Reply to FCPS potential changes to AAP

Forum Index » Advanced Academic Programs (AAP)

Reply to "FCPS potential changes to AAP"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]More ridiculousness from the School Board sure to be soon on display.

How great FCPS will be when they find completely arbitrary ways to recognize the giftedness of an additional 10% of the white kids and 25% of the black and Hispanic kids...or maybe the academic program for the other 60% will just be even more of a joke...[/quote]

How can they get 25% black and hispanic kids in certain schools when most areas of mclean and langley are 70% white and 25% Asian? This only makes sense in areas outside of mclean and langley pyramids.[/quote]

I think it's pretty obvious that they are speaking of 25% of the entire district's population of black and hispanic kids.  So, in schools where there are 10 black/hispanic kids, they want 2-3 of them getting advanced classes.  In schools where there are 200 black/hispanic kids, they want 50 of them getting advanced classes.

The real question is what do they mean they are going to put Level 4 AAP in every school?  That would apparently mean all four subjects are taught at the "advanced" level every day.  So, if FCPS is going to give advanced instruction to 25% of black and hispanic kids who to date have not been passing the screening tests at high enough rates to be at 25% participation... then one has to wonder if the benchmark for getting "advanced" instruction is going to be different (i.e. lowered) at schools with more minorities.  In order to get to 25% participation, would the benchmark be 110 instead of 132?  Will the local schools (or perhaps pyramids) be doing the selection rather than a central committee?  i.e. a group of teachers/admins within West Potomac's pyramid would decide what the benchmark score is and who gets into AAP at the local schools in that pyramid.  But, the criteria might be different in another pyramid (or even within another elementary school)?

And while I know there isn't much consistency among AAP centers now, I imagine there will be even greater differences between AAP in some schools vs. others if they are changing the standards for who gets in.

Maybe this is all just a veneer for "tracking" but making it more racially equal.  I'm not opposed to having kids put in different classes based on ability.  I am a little worried that what they are going to call "AAP" is not going to be truly advanced.  Let the experimentation begin![/quote]

[b]Someone theorized upthread that this means expanding Level 3 (and maybe Level 2) services. [/b]

There are some who see no value in pull-out instruction but, having received it as part of the gifted program I was in as an elementary student, I think it can be valuable and shouldn't be dismissed.  [/quote]

When they say they want local level 4 in every ES, then that would mean, by definition, that kids receive advanced instruction in all 4 core subjects.  I guess they could get shifty on us and TEACH some kids at an advanced level in all four subjects (calling it level 4), but it could be different groups of kids receiving different subjects at advanced levels (very few receiving adv. instruction in all four).

i.e.  ES has a classroom of 3rd graders and one teacher.  The teacher teaches everyone "on grade level" for English and then pulls 4 kids (Adis, Bren, Chaz, and Denton) to the side for "advanced" learning (ie giving them an extra project to work on).  Then the teacher teaches the whole class "on grade level" for social studies and pulls 4 kids (Bren, Edwardo, Fia, Greta) , and to the side for advanced learning in Social studies.  Then kids some kids leave that class and go to a different room for adv. math where 30 kids are taught adv. math (including Adis, Chaz, Edwardo, Fia and Greta).

There are a lot of questions about what they mean by having level 4 in every school.  What does that mean for teachers (day to day)?  What does that mean for kids (who gets adv. instruction)?  And how will they be chosen?

The school board seems to be keeping this on the down low... but they usually have a plan worked out that they aren't telling the public about yet.  They go through the ruse of having public comments and acting like they haven't decided anything yet.  But, experience tells me they know where this is going.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics