Reply to Prepping for entry into AAP

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]Oh, it's the person who posts over and over in an attempt to conflate test prep with studying and hard work. [/quote]
No, it's the person who posts over and over in an attempt to conflate test prep with not belonging and not "smart enough".[/quote]

Lots of kids study and work hard and never do test prep. I know plenty of [b]high-achieving students[/b] who haven't done test prep for AAP or TJ. And let's face it, a smart kid who works hard is going to go farther than a less intelligent kid who works just as hard, whether test prep is involved or not.

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This is where I think the conversation needs to focus.  There are high-achievers because they have an average to above average intelligence and work hard - these kids can do well in a traditional classroom with differentiation.  There are high-achievers that are highly intelligent that may or may not learn well in a traditional classroom.  And then, there are highly intelligent to genius and above which do not do well in a traditional classroom.

The 3rd set of kids NEED a special needs classroom/curriculum, the 2nd set may or may not need a different classroom setting and the 1st set DO NOT NEED a different classroom/curriculum.  I do think the bar could be set a little higher across the gen ed curriculum for many students, but that's where differentiation comes in.  A special needs gifted class/curriculum is not needed.

I wish they would go back to the actual gifted classes and not open AAP to every high achiever or kid pushed by their parents.[/quote]
So you must be against Local Level IV as well, right?[/quote]

No, why would I be?  Isn't that a form of differentiation?

I have one kid that is smart and a high-achiever.  He likes to do well in school, he likes to get "gold stars" for doing good work and following directions.  I have another that has a very high IQ but isn't motivated by the next "gold star."  She NEEDS a different type of classroom and curriculum.  He does not, yet parents of kids just like my son are tripping over themselves to get their kid in aap.

Maybe they need to up the bar in the gen ed class, but they need to have a gifted program for kids that are truly beyond the norm of smart.  They have different needs.  It's one of those "you would know it if you saw it" kind of things.  Most kids in this area are smart, high achievers, and have a supportive learning environment in their homes but that doesn't make them gifted or in need of a special classroom or curriculum.

I can tell you pretty easily who the highly gifted kids are and who the smart, high-achievers are in the app class.  Some teachers are great with our DD and others still prefer the high achievers in their classroom because they are easier.  I just wished they would return the program to an actual gifted-only program so kids like my DD's would get more of what they really need.  I also wish they would raised the bar in the gen ed classroom or at least offer more consistent differentiation within the gen ed classroom so parents wouldn't be so pushy to get their kids into what should be a special needs classroom.[/quote]
From what I understand, Local Level IV, like Center Level IV, is indeed a “different type of classroom and curriculum”.  It’s not a Gen Ed classroom and so is distinguished from Level II or III, which allegedly differentiate curriculum among differently abled students within a Gen Ed class.  Under your regime, there would likely be little need for Local Level IV because the pool of Level IV candidates would be drastically reduced to your  DD and others like her.

However, a binary view based solely on the personalities of your own kids won't do for the rest of us.  My AAP kid is unlike either of yours.  She behaves, loves those gold stars and learns fine in a regular classroom.  She also spent much of second grade waiting for classmates to catch up.  Does she “need” Level IV?  That’s such a mushy word.  As a new third grader, she is certainly getting a lot out of AAP, more than anything our base school could promise via Level III.  It’s been a good fit socially too.  So I’d say yes, she does need AAP to reach her potential, just not in the same way as your DD.

Sorry, this has nothing to do with prepping.     
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