GT/AAP Appeals

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:32
I am none of these posters and I mainly read this blog to get a good laugh when I have had a rough day. I am commenting because this statement is completely untrue. I am a teacher in FCPS and one of the "newest" theories coming down from the big wigs is to split your classroom up into 3 groups. Those students who have mastered material, those who have some knowledge, and those who truly do not get it. WE, teachers that is, are supposed to give a pre-test on new units and separate the students up using scores, yes scores once again. All the A's together, B's and C's together, and the D's and F's together. Then we are supposed to allow the students with A's to tutor and teach the other groups the material or lesson because research shows that students learn better from their peers than from a teacher standing up trying to teach 30 kids. We are also supposed to allow them to offer help when students have questions because kids have a way of explaining things differently than a teacher so more can understand. So in fact 13:12 has a point about her daughter bringing enthusiasm to the kids. This is called differentiating a classroom to meet all needs. The A students can "show off" as you put it and be leaders, and the rest of the class will learn more according to research. Entire lesson plans put forth by the county are being written to support this fact. So yes a 2nd grader, who is above in some areas, could in fact teach other 2nd graders.

This is what's going on in my dd's class. At first dd enjoyed helping her classmates, but now tells me it's starting to get annoying, as the ones who need a lot of help go to her instead of the teacher for every. little. thing.

[Anonymous]

I feel sorry for the children of so many parents on this thread. They are completely missing one of life's most important lessons. However smart you are, there will always be someone smarter.

[Anonymous]

I think no one disputes that there is always someone smarterr. The question is if the kids you are saying smarter are really smarter?

[Anonymous]

The question is whether the parents on this thread are stroking their kids' egos (in the name of "confidence building") to the extent that those little kids believe they are smarter, better, and more entitled than their peers. Like father, like son.

[Anonymous]

how do you know they are stoking the kids egos? These are loving parents who are trying to build a career path for their kids, gt centers->TJ->Harvard. They believe that with hardwork, their kids can pull it out. you know genius is 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration. nothing wrong with them exploring all possible avenues especially when the fairfax system seems to brand a kid smart in second grade itself rather than letting the kids mature intellectually at their pace. research and experience shows kids reveal their smartness at different ages. why dont you let the system sort out who is smarter as they are growing in the system.

[Anonymous]

To the parents whose children weren't picked for G/T:

Get over it. That's life. Your child didn't make the cut. Stop reliving grade school through your children. Support them and teach them how to deal with adversity. When things don't go your way, whining and crying about it gets you nowhere.

[Anonymous]

PP just curious; does your kid do anything other than school work?

[Anonymous]

21:25 do you work? looks like you dont have a sense of reality. In real life, it is not always the smart one who gets recognition. it is the one who understands the world as is and plays to theiradvantage that wins. ever heard of the world "politics"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the parents whose children weren't picked for G/T:

Get over it. That's life. Your child didn't make the cut. Stop reliving grade school through your children. Support them and teach them how to deal with adversity. When things don't go your way, whining and crying about it gets you nowhere.

My DD doesn't even konw if she made it or not. I haven't tell her much about it, and she doesn't even care and seems not interested. She's smart and cool.

I'm wainting for the appeal decision, then will go from there. My DD has big chance to make the cut IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: research and experience shows kids reveal their smartness at different ages. why dont you let the system sort out who is smarter as they are growing in the system.

Good thing that you can try agin in 3rd 4th 5th grades for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: research and experience shows kids reveal their smartness at different ages. why dont you let the system sort out who is smarter as they are growing in the system.

Good thing that you can try agin in 3rd 4th 5th grades for that.

the problem is they don't boot the ones out who were given the benefit of the doubt but relly haven't panned out.
You never know I guess who will do well and who won't. But the 147 WISC thing proves absolutely nothing about performance. Lot's of intelligent underachievers.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone ever heard of anyone who fails to "thrive" in AAP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone ever heard of anyone who fails to "thrive" in AAP?

Yes!! There are 3 kids in our base school in my son's 5th grade class whose parents pulled them out of AAP and brought them back to the base school.

[Anonymous]

PP proves that the kids who cant stand the heat are pulled out by parents. Better to be an achiever in base school than underachiever in aap. So, they dont necessarily need to be booted out. since Wisc is an indicator of ability, imho the kids should be given benifit of doubt.

Does any one know if there is any importance given to kids with musical talent at centres?

One last point. This is an important topic. One can debate it without resortig to base language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does any one know if there is any importance given to kids with musical talent at centres?

The central selection committee is looking for advanced academic potential -- not advanced musical (or even the more general term artisitic) potential. However, there are many AAP Center students who have wonderful musical talent, as well as in other artistic areas.