Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Sure-let's offer a GT above AAP, so a new level V service.. not really.. how about making level III more like level IV and level IV truly just gifted?

Agree with the Level III. At our school Level III means you get one hour a week of debate. That's all. There is such a huge difference between Level III and Level IV at my school.

+1

Plus there is variability of what is delivered as "Level III services" from school to school.

It should not matter what school you attend -- Level III services should be the same across the county.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The state requires school systems to provided gifted services (not sure of the specifics, but I am pretty sure it requires screening as part of the process). Maybe AAP should be open enrollment. Then FCPS could provide GT services for the truly gifted, not just high achievers.

Agree that the state requires school identification of gifted, not parent placement of gifted. School systems must provide this. What you are looking for is similar to honor classes in MS/HS, but at ES level. From the VDOE website:
"Eligible student" means a student who has been identified as gifted by the identification and placement committee for the school division's gifted education program.
"Gifted students" means those students in public elementary, middle, and secondary schools beginning with kindergarten through twelfth grade who demonstrate high levels of accomplishment or who show the potential for higher levels of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment. Their aptitudes and potential for accomplishment are so outstanding that they require special programs to meet their educational needs. These students will be identified by professionally qualified persons through the use of multiple criteria as having potential or demonstrated aptitudes in one or more of the following areas:

Obviously the VDOE needs to update their rules and regulations for gifted education since it is no longer providing a "gifted" program but is providing an advanced placement program. Or better yet, maybe they should adhere to their rules and stop the degregation of their gifted program. Either way thanks for identifying yet another issue with the AAP program. For those with the desire to battle the system for fairness in education this is a great starting point. However, IMO, the students I see coming out of the AAP centers moving to middle and HS levels are far from gifted and for that matter far from advanced.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is, "self selected" as you describe it is not actually self selected.

It is parent selected.

And nothing is worse than a bunch of kids doing something they are not prepared to handle only because their parents want it.

Yes because they are children the parent would need to select however this is done very successfully in the middle and high school.

If the kids aren't cutting it they are not recommended by the teachers to continue the advanced curriculum. I think it should be the same for elementary/middle AAP centers. See one of the the many problems with the AAP program is there is no official "out" (once in always in) and the future "in" is difficult at best. So self select, self weed. Get it!

No, it's not

I teach middle school. Every year parents joyfully override recommendations. Sometimes they will flat out tell me they just want their child with the "good kids". Open enrollment has really dumbed down honors classes.

Anonymous wrote:The state requires school systems to provided gifted services (not sure of the specifics, but I am pretty sure it requires screening as part of the process). Maybe AAP should be open enrollment. Then FCPS could provide GT services for the truly gifted, not just high achievers.

Agree that the state requires school identification of gifted, not parent placement of gifted. School systems must provide this. What you are looking for is similar to honor classes in MS/HS, but at ES level. From the VDOE website:
"Eligible student" means a student who has been identified as gifted by the identification and placement committee for the school division's gifted education program.
"Gifted students" means those students in public elementary, middle, and secondary schools beginning with kindergarten through twelfth grade who demonstrate high levels of accomplishment or who show the potential for higher levels of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment. Their aptitudes and potential for accomplishment are so outstanding that they require special programs to meet their educational needs. These students will be identified by professionally qualified persons through the use of multiple criteria as having potential or demonstrated aptitudes in one or more of the following areas:

Anonymous wrote:
Sure-let's offer a GT above AAP, so a new level V service.. not really.. how about making level III more like level IV and level IV truly just gifted?

Agree with the Level III. At our school Level III means you get one hour a week of debate. That's all. There is such a huge difference between Level III and Level IV at my school.

Anonymous wrote:I think we should get rid of it altogether, have some sort of level 4 at every ES, and let those who must have something better take their kids to private school! Saves the system money by shedding some of the kids while their parents pay property taxes. For the majority of us, regular education and something akin to level 4 is quite enough.

This would probably work but what you seem to be missing is - it is not good enough for these AAP crazy, entitled, parents. They would just bitch enough to muck it up to. There is also the fact that they do not want to pay for their child's special education needs. Oh the outrage!! I can hear the screaming and see the picketing now.

I really think the best thing to do is to keep the centers completely separate from the neighborhood schools but let the parents self select the AAP center if they want it for their children. Allow them to stay at center only if they make the grades. I like my non-center school just the way it is and I really don't want my children exposed to the AAP degrading atmosphere.

Keep them separate, Keep them separate, Pleeeeeese keep them separate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is, "self selected" as you describe it is not actually self selected.

It is parent selected.

And nothing is worse than a bunch of kids doing something they are not prepared to handle only because their parents want it.

Yes because they are children the parent would need to select however this is done very successfully in the middle and high school. If the kids aren't cutting it they are not recommended by the teachers to continue the advanced curriculum. I think it should be the same for elementary/middle AAP centers. See one of the the many problems with the AAP program is there is no official "out" (once in always in) and the future "in" is difficult at best. So self select, self weed. Get it!

Agree with pp. Getting into the program after 3rd grade is very difficult. So I suggest base it off report card or some other process and weed out the kids that dont belong there/ struggle there. Kids change 180 degrees in about 5 years or so. A kid doing not so great in 2nd grade may do extremely well in say 4th/ 5th grade.

Anonymous wrote:The problem is, "self selected" as you describe it is not actually self selected.

It is parent selected.

And nothing is worse than a bunch of kids doing something they are not prepared to handle only because their parents want it.

Yes because they are children the parent would need to select however this is done very successfully in the middle and high school. If the kids aren't cutting it they are not recommended by the teachers to continue the advanced curriculum. I think it should be the same for elementary/middle AAP centers. See one of the the many problems with the AAP program is there is no official "out" (once in always in) and the future "in" is difficult at best. So self select, self weed. Get it!

The problem is, "self selected" as you describe it is not actually self selected.

It is parent selected.

And nothing is worse than a bunch of kids doing something they are not prepared to handle only because their parents want it.

Anonymous wrote: Sure-let's offer a GT above AAP, so a new level V service.. not really.. how about making level III more like level IV and level IV truly just gifted?

Then we'll have hordes of "truly just gifted" children that absolutely need it.

Anonymous wrote:The state requires school systems to provided gifted services (not sure of the specifics, but I am pretty sure it requires screening as part of the process). Maybe AAP should be open enrollment. Then FCPS could provide GT services for the truly gifted, not just high achievers.

Sure-let's offer a GT above AAP, so a new level V service.. not really.. how about making level III more like level IV and level IV truly just gifted?

The state requires school systems to provided gifted services (not sure of the specifics, but I am pretty sure it requires screening as part of the process). Maybe AAP should be open enrollment. Then FCPS could provide GT services for the truly gifted, not just high achievers.

Anonymous wrote:I think this would fix the problem. A tax dollar paid for public school should be available to any tax paying citizen of the county without all of the hoops just as all other public schools. Let parents self select AAP centers if they want it for their child. Base continued enrollment in the AAP center program on testing and grades. There you go bickering solved!

Because kids would suffer.

I think we should get rid of it altogether, have some sort of level 4 at every ES, and let those who must have something better take their kids to private school! Saves the system money by shedding some of the kids while their parents pay property taxes. For the majority of us, regular education and something akin to level 4 is quite enough.

I think this would fix the problem. A tax dollar paid for public school should be available to any tax paying citizen of the county without all of the hoops just as all other public schools. Let parents self select AAP centers if they want it for their child. Base continued enrollment in the AAP center program on testing and grades. There you go bickering solved!