but the public schools have to draw a line somewhere and they choose to provide academically advanced programs. There is absolutely a connection between music and arts and academics, but the school just can't be everything to everyone. That's why it's good that there are so many other outlets in this area for kids who want to pursue music and arts. And some of those outlets are low- or no-cost like Reflections.

Not a perfect solution, I agree, but at least we are in an area where kids whose gifts are in art or music have more opportunities than they would in other areas.

Thank you for this wonderful post! My DD is in All-County Chorus (this Saturday!) and will be participating next weekend in Solo Ensemble, but I had no idea about the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music exams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my view, the AAP hate is caused by a simple fact:

Historically, the program takes about 15-20% of the student population.
Probably only 1 kid per school is truly noticeably more "gifted" than everyone else, and probably the next 50% of the population is smart enough to do the AAP work.

But the kids really aren't that distinguishable... so it leads to a bit of a crap shoot about who gets in and who doesn't. And that breeds animosity.

I actually agree with this completely.

[Anonymous]

What I most despise about the AAP situation in Fairfax is this: It creates a false dichotomy that makes the kids feel superior/inferior at age 9. For example, the day after the decisions went out, my daughter's BFF sat down on the bus and began telling my daughter (loudly) that she (the BFF) was going to be moved into a school with the other kids who are smart like her. What does this do to the gen ed kids left behind? Does a 9 year old really need this pressure/inferiority complex/superiority complex?

[Anonymous]

Correction: The kids are age 7 or 8 when the decisions are made. Crazy.

[Anonymous]

P.S. I say "false dichotomy" because I think most would agree that about 50% of the kids are capable of doing the work, and only about 1-2% of the kids are so profoundly gifted that they need to be separated from the general population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP is over for us, thankfully. We moved in from another state, and were in "base" (what a name!) for awhile. The DCs were repeating work from 2 grades previous. Third, fourth grade, so repeating first,second grade material. For whatever reason (no child left behind/no child gets ahead?) My DCs are not geniuses or gifted --just academic. So I think that the overall dumbing down of the school system (while simultaneous praising itself to the skies) has resulted in a "need" for parents to be in the GT program because the pace is so slow to accommodate everyone. Even in GT the pace can be slow. When the parents see the work that their kids are doing, they get mad, because they know that their kids could do much more. So everyone wants to be in the program. But it only accepts 11%, so 89% do not make it. Every new family that moves in goes through this in our neighborhood (changing neighborhood with new families moving in...). It really makes me wonder about the FCPS system altogether.

Where did you live before and what was your base school? Without that I have trouble believing that your children were 2-3 years ahead. Were students taking HS level algebra in 5th and 6th grade- routinely? That would be 2-3 years below the math at my DCs base school. The vast majority take Algebra Honors in 7th or 8th grade.

They were still reading at a K level in 2nd grade. Still working on that pesky alphabet. Still learning to add an s to make something plural. Just K level stuff in 2-3rd grade. It is not that my Dcs were so super smart, or that the other kids were not smart. It was that the whole class had to wait for each child to learn the most basic things. Then out came the coloring books...It was easier for the teacher to just repeat until the slowest kid finally got it. What a waste!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP is over for us, thankfully. We moved in from another state, and were in "base" (what a name!) for awhile. The DCs were repeating work from 2 grades previous. Third, fourth grade, so repeating first,second grade material. For whatever reason (no child left behind/no child gets ahead?) My DCs are not geniuses or gifted --just academic. So I think that the overall dumbing down of the school system (while simultaneous praising itself to the skies) has resulted in a "need" for parents to be in the GT program because the pace is so slow to accommodate everyone. Even in GT the pace can be slow. When the parents see the work that their kids are doing, they get mad, because they know that their kids could do much more. So everyone wants to be in the program. But it only accepts 11%, so 89% do not make it. Every new family that moves in goes through this in our neighborhood (changing neighborhood with new families moving in...). It really makes me wonder about the FCPS system altogether.

Where did you live before and what was your base school? Without that I have trouble believing that your children were 2-3 years ahead. Were students taking HS level algebra in 5th and 6th grade- routinely? That would be 2-3 years below the math at my DCs base school. The vast majority take Algebra Honors in 7th or 8th grade.

Coloring books in the 7th grade...Writing on the 2nd grade level. So glad my kids are out!

[Anonymous]

^^base school very highly rated. Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP is over for us, thankfully. We moved in from another state, and were in "base" (what a name!) for awhile. The DCs were repeating work from 2 grades previous. Third, fourth grade, so repeating first,second grade material. For whatever reason (no child left behind/no child gets ahead?) My DCs are not geniuses or gifted --just academic. So I think that the overall dumbing down of the school system (while simultaneous praising itself to the skies) has resulted in a "need" for parents to be in the GT program because the pace is so slow to accommodate everyone. Even in GT the pace can be slow. When the parents see the work that their kids are doing, they get mad, because they know that their kids could do much more. So everyone wants to be in the program. But it only accepts 11%, so 89% do not make it. Every new family that moves in goes through this in our neighborhood (changing neighborhood with new families moving in...). It really makes me wonder about the FCPS system altogether.

Where did you live before and what was your base school? Without that I have trouble believing that your children were 2-3 years ahead. Were students taking HS level algebra in 5th and 6th grade- routinely? That would be 2-3 years below the math at my DCs base school. The vast majority take Algebra Honors in 7th or 8th grade.

They were still reading at a K level in 2nd grade. Still working on that pesky alphabet. Still learning to add an s to make something plural. Just K level stuff in 2-3rd grade. It is not that my Dcs were so super smart, or that the other kids were not smart. It was that the whole class had to wait for each child to learn the most basic things. Then out came the coloring books...It was easier for the teacher to just repeat until the slowest kid finally got it. What a waste!

Again what school? It really depends on the school especially within a county as vast a Fairfax. At my DC's base school the kids that were reading at grade level were in reading remission. Everyone else was 1-? grades ahead. Also, the math was different than your experience- they were taking multiplication tests starting in Nov/Dec of 2nd grade and adding/subtracting 3 and 4 digits numbers.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it would be interesting to know what school this is.

At my child's base school, fifth and sixth grade classes were teamed with the class next door and then they were divided into four groups for every subject. Each group was taught on it's own level. Lots of opportunity for advanced work for those who were ready for it and help for those who needed it.

[Anonymous]

At an AAP center and in AAP. Absolutely no differentiation. Kids only change classes for math and science as an entire class, though. The whole class moves to the other AAP teacher and that teachers class move to the other AAP class for language arts. As has been said before, differentiation is a term thrown around by FCPS brass, but rarely, if ever, implemented.