I don't need a school that teaches high school math in elementary school. I just want a classroom for my children where everyone's engaged in learning, where they do public speaking, write creatively, strategize and come up with solutions to problems together, learn extra things beyond the SOL curriculum like latin roots, think about history in depth, take pride in their work, etc. Not filling out worksheets or workbooks every day. Where do I find that type of curriculum? In a local level IV class, an AAP center, private school only? Are the AAP centers only better for very highly gifted kids or do they provide a curriculum that is more enriching than other classrooms?

Anonymous wrote:I was told they follow the same curriculum and do the same material. I am not understanding how this is done if they only get pull out for math and language arts. Wouldn't the science and social studies be different? Wouldn't the teacher know the children less? How many days does the switching of classrooms even happen? I was not told the principal decides this. I was just told that it is the same curriculum as at the centers. I had no idea the principal could decide which way the program was run. Do things change at centers too based on the principal or is one center similar to another?

The intended curriculum is the same at Local Level IV and a Level IV Center. The difference is the peer group. The depth in a particular content area is very different even though the intended curriculum is the same.

Centers vary based on several factors, but particularly due to the number of AAP classes for each grade level. If a Center has one class per grade level (as is the case with a Local Level IV program) there are limited differentiation options. When there are 2 or 3 classes per grade level at a Center, then the students can be grouped even further. For example, there are 3rd and 4th grade AAP students at my DC's Center that took math with the 5th grade AAP students this year and took the 6th grade math SOL. These students will likely take middle school AAP math classes while in elementary school due to their advanced math achievement. This type of grouping is usually not possible for Local Level IV students or Centers that have a single AAP class per grade level.

If I were the parent of a moderately gifted student and Local Level IV was an option, I might opt to stay at the base school if social reasons were important. However, for highly and exceptionally gifted students, I would probably opt for the Center due to the peer group.

Anonymous wrote:Which way do you and your DC prefer? Self Contained or Integrated?

17:24 here. Our school switched to integrated the year my daughter was in 3rd grade, so we never experienced self-contained. And I misspoke saying ours was like OP's. Our school actually switched for math, science, and social studies but not lanuage arts. For language arts, homeroom, and specials, the kids were all integrated. For math, science, social studies it was Level 4 kids plus some level 3 kids. Honestly, my child is not gifted and her strength is math and not language arts, so it worked okay for us. My friend's child was older and did the self-contained at our school. When the school switched to integrated, she moved her child to the Center, as did several others.

And if it isn't self contained, aren't these schools the same as schools without local level IV? Don't these schools switch for language arts and math in the upper grades too? We did growing up without any fancy titles.

I was told they follow the same curriculum and do the same material. I am not understanding how this is done if they only get pull out for math and language arts. Wouldn't the science and social studies be different? Wouldn't the teacher know the children less? How many days does the switching of classrooms even happen? I was not told the principal decides this. I was just told that it is the same curriculum as at the centers. I had no idea the principal could decide which way the program was run. Do things change at centers too based on the principal or is one center similar to another?

Correction - one does not have to be "highly gifted" to be eligible for level IV services and usually is not - from the parent of a level IV child. Just read all the threads on this forum....

Here is a list of actual Level IV Full Time Centers. A full time center is for those students who meet the highly gifted criteria. The Center is different from a Level III Pull Out Program which is for students who are identified as students performing above grade level in math or language arts. http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/centers.shtml

Would the posters please disclose which schools are self contained and which are integrated? We are likely opting to stay at out LLIV.

Anonymous wrote:I know the center is an option for any AAP student, however I really feel misled by FCPS on their Local Level IV program. I can't find anywhere that it is disclosed that the local level IV programs are so different.

I am not sure how you were misled by FCPS. The local school principal decides how Local Level IV is run at their school.

Which way do you and your DC prefer? Self Contained or Integrated?

Each school does it differently. Also, our classes used to be self-contained, but then they switched to the method described by the OP.

My son is in an LLIV, and at least for 3rd and 4th, the children are all self-contained. I am not certain the exact # of LLIV eligible, but I think it is at least 20 of the 28 children in the class.

I know the center is an option for any AAP student, however I really feel misled by FCPS on their Local Level IV program. I can't find anywhere that it is disclosed that the local level IV programs are so different. Our local school has close to enough AAP children to fill an entire class, yet they still use this method verses creating an entire AAP classroom. The method wasn't disclosed when I went on a tour of the school either. The AAP center school nearby is too large for my liking and doesn't have before or after care, but we didn't worry about this because we heard the local level IV program was so good. We probably would have considered other areas to live in if we knew these details, but they seem very hidden till you actually get into the schools.

I had my DC in local Level IV last year, we didn't like it, they followed the method mentioned by PP. There were times where DC was very bored. I would opt center based level IV.

After hearing all this hoopla about AAP this year, I found out our Local Level IV program only involves kids switching between classes for language arts and math starting from 3rd to 6th grade. I'm not sure how this is different than any other school in the world that does this for differentiation (sometimes even earlier for K-2) or even how I grew up as a child. Does anyone have their children in local level IV where they follow this method? Is the curriculum similar to the center AAP program?