Kid Not Eligible for AAP though scores seem great.

[Anonymous]

Hello,
My kid's score:
NNAT:131
CoGAT: 134
GBRS: 3O, 1F
The reasoning/commentary by teacher and grades each quarter were great, however AAP marked as ineligible. DRA: 28. What are my options here so that I can get my kid to be considered for AAP? Kid is good at communication and got a certificate, kid participated in spelling bee and was only 1 from the class to be selected, good at constructive/out of box thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello,
My kid's score:
NNAT:131
CoGAT: 134
GBRS: 3O, 1F
The reasoning/commentary by teacher and grades each quarter were great, however AAP marked as ineligible. DRA: 28. What are my options here so that I can get my kid to be considered for AAP? Kid is good at communication and got a certificate, kid participated in spelling bee and was only 1 from the class to be selected, good at constructive/out of box thinking.

The best option would be have your child take the WISC test. Its another IQ test. However, its expensive (around $400) and would require your child to sit through another test 2-3 hour test. Many people get it done at GMU as they are aware of the appeal deadline.

Others have said you can simply write a parent letter and add new work samples/recommendaitons, however, the gold standard seems to be the WISC.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Appeal. That's what PP is referring to. It can't hurt, might get your DC admitted.

[Anonymous]

Check the other thread https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/796415.page

The GBRS is also not great, so that could be a factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check the other thread https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/796415.page

The GBRS is also not great, so that could be a factor.

Thank you. I think I will appeal with referral and probably WISC score results.

[Anonymous]

hardly anyone posting on here has had their child receive any "Os" at all, so I think that was what doomed the file.

[Anonymous]

3 Occasionally + 1 Frequently is a very low GBRS. It's like getting a 6 or 7 in the old system. The teacher is strongly saying that your child doesn't belong in AAP. Get a WISC and hope for a high score, because I don't think anything else could overcome that GBRS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:3 Occasionally + 1 Frequently is a very low GBRS. It's like getting a 6 or 7 in the old system. The teacher is strongly saying that your child doesn't belong in AAP. Get a WISC and hope for a high score, because I don't think anything else could overcome that GBRS.

+1

That GBRS seems low - isn’t O the lowest rating and F the middle rating? Agree it cones out to like a 7 on the old scale where maybe a 12+ was solid/high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 Occasionally + 1 Frequently is a very low GBRS. It's like getting a 6 or 7 in the old system. The teacher is strongly saying that your child doesn't belong in AAP. Get a WISC and hope for a high score, because I don't think anything else could overcome that GBRS.

+1

That GBRS seems low - isn’t O the lowest rating and F the middle rating? Agree it cones out to like a 7 on the old scale where maybe a 12+ was solid/high.

Since this is my first kid, I am trying to figure out by asking others. Seems like my kid has been definitely sidelined looking at the GBRS. The montessori school folks, and after school folks told us on multiple occasions that our kid is pretty smart. But, yes GBRS is what seem to be the problem. I still cannot fathom that the teachers commentary to the GBRS doesn't tally and how did they do it? Anyways, I hope WISC (if taken) and new recommendations in the appeal might do it.

[Anonymous]

The GBRS scores are low. You are going to want a WISC, which will overcome it.

Here’s my anticdote. My older DC is an absent minded professor type— naturally brillliant, but you need to remind him to please wear deodorant. Definately has some challenges, and life isn’t always easy. But very smart in a way that’s apparent to everyone. And maybe not always in a great way. Yikes. He was in pool in 3rd, in AAP. No muss, no fuss. I never did anything. Kid graduates from TJ this spring.

Kid 2 is also very bright, but is an ADHD, anxious girl. So, she was very quiet at school. She just missed in pool in second. We talked about it for a while and parent referred. We knew the program and believed it was a good match. So we fought for this kid. She was denied, and we got a WISC, which solidly placed her into AAP. And she did very well in the program. And this was against the advice of her 2nd grade teacher who said— in front of her— that she was too weak in math for AAP. We spent years undoing that damage.

She also applied to TJ. Was a finalist and had higher math scores than her brother. Around 90th percentile in a pool normed by TJ admissions candidates— not a nationally normed pool. But she was not admitted. Which was for the best. Nobody wanted to tell her she couldn’t try, since her brother was attending. But, she still isn’t great with stress and she’s a perfectionist. That said, she’s doing beautifully in a strong FCPS base HS and is plenty challenged. She was devistated to miss TJ admissions. And I hurt for her. But it worked out well, and everyone is in the right school for them. If TJ had real appeals, I likely would have said no. Because deep down, I thought they were right. She has the smarts. But I’m not sure she has the temperament.

That said, I’m glad we fought for her at the AAP level. We knew our kid better than FCPS and we pushed for what we believed was the right placement. And I think if we had let the “she’s not good in math” comment pass, it would have become a self fulfilling prophesy.

FCPS means well, and tries to do well by all 180,000 kids. But it’s huge. DDs AAP admission was the point where I stopped blindly trusting that FCPS knew what was best for my kids. If DC1 had been turned down for AAP, I would have assumed FCPS knew what they were doing and moved on. By kid 2, I was a lot less trusting.

OP—hear the teacher and AART out and try not to make decisions from pride, rather than your kids long term happiness. . But ultimately— you know your kid best. And if you won’t fight for them, no one will. Then again— you don’t HAVE to fight. If you suspect AAP might not be the right placement right now, see how third grade goes and reapply for 4th— with a WISC.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 Occasionally + 1 Frequently is a very low GBRS. It's like getting a 6 or 7 in the old system. The teacher is strongly saying that your child doesn't belong in AAP. Get a WISC and hope for a high score, because I don't think anything else could overcome that GBRS.

+1

That GBRS seems low - isn’t O the lowest rating and F the middle rating? Agree it cones out to like a 7 on the old scale where maybe a 12+ was solid/high.

Since this is my first kid, I am trying to figure out by asking others. Seems like my kid has been definitely sidelined looking at the GBRS. The montessori school folks, and after school folks told us on multiple occasions that our kid is pretty smart. But, yes GBRS is what seem to be the problem. I still cannot fathom that the teachers commentary to the GBRS doesn't tally and how did they do it? Anyways, I hope WISC (if taken) and new recommendations in the appeal might do it.

Ok, I think this is what you are confused about a little. ALL comments on the teacher form will be positive. They don’t put negative comments on there. But the rating is very, very low. Did your dd go classes or prepare for the tests?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 Occasionally + 1 Frequently is a very low GBRS. It's like getting a 6 or 7 in the old system. The teacher is strongly saying that your child doesn't belong in AAP. Get a WISC and hope for a high score, because I don't think anything else could overcome that GBRS.

+1

That GBRS seems low - isn’t O the lowest rating and F the middle rating? Agree it cones out to like a 7 on the old scale where maybe a 12+ was solid/high.

Since this is my first kid, I am trying to figure out by asking others. Seems like my kid has been definitely sidelined looking at the GBRS. The montessori school folks, and after school folks told us on multiple occasions that our kid is pretty smart. But, yes GBRS is what seem to be the problem. I still cannot fathom that the teachers commentary to the GBRS doesn't tally and how did they do it? Anyways, I hope WISC (if taken) and new recommendations in the appeal might do it.

Ok, I think this is what you are confused about a little. ALL comments on the teacher form will be positive. They don’t put negative comments on there. But the rating is very, very low. Did your dd go classes or prepare for the tests?

I agree and think perhaps this has been a point of confusion. I feel like another thread had a similar confusion also. There will only be positive comments and they are more there to support the “score”. The comments don’t over ride the score though, if anything it would be the opposite. Having one great example to comment in does not make an O an F or C.

[Anonymous]

My child had 3 Cs and 1 F and very minimal teacher comments and was not in, with in-pool test scores and a high DRA. My older children had teachers write extensive pages of commentary (old forms) and include great work product and it was pretty shocking to see just one or two sentences under each category for dc4.

It just seems like a total crapshoot and very teacher-dependent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 Occasionally + 1 Frequently is a very low GBRS. It's like getting a 6 or 7 in the old system. The teacher is strongly saying that your child doesn't belong in AAP. Get a WISC and hope for a high score, because I don't think anything else could overcome that GBRS.

+1

That GBRS seems low - isn’t O the lowest rating and F the middle rating? Agree it cones out to like a 7 on the old scale where maybe a 12+ was solid/high.

Since this is my first kid, I am trying to figure out by asking others. Seems like my kid has been definitely sidelined looking at the GBRS. The montessori school folks, and after school folks told us on multiple occasions that our kid is pretty smart. But, yes GBRS is what seem to be the problem. I still cannot fathom that the teachers commentary to the GBRS doesn't tally and how did they do it? Anyways, I hope WISC (if taken) and new recommendations in the appeal might do it.

Ok, I think this is what you are confused about a little. ALL comments on the teacher form will be positive. They don’t put negative comments on there. But the rating is very, very low. Did your dd go classes or prepare for the tests?

My kid definitely prepared to some extent for the tests. We talked about what kind of tests will take place and groomed. However like I indicated, comments from the teacher do not sum up the GBRS. I do understand that no teacher would like to put in comments that are negative. I am planning to appeal with WISC. Thats the best I could think of. Hope this will be a good choice for the kid if placed in AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The GBRS scores are low. You are going to want a WISC, which will overcome it.

Here’s my anticdote. My older DC is an absent minded professor type— naturally brillliant, but you need to remind him to please wear deodorant. Definately has some challenges, and life isn’t always easy. But very smart in a way that’s apparent to everyone. And maybe not always in a great way. Yikes. He was in pool in 3rd, in AAP. No muss, no fuss. I never did anything. Kid graduates from TJ this spring.

Kid 2 is also very bright, but is an ADHD, anxious girl. So, she was very quiet at school. She just missed in pool in second. We talked about it for a while and parent referred. We knew the program and believed it was a good match. So we fought for this kid. She was denied, and we got a WISC, which solidly placed her into AAP. And she did very well in the program. And this was against the advice of her 2nd grade teacher who said— in front of her— that she was too weak in math for AAP. We spent years undoing that damage.

She also applied to TJ. Was a finalist and had higher math scores than her brother. Around 90th percentile in a pool normed by TJ admissions candidates— not a nationally normed pool. But she was not admitted. Which was for the best. Nobody wanted to tell her she couldn’t try, since her brother was attending. But, she still isn’t great with stress and she’s a perfectionist. That said, she’s doing beautifully in a strong FCPS base HS and is plenty challenged. She was devistated to miss TJ admissions. And I hurt for her. But it worked out well, and everyone is in the right school for them. If TJ had real appeals, I likely would have said no. Because deep down, I thought they were right. She has the smarts. But I’m not sure she has the temperament.

That said, I’m glad we fought for her at the AAP level. We knew our kid better than FCPS and we pushed for what we believed was the right placement. And I think if we had let the “she’s not good in math” comment pass, it would have become a self fulfilling prophesy.

FCPS means well, and tries to do well by all 180,000 kids. But it’s huge. DDs AAP admission was the point where I stopped blindly trusting that FCPS knew what was best for my kids. If DC1 had been turned down for AAP, I would have assumed FCPS knew what they were doing and moved on. By kid 2, I was a lot less trusting.

OP—hear the teacher and AART out and try not to make decisions from pride, rather than your kids long term happiness. . But ultimately— you know your kid best. And if you won’t fight for them, no one will. Then again— you don’t HAVE to fight. If you suspect AAP might not be the right placement right now, see how third grade goes and reapply for 4th— with a WISC.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for the kind advice. I would definitely want my kid to get the best of the studies which AAP offers. I know my kid is good at handling the program. I will fight no matter what for the best.