Reply to AAP - why not have it for all of FCPS?

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Reply to "AAP - why not have it for all of FCPS?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No matter what process is used for AAP and TJ selections, they will miss some "qualified" students. Are you aware of any process that is 100% objective?[/quote]
Technically, using only the scores would be 100% objective.  It wouldn't be equitable or considered "best practices" for identifying giftedness, but it isn't at all subjective.

If they want better systems that capture a greater percentage of the gifted kids and a smaller percentage of the non-gifted kids, then there are solutions.  They could come up with more fluid systems that will allow kids to move in and out of AAP more easily.  They could be extra conservative with selection in 3rd grade and take only the kids who are clearly above and beyond, with the expectation that they'll add more as kids age and become capable of producing more meaningful samples.  They could use a larger variety of tests to get a more complete picture of the kid's abilities.  For TJ, they could have actual TJ teachers evaluate applications and not a central office, since TJ teachers are more likely to understand what kids' competition results actually mean.

For my part, I would be fine with open enrollment for AAP, providing that the program is much more rigorous than it is and that the kids who can't keep up are gently washed out of the program rather than slowing it down for everyone.  My kid took both math and language arts last year through AoPS because he felt really bored in his AAP math and language arts.  And, the AoPS classes are so much more rigorous than the AAP ones.  AAP classes are a pathetic joke in comparison.  My kid said he learned more in 1.5 hours of an AoPS class than he did all week in school.  The reading selections were at a much higher level than anything in AAP.  The vocabulary was so much more advanced than AAP.  They were taught writing and grammar, and expected to apply what they learned to various projects.  In math, the content is so much deeper and more challenging.

FCPS acts like 20% of the kids are so gifted that they simply cannot function in a regular classroom, but then offers those kids a curriculum that is barely more advanced than gen ed.

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The selection criteria should be clear - even if it includes some subjective components to supplement objective tests, if/when needed.   An opaque selection process for a slightly  advanced curriculum is inefficient at best.[/quote]

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