Why is the GT program in APS so anemic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elementary school parenting is a blip on the radar of your life. You all will learn soon enough that what you are doing here is sweating the small stuff. None of it means anything.

High school parents here, I strongly disagree. These are fundamental skills, and you were building a love of learning or associating school with boredom.

+1

I used to think this but the pandemic made me wonder, and when I did some research for homeschool my mind is forever changed. Elementary education is not “small stuff.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are going to create intensified classes for ELA, science and social studies for next year, but they're saying anyone can be in them, and that they will cover the same things as the regular class. In other words, they're not going to offer anything new, they're just going to call it something new. SMH.

Are they going to be doing this in middle schools next year? Will it happen in all middle schools?

Also, will this be all grade levels? My kid will be in 6th next year and would LOVE intensified science.

I’m under the impression it’s for 6-7-8. At least I hope it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are going to create intensified classes for ELA, science and social studies for next year, but they're saying anyone can be in them, and that they will cover the same things as the regular class. In other words, they're not going to offer anything new, they're just going to call it something new. SMH.

Are they going to be doing this in middle schools next year? Will it happen in all middle schools?

Also, will this be all grade levels? My kid will be in 6th next year and would LOVE intensified science.

I’m under the impression it’s for 6-7-8. At least I hope it is.

Oh amazing! I wonder how it works with Immersion since science is in Spanish. I hope Immersion students would get to take advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are going to create intensified classes for ELA, science and social studies for next year, but they're saying anyone can be in them, and that they will cover the same things as the regular class. In other words, they're not going to offer anything new, they're just going to call it something new. SMH.

Are they going to be doing this in middle schools next year? Will it happen in all middle schools?

Also, will this be all grade levels? My kid will be in 6th next year and would LOVE intensified science.

I’m under the impression it’s for 6-7-8. At least I hope it is.

It was SUPPOSED to be, but the BoardDocs presentation for tonight's meeting shows it's been cut back to ONLY 7 and 8 and NOT including social studies. If you haven't, please email the board and superintendent NOW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are going to create intensified classes for ELA, science and social studies for next year, but they're saying anyone can be in them, and that they will cover the same things as the regular class. In other words, they're not going to offer anything new, they're just going to call it something new. SMH.

Topics covered will be the same but expectation is to go deeper in topic and hopefully more challenging assignment. Maybe a research paper or two. There is not enough writing in MS so I’m hoping my kids can get that in intensified.

"Deeper" what does that mean? Are there more chapters in the book they haven't read? Carving into stone rather than pen on paper?

I think PP did a good job describing what she means by "deeper"...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are going to create intensified classes for ELA, science and social studies for next year, but they're saying anyone can be in them, and that they will cover the same things as the regular class. In other words, they're not going to offer anything new, they're just going to call it something new. SMH.

Topics covered will be the same but expectation is to go deeper in topic and hopefully more challenging assignment. Maybe a research paper or two. There is not enough writing in MS so I’m hoping my kids can get that in intensified.

"Deeper" what does that mean? Are there more chapters in the book they haven't read? Carving into stone rather than pen on paper?

I think PP did a good job describing what she means by "deeper"...

So they assign the kids a research paper? That’s honors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are going to create intensified classes for ELA, science and social studies for next year, but they're saying anyone can be in them, and that they will cover the same things as the regular class. In other words, they're not going to offer anything new, they're just going to call it something new. SMH.

Are they going to be doing this in middle schools next year? Will it happen in all middle schools?

Also, will this be all grade levels? My kid will be in 6th next year and would LOVE intensified science.

I’m under the impression it’s for 6-7-8. At least I hope it is.

It was SUPPOSED to be, but the BoardDocs presentation for tonight's meeting shows it's been cut back to ONLY 7 and 8 and NOT including social studies. If you haven't, please email the board and superintendent NOW.

Thank you! I’m the pp who thought it was 6-7-8. Any idea what happened? I thought it was a done deal. This is infuriating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are going to create intensified classes for ELA, science and social studies for next year, but they're saying anyone can be in them, and that they will cover the same things as the regular class. In other words, they're not going to offer anything new, they're just going to call it something new. SMH.

Topics covered will be the same but expectation is to go deeper in topic and hopefully more challenging assignment. Maybe a research paper or two. There is not enough writing in MS so I’m hoping my kids can get that in intensified.

"Deeper" what does that mean? Are there more chapters in the book they haven't read? Carving into stone rather than pen on paper?

I think PP did a good job describing what she means by "deeper"...

So they assign the kids a research paper? That’s honors?

Actually, yeah, assigning a big research paper can take a course from regular to honors. They did that a lot at my university. When you write, you are forced to think really critically about a topic and know it so well that you can synthesize and articulate its components. Have you read Writing to Learn by William Zissner (I think)? I highly recommend it.

But PP also mentioned more challenging assignments. As long as the additional challenge was related to the curriculum, yes I think offering more challenging assignments that require gaining more knowledge and a greater ability to analyze the information mean the course goes "deeper."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are going to create intensified classes for ELA, science and social studies for next year, but they're saying anyone can be in them, and that they will cover the same things as the regular class. In other words, they're not going to offer anything new, they're just going to call it something new. SMH.

Topics covered will be the same but expectation is to go deeper in topic and hopefully more challenging assignment. Maybe a research paper or two. There is not enough writing in MS so I’m hoping my kids can get that in intensified.

"Deeper" what does that mean? Are there more chapters in the book they haven't read? Carving into stone rather than pen on paper?

I think PP did a good job describing what she means by "deeper"...

So they assign the kids a research paper? That’s honors?

Actually that's better than the current reality. DC is in 7th grade and has yet to write a real paper. I'd love more writing.

Do you also not understand the difference in how to dive deep into a topic compared to surface level? Intensified, I hope, will challenge kids to think more deeply about topics and to want to understand them more.

[Anonymous]

It is the most effective teaching model but it is old-fashioned and no longer in style. APS is very progressive, they try on all the new fads and clear out the closet frequently.



It’s all about equity. Having a bunch kids get special treatment (who often had a non representative demographic) looked bad. Now everyone benefits from GT

If eligibility is based on test scores and IQ tests, then it is more equitable than just having it based on parents wanting their kids in the advanced class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


So they assign the kids a research paper? That’s honors?



Actually that's better than the current reality. DC is in 7th grade and has yet to write a real paper. I'd love more writing.

Do you also not understand the difference in how to dive deep into a topic compared to surface level? Intensified, I hope, will challenge kids to think more deeply about topics and to want to understand them more.

But they've said the course cannot go any faster than the regular class, and has to stick to the same curriculum. This would mean they couldn't have additional or deeper assignments, because those assignments would cut into the time allotted to the unit.

If they're going to do this, it needs to be done right. That means allowing the honors class to go faster, or to assign additional, more thought-provoking assignments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are going to create intensified classes for ELA, science and social studies for next year, but they're saying anyone can be in them, and that they will cover the same things as the regular class. In other words, they're not going to offer anything new, they're just going to call it something new. SMH.

Topics covered will be the same but expectation is to go deeper in topic and hopefully more challenging assignment. Maybe a research paper or two. There is not enough writing in MS so I’m hoping my kids can get that in intensified.

"Deeper" what does that mean? Are there more chapters in the book they haven't read? Carving into stone rather than pen on paper?

I think PP did a good job describing what she means by "deeper"...

So they assign the kids a research paper? That’s honors?

Actually that's better than the current reality. DC is in 7th grade and has yet to write a real paper. I'd love more writing.

Do you also not understand the difference in how to dive deep into a topic compared to surface level? Intensified, I hope, will challenge kids to think more deeply about topics and to want to understand them more.

There is no way the teacher will be reading these papers with much scrutiny -- they have too many students already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Send your kid to Mathnasium or better yet, let them focus on those areas where they aren’t “two years ahead”.

This. Hang in there. Things get better in middle school in APS. Mathnasium was great for my kids in upper elementary grades. Now in middle school, we focus on music, schlepping to Strathmore once a week for kids to play in a competitive ensemble (the music couldn't be more challenging). My 7th grader plays in the Arlington MS honors band. Kids attend a heritage Chinese language program in MoCo on Sundays to supplement decent Jefferson MS Mandarin (we carpool with another family). 7th grader takes algebra at Jefferson. OK, Fairfax and McClean would teach 6th grade algebra, but we don't want to live that far out. We like being close to DC museums and cultural offerings. Looking forward to Washington-Liberty IB Diploma classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It is the most effective teaching model but it is old-fashioned and no longer in style. APS is very progressive, they try on all the new fads and clear out the closet frequently.



It’s all about equity. Having a bunch kids get special treatment (who often had a non representative demographic) looked bad. Now everyone benefits from GT

If eligibility is based on test scores and IQ tests, then it is more equitable than just having it based on parents wanting their kids in the advanced class.

You do realize that those tests themselves are biased, right? Our APS elementary employs a process of identifying kids by tests, teacher recommendations, and parent recommendations. They also have ways to identify kids who are ESL or disadvantaged-especially since their parents might not know to ask about differentiation or recognize their child could benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


So they assign the kids a research paper? That’s honors?



Actually that's better than the current reality. DC is in 7th grade and has yet to write a real paper. I'd love more writing.

Do you also not understand the difference in how to dive deep into a topic compared to surface level? Intensified, I hope, will challenge kids to think more deeply about topics and to want to understand them more.

But they've said the course cannot go any faster than the regular class, and has to stick to the same curriculum. This would mean they couldn't have additional or deeper assignments, because those assignments would cut into the time allotted to the unit.

If they're going to do this, it needs to be done right. That means allowing the honors class to go faster, or to assign additional, more thought-provoking assignments.

You really do not understand that deeper ≠ faster. It’s not a race to the finish and then they get to do extra work if time allows. During each unit, they can spend less time reviewing, memorizing, and quizzing on basic facts and regurgitating information and instead use that information to think critically. Instead of quizzing kids on key history dates or naming battles in a war, intensified would ask kids the events that lead up to the war and how they contributed or ask kids to compare and contrast something historical to something contemporary.