Reply to WAPO article about sever FFX school budget cuts

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
The CogAt/FxAT [b]does not [/b]measure IQ; these are simply reasoning tests.  http://www.riverpub.com/products/cogAt/support.html#4  So scoring high on them does not necessarily indicate a high IQ.  [b]Many GE kids are [i]equally intelligent[/i], but just missed the benchmark on those tests. [/b] This is why GE students, within center schools especially, feel the stark division of AAP/GE so acutely.  It's obvious that most of their AAP counterparts are no "smarter" than they, and yet they (the AAP kids) are receiving special services.  This is a program that needs to be cut or deeply overhauled.[/quote]

If the kids just missed the benchmark, why would their parents not have parent referred?[/quote]

Speaking as one of those parents, we didn't parent refer because we don't feel AAP is the end-all be-all.  AAP is not that much more "advanced" than GE, and we didn't want to go through the whole referral process just so our child could have a meaningless label.[/quote]

Are you at a center school or non-center school? Did your child take the whole AAP vs. GE thing in stride? I'm wondering if parent attitudes play a role (you didn't make a big deal of it so your child doesn't worry about it either) and if it is easier at a non-center school where the child has classmates who leave the school but doesn't see the AAP classes every day at school.[/quote]

DC is a GE student at a center school.  I'm not sure if the GE/AAP separation really costs more, absent the busing costs. FCPS does spend a decent amount of rescources on GBRS evaluations, putting AAP files together, reviewing files, handling appeals, and administering the NNAT and CogAT. They would save more resources if they'd just allow the teachers to do flexible grouping and team teach within grades. This is what they are doing now for science and social studies. The only separate classes are language arts and math, and they flex group these within AAP and GE already. Why the need to track the students and put all the resources to create the tracks?  Seems like a waste.

The bigger problem is the division within the school and the effect tracking has on those in the GE group. DC has struggled with self esteem being in the GE class. DC didn't take it in stride and still comments on how DC thinks DC should be in AAP. We wish we were at a non center school and have considered moving. It would be easier for DC if the constant reminder of AAP wasn't on display daily.

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