Reply to Why is FCPS trying to keep high performing students out of AAP?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]17:21 PP here, and I wonder whether there is some method to the madness of which kids who deserve AAP are kept out.  My kid who didn't get in scored pass advanced on every SOL, with perfect scores on most, was consistently above grade level in all subjects, got a 99th percentile IAAT, straight As in middle and high school, and 5s on a bunch of AP exams.  This kid is one who is very cooperative in the classroom, makes effective use of time, and even in gen ed was generally helpful or kept themselves quietly occupied with reading.  I mean, the AART said my kid should have been admitted, and the GBRS was perfect, so it's not like the school sabotaged my kid, but I wonder whether the central committee rejects certain kids that they think would be an asset to the gen ed teacher.

My other kid who got admitted to AAP would have been disruptive and difficult in gen ed, and would not have made the teacher's life any easier.  [/quote]

If people really think this happens then how can we trust the process at all? [/quote]

Yep, the lack of transparency leads to a little bit of craziness on the part of parents, [b]especially since it's way easier to conclude that your kid belongs in the top 20 %[/b] (cf when it was 2-5% and "gifted" and it was more common to conclude those kids were outlier/brainiacs).[/quote]

[b]I get that. It's partly because it's a larger group but also because everyone thinks their kids are above average![/b][/quote]

But that's exactly why they need objective standards and not a very subjective, opaque process with results that often don't even make sense to the AART.  When my kid got rejected with high test scores, above grade level in all subjects, and high GBRS, we met with our very experienced AART.  The school usually get around 25 kids into AAP.  The AART said that in those 25, there are 5 that had nothing whatsoever in their packets to suggest that they belonged in AAP and another 5 who got rejected who absolutely fit the profile of an AAP student, had strong packets, and were surprise rejections.  The other 20 kids who got in were somewhere on the spectrum of borderline but reasonable admits through obvious admits.  Even the AART had no recourse to get answers from Gatehouse or take any steps to get kids admitted who were screwed over by the process.

Re: the bolded.  That's true, but kind of obnoxious to say it given the context of people whose kids obviously should have been admitted, but weren't.  I mean, I've had enough other people imply that my kid's AAP rejection meant that I was just a delusional parent who thought my average kid was above average.  [b]Are you suggesting that my kid who had an unprepped CogAT score in the low 130s, was above grade level in all subjects, had a perfect GBRS, got pass advanced on all SOLs and perfect scores on many, got an unprepped 98th percentile on IAAT, crushed algebra I in 7th, etc. is merely average and not AAP material?[/b]  [/quote]

I'm the pp you are quoting. No, I would not suggest that at all. If anything, your child's success without AAP is further evidence that AAP isn't necessary for success or a good indicator of it.

Did you ever get any closure about why your child was rejected? I assume you tried more than once. Also it's disconcerting that the AART said that.

I agree that we need a more objective process where one would expect a child like yours would be in. But unfortunately testing isn't the road to objectivity it once was, given the prep that is happening in some circles. [/quote]

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