Regret prepping for cogat now . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a link to a FCPS document that includes an explanation of why the test was changed last year:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/pdfs/FAQre2012CustomizedCogAT.pdf

See fourth paragraph, first sentence:

"FCPS staff members chose to administer the custom form of the CogAT this year after it came to our attention that some students, in previous years, had prepared for the CogAT using the exact form of the CogAT being administered in FCPS."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Then it's a shame they don't retest the past couple of years of students who didn't have to take the FxAT and who have increased AAP numbers exponentially.

Right, because we all know the best use of the precious amount of classroom time is administering a standardized test.

I don't think they should retest the kids at this point, but not because it would use up time to take a standardized test. Standardized tests are part of modern life on up through graduate/professional school and beyond. It would just be too disruptive to retest kids and take kids out of the program at this point.

[Anonymous]

I think there are many reason why kids eligible
For aap will remain eligible. I imagine if fcps tried to make someone who is currently eligible non- eligible there would be lawsuits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there are many reason why kids eligible
For aap will remain eligible. I imagine if fcps tried to make someone who is currently eligible non- eligible there would be lawsuits.

lawsuits? It's not an entitlement

[Anonymous]

But, that would amount to changing the rules in the middle of the game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But, that would amount to changing the rules in the middle of the game.

Gee, that never happens (as we see our national insurance model turned upside down; as my DH faces a layoff due to a merger; as my health-nut aunt is diagnosed with breast cancer; etc. etc.).

There are no guarantees in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But, that would amount to changing the rules in the middle of the game.

Gee, that never happens (as we see our national insurance model turned upside down; as my DH faces a layoff due to a merger; as my health-nut aunt is diagnosed with breast cancer; etc. etc.).

There are no guarantees in life.

Amen to that! The best gift as parents that we can give to our kids is adaptability! God only knows what is going to happen to FCPS after the 150 million they have to slash from next year's budget!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But, that would amount to changing the rules in the middle of the game.

Gee, that never happens (as we see our national insurance model turned upside down; as my DH faces a layoff due to a merger; as my health-nut aunt is diagnosed with breast cancer; etc. etc.).

There are no guarantees in life.

+100
AAP is an extra, not a guarantee. This is public school, after all. There are other children to think about as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But, that would amount to changing the rules in the middle of the game.

Gee, that never happens (as we see our national insurance model turned upside down; as my DH faces a layoff due to a merger; as my health-nut aunt is diagnosed with breast cancer; etc. etc.).

There are no guarantees in life.

+100
AAP is an extra, not a guarantee. This is public school, after all. There are other children to think about as well.

I don't think AAP is viewed as an extra in Fairfax County schools. I think it is viewed as similar to special ed so it's a little harder to get rid of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But, that would amount to changing the rules in the middle of the game.

Gee, that never happens (as we see our national insurance model turned upside down; as my DH faces a layoff due to a merger; as my health-nut aunt is diagnosed with breast cancer; etc. etc.).

There are no guarantees in life.

+100
AAP is an extra, not a guarantee. This is public school, after all. There are other children to think about as well.

I don't think AAP is viewed as an extra in Fairfax County schools. I think it is viewed as similar to special ed so it's a little harder to get rid of.

But that's just the thing. It's NOT special ed because it was CHANGED (see above, "rules changed in middle of game" reference) to allow kids who would never qualify for a special education for their giftedness in a MILLION YEARS to get in! Let's be honest: People who got their smart, but not in any way, shape or form intellectually-gifted children into the currently bloated AAP are the ones who don't want the rules to change.

It's not equitable. It's not fair to equally bright kids in GE and it's not how you run a public education system. It's also potentially discriminatory since not all super-bright FCPS students have an equal chance in the admissions process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But, that would amount to changing the rules in the middle of the game.

Gee, that never happens (as we see our national insurance model turned upside down; as my DH faces a layoff due to a merger; as my health-nut aunt is diagnosed with breast cancer; etc. etc.).

There are no guarantees in life.

+100
AAP is an extra, not a guarantee. This is public school, after all. There are other children to think about as well.

I don't think AAP is viewed as an extra in Fairfax County schools. I think it is viewed as similar to special ed so it's a little harder to get rid of.

But that's just the thing. It's NOT special ed because it was CHANGED (see above, "rules changed in middle of game" reference) to allow kids who would never qualify for a special education for their giftedness in a MILLION YEARS to get in! It's not equitable. It's not fair to equally bright kids in GE and it's not how you run a public education system. It's also potentially discriminatory since not all super-bright FCPS students have an equal chance in the admissions process.

Assuming the FCPS AAP office has done this intentionally, one has to wonder why? Why would they allow it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But, that would amount to changing the rules in the middle of the game.

Gee, that never happens (as we see our national insurance model turned upside down; as my DH faces a layoff due to a merger; as my health-nut aunt is diagnosed with breast cancer; etc. etc.).

There are no guarantees in life.

+100
AAP is an extra, not a guarantee. This is public school, after all. There are other children to think about as well.

I don't think AAP is viewed as an extra in Fairfax County schools. I think it is viewed as similar to special ed so it's a little harder to get rid of.

But that's just the thing. It's NOT special ed because it was CHANGED (see above, "rules changed in middle of game" reference) to allow kids who would never qualify for a special education for their giftedness in a MILLION YEARS to get in! It's not equitable. It's not fair to equally bright kids in GE and it's not how you run a public education system. It's also potentially discriminatory since not all super-bright FCPS students have an equal chance in the admissions process.

Assuming the FCPS AAP office has done this intentionally, one has to wonder why? Why would they allow it?

The difficulty is in identifying the gifted kids at the early age. I am one who has been beaten up for a parental referral for my 120 CogAT kid. If you talked to her, or worked with her, you would not know it. It is hard to tell who is gifted and who is smart at this age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But, that would amount to changing the rules in the middle of the game.

Gee, that never happens (as we see our national insurance model turned upside down; as my DH faces a layoff due to a merger; as my health-nut aunt is diagnosed with breast cancer; etc. etc.).

There are no guarantees in life.

+100
AAP is an extra, not a guarantee. This is public school, after all. There are other children to think about as well.

I don't think AAP is viewed as an extra in Fairfax County schools. I think it is viewed as similar to special ed so it's a little harder to get rid of.

But that's just the thing. It's[b l.P.] NOT [/b]special ed because it was CHANGED (see above, "rules changed in middle of game" reference) to allow kids who would never qualify for a special education for their giftedness in a MILLION YEARS to get in! Let's be honest: People who got their smart, but not in any way, shape or form intellectually-gifted children into the currently bloated AAP are the ones who don't want the rules to change.

It's not equitable. It's not fair to equally bright kids in GE and it's not how you run a public education system. It's also potentially discriminatory since not all super-bright FCPS students have an equal chance in the admissions process.

Where on paper has the rule treating AAP like special ed changed? Can you provide a link?

[Anonymous]

The rule has not changed in the literal sense. In Virginia, "gifted education" is still viewed as special ed in the sense that the children in the program have special needs, which could not be met under a general ed curriculum. But as FCPS has broadened the AAP program to include not only "gifted," but also high achieving kids and smart ones with particularly persistent parents, the special ed justification has become a sham. Now in many ways, it's become an arbitrary separation of kids into have and have-notes.

I think the fact, that many parents don't realize it has changed so much (and I say this has a parent who had a kid in GT when it was GT) is what has kept FCPS from getting in trouble.

[Anonymous]

Do people who have children who are 3-4 years above grade level (the kids who apparently deserve GT) really want to travel to some magnet school to get GT services like a TJ or get pull outs of a lesser quality at their local school than now? That's what it seems you're asking for. I really think it was probably worse for the GT kids way back at the start of this than it is now. GT is more popular, they can go to a local school, they have more kids to socialize with close to their level. I think it's worth the 5 minutes spent helping a child who can't quite keep up while the incredibly advanced child sits and daydreams. Probably nothing is similar to the way it was years ago. FCPS appears to be broke. Not sure that is a GT only issue. I hear the same complaints about curriculum in Gen Ed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are one-two really bitter parents on this forum who think that their kid did not get a fair chance at AAP because other people (usually blaming Asians) prepped their kids. According to these posters, it is scores and scores of parents who do this. They have first hand knowledge that all these families are gaming the system, except for themselves
You can tell the tone and writing style of the main posters crying foul. Then it gets parroted, embellished, etc, a big game of telephone where people hear that everyone is testing.

In reality, with three fcps kids (one a current 2nd grader and another in a center), I have never heard of a single family that actually prepped for these things, beyond what they would have done whether or not this test was happening. There is the kid who complains about being forced to do Kumon for math (mom let him drop it this year), and the handful of kids who go to Chinese school every week, but no giant test prep machine.

It is mostly a bunch of manufactured drama by a few posters with buckets of sour grapes.

Oh no, it's you again -- the poster who likes to insist that there are only "one or two" parents claiming that many parents prep. It's so amusing to hear you try and convince everyone else that there couldn't possibly be more than a couple of people who feel differently than you. At any rate, at our center school, it is common knowledge that prepping parents send their kids to a certain woman's home where she holds prepping classes for the CogAt. It's no secret and lots of families do this; she guarantees the children in her classes will get into AAP. And guess what? They do. Some are Asian, but most aren't (I don't know where you're getting that whole Asian remark? Tons of non-Asian kids in AAP at our school). So you go right ahead and pretend it's a bunch of "manufactured drama". Hey, whatever makes you feel better.

Okay. It's not a bunch of "manufactured drama." We believe you that there really are a lot of high anxiety, helicopter parents in the DC area who give their non-gifted kids a needed boost.