Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar story, both my children who were going into 5th and 7th grades got in last year. I did not appeal the years prior. I will say that my younger student was able to be in the Level IV classroom in the fourth grade (he was level III). His teacher informed me that she was referring him for Level IV and then he got in. I have no idea why they were unable to get in the program before.

Easy one, just need to make a larger donation on Teacher Appreciation Week.

Or become the PTA president or another important board member, and make large donations to the school.

Literally NONE of the children of PTA board members at our ES are in the AAP classes.

Our old ES Principal Placed all the PTA kids in the past. It was hugely political and tied to your involvement. Then the school got a new Principal who wanted none of it. They're slowly dismantling our Local Level IV.

Haha, yes, we know, you post about it all the time, SWES mom.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar story, both my children who were going into 5th and 7th grades got in last year. I did not appeal the years prior. I will say that my younger student was able to be in the Level IV classroom in the fourth grade (he was level III). His teacher informed me that she was referring him for Level IV and then he got in. I have no idea why they were unable to get in the program before.

Easy one, just need to make a larger donation on Teacher Appreciation Week.

Or become the PTA president or another important board member, and make large donations to the school.

Literally NONE of the children of PTA board members at our ES are in the AAP classes.

This is an accurate representation of our school as well. Many on the PTA board and other highly active members have SPED kids, which makes sense. Because their kids are more difficult on average to deal with, out of guilt they try to make it up by being more involved in the school. They also get the benefit of being in the classrooms and looking out for their kids more often.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar story, both my children who were going into 5th and 7th grades got in last year. I did not appeal the years prior. I will say that my younger student was able to be in the Level IV classroom in the fourth grade (he was level III). His teacher informed me that she was referring him for Level IV and then he got in. I have no idea why they were unable to get in the program before.

Easy one, just need to make a larger donation on Teacher Appreciation Week.

Or become the PTA president or another important board member, and make large donations to the school.

Literally NONE of the children of PTA board members at our ES are in the AAP classes.

Our old ES Principal Placed all the PTA kids in the past. It was hugely political and tied to your involvement. Then the school got a new Principal who wanted none of it. They're slowly dismantling our Local Level IV.

Anonymous wrote:With scores and grades like that, how has your child not already been accepted?

Personality. They don't think it will be a good fit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar story, both my children who were going into 5th and 7th grades got in last year. I did not appeal the years prior. I will say that my younger student was able to be in the Level IV classroom in the fourth grade (he was level III). His teacher informed me that she was referring him for Level IV and then he got in. I have no idea why they were unable to get in the program before.

Easy one, just need to make a larger donation on Teacher Appreciation Week.

Or become the PTA president or another important board member, and make large donations to the school.

Literally NONE of the children of PTA board members at our ES are in the AAP classes.

AFAIK they don't do "principal placed" at Center schools because they have enough kids to make full sized classes (this is also why sometimes there is a large discrepancy in class sizes at AAP Centers - ours has 18 kids per class in the two AAP classes and 26 and 27 in the two general education classes.

They only do "principal placed" to round out a classroom in a LLIV school because frequently there are only 10-15 Level IV kids and they need 10 more to make a full class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar story, both my children who were going into 5th and 7th grades got in last year. I did not appeal the years prior. I will say that my younger student was able to be in the Level IV classroom in the fourth grade (he was level III). His teacher informed me that she was referring him for Level IV and then he got in. I have no idea why they were unable to get in the program before.

Easy one, just need to make a larger donation on Teacher Appreciation Week.

Or become the PTA president or another important board member, and make large donations to the school.

We did this as insurance and it worked out.

Anonymous wrote:With scores and grades like that, how has your child not already been accepted?

Perhaps, they hadn't completed the requiste prep classes?

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure I agree with that part about making bigger donations. Their teachers also encouraged me to reapply. I honestly felt that if they couldn’t get in what was the point in appealing. There seems to be no consistency in how students get into the program.

It's mostly this. A lot of people on dcum are desperate to believe that the system makes sense, because that would mean that their borderline kid who got accepted is somehow 'special' rather than just being lucky. They're also eager to imagine severe flaws in the kids who on the surface have all of the stats pointing toward AAP, but still get rejected.

I think the system is vaguely consistent. When the panels meet to decide on AAP eligibility, there are 20+ individual panels, each consisting of a somewhat random group of AAP teachers, AARTs, school counselors, special ed teachers, administrators, etc. Statistically, it is likely that some panels are going to be overly harsh and reject almost everyone, most will be normal, and some will be inclusive and accept everyone. It's also likely that some parents are going to say things in their parent questionnaires that are offputting or make the panel members feel like the parent is one of those PITA difficult parents. Even if the kid truly ought to be accepted, they'll swing toward rejection out of pretty normal human pettiness. If your kid looks like a no brainer admit to AAP, but gets rejected multiple years, whatever you're saying in the referral packet is probably the problem.

I’m not sure I agree with that part about making bigger donations. Their teachers also encouraged me to reapply. I honestly felt that if they couldn’t get in what was the point in appealing. There seems to be no consistency in how students get into the program.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar story, both my children who were going into 5th and 7th grades got in last year. I did not appeal the years prior. I will say that my younger student was able to be in the Level IV classroom in the fourth grade (he was level III). His teacher informed me that she was referring him for Level IV and then he got in. I have no idea why they were unable to get in the program before.

Easy one, just need to make a larger donation on Teacher Appreciation Week.

Or become the PTA president or another important board member, and make large donations to the school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar story, both my children who were going into 5th and 7th grades got in last year. I did not appeal the years prior. I will say that my younger student was able to be in the Level IV classroom in the fourth grade (he was level III). His teacher informed me that she was referring him for Level IV and then he got in. I have no idea why they were unable to get in the program before.

Easy one, just need to make a larger donation on Teacher Appreciation Week.

*slow clap*

Anonymous wrote:Similar story, both my children who were going into 5th and 7th grades got in last year. I did not appeal the years prior. I will say that my younger student was able to be in the Level IV classroom in the fourth grade (he was level III). His teacher informed me that she was referring him for Level IV and then he got in. I have no idea why they were unable to get in the program before.

Easy one, just need to make a larger donation on Teacher Appreciation Week.

Similar story, both my children who were going into 5th and 7th grades got in last year. I did not appeal the years prior. I will say that my younger student was able to be in the Level IV classroom in the fourth grade (he was level III). His teacher informed me that she was referring him for Level IV and then he got in. I have no idea why they were unable to get in the program before.

At the center schools, kids can take advanced math and not be in full time AAP. Talk to the teacher about doing this.