AAP Testing

[Anonymous]

to 20:06 the admission process for the aap centers and the local level iv classes are the same. in both cases, children are found in need of advanced services by the central aap committee.

many schools (i believe spring hill es is one) have multiple local level iv classes. the curriculum at an aap center and in a local level iv class is supposed to be the same.

the difference is that for local level iv classes, principals have the discretion to fill their class with students who were not admitted to the aap program. this helps with staffing ratios.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So everything's great in La La land. Good for you.

Yes, yes it is. I am enjoying La La land very much, thank you. My child had a great first day in her new class and made a couple of friends. No idea how they got into the program, and I don't care. Enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
i bet she didn't/doesn't know her daughter's IQ and was/is proud of it too!

That would be true. I have no clue. Don't really care either. As long as she is doing well in class, that is all that I care about.

[Anonymous]

to 20:06 the admission process for the aap centers and the local level iv classes are the same. in both cases, children are found in need of advanced services by the central aap committee.

many schools (i believe spring hill es is one) have multiple local level iv classes. the curriculum at an aap center and in a local level iv class is supposed to be the same.

the difference is that for local level iv classes, principals have the discretion to fill their class with students who were not admitted to the aap program. this helps with staffing ratios.

Technically it's the same screening, but almost no one goes through the screening for the purpose of getting into LLIV classes. Almost everyone is trying for Center eligibility. Getting a letter saying your child is ineligible for the Center but eligible for LLIV is viewed as a rejection by many parents. Couple that with the fact that the principals can and do add children who were not screened at all in their discretion to fill the classes, and essentially it's a much lower bar to get into those classes. Curriculum in LLIV and Centers may be the same but the peer group is not.

[Anonymous]

PP: One thing to add is that every one who is center eligible can go to LLIV. I was not aware of the committee screening for LLIV only. I thought that such determination is made at the school.

The thing is that would discriminate against children in schools without LLIV. (Though not sure if it would be illegal discrimination).

[Anonymous]

to 10:36 - i really think you are talking about local level 3 classes.

local level iv classes are the same as center classes except that the children get to stay at their base school and have the aap curriculum.

i disagree that no one go through the screening to get into the lliv classes. many people i know opt to keep their kids at their base school in a lliv class to minimize disruption to their child's life.

local level 3 pullout eligibility does not require committee screening. the determination for level 3 services is made at the child's school (by the aart i think).

i agree that students who have a base school with an aap center are discriminated against. our principal told us she thought our child should be in the aap program and likely would have been in a school with a lliv class. at our child's current school though the princiopal could not put her into the aap classes.

[Anonymous]

There is NO SUCH THING as Local Level 4 screening. Children are screened to get into level 4 AAP. Either they are found eligible or they are not. If they are found eligible, then they may attend a Level 4 AAP Center. Or, if their school has a local level 4, they may attend there.

If a school's local level 4 class is not large enough, the principal/teachers may decide to fill the class with children who are considered level 3. These children may take these level 4 classes at the principal/teacher's discretion. That is, they may be placed in for compacted math but not social studies. They may in social studies one year but not the next. These kids are not eligible for the AAP center nor are they level 4 kids. They are level 3 kids filling in space in the local level 4 classes.

Children ANNOT be found eligible for local level 4 but not the AAP center. There is no such thing as local level 4 screening.

[Anonymous]

Actually, you're right, 12:40. Thank you for the correction. That's what I originally posted but then I got confused by 22:04's post and my recollection of what the eligibility letter says was wrong. You are correct that "eligible for Level IV" means Center-eligible. There is nothing in the letter saying the child is eligible for LLIV but not the Center - it's in the acceptance letter where you can check off "my child will attend the Center" or "my child will attend LLIV, if available."

Also, again, LLIV is not the same as the Center, and this proves the point.

I agree that students who have a base school with an aap center are discriminated against. our principal told us she thought our child should be in the aap program and likely would have been in a school with a lliv class. at our child's current school though the princiopal could not put her into the aap classes."

Your principal thinks your child should be in aap; however, it appears you child was not found eligible through screening. In a LLIV school, your child would be placed in the class anyway, despite the committee finding her ineligible for Level 4 services. The principal in a Center school can't do that. All eligible kids have access to Level 4 services - they can choose to attend the Center or stay in the base
school if LLIV is available. What is discriminatory? The fact that some ineligible kids are getting pulled in to LLIV in some schools to fill the classes, but ineligible kids in Center schools are not?

[Anonymous]

Discriminatory would be if there was a class of service available to some classes of people that are not to others....LLIV is only at LLIV schools. However, there is no difference in the county's position between LLIV and the centers. So, the county provides the same services regardless of the base school.

The thing is we all pay taxes...we should get similar services

[Anonymous]

Although I do see your point, the truth is that nothing is ever equal. Some schools having full-day kindergarten versus others not having it would be another example where programming isn't equal. One could also argue that their child has to switch schools to go to the AAP Center while others get to stay at their base school. Some elementary schools have foreign language in the schools (FLES) while others don't (or did they do away with that this year?). I know there are other things, too.

My daughter DID get into the AAP program, and I chose to keep her at the local level 4 for several reasons, one of which is I don't want her to have to start over at a new school. If we were at a Center school, I would not have had to worry about that. We are fortunate to have the choice, though. I know the program won't be as strong but for her, I think it will be okay, and if it's not, I can always switch her in another year. Our neighbor is not in the AAP program but he was able to take compacted math last year as a 3rd grader because they needed to fill the class. He didn't do all classes with the LL4 class, just some. If he went to a center school or a school without LL4, he would not have had that option.

I don't know what to tell you other than it stinks that you cannot get the services you want. She could get into the Center in future years so that's one option. Overall, we do get good services in Fairfax County, though. If you compare it to other school districts, we are one of the few that even offers decent GT services.

Anonymous wrote:Discriminatory would be if there was a class of service available to some classes of people that are not to others....LLIV is only at LLIV schools. However, there is no difference in the county's position between LLIV and the centers. So, the county provides the same services regardless of the base school.

The thing is we all pay taxes...we should get similar services

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Discriminatory would be if there was a class of service available to some classes of people that are not to others....LLIV is only at LLIV schools. However, there is no difference in the county's position between LLIV and the centers. So, the county provides the same services regardless of the base school.

The thing is we all pay taxes...we should get similar services

We all pay taxes, but some pay more than others.

Those that pay the most taxes are likely the ones with 1/2 day kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Those that pay the most taxes are likely the ones with 1/2 day kindergarten.

Exactly. The most affluent parts of the county have the highest property values so pay the most in property taxes, but they also have the highest-scoring schools, which are last on the list to be phased in for full-day K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Discriminatory would be if there was a class of service available to some classes of people that are not to others....LLIV is only at LLIV schools. However, there is no difference in the county's position between LLIV and the centers. So, the county provides the same services regardless of the base school.

The thing is we all pay taxes...we should get similar services

We all pay taxes, but some pay more than others.

Those that pay the most taxes are likely the ones with 1/2 day kindergarten.

I've seen that referenced here before that some pay more than others. Do you mean because your house costs more or because of the McLean tax thing? I thought the McLean tax was a small amount. Just curious.

[Anonymous]

I don't know what to tell you other than it stinks that you cannot get the services you want.

But if PP's kid's not eligible, she's not eligible. A lot of parents want Level IV service but that doesn't mean it stinks that they don't all get it. Every kid who is deemed eligible in the screening process can get Level IV services.

To the extent that disparate services are available in different schools, I think that's just an unfortunate fact of life. I really wanted my DD to go to an immersion school, and I was thrilled when she got in via lottery, but after doing a couple of test runs of the drive, I realized we couldn't do it on a daily basis. I would love if immersion was offered in our school, but it's not, and it's not offered anywhere close enough that it would be practical for us. But to me, that's not discriminatory; it's simply the reality that every school cannot offer every program. Still, I'm glad we have an immersion program and other children are able to benefit from it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Discriminatory would be if there was a class of service available to some classes of people that are not to others....LLIV is only at LLIV schools. However, there is no difference in the county's position between LLIV and the centers. So, the county provides the same services regardless of the base school.

The thing is we all pay taxes...we should get similar services

We all pay taxes, but some pay more than others.

Those that pay the most taxes are likely the ones with 1/2 day kindergarten.

I've seen that referenced here before that some pay more than others. Do you mean because your house costs more or because of the McLean tax thing? I thought the McLean tax was a small amount. Just curious.

Both.