How did you know whether to refer your child for level IV?

[Anonymous]

We were told to refer before we get any test scores back, as they may come back after the deadline. How did you know whether level IV would be the right fit for your child and you wanted to parent refer?

[Anonymous]

First, talk to the teacher.

[Anonymous]

If you think your child is smart, you should apply. It takes maybe an hour to fill out the forms, and nothing bad will happen to your kid if he/she doesn't get in. The only way to know whether AAP would be the right fit for your child is to try it and see how it goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First, talk to the teacher.

Most teachers will tell you that you should apply if you think your child would be a good fit for AAP. They're not going to stick their necks out and tell you that they don't think your kid is smart enough to handle AAP.

If your kid generally gets good grades, is a strong reader, and is at least above average intelligence, then the kid should do fine in AAP.

[Anonymous]

I’m planning to ask the teacher at November conferences. She’s an experienced teacher and I think she will give it to me straight.

[Anonymous]

lol, I'm a teacher. First rule of being a teacher--never tell parents news they don't want to hear. I once told a parent I didn't think their child should stay in honors math next year, and she took my name to the school principal, regional sup, and school board member and trashed me as "destroying her child's confidence and love of learning." I had to go to so many meetings to try to clear my name. Lesson learned. Now all answers are vague and useless to protect myself.

Just refer if you want to. No teacher is going to tell you not to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:lol, I'm a teacher. First rule of being a teacher--never tell parents news they don't want to hear. I once told a parent I didn't think their child should stay in honors math next year, and she took my name to the school principal, regional sup, and school board member and trashed me as "destroying her child's confidence and love of learning." I had to go to so many meetings to try to clear my name. Lesson learned. Now all answers are vague and useless to protect myself.

Just refer if you want to. No teacher is going to tell you not to.

This. Most teachers are very vague about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:lol, I'm a teacher. First rule of being a teacher--never tell parents news they don't want to hear. I once told a parent I didn't think their child should stay in honors math next year, and she took my name to the school principal, regional sup, and school board member and trashed me as "destroying her child's confidence and love of learning." I had to go to so many meetings to try to clear my name. Lesson learned. Now all answers are vague and useless to protect myself.

Just refer if you want to. No teacher is going to tell you not to.

This. Most teachers are very vague about it.

We've had a teacher flat out tell us one of my kids belonged in AAP. Same teacher did not say that about another one of my kids - she was a bit more vague on that one. Oddly the vague one got in and the one she flat out said should be in AAP did not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were told to refer before we get any test scores back, as they may come back after the deadline. How did you know whether level IV would be the right fit for your child and you wanted to parent refer?

FWIW - we received our test results and pool referral letter on Christmas Eve (the applications were due January 10th, I believe). If that happens again this year, you may have a stronger indication. That being said, if you think your kid is smart and mature minded (i.e. a mentor/leader personality and generally well behaved) then it's worth submitting the application.

[Anonymous]

Also- even if the scores are “in-pool”, send in the parent referral form and include work samples. You never know what the school will send in the package for the work samples, and some teachers are better than others at procuring good samples from the class. Include a strong example of writing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also- even if the scores are “in-pool”, send in the parent referral form and include work samples. You never know what the school will send in the package for the work samples, and some teachers are better than others at procuring good samples from the class. Include a strong example of writing.

Eh. The work samples made at school are given more weight than anything a parent sends in. Rightly so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m planning to ask the teacher at November conferences. She’s an experienced teacher and I think she will give it to me straight.

Nope. No way. At best, she will ask you leading questions, or talk about how students in general do.

-former teacher

[Anonymous]

A teacher stopped me in the hall and asked to speak to me. This is a teacher who sees all the kids at some point each week (specials teacher). She said she hopes I was applying for aap for one kid because he belonged in aap because of the connections he makes and questions he asks and then she gave me examples of what he says from a paper she had on her desk. This was my younger child. What’s funny is my older kid got a 16 gbrs and this one got a 15. Both got in. Both second grade teachers said the kids would be good candidates for aap. FWIW friends noted the teacher’s were more neutral when they asked if their kids would be good fits

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A teacher stopped me in the hall and asked to speak to me. This is a teacher who sees all the kids at some point each week (specials teacher). She said she hopes I was applying for aap for one kid because he belonged in aap because of the connections he makes and questions he asks and then she gave me examples of what he says from a paper she had on her desk. This was my younger child. What’s funny is my older kid got a 16 gbrs and this one got a 15. Both got in. Both second grade teachers said the kids would be good candidates for aap. FWIW friends noted the teacher’s were more neutral when they asked if their kids would be good fits

Sure. Your kids are the most special snowflakes to grace an AAP classroom. Regular people, however, shouldn't bother asking the teacher, since they will get a very neutral response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A teacher stopped me in the hall and asked to speak to me. This is a teacher who sees all the kids at some point each week (specials teacher). She said she hopes I was applying for aap for one kid because he belonged in aap because of the connections he makes and questions he asks and then she gave me examples of what he says from a paper she had on her desk. This was my younger child. What’s funny is my older kid got a 16 gbrs and this one got a 15. Both got in. Both second grade teachers said the kids would be good candidates for aap. FWIW friends noted the teacher’s were more neutral when they asked if their kids would be good fits

Sure. Your kids are the most special snowflakes to grace an AAP classroom. Regular people, however, shouldn't bother asking the teacher, since they will get a very neutral response.

Not at all...the teacher gave the same kid a 15...meaning the specials teacher saw more in the kid then the teacher herself. Kids got in to the program that year when the teacher of those kids gave a very neutral response whether they should get in. It's opaque usually. My "16" gbrs kid wasn't seen as special to the teacher who teaches specials at the school but was seen as more "gifted" to the second grade teacher...

That was the point.