Haters Gonna Hate, but Centers are here to stay (with busing)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everything you've described, and more, was an issue at our center. Parents gossiping about who belongs in AAP and who doesn't, snotty parents who are dismissive of parents with GE kids (and the kids themselves), and kids in the GE classes being treated as the "others" (even when the school is their base school!) and inferior to the AAP kids. Centers also destroy any sense of community, since there's such a stark divide between AAP and GE homerooms. Yes, the kids mix during specials, but everyone is well aware of who has what label, and there is a clear sense of superiority from many of the AAP kids. And yes, the kids who were borderline AAP absolutely feel rotten because they know there's no difference between them and most kids in AAP.

I feel that dividing kids into AAP/non-AAP does no one any good and only serves to perpetuate stereotypes on both sides. Offering an AAP curriculum to any child able to do the work would be the common sense solution; not segregating them into two very similar groups and labeling them. The homerooms themselves should be mixed and the kids just rotate into and out of whichever group is appropriate for them at the time. It's such a simple solution, I can't believe FCPS has wasted all these years with the current system.

The solution to this is to have AAP-only schools. That way nobody has to feel left out or bad about themselves. They should start with first grade, with the option of testing in every year after that. Many gifted children have already developed school related problems by the time they're in third grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you get rid of centers, Fairfax county will turn into Montgomery county. And we all know how much they suck. Leave the bright kids alone.

Montgomery Cty. has HGCs - you know, for kids who are actually Highly Gifted. Totally different from the silly model FCPS has.

actually fcps has a larger population of gifted

Surely you're not implying that the many kids in AAP are actually "Highly Gifted"? Because that would be completely ludicrous and laughable.

Or so we're told on this board so often it's become part of the background noise, as unsurprising and innocuous as a humming fan. And don't call PP Shirley.

Okay, mom of 2 in AAP, but let's be fair here. "Highly gifted" is generally defined as an IQ of 145 or more, which occurs in approximately one out of every 750 kids. Even if FCPS has more gifted or highly gifted kids than average, it's fair to say that if 16-17% of a given grade of kids are in AAP, the vast majority of these are not "highly gifted."

Exactly. To imply that all, or even most, of the kids in AAP are highly gifted is a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Karen Garza's budget for next year contains no cuts to AAP Centers or associated transportation (or anything else). It increases teacher compensation and decreases class size.

Condolences to the AAP haters who have been stalking this board for months salivating over the prospect of Centers being dismantled. Not gonna happen. Period. Done. Moving on....

+1

The only democratic school board member got voted out in the last election was publicly against AAP center. And he got replaced by a member who is a strong supporter for AAP center and TJ.

Having a strong AAP program is good for your property value, quality of living, and good preparation for your kids in case you want to go private in high school.

+1 AAP is great for the whole county and, yes, property values.

Uh, no. Fairfax County will always have high property values because the schools are generally good, and the job opportunities are plentiful. Centers play no part in this equation, though I know it's a popular rallying cry for those who love to insist the sky will fall without them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Karen Garza's budget for next year contains no cuts to AAP Centers or associated transportation (or anything else). It increases teacher compensation and decreases class size.

Condolences to the AAP haters who have been stalking this board for months salivating over the prospect of Centers being dismantled. Not gonna happen. Period. Done. Moving on....

+1

The only democratic school board member got voted out in the last election was publicly against AAP center. And he got replaced by a member who is a strong supporter for AAP center and TJ.

Having a strong AAP program is good for your property value, quality of living, and good preparation for your kids in case you want to go private in high school.

+1 AAP is great for the whole county and, yes, property values.

Uh, no. Fairfax County will always have high property values because the schools are generally good, and the job opportunities are plentiful. Centers play no part in this equation, though I know it's a popular rallying cry for those who love to insist the sky will fall without them.

Uh, wait. So you believe making an otherwise poor school an AAP center and bringing in new AAP students will have absolutely no effect at all on overall school test scores and resulting ratings?