What is the point of AAP? I am getting to the conclusion the only real benefit is to have my child

[Anonymous]

As our AAP center became Title 1, and the stark differences between Gen Ed and AAP became more apparent, the extras started to disappear. The teachers no longer wanted to support them in the name of equity.

Up thread someone said to lobby for those extras and I did, but you're fighting an up hill battle if those things require any support from home such as supplies or costumes.

[Anonymous]

^^ PP here - I loved that my kids had Dig Day, too, and People Fair. People Fair was done for both Gen Ed and AAP and parents were invited in and could visit classrooms other than their child's. The AAP kids were having a blast; most had their speeches memorized, all had costumes and some even created little acting routines to go with their speeches. It was one of the things that made us love the AAP classes, but we could see the difference. The high poverty classes barely had costumes and read from index cards. When my younger child went through, they had them all create Power Point presentations and did away with the costumes (and most of the fun).

[Anonymous]

Our AAP center doesn’t have any of these things

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our AAP center doesn’t have any of these things

Mine doesn't either. The school also would never have any special days or activities for AAP only. If gen ed could handle it, they would do it for everyone. If gen ed can't handle it, then no one would get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am an AAP teacher who also taught gen ed in the same grade level. Honestly my experiences as a teacher have been night and day. I feel I can do so much more in AAP and got my creativity back as a teacher. They content is the same but the way it is taught is different. There is a lot more critical thinking and a lot more flexibility in the schedule to teach grammar, word study and do fun projects. All of the kids are reading on or above grade level so it is easy to do book clubs. I honestly love it!

This was my experience too as an AAP teacher! I was absolutely able to use best practices and do really creative lessons/group work. My kids were motivated, polite, and on the whole well behaved. Parents were very involved. It was fun!

Don't you think this is incredibly unfair to bright kids in a gen ed classroom? My child is motivated, polite, very well behaved, but doesn't test well and is a little bit behind grade level in reading (but not in comprehension), so she's not going to get into LLIV even though I know she would thrive in this type of classroom and because she's quiet and shy, she gets ignored in GenEd and it's going to set her behind everyone. AAP is really unfair to children like her who also deserve the best but don't get it because of some stupid test and biased teachers such as yourselves.

She would be miserable in AAP. My DC1 was at one of the better centers and it was test central. He's in middle school now, taking algebra 2 in 7th grade, and I feel he takes more tests than actually learns in school. Barely any homework, weekly tests in every subject, no grading on the curve, ultra competitive kids would hurt her self esteem and discourage her. From what you wrote, she would be a great fit for private school, small class and lots on personal attention in a nurturing environment. AAP is anything but that.

[Anonymous]

^^ yeah. If your daughter is below grade level in reading, she is NOT going to thrive in AAP. She would be stressed. I think that Gen. Ed. Needs improvement, and the solution is more resources and pullouts for kids that are behind, so that teachers can teach at an appropriate pace for average kids. That doesn’t happen at our school and it’s a shame. We were 100% planning to leave the school for private if our son didn’t get into AAP. He is a grade level or two ahead in everything, we don’t doubt that it’s the right thing for him. Another year in gen ed would have been misery for him. I don’t know that PP’s daughter will be miserable in gen ed, but she deserves to be challenged too. A full time AAP class might not be the right thing for her though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Man, I'm so glad to be in LCPS. How do you put up with all of this AAP BS? It sounds stressful and dysfunctional.

People chill out as their kids get older. LCPS has always seemed kind of basic and cookie-cutter, so I'm happy to have the additional differentiation and options offered in FCPS.

It is stressful and dysfunctional. And makes no difference in the long run. There is no meaningful differentiation or options.

The value of AAP, such as it is, is not for the long run. It's for 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th 6rade, and 6th grade.

Certainly the value varies by school, teacher, and child. The value has been described in some posts upthread. YMMV

It’s become a way to get kids out of gen ed more than an actual gifted program. It’s really about the peers in upper elementary vs. long term academic success. I suppose one could argue that peer group does influence academic success.

[Anonymous]

AAP continues in middle school. Is the difference between AAP and gen ed not as stark? I feel like by middle school, parents are not talking about it as much unless the end goal is TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AAP continues in middle school. Is the difference between AAP and gen ed not as stark? I feel like by middle school, parents are not talking about it as much unless the end goal is TJ.

by that point you have more tracking

It's time to get rid of AAP and just go back to tracking again.

That eliminates the hoops and games people play to get into the program

Also, as people with older children have said, its elementary school it doesn't matter long term. If you are higher income and/or care about educating your child most children are going to be a couple grade levels ahead in elementary school vs a kid who had no one paying attention to their success before they show up to school. It doesn't mean most of the former kids are actually gifted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Man, I'm so glad to be in LCPS. How do you put up with all of this AAP BS? It sounds stressful and dysfunctional.

People chill out as their kids get older. LCPS has always seemed kind of basic and cookie-cutter, so I'm happy to have the additional differentiation and options offered in FCPS.

LCPS has a real gifted program, so I'm not sure what you're talking about. They also have Academics of Loudoun. Plus, AP courses in the higher grades.

I'll happily take that over all of the crap you people put up with.

[Anonymous]

There are honors classes that all kids can choose to take in Middle School so the AAP issue becomes less important. And All High Schools have AP or IB programs.

AAP is most important for parents whose kids are at schools that are not as strong, like the Title 1 schools or schools with a larger ESOL cohort. I have friends who bought houses in a neighborhood that had Title 1 schools. They knew it when they bought it, with younger kids, and didn't think it would be that big of a deal. After Kindergarten and First grade they are desperate, their word not mine, to get their kids into a different school. They have applied for language immersion programs, magnet programs, and AAP. They love the bigger house that they can afford but the schools are not good.

Then you have the TJ or bust families who see AAP as the path to Algebra in 6th or 7th grade, Geometry in 7th or over the summer after 7th, in order to increase their kids chances of being accepted into TJ.

Everyone is concerned about how their kid is doing and what services they are receiving. Talking with parents at the pool, the parents of kids with IEPs are upset because their kids are not getting the services they think the kids deserve, the parents of kids who are ahead think that their kid is not challenged enough, and the parents of the kids in the middle argue that their kids don't get any special resources because everything is directed to the kids with IEPs or AAP. No one is completely happy.

It doesn't help that some parents see AAP as a feather in their kids cap.

Involved parents will do their best to help their kids succeed in school and be well prepared for college or a career regardless of the program that the kid is in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Man, I'm so glad to be in LCPS. How do you put up with all of this AAP BS? It sounds stressful and dysfunctional.

People chill out as their kids get older. LCPS has always seemed kind of basic and cookie-cutter, so I'm happy to have the additional differentiation and options offered in FCPS.

LCPS has a real gifted program, so I'm not sure what you're talking about. They also have Academics of Loudoun. Plus, AP courses in the higher grades.

I'll happily take that over all of the crap you people put up with.

The SEARCH and FUTURA programs in LCPS is similar to what the gifted and talented programs in FCPS elementary schools used to look like 25-30 years ago. More enrichment, project-based pull-out time for gifted children. It was great! Not sure why FCPS abandoned that for AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The plan is to eventually get LL4 in all ES. Unfortunately, the way they do it is start by grade level. So once one starts, it is just Grade3. The following year will be Grade 3 and 4. It takes a while to have an established program. There are def benefits to staying at base school but there are cons as well.

LLIV is still exclusionary. ALL the kids should get the fun side projects, book clubs, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The plan is to eventually get LL4 in all ES. Unfortunately, the way they do it is start by grade level. So once one starts, it is just Grade3. The following year will be Grade 3 and 4. It takes a while to have an established program. There are def benefits to staying at base school but there are cons as well.

LLIV is still exclusionary. ALL the kids should get the fun side projects, book clubs, etc.

My kids Elementary School has book clubs for all kids starting in second grade. It is voluntary. Schools simply have to decide to do it. Not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The plan is to eventually get LL4 in all ES. Unfortunately, the way they do it is start by grade level. So once one starts, it is just Grade3. The following year will be Grade 3 and 4. It takes a while to have an established program. There are def benefits to staying at base school but there are cons as well.

LLIV is still exclusionary. ALL the kids should get the fun side projects, book clubs, etc.

Look, if your kid cannot read fluently by third grade, no they don’t have time for extra projects. That doesn’t mean other kids should have to sit by and wait for your child to catch up before they do anything meaningful for them. Every child deserves to have meaningful work in school. What that looks like is different for each kid. If you think your kid can keep up with level 4, file that appeal.