Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know from past experience when the orientation emails come out/roughly when orientation happen? My kids are unsure about leaving thier friends at thier base school so I think seeing the new school would help with thier choice. (Springfield estates)

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I think some centers hold their orientations next week and others are right after spring break. I checked the website for our assigned Full Time Center and the date, but not time, was listed on their calendar of upcoming events (It's 4/23)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top athletes are being "prepped" as well. By top, I mean the very best in any league in any sport in our area. They have parents who played D1, D2, or D3 and spend time with their kids perfecting the sport, working on them from a very young age. Some can even afford to get trainers for additional workouts....It's the same game, people. Just the sport happens to be academia. So stop complaining.

Prepping for an aptitude test makes the tests unreliable. When kids who are gifted are losing out on gifted education because other kids are being prepped, parents have the right to complain, just like you do.

HA! So then prepping for a tryout makes the tryout unreliable?? When kids that are athletic are losing out on spots at top teams in the DMV because John was prepared/conditioned to excel from an early age, how many parents' complain? NONE.

Because oh John is just "naturally talented".

Was everyone from all FCPS schools notified yesterday 4/4 whether they were accepted or not?

Anonymous wrote:Just to add another layer to this discussion…for the kids that got in, did you redshirt them?

No, August boy, youngest in his grade. Also no prep or whatever, we are new to the county and just filled out the normal paperwork. Kid didn't even know we applied.

Anonymous wrote:100% the difference comes down to hope scores. That and pyramid.
I have heard the hope score is very highly weighted. That is part of what makes this so frustrating. We are at a center school in Langley pyramid and it is well known that if you want your kid in AAP you try to request a specific 2nd grade teacher because she will go to bat and put together an excellent packet for your kid.

That's one of the things that makes the entire process BS. The 2nd grade teacher's ability to recognize giftedness, ability to put together strong materials, biases, and/or favoritism shouldn't be the most important factor. The "gifted traits" the 2nd grade teacher will understand are the ones displayed by bright, but not gifted, motivated, cooperative kids. Meanwhile, some truly gifted kids are going to be bored out of their minds or displaying other negative traits that the 2nd grade teacher might interpret as a lack of motivation or curiosity.

For what AAP is, it's beyond ludicrous to deny any kid who is 95th percentile + on iready reading and math. Likewise, it's absurd to deny any kid who has a 140+ CogAT, since it wouldn't be possible to prep a non-AAP caliber kid to that range.

Anonymous wrote:Just to add another layer to this discussion…for the kids that got in, did you redshirt them?

I wonder this as well. I posted earlier that my child did not get in even though they were In pool (pretty solid scores), parent referred.. However, they are early September and one of the youngest if not youngest in 2nd grade.

IF we had red shirted them, they might look like a 1st grade rockstar and bored out of their mind right now? We debated it at the time and felt they were ready for K and knew that going in that might effect this type of outcome for them?

My spouse and I are questioning if the committee made that connection and they are in fact right where they should be, basically a young 2nd grader, yet excelling?

Obviously I requested the packet at this point so waiting for more info....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to add another layer to this discussion…for the kids that got in, did you redshirt them?

No. She is a Jan birthday. I requested the packet and I think HOPE and her work samples made the difference for her. Her scores were good but not great and she wasn't in pool.

I was very surprised by how good the HOPE was because she used to have some behavioral issues related to what I suspect is ADHD. She is a very outgoing and confident kid who tends to be a leader in a group. Her work samples from school were good. The AART pulled her to get her to finish one of the worksheets. And the ones I had her do at home were pretty decent I think - stories with drawings she had written.

Even though I think it benefitted my kid, I don't think the HOPE should be weighted so heavily. It is wildly subjective. I imagine there are smart quiet kids who get overlooked.

What evidence do you have about how it’s weighted?

Anonymous wrote:Top athletes are being "prepped" as well. By top, I mean the very best in any league in any sport in our area. They have parents who played D1, D2, or D3 and spend time with their kids perfecting the sport, working on them from a very young age. Some can even afford to get trainers for additional workouts....It's the same game, people. Just the sport happens to be academia. So stop complaining.

Prepping for an aptitude test makes the tests unreliable. When kids who are gifted are losing out on gifted education because other kids are being prepped, parents have the right to complain, just like you do.

Anonymous wrote:Just to add another layer to this discussion…for the kids that got in, did you redshirt them?

No. She is a Jan birthday. I requested the packet and I think HOPE and her work samples made the difference for her. Her scores were good but not great and she wasn't in pool.

I was very surprised by how good the HOPE was because she used to have some behavioral issues related to what I suspect is ADHD. She is a very outgoing and confident kid who tends to be a leader in a group. Her work samples from school were good. The AART pulled her to get her to finish one of the worksheets. And the ones I had her do at home were pretty decent I think - stories with drawings she had written.

Even though I think it benefitted my kid, I don't think the HOPE should be weighted so heavily. It is wildly subjective. I imagine there are smart quiet kids who get overlooked.

Anonymous wrote:Just to add another layer to this discussion…for the kids that got in, did you redshirt them?

Ours didn’t get in, but still glad we didn’t redshirt. She would have been so bored in school if we did.

Just to add another layer to this discussion…for the kids that got in, did you redshirt them?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know from past experience when the orientation emails come out/roughly when orientation happen? My kids are unsure about leaving thier friends at thier base school so I think seeing the new school would help with thier choice. (Springfield estates)

Your DC is in 2nd grade. You can prepare them for going to a new school, the way you would for any other move. But this isn't their decision. This is the parents' decision.

Our center has already advertised it. It's the last week in April.

Ours is next week, so you should call and ask just in case.

Top athletes are being "prepped" as well. By top, I mean the very best in any league in any sport in our area. They have parents who played D1, D2, or D3 and spend time with their kids perfecting the sport, working on them from a very young age. Some can even afford to get trainers for additional workouts....It's the same game, people. Just the sport happens to be academia. So stop complaining.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current Grade: 2
NNAT: 138
CoGAT: 149
In Pool (Yes/No): Yes
iReady Math Percentile Fall 2nd grade: 95
iReady Math Percentile Winter 2nd grade: 97
VALLSS Fall 2nd grade: 649
VALLSS Winter 2nd grade: 664
HOPE: don't know

Pyramid: Centreville

In/not in: NOT IN

I will be appealing. I feel like it was her reading skills assessments. She has improved a lot and has had support from a private tutor. I will submit fresh reading scores and get privately tested. How to do that all by May 1 including spring break in there. Ugh.

Not trying to be mean. If you need a reading tutor, your child might not need to be in AAP. Advanced math should be sufficient.

These are excellent stats and you should definitely appeal. My kid has ADHD (in attentive, not hyperactive) and has had a tutor for years. Absolutely thriving in AAP. We received a great report card yesterday. AAP is not just about the academics for many of these kids - it's about the cohort. Please do not listen to judgmental people who don't know your kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know some of my son’s friends applied too, but I feel uncomfortable reaching out even though I am friendly with the parents. I don’t want to brag that my son got in. Do I wait for the kids to tell each other? Or just see who is at the orientation?

I would not reach out. And I would tell your kid to be sensitive about it. I told mine she got in because she actually asked (they must be talking about it) and told her not to bring it up again with other kids. She understood why. Her little brother has SN so we talk a lot in our house about ability and effort.

I also told my daughter not to talk about it.

The kids absolutely will be talking about it.

Touché!

??? I can promise you my kid will not be bragging about AAP.

That is great, you have done a great job parenting. Neither will my DD "brag" but I know she wants to know if her friends are in or not for social reasons. And that is why the previous comments were made.