t somehow seems fitting that this 88 page never-ending thread on the rampant out of control AAP scamming by parents of rising 3rd graders includes a quote on "playing by the rules"


Rules? .... by the teacher, parent, pastor, company, marketer, the law, dcum, MCPS, FCPS, California State Board, Supreme Court, Bill of Rights

What are the rules (specific and clear...e.g., "exact form"

When were the rules established (specific and clear)?

Who made the rules (specific and clear e.g., rabbi, priest, mohammed, pastor, dcum poster)?

Where are the rules written (where can any citizen go to find specific and clear guidelines e.g., bible, scrap book, FCPS book of codes)?

Let's see now. Can anyone define "test prep" after 88 pages? When does it begin? What is it? What is it not? Who does it?

1. practice with of the "exact form of the test" (per FCPS memo) ... before actual exam date (how long before? anytime, the night before, a week before, a year before ...?)
2. practice with the actual test and answer key
3. use "test materials and guidelines" from any business entity with a mission to prepare examinees (e.g., Princeton Review, Kaplan Review, Aristotle)
4. gear up for actual test from parental "instructions, guidelines and practice exercises" What does this constitute? Is it variable from household to household? What about guidelines, advice, and exercises given to children that are the "exact form" of the test (intentional or unintentional) or similar to "test materials, guidelines" used by business entities (intentional or unintentional)
5. practice and work with a child's year in weekly tutor that may include lessons, advice and guidelines that overlap with those from test prep business entities, the "exact form" of the test or parental advise and coaching before a test
6. kumon math and reading
7. teachers in the classroom who provide advice, guidelines for kids taking these exams and in the course of their lesson plans review and go over concepts, principles and the "exact form" of the test
8. children who spend 2 hours/ day in academic preparation after school with formal study halls, tutors, self-study, online and various and sundry business entities, sole proprietorships and LLCs in the education and teaching and academic preparation
9. children who are specifically given by their parents (through purchase, gift) board games, puzzles, word games, analogies, antonyms, synonyms, number games, pattern games, shapes and polygon games and manipulations. Engagements with these devices seem to intensify in the months, weeks and days leading up to the actual test date
10. children endowed with the keen sense of wanting to use board games, puzzles, word games, antonyms, synonyms, analogies, number games, pattern games, shapes and polygon games and manipulations. They ask their parents to provide these materials, like magnets they are attracted to these items in libraries, bookstores and other settings. Their magnet fields also intensify in the months, weeks and days leading up to the exact test date.
11. children in school year-rounds with the help of tutors and summer and vacation academic enrichment camps (of course these kids come are funded by parents, grandparents, assorted family and friends educational venture and assorted inherited trust funds)
12. good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast +/- items 1 through 11

Here is what I do not understand about the goal to scam the CogAT...in my school, a top rated AAP center in Vienna, sure the 3rd grade teacher was near perfect, and got my DD out of her shell, the 4th grade team teaching was awesome and the kids loved it....But then I would have rather had my DD in genral ed for the fifth grade, based on the cruel and uneducated teachers.

One of the teachers, a new teach, had no experience with AAP, and came from a background of Special ED. She teaches information which is not factually correct. And my DD is afraid to go up to her with a problem. I am not in the classroom to see what happens, but I do know some of the comments written on tests were not appropriate. I will not repeat them in an anonymous forum.

Me, too, and it was the poster who is always talking about the "entitled"(which the poster implies is code for rich and WASP) who posted the link to the article! Hahaha!

Couldn't be a whole lot more ironic than that!!

Bill Clinton has a pithier formulation: “If you work hard and play by the rules, you’ll have the freedom and opportunity to pursue your own dreams.” That’s entitlement. “Responsible” Americans should be able to attain realistic ambitions.

It somehow seems fitting that this 88 page never-ending thread on the rampant out of control AAP scamming by parents of rising 3rd graders includes a quote on "playing by the rules" by Bill, "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is" Clinton.

Excuse me. I almost fell out of my chair because I was laughing so hard.

Who brought up race? There was no reference to race by post only the responding self-conscious, guilty and paranoid posters.

Here's a quote from the article:

Bill Clinton has a pithier formulation: “If you work hard and play by the rules, you’ll have the freedom and opportunity to pursue your own dreams.” That’s entitlement. “Responsible” Americans should be able to attain realistic ambitions.

This article refers to the idea of all people being entitled to equal opportunity as long as they are willing to work hard. No reference to being entitled through race or class, but instead being entitled by the willingness to "work hard and play by the rules," in other words, the idea that anyone can succeed, no matter what their background. In this definition, all can succeed, whether native-born or immigrant, rich or poor, or of any color.

Samuelson goes on to delineate obstacles to this ideal in today's world and his sense of what the future can hold. In his view, the end of entitlement, or endless opportunity for all, is a bad thing, not a positive by any means.

Did you actually read the article? Robbert Samuelson's definition of "entitlement" is very different from the one implied in the post above. In fact, almost the opposite.

The one thing Capitalists, communists, sociialists have in common is the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

......And the rich make wars and send the poor to fight the battles and they all can no longer get into AAP and Harvard. They now accuse others of cheating and taking their rightful places.

...In every zip code in America the children of recent immigrants are outperforming children of the entitled culture. This has created an ever expanding performance and achievement gap in education as the entitled culture witnesses in every zip code these children taking their self anointed spots in every AAP, gifted program, IB, AP and Honors program in the land.
This is the root cause of this furor. And the entitled culture will go to any unethical length to disrupt this trend -- including lying, voter fraud and suppression and name calling

What is entitlement? Read the WP article below about the end of entitlement in the US


http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-samuelson-the-end-of-entitlement/2013/04/28/90356b1a-ae90-11e2-8bf6-e70cb6ae066e_story.html

Captain Kirk scammed the test by hacking into the system and ends up saving humanity. Not sure what this has to do with aap and identifying the smart kids and the smart kids who scam the test.

Ends up saving humanity many years after being caught cheating and getting away with it! So much for all the negative sanctions, at least in Kirk's case.

Is there a contest for longest thread with most repetitive comments? Then this should win.

Anonymous wrote:You can hardly blame the company that makes the test for the fact that people try to scam it.

Captain Kirk scammed the test by hacking into the system and ends up saving humanity. Not sure what this has to do with aap and identifying the smart kids and the smart kids who scam the test.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I thought it was just me. the post seems to contradict itself.

You can hardly blame the company that makes the test for the fact that people try to scam it.

If the test can be prepped for, then I guess it doesn't really measure what it claims to measure.