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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous
Two things:

Wow, just wow, that your response to inequity in a public system is that it's not going to change (and you thank God for that).

Secondly, you're wrong.  This program will change. You'll start to see the level IV option offered in more schools and the busing option go away in these cases.  Within these schools you'll start to see the AAP curriculum offered to all kids (as it already is in some McLean schools).

Then you will have to find another way to feel superior and special. May I suggest a private school where you can rightly pay for this privilege.  [/quote]

My youngest just started MS, so we are getting our kids out before any changes hit, but I don't think you understand how the LLIV rollout is working.  They are not expanding LLIV, as much as they are creating Centers in schools that can field a full class of AAP.  That's a great thing for AAP kids.  They don't have to bus or change schools.  And unlike with LLIV, the schools [b]cannot pupil place GE kids to fill out the AAP classes in the new centers[/b].  Let Level III kids in in qualified subjects, yes.  But they can't principal place-- at least not in the Cooper and now Thoreau new Centers.  So, the classes aren't being diluted with GE kids that haven't been screened.  The nice things is that the AAP Centers affected-- are often overcrowded, and this relieves that.  AAP kids in the larger Centers are often in large classes (30+ kids).  This will help with that too.  Carson is up next-- which would be great because they are incredibly overcrowded, and can easily send 200 AAP kids to Franklin.   And I agree.  If an ES, like Lees Corner, is sending 20 kids to a Center (plus they retain some kids in AAP kids in LLIV and fill that out with principal placement), or 100 kids at the MS level, there is no reason that those kids just can't make one class at the base school.

By virtue of a move, I have had kids in an LLIV Center that had a class that was 100% AAP, and a larger Center.  And I actually think the LLIV is worse on the GE kids.  Rather than moving to another school, their 2nd grade friends who qualify are right there in a "special class."  They stay with the same kids for 4 years, while the other kids get random class assignments.  The AAP kids end up being a tight knit group, very cliquey, and in a small school everyone knows who they are.  The GE parents at our LLIV were very unhappy about the one special classroom phenomenon.  And many had their kids retested privately and referred every year to get their kids in.  In the Center school that was  half GE, half AAP, the kids classroom assignments changed each year so the kids were less likely to make cliques.   The kids mixed together a lot more and did not self segregate as much.  BTW-- this was true of the parents too.  In the Center, AAP was more normal, and the APP kids did not stand out the way they did in the LLIV, so the atmosphere was not as toxic.  If I were GE. I would much rather have 25 kids leave my school for a Center than be right their in a special, often smaller, class that my kid still couldn't access.  And generally with the "best" teacher in the grade each year, because the strong teachers are the ones the administration encourages to get AAP certified.

Maybe you will be happy when you local ES becomes a Center GE kids have no access to.  I loved that for my AAP kid.  The smaller classes, shorter bus ride, always getting the best teacher, always having your best friend in your class.  It was great.  I would have been unhappy as a GE parent in that situation, and thought that they had legitimate grievances.  And they had a lot of grievances.  But YMMV.

[/quote]

Thanks for this perspective.  It makes a lot of sense to me based on my experience in the FCPS GT program, back before it was AAP when it was a much smaller group.  At that time, centers were more like what it sounds like LLIV is now, where there was one class per grade of GT and the GT classes were pretty segregated from the rest of the school.  The clique thing especially rings true to me, because we did basically have exactly the same kids in the class each year through 6th grade.  The difference between then and LLIV is that those were centers so each class had kids from multiple schools, vs. LLIV centers now where the kids are all from the base school.  I can see how the special class all from kids in the base school could make the segregation and competition even worse.  I hadn't really thought of the parallels before.

DD is just starting 3rd grade in the same center school that I went to.  I'm definitely curious to see how similar/different the experience is for her.  I believe there are 3 AAP classes in each grade at her center.

I'll admit that I was surprised when I found out how expanded the program is now, but I certainly don't have enough experience yet to judge whether it is better or worse.  I did feel like the screening process now felt a lot more competitive/awkward, and I felt really bad for the parents of DD's friends who were pushing so hard to get in unsuccessfully.  It would be great if FFX could expand the curriculum more broadly.  [b]But the fact of the matter is, whether the program is small like it was before or more inclusive like it is now, there are always going to be kids who are selected and kids who aren't.  And it is always going to create segmentation and some tension and conflict.  IMO, better for the conflict to be among the parents than the kids, though.[/b]  [/quote]

+1[/quote]

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