Reply to Anyone attend 11/29 cluster 1,2,and 3 AAP meeting at Kilmer?

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Reply to "Anyone attend 11/29 cluster 1,2,and 3 AAP meeting at Kilmer? "

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
How is critical mass a myth? YOu cannot give a small group of MS students the exact same schedule and assume that they will be taking the same electives. There's one set of schools in the eastern part of the county that will have fewer than 40 and fewer than 80 students when fully populated as a MS Center. These are 6th-8th grade schools, and at two classrooms per grade, that's 180 children. While I'd like to think that you aren't talking about this in particular, let's be clear that some children will NOT receive services in the same manner as they cannot keep a group of 33 or 72 kids together for a full day and still allow their elective schedules to flow freely.  There's no myth here - this plan, if implemented as written where it expands the Center program to every MS that does not have one, will introduce an additional inequity that directly affects more than a handful of children. We aren't talking about a 15 minute bus ride, or staying with your peers through the transitions, which while important, aren't deal breakers for some of us. We are talking about creating a MS center for 33 kids, 72 kids, where you have fewer than one full class per grade (again, there two are K-6). THAT'S a reason for shouting. [/quote]

Agree. 
The issue seems two and half folds.
1) the underpresentation of two racial groups (mainly in cluster 3/4/5/6)
2) the overcrowding of certain centers (mainly in cluster 1/2/8)
3) the commuting (which most of the parents don't mind if their kids can go to the centers they prefer)
FCPS' plan to have center in every MS, also open more centers in ES, it will help issue (2) more or less. So the plan apply to cluster 1/2/8 sounds positive.
As for issue (1), I can't see how it will help. If they lower the standard for all kids, there will be more kids into the center, but the % probably won't change much. If they do like affirmative action type, lower the standard for certain ethnic groups, that will be totally against the AAP purpose. Even worst, the small centers in clusters 3/4/5/6 will split into even small ones. Some of the centers barely have 2 AAP classes now. After the split, some will only have 1 AAP class ( ES: Belvedere, 3rd grade from 62 kids to 46 kids, 4th grade from 47 to 39, 5th grade from 40 to 27; Lorton station, 78 to 64, 65 to 54, 47 to 39,60 to 38; Springfield Estates, 113 to 38, 94 to 24, 71 to 21, 67 to 26; new Falls Church pyramid, 35/25/21/25; new Annandale pyramid, 30/15/18/9). 
How can you have an effective AAP program with 9 kids in one grade? 4 vs 4 competition, with 1 tie-breaker?
I think the next step for PCPS is to stuff unqualified kids from underpresented group into the small AAP centers. So when the law suit hits, they can say they have high % of underpresented group kids in AAP. That will probably mitigate issue (1) on the surface, but definitely sacrifice all the true AAP students in those clusters, as they will be drag down by non-AAP students in their AAP class.[/quote]

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