Seriously, why does you child need AAP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's really to get away from poor kids.

Poor and brown/black which are not always the same.

My child's center has a higher minority population than the base school (I'm the one who said it is higher FARMS as well).

The diversity of the school doesn't matter. It's the diversity of the classroom. In center schools the AAP kids rarely if ever mix with the general education kids of that school. I think many want their kids in AAP to get away from CLASSROOMS with poor and brown kids in them. Even the so called liberals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In center schools the AAP kids rarely if ever mix with the general education kids of that school.

This is not the case at our center school. The entire grade mixes for PE, music, art, and recess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In center schools the AAP kids rarely if ever mix with the general education kids of that school.

This is not the case at our center school. The entire grade mixes for PE, music, art, and recess.

and lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's really to get away from poor kids.

Poor and brown/black which are not always the same.

My child's center has a higher minority population than the base school (I'm the one who said it is higher FARMS as well).

The diversity of the school doesn't matter. It's the diversity of the classroom. In center schools the AAP kids rarely if ever mix with the general education kids of that school. I think many want their kids in AAP to get away from CLASSROOMS with poor and brown kids in them. Even the so called liberals.

Key word in bold. It's your weak, lazy opinion. It's wrong, but no one will ever convince your twisted racist mind different. You seem to think that "poor and brown" kids have no desire for or place in AAP. Plenty would disagree, including the kids in our AAP class who you would view as nothing more than "brown". Lame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

That may be true, but it is hard to measure the profoundly gifted at the younger ages. It is much easier as people get older. We know to focus, for example.
Personally, I know my IQ (about 150), but I have scored as low as 118 (middle school when I registered; we were sleeping on the floor of our new house waiting for furniture). So, they placed me in the "average" grouping. And I was bored out of my mind, and underachieved. So, they wanted to put me in a remedial group. When my parents figured this out, they intervened. Private testing put me at 148 IQ; school counselor did not believe it. There was a huge meeting...I was old enough to be there. The teachers -- particularly the math, social studies and science teachers -- said that putting me back is a huge mistake: that my low performance was because I was not doing the homework. I had subject mastery and I was showing intelligence in class.

I was instead moved up. FWIW, my SAT scores were 1300 (790 math, 510 verbal)...GRE's were 800 math, 640 verbal; I had a 4.0 in my freshman year of college and earn a PhD in computational physics.

But, according to my 8th grade guidance counselor, I was average.

To be fair to your middle school counselor, it is possible that your lower verbal scores were "hiding" your abilities in math and science. It is also possible that part of the reason you were not doing homework was that the reading and writing involved were not comfortable for you.

More good reasons to place kids in classes according to their strengths and challenges. Some kids are equally strong across the board, some are stronger in some subject areas than others. If we were to place kids appropriately in each subject, they could end up with a stronger education overall.

Completely agree. This is simple common sense, something that FCPS seems to be in short supply of (as evidenced with AAP).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid "needs" AAP because FCPS offers the program and will find my kid eligible for the program. Seriously, no one "needs" AAP, but people always want what they perceive to be the best for their kids. I know I'll get a bunch of "if you don't think some kids 'need' AAP, clearly you don't have a truly gifted child." You know what, I don't think my child is gifted, but the first thing the teacher proactively said in my recent conferences was that AAP was the right place for DC. Does DC "need" it, no, but that doesn't mean it's not the right fit. People will always try to get their child into what they perceive as the best opportunity, regardless of whether someone else thinks they don't "need" it. Basically, people who make the "only those who need it should be in" argument are saying that kids in the 97-99th percentile are disadvantaged by being in a class with the 90-96th percentile, but the 90-96th percentile kids will do just fine with the 1-89th percentile.

It's interesting that you adamantly state up front that you believe no child "needs" AAP, but then continue to say that you know your child doesn't "need" it because your DC is not gifted. I think you do know that truly gifted kids "need" a special ed program, but because AAP is so diluted you are super defensive of your belief that since the program is not for truly gifted kids, why should't YOUR kid get in.

And as you predicted, I'll tell you that some kids do NEED something different in a classroom. My oldest NEEDS something other than a gen ed classroom. It doesn't work for her or the teacher/students in the gen ed class. I can go into details if you would like, but you sound so bitter and defensive that I doubt you REALLY want to discuss the reality of highly gifted kids.

I have another DC that is smart and the teacher is fawning all over him because he's the model student. He's so smart, he's so sweet, he's so empathetic, etc. etc. He's a happy-go-lucky kid, follows the rules, and is a charmer so the teachers and kids all love him. He's right on track/a little ahead, but he's NOT GIFTED. If he is accepted into AAP will he like it? Maybe, but he doesn't like a lot of pressure or to move too fast while learning. For his older sibling, it was never a question of whether a faster, more in-depth curriculum was needed.

What I don't get is why you are so bitter about this subject? You're kid is in the program. Just make sure he doesn't slow it down

What are you talking about? I'm not bitter at all. Why would I be bitter, my child got in and is doing really well academically. I put "needs" in quotes not to "adamantly state" that my child needs AAP, but to say "needs" is relative. My child won't slow down the class, DC has received differentiation since K, and, as I said, the AAP teacher is the one who proactively said AAP is the right place for DC. Your child may need something other than gen ed, not because your child is gifted, but because your child, in addition to being gifted, has other issues. I know two people I consider truly gifted and they do well no matter what. I'm sure there are gifted kids with other issues, but being gifted isn't what's driving the "need" for something other than gen ed, it's the other issues. I have no reason to be defensive, as you put it, I'm just stating my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Because I think my child can keep up, and because I think the program is better than the regular program. As a parent, I'm going to try to get my kid in the best situation they can handle. Should I feel bad about that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's really to get away from poor kids.

Not in our AAP school. In fact there was significantly more low income as well as diversity in our AAP school than our neighborhood school.

Is the AAP portion of the AAP school more diverse or is it the AAP school as a whole that is more diverse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok...if you are not a troll, you would know about measurement errors. My DD scored below 135 on the cogAT. But, it was one measurement. You would understand how difficult it is to measure giftedness at a young age. So, FCPS standards for AAP are "potentially" gifted.

So, my DD, with her 122 CogAT in grade 2, showed potential as a gifted student, according to her teachers (1 & 2 grade). We referred...she was admitted.

She is in the upper quarter (at worst) in AAP in the 8th grade, with straight A's. (Last year she her only B was band). Had she been in GenEd, she would easily be the smartest kid in the classroom.

I have not bothered to have her tested recently (like ever), there is no point. She will achieve what she achieves. He goal in schools in Va Tech (where I went). Though, I think UVA or W & M would be a better fit for her. The point, though, is she is doing fine. I can not say how she would be doing in GenED.

PP above demonstrated the benefit of doubts -- why withheld education opportunities for kids that could thrive? DS teacher told me that DS is always going to be on the borderline. He scored 85% when he was tested for 2nd grade math competency at the beginning of 2nd grade, this shows that he knows 85% of the math content for 2nd grade without going through 2nd grade. That for me is a very good indication that he can do more, but this teacher said, she will only give him enrichment for those areas that she thinks he is good and not for other areas that she thinks he is not ahead. Why don't just give him all the enrichment and see how he runs with them? Likewise, why don't just expose all kids to AAP level math and don't predetermine who "deserves" those enrichment. If the kids want to meet the challenge, why not?

PRECISELY. And I would add, why not expose all kids to ALL advanced level subjects and see who can do it? What's the point of keeping enrichment away from any child?

Do you seriously not understand this? Do you think it's fair to the advanced kids to have to be paced with the average or remedial kids? Makes no sense to put a child in a class where they can't keep up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's really to get away from poor kids.

Not in our AAP school. In fact there was significantly more low income as well as diversity in our AAP school than our neighborhood school.

Is the AAP portion of the AAP school more diverse or is it the AAP school as a whole that is more diverse?

Both AAP portion and the non-AAP portion are very diverse... but I will say that at least in my kid's center, the AAP part is more white. The base part of the center is probably 90% minority... so even if the AAP part is 50% white -- it's a lot more white than the base part of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because I think my child can keep up, and because I think the program is better than the regular program. As a parent, I'm going to try to get my kid in the best situation they can handle. Should I feel bad about that?

Our AAP classes are more diverse-- but probably not in the way you are thinking. The AAPAND Center is half white, half Asian (including Indian in this). The GE population is overwhelmingly (75%+ white). Virtually no (4%) FARMs, AA or Hispanic in either. Herndon (the 20171 part).

[Anonymous]

... aAP, not AAPAND (which autocorrect thinks is a word).

[Anonymous]

My child scored a 120 on the NNAT and I thought that would not be considered suited for AAP. But in the parent teacher conference, the teacher suggested that my kid would do very well in AAP and recommend that we put a referral in. Since I am not a teacher and I do not know what other 2nd graders are doing, I count on the teacher's expertise. Because of that, we are going to refer. Otherwise we would not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child scored a 120 on the NNAT and I thought that would not be considered suited for AAP. But in the parent teacher conference, the teacher suggested that my kid would do very well in AAP and recommend that we put a referral in. Since I am not a teacher and I do not know what other 2nd graders are doing, I count on the teacher's expertise. Because of that, we are going to refer. Otherwise we would not.

What? You are trusting the teacher and communicating with him/her to discuss what is best for your child? And you are following up based on such a discussion?

Are you mad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child scored a 120 on the NNAT and I thought that would not be considered suited for AAP. But in the parent teacher conference, the teacher suggested that my kid would do very well in AAP and recommend that we put a referral in. Since I am not a teacher and I do not know what other 2nd graders are doing, I count on the teacher's expertise. Because of that, we are going to refer. Otherwise we would not.

What? You are trusting the teacher and communicating with him/her to discuss what is best for your child? And you are following up based on such a discussion?

Are you mad?

Sadly I don't trust all teachers' judgement. Our oldest child's 1st grade teacher told us she should fail 1st grade because she couldn't do the work. She has a 150 IQ. The teacher didn't know how to recognize a child that didn't fit the mold of a "good, smart kid." So, I don't think all teacher's know what's best.