I’m still trying to figure out if OP is talking about different age siblings, where one is already in AAP and the younger one doesn’t get in, or twins applying at the same time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you tell them when you know they are equally eligible?

No two kids are equally eligible. Each has strengths and weaknesses, and there's nothing wrong with that.

You tell them they'll get a great education no matter what class they're in, and you ask for Level 3 if it makes sense for your child. The AART will tell you if it doesn't and then you'll know.

DP. It's entirely possible that both kids are equally qualified, or even that the kid who was rejected is on paper more qualified than the kid who got in. Different panels reviewed each file, and different people have different biases. The selection process can be pretty random, especially if both kids are somewhat on the cusp of being admitted. It's not cut and dried that one kid is smarter than the other or has academic needs that the other one doesn't have.

For OP, if your school has a LLIV, it's likely your other child will be principal placed. If not, you'll have to ask yourself whether your kid who was admitted really has academic needs that couldn't be met in the base program and whether your child who was not admitted will develop an inferiority complex if that child stays in gen ed while the sibling goes to the center. You can always choose to defer placement for your AAP eligible child and hope that your other one gets admitted in the next year.

Anonymous wrote:Explain that much of the decision for admissions for each grade depends on other factors totally unrelated to their credentials such as number of openings for each grade, whether there is an existing gender imbalance they need to address, sibling preferences, etc.

Tell me you know nothing about the Level IV AAP identification process without telling me you know nothing about the Level IV identification process.

Anonymous wrote:What do you tell them when you know they are equally eligible?

“We’ve been talking with Larlo’s teachers and have decided that he will change schools next year and go to Cupcake ES. There’s a program there that best fits his learning needs. Charlo is going to stay at Cookie ES because that’s where his learning needs are best met. I know this is a big change for our family. What’s your thinking about all this? What questions do you have?”

Anonymous wrote:Probably was the teacher recs.

There are no “teacher recs.” A committee collaborated to complete a Gifted Behaviors Rating Scale.

Probably was the teacher recs.

Are these kids in different grades?

I have 2 older boys who are in AAP and my youngest daughter is in 2nd grade and did not test in to the pool and I didn’t parent refer her. I’m not convinced that she’s any less smart than the boys and that I couldn’t prove it with a WISC but I don’t feel like spending the time or money on that right now. My oldest is in MS and I see that she can take all honors in MS and end up in the same place as the boys in HS anyway.

My boys went to the center and now in a change this year - our base school has local LLIV. So I do tell her that our base school has more advanced offerings now that it didn’t have when the boys were there (true) and that I think she had enough disruption during the pandemic to not move schools and that she can get all her educational needs met at the base school. Luckily she is happy with friends and the base school and she doesn’t want to move.

Anonymous wrote:What do you tell them when you know they are equally eligible?

No two kids are equally eligible. Each has strengths and weaknesses, and there's nothing wrong with that.

You tell them they'll get a great education no matter what class they're in, and you ask for Level 3 if it makes sense for your child. The AART will tell you if it doesn't and then you'll know.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Explain that much of the decision for admissions for each grade depends on other factors totally unrelated to their credentials such as number of openings for each grade, whether there is an existing gender imbalance they need to address, sibling preferences, etc.

None of this is taken into account for Level IV AAP. There are no “openings.” There is definitely no sibling preference. And they do not turn down children based on sex assigned at birth.

+1 The central committee does not care / does not know about siblings.

Anonymous wrote:Explain that much of the decision for admissions for each grade depends on other factors totally unrelated to their credentials such as number of openings for each grade, whether there is an existing gender imbalance they need to address, sibling preferences, etc.

None of this is taken into account for Level IV AAP. There are no “openings.” There is definitely no sibling preference. And they do not turn down children based on sex assigned at birth.

Explain that much of the decision for admissions for each grade depends on other factors totally unrelated to their credentials such as number of openings for each grade, whether there is an existing gender imbalance they need to address, sibling preferences, etc.

School acceptances don't always make sense. Wait till you are applying to colleges.

They were obviously not equally eligible.

What do you tell them when you know they are equally eligible?