Sound off if you think AAP is BS
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Anonymous
And too many with parents who are in denial about their child's behavior. He's is not disruptive because he's "bored by curriculum that isn't challenging him." He's disruptive because you've never taught him not to be (or he needs to be on meds). Some of those AAP classrooms are out of control. |
Anonymous
Let's try and be mature and curb the insults. We all know YOU are the smartest on DCUM. You don't need to puff your chest here. Let me explain my point/question using an actual school. I won't say the name of the school, but I will say it lies somewhere between Alexandria and Falls Church. It is not a center school. There are approx 105 kids in sixth grade. 32% of this class is in AAP. According to previous posters, only approx 12% are likely to be true Level IV AAP qualified students. So, explain to me why it is so important to separate the other 20% kids from the Gen Ed kid population? Especially when that 20% is many times only in the AAP program due to pushy parents and quite frankly "special favors" given by the AAP administrator in the school. This is just one example as to why many parents think the AAP program has gotten out of hand and has little to no meaning anymore, other than to provide narcissistic parents a way to brag about their kids. |
Anonymous
I think you are missing the point. First, let's be mature and curb insults? On a thread that say "post here if you think AAP is bullshit?" And has has many PPs slamming AAP kids for being disciple problems that need medication. When you say AAP serves no purpose except to serve narcissistic parents. Umm... Maybe you go first on that one. Also 14% of FCPS as a whole is in AAP (see the link above). But that varies a lot because FCPS is big and socioeconomic ally diverse. One school with wealthy affluent parents in a TJ feeder zone may have half of the kids qualify. Another in high FARMS may have none. Your school with 30 kids may have all 30 kids qualified. Or 28 or 1/2. But if they have an LLIV program, they are likely to be above average in terms of qualification. Or, put another way, 14% does not mean that 14% of kids in each school qualify. It's what happens when you take the school with 40% in McLean and Carson/ Rocky Run zones and average them with the 1-2% in Baileys and areas like Lake Braddock or South Couty that are more "typical". |
Anonymous
Not the person you are responding to. You are not making any sense. |
Anonymous
And many GE classrooms are out of control (especially when there are pushing) , and some HS classrooms are out of control, etc. Some students of all intelligence levels are disruptive. And some teachers at all levels are incompetent. On whole, though 2e kids will do better in an AAP setting. Which is good for that kid, and good for GE classroom, where the teacher really can't manage the kid, and he is a distraction to other students. And AAP teachers self select, because they have to be AAP certified, or working on it. So someone out there wants to teach AAP kids. |
Anonymous
Another NP. What exactly don't you understand? It's pretty clear... |
Anonymous
As people keep saying. The assumption that because an average of 12% of kids are in AAP, that means that exactly 12% of any given school is AAP. Which is sort of like saying Langley and Mt. Vernon kids have the same average SAT scores. |
Anonymous
I didn't realize one of the goals of AAP was the take the problem children out of GE so those poor kids can have a better learning environment. My entire outlook on the program has changed. 
My original point, which still stands, is that parents cannot be sure their child will get a "better" education in an AAP class, because it's not all about how smart the rest of the kids in the classroom are. The attitudes and behaviors of those classmates also matters. |
Anonymous
No it is not clear at all. 12% on the qualifying tests is not the cut off for AAP. Nor is 12% of any student body. The cut off for AAP is roughly two standard deviations or more on the qualifying tests, which roughly translates into students who score in the upper 98th percentile, or the top 2% of students who took the tests. FCPS has a much higher scoring student cohort than most places, so they moved to a separate score that is normed for fcps students only. You can see this on your child's score report. When you compare the national norm to the fcps norm, you can see how many more students in fcps is in the highest range of students nationwide. This is especially obvious in kids who score in the upper 80s to mid 90s range nationally. Those scores which would qualify for the gifted program in almost any other school district in the country drops down th the 75-upper 80 range when normed exclusively for fcps students. An area that is a TJ feeder, where parents are moving in droves specifically for TJ chances, is going to have a higher percentage of kids qualifying for AAP who are for the most partall in that upper 97-99% range whe normed nationally. So those big TJ feeders do not have just 12% of their kids in that range, but instead have 25-30% of their kids in that upper range. They are a self selecting group of very educated parents of very intelligent kids all choosing to live in roughly the same area. That PP is not applying the percentages correctly and clearly does not understand how these tests are normed. To put it simply, as pp said, her math does not make sense. |
Anonymous
The original goal of AAP, back when it was a "real" GT program, was to educate kids who wouldn't succeed in a standard classroom. It's still a goal. |
Anonymous
This is a good explanation. But PPs have explained this 3 times. The "23%" poster will never get it. Because math is hard. |
Anonymous
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New poster.
That goal is actually a part of the state mandate for gifted education. So yes, AAP is for those 2e kids who disrupt class, might seem lime slackers or failures when compared to well behaved people pleaser type students, who have meltdowns and who appear to need a generous dose of ritalin. Teaching those kids effectively is part of the training for gifted certification. |
Anonymous
many? How many kids' test scores and GBRS scores do you personally have knowledge of to make this statement.
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Anonymous
Yes, I wonder that too. I only know of on other family's score, my best friend's whose kids go to another school. Who knew that there was a school where a random mom has access to most of the students' confidential test scores and gbrs? |
Anonymous
Plus: GBRSs don't mean jack if they aren't supported by commentary and a committee (AAP coordinator, 2nd grade teacher, maybe K and 1st too) write the GBRS. And I don't even know my kids' scores, let alone other kids. You don't get them unless you request the screening file. |