Third Grade AAP Principal Placement: Moving from guest status

[Anonymous]

Our child was invited by the principal at our elementary school to be placed in AAP classroom as a guest this year for third grade. We were told for her to continue participating in the AAP program and have spot reserved for her in subsequent years, we would need to do a referral form.

Has anyone been through this process and what does it entail? Does that mean she needs to do testing and work samples all over again?

Thank you for your insights.

[Anonymous]

Talk to the principal and the AART at your school for accurate answers.

[Anonymous]

Additional testing is not required (my oldest was accepted to AAP as a rising fourth grader without any, after having been rejected by the committee the prior year and then principal placed in the AAP class).

You will need to complete a new referral packet complete with work samples. I had no problem collecting those during the third grade year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Additional testing is not required (my oldest was accepted to AAP as a rising fourth grader without any, after having been rejected by the committee the prior year and then principal placed in the AAP class).

You will need to complete a new referral packet complete with work samples. I had no problem collecting those during the third grade year.

It may not be required, but may be advisable depending on the scores the child received the first time around. Many kids close to the benchmark score are rejected. If your kid is one of those, you may be fine. If the scores were a lot lower, it may be advisable to do a retake of the CogAT. You can request one this fall for free from the school. DC's friend was principal placed but was found ineligible on subsequent referral. I don't know the scores, so can't say why, but it indicates that being principal placed doesn't guaranteed being found eligible for level IV. I'd say build the strongest packet you can, which might mean a retake if the initial scores were low.

[Anonymous]

Interesting. I did not do a formal referral. At the end of 2nd grade, I simply emailed the AART and asked that DD be considered for Level III services . My DD was principal placed into the AAP class in 3rd grade. The Principal nor the AART ever mentioned that we needed to do a formal referral or anything else to secure her spot. She will be going into 6th grade. It does says on her report card that she is getting Level IV services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I did not do a formal referral. At the end of 2nd grade, I simply emailed the AART and asked that DD be considered for Level III services . My DD was principal placed into the AAP class in 3rd grade. The Principal nor the AART ever mentioned that we needed to do a formal referral or anything else to secure her spot. She will be going into 6th grade. It does says on her report card that she is getting Level IV services.

When she goes to middle school she may not have the Level IV status anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I did not do a formal referral. At the end of 2nd grade, I simply emailed the AART and asked that DD be considered for Level III services . My DD was principal placed into the AAP class in 3rd grade. The Principal nor the AART ever mentioned that we needed to do a formal referral or anything else to secure her spot. She will be going into 6th grade. It does says on her report card that she is getting Level IV services.

When she goes to middle school she may not have the Level IV status anymore.

This happened to one of my DDs friends. She was principal placed in grades 3-6 and her parents never bothered to refer her for formal admission to AAP. Middle school came around, and all of her classmates continued on in the AAP level classes there but she was not eligible for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I did not do a formal referral. At the end of 2nd grade, I simply emailed the AART and asked that DD be considered for Level III services . My DD was principal placed into the AAP class in 3rd grade. The Principal nor the AART ever mentioned that we needed to do a formal referral or anything else to secure her spot. She will be going into 6th grade. It does says on her report card that she is getting Level IV services.

Is your school an AAP Center school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I did not do a formal referral. At the end of 2nd grade, I simply emailed the AART and asked that DD be considered for Level III services . My DD was principal placed into the AAP class in 3rd grade. The Principal nor the AART ever mentioned that we needed to do a formal referral or anything else to secure her spot. She will be going into 6th grade. It does says on her report card that she is getting Level IV services.

When she goes to middle school she may not have the Level IV status anymore.

Yes, I am aware of this. The AART told me that in middle school you have the option of taking honors classes so the distinction is less important. She said the only difference is whether she is in a class with other AAP kids or kids who elected to take honors. Maybe being in a more diverse class would not be so bad versus with the same kids she has been with since 3rd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I did not do a formal referral. At the end of 2nd grade, I simply emailed the AART and asked that DD be considered for Level III services . My DD was principal placed into the AAP class in 3rd grade. The Principal nor the AART ever mentioned that we needed to do a formal referral or anything else to secure her spot. She will be going into 6th grade. It does says on her report card that she is getting Level IV services.

Is your school an AAP Center school?

No, we have a local level IV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I did not do a formal referral. At the end of 2nd grade, I simply emailed the AART and asked that DD be considered for Level III services . My DD was principal placed into the AAP class in 3rd grade. The Principal nor the AART ever mentioned that we needed to do a formal referral or anything else to secure her spot. She will be going into 6th grade. It does says on her report card that she is getting Level IV services.

Is your school an AAP Center school?

No, we have a local level IV.

Okay. That makes sense. This could not have been done if your base school was a center. If you were to move to a new school that was a center, I bet that you wouldn’t be able to place her in an AAP class. My guess is that while she is receiving access to the Level IV curriculum, she does not have the designation as a Level IV student marked in SIS. Principals at a local level IV have discretion to add in kids to fill out the class since they’re only pulling students from their base. A center school draws kids from different school in addition to their base. They all have to have the designation of being a Level IV student because they went through the referral process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I did not do a formal referral. At the end of 2nd grade, I simply emailed the AART and asked that DD be considered for Level III services . My DD was principal placed into the AAP class in 3rd grade. The Principal nor the AART ever mentioned that we needed to do a formal referral or anything else to secure her spot. She will be going into 6th grade. It does says on her report card that she is getting Level IV services.

Is your school an AAP Center school?

No, we have a local level IV.

Okay. That makes sense. This could not have been done if your base school was a center. If you were to move to a new school that was a center, I bet that you wouldn’t be able to place her in an AAP class. My guess is that while she is receiving access to the Level IV curriculum, she does not have the designation as a Level IV student marked in SIS. Principals at a local level IV have discretion to add in kids to fill out the class since they’re only pulling students from their base. A center school draws kids from different school in addition to their base. They all have to have the designation of being a Level IV student because they went through the referral process.

I don't know if it is in her SIS, but its definitely on her report card that she is receiving Level IV services. Where would it be noted on her SIS account?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I did not do a formal referral. At the end of 2nd grade, I simply emailed the AART and asked that DD be considered for Level III services . My DD was principal placed into the AAP class in 3rd grade. The Principal nor the AART ever mentioned that we needed to do a formal referral or anything else to secure her spot. She will be going into 6th grade. It does says on her report card that she is getting Level IV services.

When she goes to middle school she may not have the Level IV status anymore.

Yes, I am aware of this. The AART told me that in middle school you have the option of taking honors classes so the distinction is less important. She said the only difference is whether she is in a class with other AAP kids or kids who elected to take honors. Maybe being in a more diverse class would not be so bad versus with the same kids she has been with since 3rd grade.

I think that there is a difference between honors and AAP at middle school. I think that the AAP are suppose to have been completing more homework and more projects then the kids in the honors class. The honors class is likely to be filled with very smart and capable kids who are going to be developing the skills that an AAP student is suppose to have already developed. I have no idea how different the curriculum is.

It could be that your child is going to a school like Carson where there are a good number of AAP kids very focused on going to TJ. I am told that there is a different level of pressure and competitiveness at Carson, and the other "TJ Feeders" that might make the AAP class less attractive to a child not interested in TJ.

Overall, I would apply for formal AAP acceptance and give your child the option of choosing between honors and AAP classes. If you don't apply and your child finds the honors classes slow or boring, you won't have another option.