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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Scrap the AAP model.  It's time to reinvent.

Level IV curriculum in every school and classroom.

[b]Very top 3-4% of students that simply cannot function in a normal classroom with differentiation are bussed to a special center for truly gifted, extreme IQ students.

These kids need special education the same way kids need special education on the other side of the spectrum. Mainstreamed to the greatest extent possible with differentiation in their home school and if that cannot work then they can be provided highly specialized teaching at a center that suits their needs.[/b]

This AAP madness is a burden on the school system and is simply lowering the standards for the majority of students in FCPS.

[/quote]

Bad idea.

My kid is in that upper 99% and the more inclusive program is more beneficial to these kids at the extreme.[/quote]
Agreed.  There is a whole other thread for folks to call AAP "madness" and "evil".  As others have observed many times, the negative center experience is far from universal.  If there are problem schools/neighborhoods, those should be addressed.    [/quote]

Exactly - sadly, I don't think we'll ever be able to shake the rabid AAP haters.  They pop up everywhere.  Even with threads like "where do you send your child for enrichment?" get nasty responses like "if your child is so gifted, why do they need it?"

Seems DCUM is a safe, anonymous place for these folks to vent their insecurities.

Its not madness, nonsense or evil - its not destroying the fabric our communities. It's not that dramatic.  The friends (mine and my kids) that we had before AAP, we still have.  If your 'community relationships' are that fragile, maybe you need to make some new, real friends?[/quote]

I don't see any problem with the community, we still have the same friends.  I actually feel more sadness for the kids in AAP where we are since in our community they get out later so by the time they're getting of the bus, the other kids have been out playing for an hour and are heading back in or to sports practices. Less spontaneous playtime with their neighborhood friends.

What I have a problem with is an inefficient program that lowers the standards for children in Gen Ed classes and brings down FCPS overall as a system.  It's a program that has completely veered away from it's original intent and needs to be brought back into alignment for the bettering of the entire school system.

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Do you also feel sad for the kids stuck at SACC until their parents get out of work?  Or kids who don't live in houses with yards to play in?  Many different circumstances for families - I don't think that is a reason to eliminate AAP.

How does AAP lower the GE standards?  There is still differentiation in GE, isn't there?  [/quote]

I was commenting to the community problem poster.

It lowers the GenEd standards because the bar for AAP has been set, so they won't implement those things in GenEd classrooms.  Not the curriculum, not the extra teacher training, not the higher expectations of students, because then AAP wouldn't be so different.

There is damn good reason parents love the AAP program, it's because the education and expectations are better and higher.  That comes from the teachers and the curriculum.  That's something that should be in every classroom in FCPS, not just for some students, for all.

So yes, it very much lowers the bar for GenEd and in turn the majority of students in FCPS.

[/quote]

Really?  [b]I just can't imagine Gen Ed teachers slowing down or capping the curriculum at a certain level just to keep it "different" than AAP[/b].  That doesn't make sense. [/quote]

NP here.  Maybe gen ed teachers don't cap curriculum just to keep it different, but here's what happens at ours -- I've posted on another thread about some of this:  only grade level books are kept in the classrooms, so if your kid reads above grade level, oh well.  Three of DC's friends left for AAP center, and cited this as one of the major reasons for leaving. The reading level of one of these kids actually regressed in 2nd grade.  My DC's scores were on the cusp for AAP, and had no choice but to remain.  Not sure if a center would be the right choice for DC, given DC's personality, but that is a separate matter.  The focus in gen ed is closing the achievement gap, which is great, but it needs to be done without capping the top.  Unfortunately, the system does not incentivize teachers and administrators to do this.  I believe IEPs are needed for every student, but at this point in time it doesn't seem possible within the public school system.  I see homeschooling as the only way to get the customization students need and parents want.[/quote]

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