So you are King of FCPS AAP for a day . . .

[Anonymous]

OK. Lets be honest folks. So much of what happens at the school depends on the principal. Period. Some schools have 2 or more ESOL teachers and only a part time AART. Hmmm, where's the focus and on whom, exactly?

The general ed. education is not tiered, as it should be, and it is too diverse on every level.

Our principal is 99% focused on minority and ESOL kids, even though the majority of our school is Caucasian, not FARMS, and speaks fluent English. Last year, a parent inquired about running an after school program for language that would require use of the computer lab. School (administration) replied that this was a no go as our school utilizes the computer lab for English instruction for ESOL. Really? Kids already get ESOL instruction during the school day. Can't we please use it to teach our kids a second language? Another, the parents wanted FLES a few years back, as it was opened to all ES, Principal need only request. Again, no thank you, we have ESOL students who are learning English and this would be too much for them.

So, yes, I encourage all to appeal and fight like hell if rejected, if you want your child to get a decent education in a system that continually favors to the minority (in numbers).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you are King (or Queen) of FCPS Advanced Academic Programs for a day . . . what would you do?

Would you close all the AAP Centers?

Would you put AAP Centers in every school?

Would you make all the kids get retested and only allow in the top 5% of students?

Something else?

What would you do?

Honestly? I would kill the entire program and put myself out of a job.

[Anonymous]

Funny, very funny, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WOuld make AAP the norm for all students, and I would pull out remedial students to offer extra support. I would also pull out the exceptional (based on in-class work) for extra offerings.

I second that. Our center school's principal is very open in saying that the AAP curriculum could be done by GE kids. It's not some magical curriculum that only AAP students can manage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There seems to be some idealizing of what goes on at AAP centers. They are not some magical wonder worlds of intellectual freedom. The program is diluted, and the curriculum is not challenging, or particularly advanced, though the math is a year ahead. The kids are extremely limited, for the most part, in what they get to do, because the teacher has to make sure to spend a lot of time on SOL stuff. What they are is basically tracking for above-average students. AAP centers should be open only to highly gifted students, who benefit by special ed programs as much as students at the other end of the spectrum do.

We should concentrate more on improving the general ed. program and tracking and sorting students within it, so that everyone gets challenged.

Could not agree more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There seems to be some idealizing of what goes on at AAP centers. They are not some magical wonder worlds of intellectual freedom. The program is diluted, and the curriculum is not challenging, or particularly advanced, though the math is a year ahead. The kids are extremely limited, for the most part, in what they get to do, because the teacher has to make sure to spend a lot of time on SOL stuff. What they are is basically tracking for above-average students. AAP centers should be open only to highly gifted students, who benefit by special ed programs as much as students at the other end of the spectrum do.

We should concentrate more on improving the general ed. program and tracking and sorting students within it, so that everyone gets challenged.

Could not agree more.

Plus, by the time kids start high school, the playing field is even once again. No one remembers or cares who was/wasn't in AAP and students are free to choose whichever class level they prefer. Being in AAP during elementary and middle school has no bearing on high school students' success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Plus, by the time kids start high school, the playing field is even once again. No one remembers or cares who was/wasn't in AAP and students are free to choose whichever class level they prefer. Being in AAP during elementary and middle school has no bearing on high school students' success.

I couldn't disagree more. The appropriateness of a child's early educational experiences has a great deal to do with his or her success in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Plus, by the time kids start high school, the playing field is even once again. No one remembers or cares who was/wasn't in AAP and students are free to choose whichever class level they prefer. Being in AAP during elementary and middle school has no bearing on high school students' success.

I couldn't disagree more. The appropriateness of a child's early educational experiences has a great deal to do with his or her success in high school.

I disagree. My two sons didn't come alive academically until late middle school when they surged by AAP kids they have continued to outpace in high school. With active boys in particular, I think having the focus to sit still for 6-7 hours/day often doesn't come until then. And I would not have had it differently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK. Lets be honest folks. So much of what happens at the school depends on the principal. Period. Some schools have 2 or more ESOL teachers and only a part time AART. Hmmm, where's the focus and on whom, exactly?

The general ed. education is not tiered, as it should be, and it is too diverse on every level.

Our principal is 99% focused on minority and ESOL kids, even though the majority of our school is Caucasian, not FARMS, and speaks fluent English. Last year, a parent inquired about running an after school program for language that would require use of the computer lab. School (administration) replied that this was a no go as our school utilizes the computer lab for English instruction for ESOL. Really? Kids already get ESOL instruction during the school day. Can't we please use it to teach our kids a second language? Another, the parents wanted FLES a few years back, as it was opened to all ES, Principal need only request. Again, no thank you, we have ESOL students who are learning English and this would be too much for them.

So, yes, I encourage all to appeal and fight like hell if rejected, if you want your child to get a decent education in a system that continually favors to the minority (in numbers).

Clearly you have no idea how schools are staffed. The principal is assigned a part-time AART based on the number of students at the school. He or she doesn't even interview them. As for ESOL, those positions are given to the school based on a formula. The principal does have flexibility in who is hired and can decide to use those positions as straight up classroom teachers or as ESOL resource teachers that serve students across several classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Plus, by the time kids start high school, the playing field is even once again. No one remembers or cares who was/wasn't in AAP and students are free to choose whichever class level they prefer. Being in AAP during elementary and middle school has no bearing on high school students' success.

I couldn't disagree more. The appropriateness of a child's early educational experiences has a great deal to do with his or her success in high school.

My experience tells otherwise because the gen ed option in most schools in FCPS is perfectly fine. I would agree if it were subpar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK. Lets be honest folks. So much of what happens at the school depends on the principal. Period. Some schools have 2 or more ESOL teachers and only a part time AART. Hmmm, where's the focus and on whom, exactly?

The general ed. education is not tiered, as it should be, and it is too diverse on every level.

Our principal is 99% focused on minority and ESOL kids, even though the majority of our school is Caucasian, not FARMS, and speaks fluent English. Last year, a parent inquired about running an after school program for language that would require use of the computer lab. School (administration) replied that this was a no go as our school utilizes the computer lab for English instruction for ESOL. Really? Kids already get ESOL instruction during the school day. Can't we please use it to teach our kids a second language? Another, the parents wanted FLES a few years back, as it was opened to all ES, Principal need only request. Again, no thank you, we have ESOL students who are learning English and this would be too much for them.

So, yes, I encourage all to appeal and fight like hell if rejected, if you want your child to get a decent education in a system that continually favors to the minority (in numbers).

Clearly you have no idea how schools are staffed. The principal is assigned a part-time AART based on the number of students at the school. He or she doesn't even interview them. As for ESOL, those positions are given to the school based on a formula. The principal does have flexibility in who is hired and can decide to use those positions as straight up classroom teachers or as ESOL resource teachers that serve students across several classrooms.

Then how did my boys' ES always have a fulltime AAP/GT teacher on staff? Since at least 2002?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Plus, by the time kids start high school, the playing field is even once again. No one remembers or cares who was/wasn't in AAP and students are free to choose whichever class level they prefer. Being in AAP during elementary and middle school has no bearing on high school students' success.

I couldn't disagree more. The appropriateness of a child's early educational experiences has a great deal to do with his or her success in high school.

I disagree. My two sons didn't come alive academically until late middle school when they surged by AAP kids they have continued to outpace in high school. With active boys in particular, I think having the focus to sit still for 6-7 hours/day often doesn't come until then. And I would not have had it differently.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Plus, by the time kids start high school, the playing field is even once again. No one remembers or cares who was/wasn't in AAP and students are free to choose whichever class level they prefer. Being in AAP during elementary and middle school has no bearing on high school students' success.

I couldn't disagree more. The appropriateness of a child's early educational experiences has a great deal to do with his or her success in high school.

I disagree. My two sons didn't come alive academically until late middle school when they surged by AAP kids they have continued to outpace in high school. With active boys in particular, I think having the focus to sit still for 6-7 hours/day often doesn't come until then. And I would not have had it differently.

Very true in our experience as well. By high school, many of the previously AAP kids are burned out and kids who were "just" in Gen Ed during elementary school often have a surge at that point. AAP is just a label -- kids will succeed (or not) based on many other factors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Plus, by the time kids start high school, the playing field is even once again. No one remembers or cares who was/wasn't in AAP and students are free to choose whichever class level they prefer. Being in AAP during elementary and middle school has no bearing on high school students' success.

I couldn't disagree more. The appropriateness of a child's early educational experiences has a great deal to do with his or her success in high school.

It really only matters for the kids who truly need the AAP classroom and would fall through the cracks without it. The other kids would do fine in the regular classroom and might even do better in a class with a wider range of types of learners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Plus, by the time kids start high school, the playing field is even once again. No one remembers or cares who was/wasn't in AAP and students are free to choose whichever class level they prefer. Being in AAP during elementary and middle school has no bearing on high school students' success.

I couldn't disagree more. The appropriateness of a child's early educational experiences has a great deal to do with his or her success in high school.

I disagree. My two sons didn't come alive academically until late middle school when they surged by AAP kids they have continued to outpace in high school. With active boys in particular, I think having the focus to sit still for 6-7 hours/day often doesn't come until then. And I would not have had it differently.

Very true in our experience as well. By high school, many of the previously AAP kids are burned out and kids who were "just" in Gen Ed during elementary school often have a surge at that point. AAP is just a label -- kids will succeed (or not) based on many other factors.

+1 Kids learn at different paces. Some surge in early elementary, some later in middle and high school. AAP may be a great fit for some 3-8 graders, but others will not hit their stride until later. The problem I believe is that some parents believe that being in AAP means that their child will always be at the top of the pack. For those with children in gen ed who perform at the same level, or higher, than the AAP kids in high school, we know this isn't always true. Not to say that the students in AAP in elementary should not be there. For parents with students at high performing gen ed schools, it's mind boggling why other parents are so intent on making sure their child is in AAP. For the lower performing schools, I absolutely get it. I would probably move if my child wasn't in AAP and went to some of the lower performing schools.