Anonymous wrote:OP keep your daughter in AAP. Who cares about her grades. The curriculum is much better and the peer group is more advanced. It’ll be good for her as long as you de-emphasize performance and reward effort.

Anonymous wrote:AAP is not gifted and talented, the name says that. It is advanced academics. I am sure that there are a good number of kids in Gen Ed that would do fine in AAP. I am sure there are AAP kids who would do fine in Gen Ed. But there are kids that need something that is more advanced and challenging.

I do wish that FCPS would develop a Advanced LA class like they did for Advanced Math and that every school started the Advanced Math in third grade. This would help a ton so that kids who are ahead in Math or LA had a class that challenged them. It would reduce the push for parents of kids who are ahead in Math but not LA or LA but not Math to get into AAP so that their kid is able to do work at the right level in their strong suit.

….

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It did about 6-8 years ago. My current junior learned all of this in AAP and so did younger sibling. Homework was graded with comments on how to improve. Both had to study multiplication facts over the summer before 3rd grade. Is this gone now, too?

Multiplication over the summer - meaning by mom/dad - maybe but not usually told to people explicitly anymore.

No more handwriting, geography, spelling in most schools.

This. 100%.

I'm actually ok with mostly no homework in ES. It's not necessary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. And I think this is why many parents are desperate to get their kids in AAP. The gen ed one is in AAP level 3 but besides advanced math, it doesn’t seem to mean much.

Oh, yes! AAP of today is roughly similar to the “regular” education that FCPS offered a generation ago.

Don’t get into AAP? Expect overcrowded, mismanaged classrooms where instruction will be adjusted for the average/below- average student.

Don’t bother expressing concern that your solidly average student is struggling or needs additional help to grasp concepts or could benefit from being in an emerging reading group. You will be told that average is perfectly fine. True hands on help is reserved for ESOL learners.

My advice to the parents of the non-AAP’ers; expect nothing and DIY supplemental instruction (outside tutor, kitchen-table teaching and/or learning center like C2). Opt out of SOLs. Carefully review your student’s progress.

Oh- and handwriting, spelling, math facts and geography aren’t taught at all, so don’t bother expressing shock or dismay, just add this to your list of supplemental instruction that you’ll need to outsource.

-DH and I are FCPS graduates. How the mighty FCPS has fallen. It’s very sad.

Anonymous wrote:

It did about 6-8 years ago. My current junior learned all of this in AAP and so did younger sibling. Homework was graded with comments on how to improve. Both had to study multiplication facts over the summer before 3rd grade. Is this gone now, too?

Multiplication over the summer - meaning by mom/dad - maybe but not usually told to people explicitly anymore.

No more handwriting, geography, spelling in most schools.

It did about 6-8 years ago. My current junior learned all of this in AAP and so did younger sibling. Homework was graded with comments on how to improve. Both had to study multiplication facts over the summer before 3rd grade. Is this gone now, too?

Anonymous wrote:

Oh, yes! AAP of today is roughly similar to the “regular” education that FCPS offered a generation ago.

Don’t get into AAP? Expect overcrowded, mismanaged classrooms where instruction will be adjusted for the average/below- average student.

Don’t bother expressing concern that your solidly average student is struggling or needs additional help to grasp concepts or could benefit from being in an emerging reading group. You will be told that average is perfectly fine. True hands on help is reserved for ESOL learners.

My advice to the parents of the non-AAP’ers; expect nothing and DIY supplemental instruction (outside tutor, kitchen-table teaching and/or learning center like C2). Opt out of SOLs. Carefully review your student’s progress.

Oh- and handwriting, spelling, math facts and geography aren’t taught at all, so don’t bother expressing shock or dismay, just add this to your list of supplemental instruction that you’ll need to outsource.

-DH and I are FCPS graduates. How the mighty FCPS has fallen. It’s very sad.

I agree with a lot of this except - AAP ALSO does NOT teach handwriting, math facts, spelling, or geography....

Oh, yes! AAP of today is roughly similar to the “regular” education that FCPS offered a generation ago.

Don’t get into AAP? Expect overcrowded, mismanaged classrooms where instruction will be adjusted for the average/below- average student.

Don’t bother expressing concern that your solidly average student is struggling or needs additional help to grasp concepts or could benefit from being in an emerging reading group. You will be told that average is perfectly fine. True hands on help is reserved for ESOL learners.

My advice to the parents of the non-AAP’ers; expect nothing and DIY supplemental instruction (outside tutor, kitchen-table teaching and/or learning center like C2). Opt out of SOLs. Carefully review your student’s progress.

Oh- and handwriting, spelling, math facts and geography aren’t taught at all, so don’t bother expressing shock or dismay, just add this to your list of supplemental instruction that you’ll need to outsource.

-DH and I are FCPS graduates. How the mighty FCPS has fallen. It’s very sad.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. And I think this is why many parents are desperate to get their kids in AAP. The gen ed one is in AAP level 3 but besides advanced math, it doesn’t seem to mean much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The existence of AAP is ugly

It really is. Didn’t used to be, when it was GT. But definitely is now.