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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In our school, they use some of it for everyone but generally the AAP material ends up being used for the top groups in the gen ed class. For instance, the highest LA groups in each 4th grade class are doing Caesar’s English, in 6th grade GE only some of the groups are doing Jacob’s Ladder at all or doing one every week as opposed to taking a lot longer, GE kids can test into advanced math, etc. I think it strikes a good balance between AAP For Everyone and just assuming that the gen ed kids can’t handle it.[/quote]

Seems to be a step forward - agree with you that kids should not be underestimated. Is AAP so exceptional?  Don’t truly exceptional kids on either side of the spectrum still need differentiated teaching?

In terms of limited resources: how much time and resources are needed for AAP assessments each year? would that not be better allocated to teaching kids well and with better teacher:student class ratios?

Thanks. OP[/quote]

any FCPS teachers' perspectives on this?[/quote]

Their solution to this at the middle school level was to make honors open enrollment.  It has been handled differently by each school (some allow anyone to move classes at any point in the year, some let you sign up for anything but then you're stuck there, some try to encourage more honors, some try to discourage it), so it's hard to make blanket statements.  In my experience though, all kids want to say they are in honors, and all parents want their kid in honors to be around the kids they perceive to be more motivated/dedicated.  That means I have kids who failed their 6th grade math SOL sitting in math 7 honors.  Kids who failed their math 7 SOL sitting in algebra.  They struggle all year because I cannot teach 2-3 years of math to them in a group setting in one year, and many of them end up repeating algebra in high school because they lack foundational understanding of the math concepts.

My peers who have been teaching longer than I have will tell you that AAP is what honors used to be and honors has been slowed to what gen ed used to be due to the open enrollment and pressure to not allow anyone to fail.[/quote]

So would it be helpful to have AAP for all FCPS kids so that it does not lead to the problems you noted with the open enrollment option for all classes in middle school?

This inconsistency must make it difficult for middle school teachers.  (What happens after middle school - open AP/honors enrollment again?)[/quote]

No, I do not think AAP for all would solve this--I think it would just push the problem to an earlier level.  I am a math teacher so that's my focus (it may very well be an English teacher had a completely different viewpoint).  In 3rd grade when they are splitting up the kids for AAP, some kids are still learning to skip count, some are working on multiplication, and others are capable of doing prealgebra.  The idea that everyone can access the advanced math curriculum is unrealistic, and does a disservice to kids who need foundational math supports.  Exposing kids to advanced math before they are ready provides no long term benefits, and leads to memorizing procedures rather than deeper understanding that they can build on in middle school and high school.

In high school there is no more AAP.  You can sign up for whatever classes you want regardless of level--honors/gen ed/AP/IB.[/quote]

As a math teacher are you disappointed with VMPI limits on math?[/quote]

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