Rethinking AAP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one has to punish the kid but he/she could be barred from participating in AAP that year. Or be required to take a different test. I'm sure the parents would lose their collective s#!+

And that would be punishing the kid by depriving them of a specific program.

There is already a theory that the committee is looking at kids with large score increases with a critical eye, making sure that the GBRSs line up with the score change. There is a theory that the committee pays even more attention to the kids with scores on the high end with a skeptical eye and making sure that the GBRSs and grades match those profiles. If those theories are correct, then they are looking at those things because they are well aware of prepping.

The reality is no one really know how the committee makes its decisions, whether or not classroom space is taken into consideration or how the evaluators actually evaluate the packages. All I know is that there are five people sitting at a table and at least 3 people have to agree to accept or decline a kid. So people guess a lot.

Well they would be declining a kid who didn't get in on their natural ability without prepping. It would probably help the program overall to drop the preppers.

[Anonymous]

everyone getting what they need in order to be successful

Need to be given the opportunity. Labeling, lower expectations in GE ... it's self fulfilling. Kids told they aren't good enough, aren't as smart, aren't capable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

everyone getting what they need in order to be successful

Need to be given the opportunity. Labeling, lower expectations in GE ... it's self fulfilling. Kids told they aren't good enough, aren't as smart, aren't capable.

That's not what happens in gen ed, at base schools or center schools. Or at least not at the schools that I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I dont know where you are getting your data from but none of what you wrote applies to my DC's AAP classes so far. The speed at which they move through lessons and the complexity of the material on top of speed, there is just no way a general education kid is keeping up with that. Sorry, dont know where your kid goes but that isnt flying at my kid's center. I have no idea how they deal with the AAP kids who cant keep up but that sure doesn't slow down my kid's class.

Either your DC attends an excellent center, or you're very easily impressed. My kids' center seemed like gen ed with more projects. I can't imagine any above average and motivated kid struggling to keep up. Most of the AAP kids don't seem amazing and get pretty meh results in things like word masters or CML.

The center is excellent. Their experience was not anything like what was done for the general education kids. We decided against sending DC to language immersion to do AAP and it was worth it. DC would've been bored to tears without this challenge.

I find it weird that people want to generalize what should be best to overhaul a system without having any data about the students. Most of the time I think these posters are people whose children didn't make it into AAP and are salty.

Which center is this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

everyone getting what they need in order to be successful

Need to be given the opportunity. Labeling, lower expectations in GE ... it's self fulfilling. Kids told they aren't good enough, aren't as smart, aren't capable.

Most parents are not aware of AAP. I had not heard about it until I looked up what the NNAT was and what it was for. I had a parent ask a group of parents volunteering at DS end of the year picnic if anyone knew what this Level II letter he received for his daughter was. Most of the other parents said they had not gotten such a letter and looked confused. I know a parent who was surprised when she received a letter that her child was accepted into AAP, she did not know he was in pool and in consideration for AAP.

Maybe it is different at Centers but our school does not have Local Level IV. I doubt the kids who are at the school have a clue that they did not go to AAP.

I knew about honors classes and the like when I was a kid. I knew I was not in them. It did not bother me. It was not a big deal.

Is it possible that some kid in Gen Ed feels lesser than because they are not in AAP? Yes. But that kid would feel lesser than if they were not in the top reading group or the special pull out group or how ever services were given to gifted kids without AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP Here -

Eye roll all you want to, OP. You are the one who mentioned that the gen ed kids were "very poor." Your post appeared to set out what you viewed as the negative things that were causing you to have second thoughts. You put the gen ed kids being very poor as one of your top concerns. Own who you are and stop with the hypocrisy. Own that you were poor as a kid and now look down on poor kids.

It has nothing to do with the kids being

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

everyone getting what they need in order to be successful

Need to be given the opportunity. Labeling, lower expectations in GE ... it's self fulfilling. Kids told they aren't good enough, aren't as smart, aren't capable.

But they are given an opportunity. The classes offer differentiated activities or pullouts in addition to testing. Sometimes it's okay to admit that everything isn't for everybody. We all have different talents and abilities and that is okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP Here- I'm sorry if I sounded rude in my original post. There is really nothing wrong with general education. I grew up in this area and my family was poor/low income so I understand the struggles. I wasAll in FCPS and not in AAP/GT. I totally get it.

Wow you did not even realize this was very rude when you bluntly stated the other kids are poor and so you don’t want your child there for that reason ?
If you are that much oblivious to this , then you should try to send your kid to some rich private school as you might not even be happy with any public svhool.

[Anonymous]

Many parents including teachers and even principals move zip codes to give a better opportunity or environment for their children. It does not yield any guarantee but people do it regardless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Most parents are not aware of AAP.

In your school, perhaps. In other schools, parents start planning their child's AAP packet when they're in K. Do you think it's an accident that schools like Floris have over half of the kids get into AAP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

everyone getting what they need in order to be successful

Need to be given the opportunity. Labeling, lower expectations in GE ... it's self fulfilling. Kids told they aren't good enough, aren't as smart, aren't capable.

Most parents are not aware of AAP. I had not heard about it until I looked up what the NNAT was and what it was for. I had a parent ask a group of parents volunteering at DS end of the year picnic if anyone knew what this Level II letter he received for his daughter was. Most of the other parents said they had not gotten such a letter and looked confused. I know a parent who was surprised when she received a letter that her child was accepted into AAP, she did not know he was in pool and in consideration for AAP.

Maybe it is different at Centers but our school does not have Local Level IV. I doubt the kids who are at the school have a clue that they did not go to AAP.

I knew about honors classes and the like when I was a kid. I knew I was not in them. It did not bother me. It was not a big deal.

Is it possible that some kid in Gen Ed feels lesser than because they are not in AAP? Yes. But that kid would feel lesser than if they were not in the top reading group or the special pull out group or how ever services were given to gifted kids without AAP.

Yes it is different at Centers. The kids are VERY aware of the GE vs AAP split, especially when the AAP classes outnumber GE. It's one thing to not feel lesser when it's a few kids in the top reading group, it's something else when the top group is a majority of the grade.

[Anonymous]

When FCPS only had 5% in GT, it wasn't a big deal if you weren't in. A lot of smart kids weren't. Now that 20% or more are in AAP, it feels like more of an insult for the bright kids who aren't accepted.

AAP outnumbers GE at my center. The bright kids who are above grade level in math and reading, but weren't deemed "AAP material" absolutely are aware and upset by it.

[Anonymous]

We went to the Open House yesterday. DS teacher called out three days that are used for CogAT practice and asked the parents to make sure that the kids are there for those day because the practice time cannot be made up. The way the practice was described the kids are doing far more then just reviewing a few questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went to the Open House yesterday. DS teacher called out three days that are used for CogAT practice and asked the parents to make sure that the kids are there for those day because the practice time cannot be made up. The way the practice was described the kids are doing far more then just reviewing a few questions.

My kids' school only did a few sample questions and practiced filling out the bubble sheet. They certainly didn't have days of practice. This was a few years ago, so either the new policies are to practice a bit with everyone to even the playing field, or individual schools vary widely on what type of preparation they're giving the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went to the Open House yesterday. DS teacher called out three days that are used for CogAT practice and asked the parents to make sure that the kids are there for those day because the practice time cannot be made up. The way the practice was described the kids are doing far more then just reviewing a few questions.

I think you mean SOL. The school’s say they don’t review for CogAT.