Reply to Fairfax County GT/AAP Decisions

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Hi,
Can somebody tell me the difference between GT center full time level IV programs and local level IV programs? Do they follow the same curriculum? Which one is better the center or the local level IV?
Thanks[/quote]

I am copying an email I received from someone on the AAPAC committee when I asked your question:

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From the FCPS website:

http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/gt/faqs.html

How does Local Level IV differ from the Full-time AAP Center?

The teachers in both settings are trained in gifted education and teach the same advanced academic curriculum to students who are ready for a highly challenging instructional program in the four core subject areas.  The main difference is in the make-up of the class.  All of the students in a full-time AAP center-based class have been identified as center-eligible by a central selection committee and will be coming from several neighborhood schools to comprise the center class.  In a Local Level IV classroom, the students are a mix of students who are center-eligible and high achieving students who are capable of working at advanced levels, all enrolled in their local school.

Many schools that offer Local Level IV services add students to the Level IV class in areas of academic strength through flexible grouping.  This is an important avenue of access for students who have traditionally been underrepresented in advanced academic programs. 
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You may also find the materials shared at the School Board’s retreat last summer useful.  It shows the number of Center-qualified students from each Local Level IV base school, and how many students that opted for the Center for staying at the base school for Local Level IV.

http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/7f0976c2db2919ff8725732800681a69/e7a1a3f98c878a38872575ec006af975?OpenDocument

http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/7f0976c2db2919ff8725732800681a69/e7a1a3f98c878a38872575ec006af975/$FILE/AttachmentA.pdf

In my opinion, the Local Level IV program is a great program because it provides more students with access to the advanced academics curriculum.  For students that are not quite at the Center-eligible level, it helps meet their needs by challenging them more than the general ed curriculum.

For students that are Center-eligible, the Local Level IV program can work well if there are enough academic peers in the class.  Ideally, it would be great to see at least two Local Level IV classes per grade, where the majority of students are Center-eligible.  (This is particularly important for kids that are “way up there” re: eligibility.)  This provides great groupings for students to be challenged by their peers.

In my opinion, for students that are Center-eligible, the Local Level IV program does not work as well when there are only a few Center-eligible students in the class.  They are likely not to be challenged as much, specifically due to the peer grouping.

The great thing for parents is that there is a choice.  It looks as though we will have transportation (thanks to the support of a majority of School Board members) so that all students can make that choice, and not just students that happen to not have Local Level IV at their base school.[/quote]

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