FCPS comprehensive boundary review

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

You do not need centers to have a good cohort of advanced students. If you need centers, go back to the GT program. AAP is not that.

Yes centers are needed. Most schools do not have enough kids to qualify as advanced to make a solid cohort and definitely not enough to make up a class without inviting other non advanced students to make up the difference.

No, what each school needs is a flexible grouping system - advanced, grade-level, remedial - for all four core subjects. Students should be able to move up (or down) as needed. There are plenty of kids who are "non-advanced" across the board, and many of those kids are actually in AAP, which is ridiculous. Every child has strengths and weaknesses, and flexible groupings would allow *everyone* to receive appropriate instruction.
DP

Fight to get your kid into the local level IV. I'm sure they will need some non advanced kids to round out those classes.
But let truly advanced kids go to the centers so they can have a proper cohort of peers and certified teachers.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Foe thise that keep repeating they left the Dem party because of boundaries, or are staunch repub and against "equity ".....i really belive you'll be shocked at the outcomes. Dems might care a little bit about your feelings and the fact that you bought your house for a school, but repubs will be ruthless and make it painful for all. Will say that a few years of pain is worth it to right size everything.
Translation = don't care about you or your house value or why you bought your house, and don't even think about grandfathering. Will really just look at numbers and cut and move students to course correct.

Signed,
An independent that sees false grandstanding on both sides of the political spectrum

If the all Democratic school board is going to sabotage my family’s choice of school pyramid, then I’ll happily support the alternative party that defunds public schools to give me more money when I send my kids elsewhere.

It’s the adult version of taking my ball and going home. Thing is, the Dems absolutely need families like mine to make public schools work, and we are the exact families that they are targeting with the boundary changes.

Righ, take your ball and go home....and find out you'll get $100 per kid as a voucher. Good luck with the wishful thinking.

Oh sorry, I guess my post wasn’t clear. We can afford private without any vouchers.

We are happy to have our kids go public and support public schools, but when the school board sabotages our choice of school pyramid, we’ll be a lot less charitable, and that translates into us no longer supporting the public school system. Btw, I’ve always been a staunch supporter of public schools, but the school board has called that into question. I’ve talked to others in my area who have expressed similar sentiments.

How would you go about “no longer supporting the public school system”?

You don’t really have a choice in that regard. You will go to jail if you don’t pay your taxes.

We support our public school by being involved in the PTA and so many other things. Our school is great because of parent involvement. Kids with parents who are not involved also benefit from parents who are. When those families go private it makes a difference.

It’s fascinating to see certain posters argue until they’re blue in the face about how we need to lower farms rates at certain schools by bringing in mc and umc families, and then somehow try to argue that those families aren’t needed anyway.

Very transparent, but doesn’t change the fundamental fact that the school board and democrats are (and will continue) hemorrhaging support over the boundary study.

DP. Here a trial balloon for you.

The draft CIP for 2026-30 includes $86M in funding for a new Dunn Loring ES for which there is clearly no need. That $86M could be funding expansions to both Chantilly HS and McLean HS, which would make at least some of these boundary change discussions moot.

During a work session a week or two ago about half the School Board members finally expressed misgivings in public about whether there was any need for this school. Karl Frisch, who is the School Board Chair and the big proponent of the wasteful Dunn Loring project, did not attend that work session.

They are now scheduled to vote on that CIP on February 6th. If Frisch somehow gets them to go ahead and approve the CIP with the unnecessary Dunn Loring project included, despite the public acknowledgment by half the SB members that it’s the wrong school in the wrong location, that will demonstrate just how little this School Board cares about paying any attention to public opinion or exercising responsible stewardship of FCPS’s capital resources. It would be a clear sign that they will also go ahead and do whatever the hell they want with boundaries because they really don’t think enough people will ever pay attention to the School Board’s decisions to vote them out of office, pull their kids out of FCPS, etc.

Stay tuned.

Yep. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of confidence that the school board is capable of enough self-reflection. They operate in a big echo chamber.

I have no doubt that, had Karl Frisch attended the work session, he would have tried to cut off any public questions about the need for Dunn Loring ES from other School Board members. He wasn't there, so other members spoke more openly.

It's possible that since the work session on January 14th, Frisch has been working behind the scenes to defend his big waste of money and browbeat the other SB members into submission. But the cat is out of the bag. If they go ahead and approve spending over $80M more on this school over the next five years, when FCPS's own projections show no need, they would be demonstrating the contempt with which they view the public. On the other hand, if they amend the CIP to delete this waste of taxpayer money, they would be sending a signal that they are somewhat responsive to changing conditions in the county, which would be a good sign they might exercise some restraint when it comes to future boundary changes.

They engaged in some self-reflection at the January 14th work session. The question now is whether they have the courage to deal with the implications of their own remarks, or instead will just pretend it never happened and revert to business as usual because it would make Frisch happier.

+100
DP. What is the reasoning behind Frisch pushing for this unneeded school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

BS. These students can receive advanced instruction within their own neighborhood schools.

Nope. Centers are superior to the local level IV.

Too bad. They're inequitable for all of the other kids who don't get to choose which school they'd prefer to attend. A true GT center/program would be quite different than these unnecessary AAP centers full of kids who overlap hugely with GenEd kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

You do not need centers to have a good cohort of advanced students. If you need centers, go back to the GT program. AAP is not that.

Yes centers are needed. Most schools do not have enough kids to qualify as advanced to make a solid cohort and definitely not enough to make up a class without inviting other non advanced students to make up the difference.

No, what each school needs is a flexible grouping system - advanced, grade-level, remedial - for all four core subjects. Students should be able to move up (or down) as needed. There are plenty of kids who are "non-advanced" across the board, and many of those kids are actually in AAP, which is ridiculous. Every child has strengths and weaknesses, and flexible groupings would allow *everyone* to receive appropriate instruction.
DP

Fight to get your kid into the local level IV. I'm sure they will need some non advanced kids to round out those classes.
But let truly advanced kids go to the centers so they can have a proper cohort of peers and certified teachers.

You truly don't get it and never will. I can only hope the SB sees that their biggest display of INequity is the existence of AAP centers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

BS. These students can receive advanced instruction within their own neighborhood schools.

Nope. Centers are superior to the local level IV.

Too bad. They're inequitable for all of the other kids who don't get to choose which school they'd prefer to attend. A true GT center/program would be quite different than these unnecessary AAP centers full of kids who overlap hugely with GenEd kids.

They aren't inequitable because your kid can't get in. Kids choose their schools in other ways as well. The fixation on centers is strange. Even if there were GT centers there would still be a group of kids that choose their school

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Many of the posts on this thread are from Langley families not wanting to be redistricted to Herndon or West Springfield families not wanting to be redistricted to Lewis.

They are prepared to throw the School Board a bone in the form of redistricting OTHER families in split feeders and attendance islands.

Those families may or may not want to be redistricted, or in some cases moving those families could weaken schools.

They should not move kids just so they can declare their boundary study a success while placating the noisiest parents from Langley and West Springfield.

I think rezoning kids in split feeders and attendance islands from West Springfield HS to equally desirable Lake Braddock is very different from what you are describing.

There is so much community overlap between LBSS and WSHS, and the schools are virtually equal in quality, rigor, facilities, sports, activities and academic programs.

It would not "weaken" either school, and it would benefit the Sangster families in that one neighborhood that goes to WSHS, as well as the one far off attendance island neighborhood that passes several elementary schools to get to Keene Mill, bringing it closer to both the elementary school, but also the middle and high school.

Advocating for that as a solution to avoid unwanted rezoning is not even a little bit of what you are implying.

It would be a non controversial rezoning that addresses WSHS capacity, closes split feeders and attendance islands, keeps kids in their communities and friend groups, gives families a truly equivalent school experience , and does not impact property values at all.

These are good points and if parents in those islands would happily move over to LBSS there is no reason not to clean up those boundaries.

Other situations may pose different issues, and people should pay attention. Because others may see themselves offered up against their will by people looking to throw the School Board members an opportunity to save face (while looking to avoid being redistricted themselves).

Like the hypocrite who is on BRAC and is on record being in favor of equity redistricting as long as it is not her kids?

Did I mention she’s a hypocrite?

Also, I wonder if the board is going to move Sandy Anderson’s kids or Kyle McDaniel’s? I won’t hold my breath.

This is the question that needs to be asked. How exactly will any proposed changes impact SB members' zoned schools or property values?

Isn’t Sandy zoned for Silverbrook/South County? Interesting to see if there are any proposals to move the Route 1 corridor area of Lorton from Hayfield to South County.

Anderson might have the ulterior motive of moving Hunt Valley to SoCo, not to Lewis as some on this board keep insisting is the plan. That would benefit SoCo, and in tbe end improve the housing value of homes zoned for SoCo. It is a much more likely scenario than moving low income, ESL Route 1 families to SoCo, as school board members are known to rezone neighborhoods to improve their own school rankings and home values.

But this does nothing to improve Lewis. What else can Lewis draw from?

Why does everything have to be about Lewis? Why is it the most important high school in the county? We don't care about improving Hayfield or other schools. What makes Lewis so unbelieveably special that we have to focus so much time, money and attention on it?

The one or two very loud posters on here who own homes zones for Lewis and want to see their property values go up if high income areas are rezoned into their school LOL.

But really - with Lewis’s small capacity, they can’t actually absorb that many more students to make the school’s demographics change all that much.

Property values between Lewis and WSHS are similar. No one is coveting your 70s split level.

Ok, then why are 1) certain people on here all up in their feelings about the importance of rezoning WSHS neighborhoods/schools to Lewis, and 2) insistent that it must be WS kids and not those from nearby Edison or Hayfield? It’s the property values and the perceived “prestige” of certain schools.

DP. I think it’s just because WS has over 1000 more kids than Lewis. Neither Edison nor Hayfield has as many kids in 9-12 as WSHS. If it were Edison rather than WS with 2800 kids now people would be bringing it up first.

Edisons buildings, particularly the square footage of individual classerroms, is much smaller than WSHS.

WSHS has larger classrooms, so they can fit more kids in the rooms without being or feeling overcrowded.

You are doing the simple math.

You cannot compare raw student body count, or even number of classrooms.

The square footage of the classrooms matter.

Lewis could have 1800 students, and feel far more crowded than WSHS at 2700 because of the size of the individual classrooms and hallways.

WSHS can easily handle 2800 students without trailers and without feeling overcrowded. Edison would have to bring in a complete fleet of trailers to squeeze in 2800 students.

I was just explaining why people tend to compare Lewis's situation with West Springfield, rather than with Edison or Hayfield.

You can agree or disagree. Personally, I hope that, if they do move any kids to Lewis, they take a hard look at enhancements to Lewis's programs that might make the school more attractive to rezoned families before doing anything.

Otherwise, it sounds like West Springfield got a nicer renovation than Edison, at a time when a West Springfield graduate (Jeff Platenberg) was heading Facilities and in charge of the renovations of both West Springfield and Edison. Meanwhile Lewis got nothing. Sounds like his favoritism towards his alma mater may come back to bite others in the ass if they get redistricted.

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

"When all you've ever known is privilege, equality feels like oppression."

Edison had a beautiful renovation.

But their footprint is tiny. The lot is too landlocked to expand the building without sacrificing sports fields.

Not everything is about privilege and equity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

BS. These students can receive advanced instruction within their own neighborhood schools.

Nope. Centers are superior to the local level IV.

Too bad. They're inequitable for all of the other kids who don't get to choose which school they'd prefer to attend. A true GT center/program would be quite different than these unnecessary AAP centers full of kids who overlap hugely with GenEd kids.

They aren't inequitable because your kid can't get in. Kids choose their schools in other ways as well. The fixation on centers is strange. Even if there were GT centers there would still be a group of kids that choose their school

If there was an actual GT program - you know, for the tiny percent of actually gifted kids - then we would only need a couple of centers, one on either end of the county. That's how few kids would actually qualify for a gifted program. The rest of the kids, to include the merely "advanced," would simply be educated at their neighborhood school, which would hopefully re-implement flexible groupings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

BS. These students can receive advanced instruction within their own neighborhood schools.

Nope. Centers are superior to the local level IV.

Too bad. They're inequitable for all of the other kids who don't get to choose which school they'd prefer to attend. A true GT center/program would be quite different than these unnecessary AAP centers full of kids who overlap hugely with GenEd kids.

They aren't inequitable because your kid can't get in. Kids choose their schools in other ways as well. The fixation on centers is strange. Even if there were GT centers there would still be a group of kids that choose their school

If there was an actual GT program - you know, for the tiny percent of actually gifted kids - then we would only need a couple of centers, one on either end of the county. That's how few kids would actually qualify for a gifted program. The rest of the kids, to include the merely "advanced," would simply be educated at their neighborhood school, which would hopefully re-implement flexible groupings.

What a horrible idea.

One of mine hit the ceiling on his individually administered IQ test (150)

Centers are a fwr superior model.for these "truly gifted" kids than what you are describing.

And just so you know, back when AAP was a "truly gifted" program, it was still a center model, with 1-2 classes in each pyramid, with none of this "one on either end of the county"

What yoh are talking about is up to an hour commute for kids down to 2rd grade, completely removing them from.their neighborhoods and communities.

Could the center be a little tighter with acceptances? Of course.

Should FCPS scrap centers for an impractical amd ineffective idea like you are suggesting? Absolutely not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

BS. These students can receive advanced instruction within their own neighborhood schools.

Nope. Centers are superior to the local level IV.

Too bad. They're inequitable for all of the other kids who don't get to choose which school they'd prefer to attend. A true GT center/program would be quite different than these unnecessary AAP centers full of kids who overlap hugely with GenEd kids.

They aren't inequitable because your kid can't get in. Kids choose their schools in other ways as well. The fixation on centers is strange. Even if there were GT centers there would still be a group of kids that choose their school

If there was an actual GT program - you know, for the tiny percent of actually gifted kids - then we would only need a couple of centers, one on either end of the county. That's how few kids would actually qualify for a gifted program. The rest of the kids, to include the merely "advanced," would simply be educated at their neighborhood school, which would hopefully re-implement flexible groupings.

FCPS is super wealthy, has one of the highest concentrations of highly educated moms in the entire country, and a disproportionately high number of asians and indians.

We do not have just "a few truly gifted" kids.

We have every thing in place to have many "truly gifted"kids: affluence, really smart highly educated moms, and lots of asians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

BS. These students can receive advanced instruction within their own neighborhood schools.

Nope. Centers are superior to the local level IV.

Too bad. They're inequitable for all of the other kids who don't get to choose which school they'd prefer to attend. A true GT center/program would be quite different than these unnecessary AAP centers full of kids who overlap hugely with GenEd kids.

They aren't inequitable because your kid can't get in. Kids choose their schools in other ways as well. The fixation on centers is strange. Even if there were GT centers there would still be a group of kids that choose their school

If there was an actual GT program - you know, for the tiny percent of actually gifted kids - then we would only need a couple of centers, one on either end of the county. That's how few kids would actually qualify for a gifted program. The rest of the kids, to include the merely "advanced," would simply be educated at their neighborhood school, which would hopefully re-implement flexible groupings.

What a horrible idea.

One of mine hit the ceiling on his individually administered IQ test (150)

Centers are a fwr superior model.for these "truly gifted" kids than what you are describing.

And just so you know, back when AAP was a "truly gifted" program, it was still a center model, with 1-2 classes in each pyramid, with none of this "one on either end of the county"

What yoh are talking about is up to an hour commute for kids down to 2rd grade, completely removing them from.their neighborhoods and communities.

Could the center be a little tighter with acceptances? Of course.

Should FCPS scrap centers for an impractical amd ineffective idea like you are suggesting? Absolutely not.

We’ll just have to agree to disagree. Centers have worn out their welcome. AAP is not a gifted program, it’s just the regular curriculum slightly accelerated. I grew up in FCPS and there was never a “center model” with GT. The very few kids who qualified were simply taught at their neighborhood school in a small group. This is what they need to return to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

BS. These students can receive advanced instruction within their own neighborhood schools.

Nope. Centers are superior to the local level IV.

Too bad. They're inequitable for all of the other kids who don't get to choose which school they'd prefer to attend. A true GT center/program would be quite different than these unnecessary AAP centers full of kids who overlap hugely with GenEd kids.

They aren't inequitable because your kid can't get in. Kids choose their schools in other ways as well. The fixation on centers is strange. Even if there were GT centers there would still be a group of kids that choose their school

If there was an actual GT program - you know, for the tiny percent of actually gifted kids - then we would only need a couple of centers, one on either end of the county. That's how few kids would actually qualify for a gifted program. The rest of the kids, to include the merely "advanced," would simply be educated at their neighborhood school, which would hopefully re-implement flexible groupings.

FCPS is super wealthy, has one of the highest concentrations of highly educated moms in the entire country, and a disproportionately high number of asians and indians.

We do not have just "a few truly gifted" kids.

We have every thing in place to have many "truly gifted"kids: affluence, really smart highly educated moms, and lots of asians.

“Advanced” is not the same as gifted. Most AAP kids aren’t advanced across the board and most GenEd kids are advanced in at least one area/subject. Flexible groupings should be the standard, with a true GT program for the very top percent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

You do not need centers to have a good cohort of advanced students. If you need centers, go back to the GT program. AAP is not that.

Yes centers are needed. Most schools do not have enough kids to qualify as advanced to make a solid cohort and definitely not enough to make up a class without inviting other non advanced students to make up the difference.

No, what each school needs is a flexible grouping system - advanced, grade-level, remedial - for all four core subjects. Students should be able to move up (or down) as needed. There are plenty of kids who are "non-advanced" across the board, and many of those kids are actually in AAP, which is ridiculous. Every child has strengths and weaknesses, and flexible groupings would allow *everyone* to receive appropriate instruction.
DP

Fight to get your kid into the local level IV. I'm sure they will need some non advanced kids to round out those classes.
But let truly advanced kids go to the centers so they can have a proper cohort of peers and certified teachers.

You truly don't get it and never will. I can only hope the SB sees that their biggest display of INequity is the existence of AAP centers.

I say the same to you. If you had gifted kids you would get why local level IV isn't sufficient for some AAP students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

BS. These students can receive advanced instruction within their own neighborhood schools.

Nope. Centers are superior to the local level IV.

Too bad. They're inequitable for all of the other kids who don't get to choose which school they'd prefer to attend. A true GT center/program would be quite different than these unnecessary AAP centers full of kids who overlap hugely with GenEd kids.

They aren't inequitable because your kid can't get in. Kids choose their schools in other ways as well. The fixation on centers is strange. Even if there were GT centers there would still be a group of kids that choose their school

If there was an actual GT program - you know, for the tiny percent of actually gifted kids - then we would only need a couple of centers, one on either end of the county. That's how few kids would actually qualify for a gifted program. The rest of the kids, to include the merely "advanced," would simply be educated at their neighborhood school, which would hopefully re-implement flexible groupings.

What a horrible idea.

One of mine hit the ceiling on his individually administered IQ test (150)

Centers are a fwr superior model.for these "truly gifted" kids than what you are describing.

And just so you know, back when AAP was a "truly gifted" program, it was still a center model, with 1-2 classes in each pyramid, with none of this "one on either end of the county"

What yoh are talking about is up to an hour commute for kids down to 2rd grade, completely removing them from.their neighborhoods and communities.

Could the center be a little tighter with acceptances? Of course.

Should FCPS scrap centers for an impractical amd ineffective idea like you are suggesting? Absolutely not.

We’ll just have to agree to disagree. Centers have worn out their welcome. AAP is not a gifted program, it’s just the regular curriculum slightly accelerated. I grew up in FCPS and there was never a “center model” with GT. The very few kids who qualified were simply taught at their neighborhood school in a small group. This is what they need to return to.

What was the criteria for admission?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:IMO, they should eliminate all AAP centers and all split feeders. Make each school a neighborhood school. Have AP in all schools. Changing boundaries shouldn’t even be a discussion until those things are complete.

I’ve HEARD through various channels that there are a few advocacy groups that are influential in keeping the AAP centers going. Fairfax County Association for the Gifted was one. They won’t be eliminated any time soon. It seems like the hope right now is getting LLIV into all schools, pushing for kids to stay at their local schools, and then maybe, eventually, 10-15+ years into the future, reducing the number of ES AAP centers. MS AAP may be eliminated sooner if the amount of honors classes increases.

Excellent! FCPS absolutely needs the centers to stay open in order to provide strong cohorts of advanced students for those who need it.

BS. These students can receive advanced instruction within their own neighborhood schools.

Nope. Centers are superior to the local level IV.

Too bad. They're inequitable for all of the other kids who don't get to choose which school they'd prefer to attend. A true GT center/program would be quite different than these unnecessary AAP centers full of kids who overlap hugely with GenEd kids.

They aren't inequitable because your kid can't get in. Kids choose their schools in other ways as well. The fixation on centers is strange. Even if there were GT centers there would still be a group of kids that choose their school

If there was an actual GT program - you know, for the tiny percent of actually gifted kids - then we would only need a couple of centers, one on either end of the county. That's how few kids would actually qualify for a gifted program. The rest of the kids, to include the merely "advanced," would simply be educated at their neighborhood school, which would hopefully re-implement flexible groupings.

What a horrible idea.

One of mine hit the ceiling on his individually administered IQ test (150)

Centers are a fwr superior model.for these "truly gifted" kids than what you are describing.

And just so you know, back when AAP was a "truly gifted" program, it was still a center model, with 1-2 classes in each pyramid, with none of this "one on either end of the county"

What yoh are talking about is up to an hour commute for kids down to 2rd grade, completely removing them from.their neighborhoods and communities.

Could the center be a little tighter with acceptances? Of course.

Should FCPS scrap centers for an impractical amd ineffective idea like you are suggesting? Absolutely not.

We’ll just have to agree to disagree. Centers have worn out their welcome. AAP is not a gifted program, it’s just the regular curriculum slightly accelerated. I grew up in FCPS and there was never a “center model” with GT. The very few kids who qualified were simply taught at their neighborhood school in a small group. This is what they need to return to.

Were you in the GT program? Were your kids in the AAP program? I grew up similarly and was in a pullout program at my school. I loved that class but was very bored the rest of the time. My DD is an AAP student and doesn’t get as bored. She isn’t required to “teach someone else” during group work the way I was. At first I was hesitant to put her in the program but after a few weeks I saw how much she enjoyed it. She is now in 8th grade and it has been a great experience.

[Anonymous]

There were more than 2 centers. However, they were MUCH smaller than the AAP centers and far fewer.

The criteria was based on IQ test scores. Towards the end of the GT program, they added in observational criteria, but the basis was still IQ. I don't think "twice-exceptional" kids were included--though there was likely speech therapy, if needed. The idea was that these were kids who could move fast and forward without remediation. They started adding in more criteria as the racial makeup was not what was desired. Part of this was due to the IQ tests being taught in Saturday schools. The IQ tests are based on how kids answer questions they have not seen before. Once the tests were "out there," people began gaming the system.

That is far from what is now going on in AAP.

Also, a lot of AAP parents judge it compared to what kids do in second grade. They often don't realize that there is a big jump in GenEd from second to third grade.

The program is compromised in many ways now. It needs to be eliminated. Too many parents are getting their children in through protests.

former teacher