Best test prep book for the NNAT?

[Anonymous]

If general education wasn't so awful, people wouldn't be so desperate to get out of it and into AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If general education wasn't so awful, people wouldn't be so desperate to get out of it and into AAP.

That hasn't been our experience and we've had kids in both GE and AAP. Seems what's awful are many parents who think their kids are special. These are usually the folks who are sure they know best even without education degrees and won't get out of the way and let teachers do their jobs.

Please try to resist further blanket statements with little basis in fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where has FCPS every said prepping is cheating or raises ethical concerns? I have heard of teachers making comments, but as far as I am aware, FCPS does not have any policy, and I work for the county.

Our principal said it at an AAP informational meeting last year.

The principal said prepping is cheating or unethical? Or said something like "there is no need to prepare, just do your best..." Those are different things.

The principal said, "Please do not prep. Many parents try to prep. their kids but that is not what the testing is intended for." She also specifically said that the results from a non-prepped student are what they are interested in viewing.

[Anonymous]

Our child's teacher asked if children had ever seen "questions like these before" and then the principal wrote down the names of the kids who raised their hands.

[Anonymous]

I too have children in both general education and aap. The child that is in aap is getting a better education. It is sad but true. AAP has changed enough over the years that the majority of the kids in gen ed could handle the curriculum. AAP should go back to the old days. Taking "bright" kids out gen ed is hurting the school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the AAP prep daycare really a thing? lol omg

I'm the PP whose neighbor has her kids in one and yes, it's really a thing. She doesn't seem at all embarrassed to admit that her kids go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If general education wasn't so awful, people wouldn't be so desperate to get out of it and into AAP.

That hasn't been our experience and we've had kids in both GE and AAP. Seems what's awful are many parents who think their kids are special. These are usually the folks who are sure they know best even without education degrees and won't get out of the way and let teachers do their jobs.

Please try to resist further blanket statements with little basis in fact.

SO TRUE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our child's teacher asked if children had ever seen "questions like these before" and then the principal wrote down the names of the kids who raised their hands.

That is just dumb! Kids are prone to suggestion. Mine does "summer bridge workbooks" I can see her raising her hand in 1st grade, trying to impress her teacher

[Anonymous]

The bottom line on prepping is it does raise the score. But it does not raise the intelligence. FCPS is trying to measure intelligence -- the county can not afford to give everyone WISCs. What prepping has done is the county has effectively de-weighted the tests in the evaluation process. That is why you see kids with 135 CogAT/NNAT, but lower GBRS not making the AAP cut (based on what I read here). On the other hand, anyone with 13 (or 14) GBRS or above is admitted, even with lower scores.

The test prep makes the test less objective. And the county has made it clear they are against it. But, they do not want to call 2nd graders cheaters....it is the parents that are cheating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The bottom line on prepping is it does raise the score. But it does not raise the intelligence. FCPS is trying to measure intelligence -- the county can not afford to give everyone WISCs. What prepping has done is the county has effectively de-weighted the tests in the evaluation process. That is why you see kids with 135 CogAT/NNAT, but lower GBRS not making the AAP cut (based on what I read here). On the other hand, anyone with 13 (or 14) GBRS or above is admitted, even with lower scores.

The test prep makes the test less objective. And the county has made it clear they are against it. But, they do not want to call 2nd graders cheaters....it is the parents that are cheating.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The bottom line on prepping is it does raise the score. But it does not raise the intelligence. FCPS is trying to measure intelligence -- the county can not afford to give everyone WISCs. What prepping has done is the county has effectively de-weighted the tests in the evaluation process. That is why you see kids with 135 CogAT/NNAT, but lower GBRS not making the AAP cut (based on what I read here). On the other hand, anyone with 13 (or 14) GBRS or above is admitted, even with lower scores.

The test prep makes the test less objective. And the county has made it clear they are against it. But, they do not want to call 2nd graders cheaters....it is the parents that are cheating.

Emphasizing and weighing GBRS works against minorities including Asians (partially due to language, not being as assertive/active participants etc.) and the whites are the ones mostly engaged in prepping 2nd graders. In addition, white parents are more likely to visit the school/classroom to volunteer and explain their kids to teacher and other school officials and submit examples. Another scam to limit the number of minorities and increase the number of white kids just like at the top colleges. Perhaps the dilution of the AAP and the out of control expansion of the program is mostly due to these above average but not gifted kids taking up spots in AAP.

[Anonymous]

If the test scores are there the kid should be in. Period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bottom line on prepping is it does raise the score. But it does not raise the intelligence. FCPS is trying to measure intelligence -- the county can not afford to give everyone WISCs. What prepping has done is the county has effectively de-weighted the tests in the evaluation process. That is why you see kids with 135 CogAT/NNAT, but lower GBRS not making the AAP cut (based on what I read here). On the other hand, anyone with 13 (or 14) GBRS or above is admitted, even with lower scores.

The test prep makes the test less objective. And the county has made it clear they are against it. But, they do not want to call 2nd graders cheaters....it is the parents that are cheating.

Emphasizing and weighing GBRS works against minorities including Asians (partially due to language, not being as assertive/active participants etc.) and the whites are the ones mostly engaged in prepping 2nd graders. In addition, white parents are more likely to visit the school/classroom to volunteer and explain their kids to teacher and other school officials and submit examples. Another scam to limit the number of minorities and increase the number of white kids just like at the top colleges. Perhaps the dilution of the AAP and the out of control expansion of the program is mostly due to these above average but not gifted kids taking up spots in AAP.

If there was no test prep, this would not be a problem. There would be no debate. When one group systematically cheats, you have three choices: allow them to get away with it, exclude them, or modify the criteria to minimize the impact of cheating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the test scores are there the kid should be in. Period.

That would be find if they really were objective measures...but because of the test prep, you can not trust the scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bottom line on prepping is it does raise the score. But it does not raise the intelligence. FCPS is trying to measure intelligence -- the county can not afford to give everyone WISCs. What prepping has done is the county has effectively de-weighted the tests in the evaluation process. That is why you see kids with 135 CogAT/NNAT, but lower GBRS not making the AAP cut (based on what I read here). On the other hand, anyone with 13 (or 14) GBRS or above is admitted, even with lower scores.

The test prep makes the test less objective. And the county has made it clear they are against it. But, they do not want to call 2nd graders cheaters....it is the parents that are cheating.

Emphasizing and weighing GBRS works against minorities including Asians (partially due to language, not being as assertive/active participants etc.) and the whites are the ones mostly engaged in prepping 2nd graders. In addition, white parents are more likely to visit the school/classroom to volunteer and explain their kids to teacher and other school officials and submit examples. Another scam to limit the number of minorities and increase the number of white kids just like at the top colleges. Perhaps the dilution of the AAP and the out of control expansion of the program is mostly due to these above average but not gifted kids taking up spots in AAP.

If there was no test prep, this would not be a problem. There would be no debate. When one group systematically cheats, you have three choices: allow them to get away with it, exclude them, or modify the criteria to minimize the impact of cheating.

The problem is the group that preps/cheats the most (whites) is the group that benefits the most with the GBRS serving as the dominant determining factor. GBRS is too subjective to be used as an effective determining factor. Effective education must begin in elementary school and this bias towards white kids should stop and all children must be afforded equal opportunity to receive appropriate education. The best way is to NOT announce which test will be administered and administer this unidentified test at an unannounced date (with 2nd testing at another unannounced date for those kids who missed the 1st test) and just go with that result alone. This is the only way to eliminate any effect from prepping/cheating and give all children equal access without the subjective GBRS non-sense that favors one (white) group as well. The result would more trustworthy.