Reply to What is the big deal about AAP?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I agree that Honors vs. AAP at middle school seems to vary based on the teacher.  My DS has all honors classes in 7th grade and one of his teachers mentioned that he gives both Honors and AAP the same work, while another mentioned that it's almost the same.  The teachers recognize that there are bright and motivated kids outside of AAP.

Now that my kids are older, the fuss over AAP seems silly - it ends at 8th grade.  In 9th grade and 10th grade, in core courses, the choice the kids have is Honors or general ed.  Honors and AAP kids both take honors and both seem adequately prepared.  You can take an AP class even if you've never set foot in an honors class before. AAP might be more useful for instilling the kind of cutthroat competitiveness that prepares a kid for applying to TJ or HYP later in life, but it's not worth worrying about if your bright kid tests 2% less than gifted.  A brighter-than-average kid who isn't in AAP will still have plenty of opportunities for challenges.[/quote]

I agree with you except in cases where a bright child learns so quickly and easily that he doesn't ever learn the mechanics of how to study. The AAP provides both a more challenging curriculum so that the child needs to work some to learn, and teachers who know how to guide bright kids to learn how to study. Kids like this used to fall through the cracks and have problems when their coursework became more difficult in late high school or college but being in the AAP helps them to learn the skills they need while they are younger. I grew up in a place without programs like this and I struggled at one point because I truly did not know how to study because before that time I simply listened in class or read the book and I knew the material. I had to figure out for myself how to actually study for tests, and it is more difficult to change your habits when you are older.  I am sure that my own kids have been more successful in high school and college because of the challenging work they encountered in AAP/GT.
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