ITA. I think that if your teacher and admin have indicated that they feel AAP is a good fit, that would probably indicate that the GBRS will reflect this. I think a high GBRS would likely sway the decision, if it is deemed the WISC scores were not quite high enough. (not sure of any official cutoff). If your child is already identified as having ADHD, and the teachers feel this is a good fit, I think you might be in good shape, if you think it is the right fit. We had the experience that a child who had not yet been identified as ADHD had behaviors (distractability, impulsivity, etc.) that came across as lack of interest, etc. even though his grades were great, as were his FCPS in pool test scores.

Fast forward one year to a 3rd grade teacher who really seemed to understand him, and she said "why is he not in AAP?" Feeling she would be strong advocate, we parent referred in 3rd, and he started his first year in AAP this year. Incidentally, we also just finished the ADHD evaluation process, and 504 plan process as well. At our 504 meeting, I specifically asked the question "Do you think that the AAP environment is too much for my son with ADHD. Every person (they had his test scores, DRA, etc.) said "No". They all agreed he was where he should be academically. If they felt I should pull him, I would have.

Strong GBRS can get your child in with those scores, OP. We didn't have a WISC but my child's scores were all in the 120's & got in b/c teacher felt very strongly that DC belonged in AAP & it was reflected in the GBRS.

I cannot comment on whether the scores would be enough, but we had a lot of focus and attention issues with my DS through 2nd grade. DS's second grade teacher thought he might be "twice exceptional." Once he entered the AAP program in third grade this year and was really challenged in class, all of the attention issues went away. Even when I asked his third grade teacher about it, she said there were no issues. He might have matured considerably between June and September, but I can't help but think that the challenge of the AAP is keeping him focused. This is just one data point to you in considering whether the AAP is right for your DC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How many children have you actually seen in AAP, twice exceptional or not?

I have known two AAP children with ADHD (I'm not the OP, BTW). I'm not sure how the younger one is doing, but the older one needed school-provided tutoring throughout her tenure and is still having serious problems turning in homework in middle school. I always wondered if it was fair to put those extra resources toward this child rather than bump up a child with a slightly lower score who was better able to manage his or her time.

(fixing my error with the quotes)


I'm the parent of two AAP students (6th and 4th grades), both with ADHD. Each of them have a 504 plan, primarily to address distractions in the classroom. They are both doing beautifully in AAP.

Not that it matters, but both students were found Center-eligible in the first round and were in-pool. We did provide WISC-IV scores with the optional parent questionnaire. (The WISC-IV testing was done as part of the ADHD diagnosis process.)

Anonymous wrote:
How many children have you actually seen in AAP, twice exceptional or not?

I have known two AAP children with ADHD (I'm not the OP, BTW). I'm not sure how the younger one is doing, but the older one needed school-provided tutoring throughout her tenure and is still having serious problems turning in homework in middle school. I always wondered if it was fair to put those extra resources toward this child rather than bump up a child with a slightly lower score who was better able to manage his or her time.