Anonymous wrote:This whole "AAP caters to kids who need it" is ridiculous. It is accelerated learning, so it is different than the regular classroom. .

I think this person is arguing with himself?

Doesn't really matter, I know my kid will get into aap because this forum is filled with general Ed people.

The level of instruction is not the same: it is appropriate to the students in the class. At the school based in my community, there is a lot of differentiation. Classes are teamed in twos, then for each unit they take pretests and divide the classes up. They frequently have aides that work with the kids who need more help and also frequently have teacher interns from George Mason that enable them to work with smaller groups. Otherwise, they give different groups different assignments and circulate around to the groups. I saw this happening from second to sixth grade. Sometimes the AAP parents were surprised at the high level of literature selections the highest group in the regular classes were reading.

The level of instruction at DC's base school is definitely not the same as DC's AAP center. Also, there was very little differentiation in the classroom at the base school. This whole "AAP caters to kids who need it" is ridiculous. It is accelerated learning, so it is different than the regular classroom. If you want to feel good about yourself by arguing that AAP is special and something more than an honors classroom, knock yourself out.

My child spent four years in the elementary program, two years in middle school. Plenty of kids are not thriving, but no parent is going to come on here and announce it.

Lots of kids get tutoring or take classes at places that advertise that they will help your child keep up in school. It's not that AAP is so hard, it is just that it is not a good fit for every child, so some need extra help to keep from falling behind. Some AAP teachers will not slow down the pace for the kids who need more time to understand, so they need outside help. Kids get dependent on outside tutoring and end up needing it regularly.

We had a number of kids go back to the regular school in elementary and even more dropped down into honors classes in middle school instead of staying in AAP.

But, really, who is going to come on this board and say, "My child is not thriving in AAP and needs tutoring and out of school classes to keep up!"?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test prep produces no real learning, just spit-out-the-answer for the test capability.You can answer test questions correctly without having mastered the subject matter.

You cannot "prep and train the LD"- this phrase makes no sense. A learning disability is a difference in how a person learns.

Everyone has differences in how they learn. The more we know about our own particular differences, the better we can reach our potential. Do we learn best by seeing or by hearing or by doing? These are real differences in how people learn and knowing how we best learn can be truly useful in how we approach learning new subjects.

Test prep is useless to true learning.

but it can get someone into AAP - and they can learn in there - so it does lead indirectly to learning.

But the teacher will have to make the level of instruction meet the level of the student's ability to learn quickly and easily which will remain the same, even if the child has been "trained" to spit out test answers.

Yes, but now the student is not only in the program, but it is tailored for his ability by the teacher. Sounds like a big win for that student. Lesson: "Get in at all cost, then let the chips fall were they may."

No, because the student will continue to grasp and understand information at the same pace. The teacher will deal with that pace in either the regular classroom or the AAP classroom. The difference would be that the child who was placed in the AAP because of "test prep" would have been at the top of the regular classroom, but is at the bottom of the AAP classroom in terms of how quickly the child grasps new information.

The teacher in either classroom will tailor the material to the child's ability. That's what teachers do.

The amount of learning is the same in either place, the only difference being that Mom and Dad get their oh-so-important bragging rights when the child is in the AAP, which may be the real reason for "test prep."

no, the curriculum and depth of instruction are better in AAP so you want to be in there if you can get in. And just because you may start out at the bottom doesn't mean you'll stay there. As we know very well, everyone who get in is thriving.

You hear much about the kids who are thriving, you don't hear about the ones who are not thriving on a message board. The AAP classroom is only better for the kids who really need to be there. For the others, the teacher has to change the pacing and depth of instruction so that they can handle their studies. A child who doesn't really need the AAP would learn the same amount in a regular class while also having the opportunity to be a leader.

Do you have any evidence that some aren't thriving? This is the first I've heard of it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test prep produces no real learning, just spit-out-the-answer for the test capability.You can answer test questions correctly without having mastered the subject matter.

You cannot "prep and train the LD"- this phrase makes no sense. A learning disability is a difference in how a person learns.

Everyone has differences in how they learn. The more we know about our own particular differences, the better we can reach our potential. Do we learn best by seeing or by hearing or by doing? These are real differences in how people learn and knowing how we best learn can be truly useful in how we approach learning new subjects.

Test prep is useless to true learning.

but it can get someone into AAP - and they can learn in there - so it does lead indirectly to learning.

But the teacher will have to make the level of instruction meet the level of the student's ability to learn quickly and easily which will remain the same, even if the child has been "trained" to spit out test answers.

Yes, but now the student is not only in the program, but it is tailored for his ability by the teacher. Sounds like a big win for that student. Lesson: "Get in at all cost, then let the chips fall were they may."

No, because the student will continue to grasp and understand information at the same pace. The teacher will deal with that pace in either the regular classroom or the AAP classroom. The difference would be that the child who was placed in the AAP because of "test prep" would have been at the top of the regular classroom, but is at the bottom of the AAP classroom in terms of how quickly the child grasps new information.

The teacher in either classroom will tailor the material to the child's ability. That's what teachers do.

The amount of learning is the same in either place, the only difference being that Mom and Dad get their oh-so-important bragging rights when the child is in the AAP, which may be the real reason for "test prep."

no, the curriculum and depth of instruction are better in AAP so you want to be in there if you can get in. And just because you may start out at the bottom doesn't mean you'll stay there. As we know very well, everyone who get in is thriving.

You hear much about the kids who are thriving, you don't hear about the ones who are not thriving on a message board. The AAP classroom is only better for the kids who really need to be there. For the others, the teacher has to change the pacing and depth of instruction so that they can handle their studies. A child who doesn't really need the AAP would learn the same amount in a regular class while also having the opportunity to be a leader.

Anonymous wrote:It is very possible to learn to do well on a test without having the underlying mastery of the subject matter.

The AAP is not superior to the regular classroom; it is only better for students for whom the regular classroom would not meet their needs. The borderline kid who was "prepped" to get over that threshold for AAP will be learning at the same rate he or she would have in a regular classroom, but instead of being at the top of the regular class, will be at the bottom of the AAP class.

who cares? Once you're in, you're in. They don't boot you out and of course, as it has been so well established, all the kids in there are thriving. Never heard of one who wasn't.

It is very possible to learn to do well on a test without having the underlying mastery of the subject matter.

The AAP is not superior to the regular classroom; it is only better for students for whom the regular classroom would not meet their needs. The borderline kid who was "prepped" to get over that threshold for AAP will be learning at the same rate he or she would have in a regular classroom, but instead of being at the top of the regular class, will be at the bottom of the AAP class.

Is there truly a test=prep center that does not teach critical thinking or logical thinking, but only how to answer questions? Hard to believe.

+1. No doubt the program is superior, and if the child finds it too difficult, there is always the option of going back to general ed. Once in the options are open, the key is to get in initially. That is why prepping is so worthwhile.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test prep produces no real learning, just spit-out-the-answer for the test capability.You can answer test questions correctly without having mastered the subject matter.

You cannot "prep and train the LD"- this phrase makes no sense. A learning disability is a difference in how a person learns.

Everyone has differences in how they learn. The more we know about our own particular differences, the better we can reach our potential. Do we learn best by seeing or by hearing or by doing? These are real differences in how people learn and knowing how we best learn can be truly useful in how we approach learning new subjects.

Test prep is useless to true learning.

but it can get someone into AAP - and they can learn in there - so it does lead indirectly to learning.

But the teacher will have to make the level of instruction meet the level of the student's ability to learn quickly and easily which will remain the same, even if the child has been "trained" to spit out test answers.

Yes, but now the student is not only in the program, but it is tailored for his ability by the teacher. Sounds like a big win for that student. Lesson: "Get in at all cost, then let the chips fall were they may."

No, because the student will continue to grasp and understand information at the same pace. The teacher will deal with that pace in either the regular classroom or the AAP classroom. The difference would be that the child who was placed in the AAP because of "test prep" would have been at the top of the regular classroom, but is at the bottom of the AAP classroom in terms of how quickly the child grasps new information.

The teacher in either classroom will tailor the material to the child's ability. That's what teachers do.

The amount of learning is the same in either place, the only difference being that Mom and Dad get their oh-so-important bragging rights when the child is in the AAP, which may be the real reason for "test prep."

no, the curriculum and depth of instruction are better in AAP so you want to be in there if you can get in. And just because you may start out at the bottom doesn't mean you'll stay there. As we know very well, everyone who get in is thriving.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test prep produces no real learning, just spit-out-the-answer for the test capability.You can answer test questions correctly without having mastered the subject matter.

You cannot "prep and train the LD"- this phrase makes no sense. A learning disability is a difference in how a person learns.

Everyone has differences in how they learn. The more we know about our own particular differences, the better we can reach our potential. Do we learn best by seeing or by hearing or by doing? These are real differences in how people learn and knowing how we best learn can be truly useful in how we approach learning new subjects.

Test prep is useless to true learning.

but it can get someone into AAP - and they can learn in there - so it does lead indirectly to learning.

But the teacher will have to make the level of instruction meet the level of the student's ability to learn quickly and easily which will remain the same, even if the child has been "trained" to spit out test answers.

Yes, but now the student is not only in the program, but it is tailored for his ability by the teacher. Sounds like a big win for that student. Lesson: "Get in at all cost, then let the chips fall were they may."

No, because the student will continue to grasp and understand information at the same pace. The teacher will deal with that pace in either the regular classroom or the AAP classroom. The difference would be that the child who was placed in the AAP because of "test prep" would have been at the top of the regular classroom, but is at the bottom of the AAP classroom in terms of how quickly the child grasps new information.

The teacher in either classroom will tailor the material to the child's ability. That's what teachers do.

The amount of learning is the same in either place, the only difference being that Mom and Dad get their oh-so-important bragging rights when the child is in the AAP, which may be the real reason for "test prep."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test prep produces no real learning, just spit-out-the-answer for the test capability.You can answer test questions correctly without having mastered the subject matter.

You cannot "prep and train the LD"- this phrase makes no sense. A learning disability is a difference in how a person learns.

Everyone has differences in how they learn. The more we know about our own particular differences, the better we can reach our potential. Do we learn best by seeing or by hearing or by doing? These are real differences in how people learn and knowing how we best learn can be truly useful in how we approach learning new subjects.

Test prep is useless to true learning.

but it can get someone into AAP - and they can learn in there - so it does lead indirectly to learning.

But the teacher will have to make the level of instruction meet the level of the student's ability to learn quickly and easily which will remain the same, even if the child has been "trained" to spit out test answers.

Yes, but now the student is not only in the program, but it is tailored for his ability by the teacher. Sounds like a big win for that student. Lesson: "Get in at all cost, then let the chips fall were they may."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test prep produces no real learning, just spit-out-the-answer for the test capability.You can answer test questions correctly without having mastered the subject matter.

You cannot "prep and train the LD"- this phrase makes no sense. A learning disability is a difference in how a person learns.

Everyone has differences in how they learn. The more we know about our own particular differences, the better we can reach our potential. Do we learn best by seeing or by hearing or by doing? These are real differences in how people learn and knowing how we best learn can be truly useful in how we approach learning new subjects.

Test prep is useless to true learning.

but it can get someone into AAP - and they can learn in there - so it does lead indirectly to learning.

But the teacher will have to make the level of instruction meet the level of the student's ability to learn quickly and easily which will remain the same, even if the child has been "trained" to spit out test answers.