How do we find out how many kids were screened this year and accepted?

Yeah but that's not how it's set up. Yes, maturity does help a lot once you're in but that's not what gets you in.

It's the difference between an excellent student and a gifted thinker. I have one of each and only the gifted thinker needs to be in a level 4 center. She's there and it has been great for her.

Here is how FCPS defines the population that needs AAP:

Children identified for FCPS advanced academic services exhibit exceptional performance capability in academic, intellectual, and creative endeavors. In order to meet their needs and develop to their potential, these learners require a differentiated curriculum.

(from the AAP Parent Information Packet)

I don't read this as saying identification is related to prior achievement or behavior. Elsewhere, FCPS refers to the AAP as being for "children whose needs cannot be met in the regular classroom." The child with perfect classroom behavior would actually do fine in the regular classroom and doesn't need the AAP the way some other children might.

It is not at all uncommon for kids who need the AAP to have issues such as learning disabilities of various types, ADD, ADHD, and autism. Sometimes, the very kids with the less than perfect classroom behavior are the very ones for whom the program is a perfect fit and actually necessary in order to meet their potential. These are some of the children whose needs cannot be met in a regular classroom and need what the AAP offers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give it up people....behavior/misbehavior doesn't factor in for getting into a center (unless it makes a teacher have a very biased view.) I guess it does for guesting into a local level 4. This is not suppossed to be about being well behaved and studious.

The problem with FCPS growing the size of level 4 by so much is that now everyone who has a child who gets a lot of 4s on a report card thinks they should get in.

Also, I bet 99% of the recommendation letters are totally meaningless. They're just allowed so parents can feel like they have one role in creating the profile. All the letters from effing girl scout troop leaders are worthless.

Behavior will and should have an effect on GBRS. It's an advanced academics programs. The way the program is currently set up, the math is advanced one grade and the remaining subjects are more in depth through written projects. If a student does have the maturity or inclination to do that type of work, then the student shouldnt be in AAP. It is not just a program for high test scorers. It's a program for students who want and can do advanced work. The difference is between intelligence and achievement. It's an achievement based program.

+!. Best post I've read on this subjuect. Sounds authoritative so I hope you know what you are talking about.

Anonymous wrote:It depends...our cluster's asst. superintendent is actually anti- center and pro-local level 4. He said that if there 's going to continue to be level 4 then the county should "cast the largest net possible.". (his words)

I think that they will in the future cast such a wide net the every child will be in the program and it will essentially cease to exist. First Local Level IV will be in every school, than every child in every school will be in LL IV. Then the test scores won't matter anymore.

I know two people who didn't qualify with either score and did NOT just miss and got in.

One of the assertions is that in the past few years the test prepping has artificially expanded the pool and then there were so many high scores that 'too many' kids got into the program. hence the new test this year which shrunk the pool.

It does seem like the new centers would be to expand the program, but these new centers have only been created to deal with the overcrowding from previous years.

Most families I've talked to who only had 1 high (pool qualifying) score didn't get in.

It depends...our cluster's asst. superintendent is actually anti- center and pro-local level 4. He said that if there 's going to continue to be level 4 then the county should "cast the largest net possible.". (his words)

Oh. Thank you. I had thought that with new centers opening and perhaps local level IV expansion (I may have this wrong), FCPS may be keeping the larger numbers and working hard to accommodate them all. Looks like I may have been misinterpreting the bits of information I had heard.

yes. and if you have followed any of the crazinest this year about the new AAP schools and the questions about the program you would know that the SB has been questioning why the program has so many children. there is a big SB study going on this spring on what's happening with this program and why so many kids get in every year. i think it is only going to get harder to get into and this is probably the first of many lower acceptance years to come.

Anonymous wrote:Behavior has nothing to do with whether your child should be accepted.

This year they changed the test so preppers and cheaters wouldn't have an advantage. The 2nd grade pool was much smaller. The amount of kids accepted this year is much smaller.

The SB and many parents have been questioning why the program has gone from 6% of 2nd graders to 13% last year. The administrators are trying to fix this by making the benchmarks higher and acceptances less. 1 good score will and should not get you in anymore.

Did you see or hear somewhere from an official source that the number found eligible this year was actually lower?

Anonymous wrote:Give it up people....behavior/misbehavior doesn't factor in for getting into a center (unless it makes a teacher have a very biased view.) I guess it does for guesting into a local level 4. This is not suppossed to be about being well behaved and studious.

The problem with FCPS growing the size of level 4 by so much is that now everyone who has a child who gets a lot of 4s on a report card thinks they should get in.

Also, I bet 99% of the recommendation letters are totally meaningless. They're just allowed so parents can feel like they have one role in creating the profile. All the letters from effing girl scout troop leaders are worthless.

The 4s on report card could mean less if it isn't marked in screening file that child is receiving advanced instruction in language arts or math. Could be in a lower group and not highest group.

Behavior has nothing to do with whether your child should be accepted.

This year they changed the test so preppers and cheaters wouldn't have an advantage. The 2nd grade pool was much smaller. The amount of kids accepted this year is much smaller.

The SB and many parents have been questioning why the program has gone from 6% of 2nd graders to 13% last year. The administrators are trying to fix this by making the benchmarks higher and acceptances less. 1 good score will and should not get you in anymore.

Anonymous wrote:Give it up people....behavior/misbehavior doesn't factor in for getting into a center (unless it makes a teacher have a very biased view.) I guess it does for guesting into a local level 4. This is not suppossed to be about being well behaved and studious.

The problem with FCPS growing the size of level 4 by so much is that now everyone who has a child who gets a lot of 4s on a report card thinks they should get in.

Also, I bet 99% of the recommendation letters are totally meaningless. They're just allowed so parents can feel like they have one role in creating the profile. All the letters from effing girl scout troop leaders are worthless.

Behavior will and should have an effect on GBRS. It's an advanced academics programs. The way the program is currently set up, the math is advanced one grade and the remaining subjects are more in depth through written projects. If a student does have the maturity or inclination to do that type of work, then the student shouldnt be in AAP. It is not just a program for high test scorers. It's a program for students who want and can do advanced work. The difference is between intelligence and achievement. It's an achievement based program.

Give it up people....behavior/misbehavior doesn't factor in for getting into a center (unless it makes a teacher have a very biased view.) I guess it does for guesting into a local level 4. This is not suppossed to be about being well behaved and studious.

The problem with FCPS growing the size of level 4 by so much is that now everyone who has a child who gets a lot of 4s on a report card thinks they should get in.

Also, I bet 99% of the recommendation letters are totally meaningless. They're just allowed so parents can feel like they have one role in creating the profile. All the letters from effing girl scout troop leaders are worthless.