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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]As an AAP parent, here's who I resent: parents who spend a significant amount of time on Cogat Prep to qualify their kids for AAP (and yes, unlike a true IQ test the Cogat is apparently very preppable).  And sadly, many parents do this because it is nearly impossible to get into TJ without the AAP compacted math sequence. The AAP standards in FCPS (top 2%, or 2 standard deviations above normal) haven't changed.  The percentage of eligible kids has skyrocketed for 2 reasons: fairfax county is increasingly affluent (which is a legit reason for the program size to grow) and Cogat prepping (which IMO is not). It's enough of a problem that FCPS moved from the Cogat to the "secret" Fxat format a couple years ago. many of these kids make up the "borderline" or "mainstream" AAP population people refer to, and lead to Center size explosion (becuase even in the most affluent base school zone  50 kids out of 120 are not legitimately in the top 2%).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not gripping that "unworthy" kids are sitting in class with my DC.  But I am upset that the explosion in number that has resulted from large scale prepping feeds so many misperceptions about what AAP is, who is really serves, and the needs of kids who truely are AAP qualified.  And becuase the explosion in numbers has lead to the type of resentment you see on this board.

The solution would be to WISC all kids whose partents request it, plus kids who teachers recommend them (this is a version of what Montomery County does).  But FCPS just does not have the funding to give all of these children a multihour test that has to be indiviudally administered by a licensed psychologist.  [/quote]

People in NY prep for the WISC.  The solution is to make level III services better in ALL FCPS schools so parents feel like their kids will still get a good education if they don't get into level IV.  In some schools level III is once a week pull out for one hour.  That disparity encourages the no holes barred mentality people have about getting their kids into AAP.  There are also schools that don't offer compacted math to Gen Ed kids while others do.  That disparity also needs to be fixed.  I think FCPS has done a good job meeting the needs of level IV kids, but not so much smart kids who didn't qualify for AAP.  This creates a lot of animosity in the parents of those kids.  I have 2 kids in AAP and I see the disparity, and I don't think FCPS is doing enough across the board for kids close to the cut off.  Some schools fix the problem themselves, but others do nothing.  This forum doesn't help either.  There are too many people at the extremes of both sides.[/quote]

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