Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP teachers are supposed to get certified within three years. There are many AAP teachers that aren’t certified and this includes centers. Especially now with the teaching shortage, I would expect fewer AAP teachers to have certification.

FCPS also only requires them to be “FCPS certified” not VA AAP endorsed. The FCPS certified is a total joke. AARTs can give trainings that count. The AAP endorsement via actual state licensure requires college credits in gifted ed. With the 3 years to get FCPs endorsed and the lrvel of teacher turnover, there are a ton of teachers teaching AAP that have no training in gifted education.

+1 I actually got the state certification in gifted ed years ago. Back then we had 5 years to do it. I learned a lot. Now I see so many teachers who have no idea how to teach gifted kids and it’s just awful to see. Many of them think AAP simply means assign more work.

Well. It's a good thing that AAP isn't a gifted program, isn't it?

DP. It is a gifted program. Maybe you are quibbling over the word gifted? Do you think other school systems use the word differently?

You're both right. It's how Fairfax County claims to address its state-wide requirement for a gifted program, and that is where the gifted students are placed, but in reality, it's a mildly advanced curriculum befitting the top 20% of students. Truly gifted kids will be/are just as overqualified in these classes than in general ed. They're reliant on the quality of teacher to differentiate based on needs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP teachers are supposed to get certified within three years. There are many AAP teachers that aren’t certified and this includes centers. Especially now with the teaching shortage, I would expect fewer AAP teachers to have certification.

FCPS also only requires them to be “FCPS certified” not VA AAP endorsed. The FCPS certified is a total joke. AARTs can give trainings that count. The AAP endorsement via actual state licensure requires college credits in gifted ed. With the 3 years to get FCPs endorsed and the lrvel of teacher turnover, there are a ton of teachers teaching AAP that have no training in gifted education.

+1 I actually got the state certification in gifted ed years ago. Back then we had 5 years to do it. I learned a lot. Now I see so many teachers who have no idea how to teach gifted kids and it’s just awful to see. Many of them think AAP simply means assign more work.

Well. It's a good thing that AAP isn't a gifted program, isn't it?

DP. It is a gifted program. Maybe you are quibbling over the word gifted? Do you think other school systems use the word differently?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP teachers are supposed to get certified within three years. There are many AAP teachers that aren’t certified and this includes centers. Especially now with the teaching shortage, I would expect fewer AAP teachers to have certification.

FCPS also only requires them to be “FCPS certified” not VA AAP endorsed. The FCPS certified is a total joke. AARTs can give trainings that count. The AAP endorsement via actual state licensure requires college credits in gifted ed. With the 3 years to get FCPs endorsed and the lrvel of teacher turnover, there are a ton of teachers teaching AAP that have no training in gifted education.

+1 I actually got the state certification in gifted ed years ago. Back then we had 5 years to do it. I learned a lot. Now I see so many teachers who have no idea how to teach gifted kids and it’s just awful to see. Many of them think AAP simply means assign more work.

Well. It's a good thing that AAP isn't a gifted program, isn't it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP teachers are supposed to get certified within three years. There are many AAP teachers that aren’t certified and this includes centers. Especially now with the teaching shortage, I would expect fewer AAP teachers to have certification.

FCPS also only requires them to be “FCPS certified” not VA AAP endorsed. The FCPS certified is a total joke. AARTs can give trainings that count. The AAP endorsement via actual state licensure requires college credits in gifted ed. With the 3 years to get FCPs endorsed and the lrvel of teacher turnover, there are a ton of teachers teaching AAP that have no training in gifted education.

+1 I actually got the state certification in gifted ed years ago. Back then we had 5 years to do it. I learned a lot. Now I see so many teachers who have no idea how to teach gifted kids and it’s just awful to see. Many of them think AAP simply means assign more work.

Anonymous wrote:AAP teachers are supposed to get certified within three years. There are many AAP teachers that aren’t certified and this includes centers. Especially now with the teaching shortage, I would expect fewer AAP teachers to have certification.

FCPS also only requires them to be “FCPS certified” not VA AAP endorsed. The FCPS certified is a total joke. AARTs can give trainings that count. The AAP endorsement via actual state licensure requires college credits in gifted ed. With the 3 years to get FCPs endorsed and the lrvel of teacher turnover, there are a ton of teachers teaching AAP that have no training in gifted education.

AAP teachers are supposed to get certified within three years. There are many AAP teachers that aren’t certified and this includes centers. Especially now with the teaching shortage, I would expect fewer AAP teachers to have certification.

it is a requirement but at our local level IV school, when the AAP teacher for one grade left, they moved a Gen Ed teacher in and gave her a year to get certified while teaching at the same time.

I believe that is a common approach too -- she took night classes, didn't seem happy about it.

Anonymous wrote:Teaching is teaching. FCPS gives the teacher the AAP curriculum and resources - if you’re worth your salt (which most FCPS teachers are), then being given the curriculum and the resources and kids who are ready to learn is better than a certificate. So I wouldn’t worry if the teacher doesn’t have a certificate or not.

To be clear, I wasn’t suggesting I cared about the certification over passion or experience. I simply thought it was a requirement. Requirements are requirements, regardless of whether they should be or not. Our AART told us that like special ed or another specialization, an AAP-focused classroom requires a certified teacher, which is why they have to send some kids to center schools vs. local school for LIV. This is different than an AART providing a gen ed teacher with supplemental AAP materials for some kids. Again, not saying whether I think this is positive or negative, just that I understood it to be a state (county?) requirement.

Teaching is teaching. FCPS gives the teacher the AAP curriculum and resources - if you’re worth your salt (which most FCPS teachers are), then being given the curriculum and the resources and kids who are ready to learn is better than a certificate. So I wouldn’t worry if the teacher doesn’t have a certificate or not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our base elementary school has a job opening for a Level IV teacher position next year. We only have 1 Level IV class per grade. What typically happens if this position isn't filled? Would they move a non-AAP teacher into that role or just utilize subs?

Also wondering what incentives exist for teachers to go for the AAP certification. Are AAP teachers paid more?

Either could happen. AAP teachers are not paid more. Some teachers prefer to teach AAP students, some prefer to teach Gen Ed students, some go back and forth and don't have a preference.

I thought that an AAP teacher had to have a specific certification? Our AART explained that this is the limiting factor to having LIV cohorts at every ES. If this is the case, I wouldn’t think a non-AAP teacher could move into the position without the required certs?

Anonymous wrote:Our base elementary school has a job opening for a Level IV teacher position next year. We only have 1 Level IV class per grade. What typically happens if this position isn't filled? Would they move a non-AAP teacher into that role or just utilize subs?

Also wondering what incentives exist for teachers to go for the AAP certification. Are AAP teachers paid more?

Either could happen. AAP teachers are not paid more. Some teachers prefer to teach AAP students, some prefer to teach Gen Ed students, some go back and forth and don't have a preference.

Our base elementary school has a job opening for a Level IV teacher position next year. We only have 1 Level IV class per grade. What typically happens if this position isn't filled? Would they move a non-AAP teacher into that role or just utilize subs?

Also wondering what incentives exist for teachers to go for the AAP certification. Are AAP teachers paid more?