Reply to FCPS Proposal to close down AAP Centers at Greenbriar West ES and Carson MS

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Reply to "FCPS Proposal to close down AAP Centers at Greenbriar West ES and Carson MS"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I wonder who these parents are who actually think AAP is some kind of "prep program" for high school AP, etc.  No doubt they have younger kids and have no idea how high school even works.   :roll:[/quote]

[b]Washington Post: Fairfax program seeks to close the ‘excellence gap’[/b]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/fairfax-program-seeks-to-close-the-excellence-gap/2014/04/10/21711a80-a2f0-11e3-84d4-e59b1709222c_story.html

[quote]To develop their talent, Young Scholars may get advanced work in the classroom or be pulled aside for extra attention. They attend summer camps, field trips and other special events. Many move on to formal GT classes — now called advanced academic services — which have their own acceptance criteria....

To improve the odds, Fairfax and other school systems have created a scaffold of supporting programs that include AP and International Baccalaureate prep for middle-schoolers, extra tutoring and guidance, free summer school, online courses and open enrollment for honors and AP classes, and college application help. But nationally, comprehensive programs that follow students from kindergarten to graduation are few and, even at their best, can’t always counter the powerful forces pulling on students.

Sosa didn’t face the worst of those problems. She had a stable, loving family, food on the table, a safe place to live and study. But as she piled on honors and AP courses in middle and high school, she came face-to-face with challenges shared by many peers. For starters, low-income meant little money for educational extras such as tutoring or prep courses. Sosa also lacked a key avenue of guidance as she navigated advanced courses and college prep: parents who had been there themselves.

And as she took her place in classes dominated by students who didn’t share her background, Sosa sometimes felt conspicuously out of place. Case in point: one AP class in which students were asked to introduce themselves by talking about their parents’ jobs. “I always hate that question,” Sosa says. “Not that I’m embarrassed, but I just know I’m going to be different from everyone else.” She stuck it out and even doubled down, working harder than ever. “I didn’t want to be the dumb, poor kid,” she says.[/quote][/quote]

I'm not sure what your point is in quoting the above article.  This girl was part of the Young Scholars program.  She wasn't the typical, hot-housed, privileged Fairfax County AAP student.  Those students (latter group) are the ones being discussed on this forum and they are the kids who don't need any type of AAP program to succeed in advanced-level high school courses.  To think that the average FxCo. child won't excel in high school because they weren't an AAP student is ludicrous.[/quote]

Because Young Scholars often receive AAP services including but not limited to Level II, Level III and Level IV services.

The last time I checked, Level II and Level III services are part of the AAP continuum.

This forum is titled [b]Advanced Academic Programs (AAP)[/b].  It is not titled [b]the typical, hot-housed, privileged Fairfax County AAP student[/b] forum.

What are [b]Level II[/b] and [b]Level III[/b] services?  Let's check the FCPS website:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/level2.shtml

[b]Level II[/b] Services:  Differentiated Services are offered to students who have specific academic strengths.  The Advanced Academic resource teacher collaborates with classroom teachers to support differentiated instruction and to provide additional challenges within the general education program.  [b]Middle school students who take one or two Honors classes are receiving Level II services.[/b]

Holy moly look at that! Middle school students -- you know, those students that are NOT in AAP Centers -- who take ONE or TWO Honors classes are receiving -- wait for it -- LEVEL II Services.

So let's look at [b]Level III[/b] services -- back to the FCPS website:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/level3.shtml

[b]Level III[/b] Services: The Middle School Honors program offers students who demonstrate previous high achievement in specific areas of academic strength the opportunity to experience and extended POS at greater levels of depth and complexity.  All sixth grade students are considered for Honors classes.  Students may qualify for [b]up to three Honors classes[/b].

So Level III services are those middle school students who take THREE honors classes.  Interesting.

So why would a student want to take honors classes anyway?  Time to look at the website again:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/honors.shtml

[b]Middle School Honors[/b] - Honors classes provide opportunities to build on individual academic strengths, develop critical and creative thinking skills, and [b]prepare students for advanced coursework in high school, i.e. Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and/or Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.[/b]

So there you go -- Level II and Level III services at the middle school level prepare students for advanced coursework in high school.[/quote]

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