Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 00:14     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
*knew
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 00:14     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Anonymous wrote:If your kid is quiet or SN then you may think about opting out of the HOPE.


I was worried about my quiet introvert. Teacher still new he was smart.
Anonymous
Post 10/06/2025 10:31     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What kind of “work samples”? Is this something parents have to provide?


You can search for discussions of work samples here - there are many. You can also look at FCPS's AAP site, or attend one of your AART's AAP discussions (ours gave useful examples).

The school will provide some samples, parents have the opportunity to provide several more. You want things that are clearly child -led and show creative and critical thinking.


Yes, f you go to the level IV presentation that your AART will do, they give examples of what constitutes a good work sample. IIRC one example was hieroglyphics invented by the kid. And yes, many exmaples here. Our AART would also review the parent part of packet and tell you if it provided a well rounded view of your child and if the samples are relevant.
Anonymous
Post 10/05/2025 10:44     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Anonymous wrote:What kind of “work samples”? Is this something parents have to provide?


You can search for discussions of work samples here - there are many. You can also look at FCPS's AAP site, or attend one of your AART's AAP discussions (ours gave useful examples).

The school will provide some samples, parents have the opportunity to provide several more. You want things that are clearly child -led and show creative and critical thinking.
Anonymous
Post 10/05/2025 10:37     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Teachers select the work samples?
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 10:34     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
What kind of “work samples”? Is this something parents have to provide?
Anonymous
Post 09/24/2025 11:14     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Last year, the packet was made up of HOPE, 1st grade iReady reading score, 2nd grade iReady Math score, NNAT, COGAT, VALLSS, and school selected work samples.

I would say parent referral and parent selected work samples but DC's classmate got in without any parent referral or submitting work samples. So these may be optional.


Has anyone been informed of what the packet will be this year with the changes to tests? Our info session is later this week but curious if anyone already got an answer.


Last year, the info sessions didn't really make it clear what it was but it is pretty obvious. Whatever tests they end up taking will be in the packet. Things like iReady, VALLSS, NGAT, etc etc. Then you'll have the HOPE, work samples, etc!
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2025 09:44     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Anonymous wrote:Last year, the packet was made up of HOPE, 1st grade iReady reading score, 2nd grade iReady Math score, NNAT, COGAT, VALLSS, and school selected work samples.

I would say parent referral and parent selected work samples but DC's classmate got in without any parent referral or submitting work samples. So these may be optional.


Has anyone been informed of what the packet will be this year with the changes to tests? Our info session is later this week but curious if anyone already got an answer.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 11:04     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Anonymous wrote:Last year, the packet was made up of HOPE, 1st grade iReady reading score, 2nd grade iReady Math score, NNAT, COGAT, VALLSS, and school selected work samples.

I would say parent referral and parent selected work samples but DC's classmate got in without any parent referral or submitting work samples. So these may be optional.


As a PP upthread mentioned, any good AART would tell you to parent refer regardless. You want that parent perspective in there. Our AART emphasized that to me (personally as well as in the group level IV/full-time presentation) over the course of 3 different kids applying.

Yes they're optional for in-pool kids, but do you want to risk that?
Anonymous
Post 08/18/2025 18:19     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The most important thing is making sure the teacher adores your child. The teacher didn't like my kid so she didn't get in, despite test scores that were higher than her friends who did get into AAP.


I’ll take Things that Didn’t Happen for $400, Alex.


Have you looked at the HOPE form? It's purely subjective.


LOL, you say that like it's a bad thing. Thank goodness we have it, else we'd just have academic achievement test scores in a vacuum, with no measure of relevant character attributes that are also critical to long-term academic and personal success like the ability to collaborate, think from multiple perspectives or creatively, focus deeply, and so on. There's nothing in the HOPE form about "did you personally like this student?" Most teachers put a lot of sincere effort into accurately filling it out and trying to consciously mitigate any such personal bias. I'm sure there are a few exceptions, as there are with anything, and sorry if you had a bad experience, but you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. The HOPE form is one of the most critical and valuable evaluation tools we have.

FWIW, a student can take a standardized academic assessment and score several percentiles higher/lower depending on the day, their energy level, what happened at home that morning, if they're well-fed, and so on. We all do our best to set kids up to be ready on test day, but sometimes a kid just has a good/bad day and their scores better/worse than their true potential or achievement level. Despite this (and other) flaws with testing, we don't completely dismiss test scores just because they're imperfect, nor because test scores don't measure all the relevant dimensions needed to make an assessment of whether the AAP program is the right match for given student. They're still considered a big part of the picture, along with HOPE scores, work samples, parent questionnaire, and so on. But as a standalone, standardized academic assessment scores wouldn't tell you nearly enough to make any such well-informed decisions.


I don't agree with you about the HOPE. Although we've had 2 kids get into AAP with excellent HOPE scores, it's still very subjective and I'd prefer it didn't exist.

However, your point about having a "bad" test day is well taken. That sort of argues against the single testing instrument they've not moved to. (NGAT). Of my two kids, one did better on NNAT than CogAT and the other, vice versa. Having two data points seems better, in my opinion.
Anonymous
Post 08/18/2025 13:32     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Last year, the packet was made up of HOPE, 1st grade iReady reading score, 2nd grade iReady Math score, NNAT, COGAT, VALLSS, and school selected work samples.

I would say parent referral and parent selected work samples but DC's classmate got in without any parent referral or submitting work samples. So these may be optional.
Anonymous
Post 08/18/2025 13:27     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Anonymous wrote:If your kid is quiet or SN then you may think about opting out of the HOPE.


Can you still get into AAP if you opt out of HOPE though?
Anonymous
Post 08/18/2025 10:18     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Anonymous wrote:What does the HOPE form look liks? I remember the GBRS earlier for my other one but would love to know about the HOPE form.


https://www.google.com/search?q=fcps+hope+form
Anonymous
Post 08/18/2025 10:13     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The most important thing is making sure the teacher adores your child. The teacher didn't like my kid so she didn't get in, despite test scores that were higher than her friends who did get into AAP.


I’ll take Things that Didn’t Happen for $400, Alex.


Have you looked at the HOPE form? It's purely subjective.


LOL, you say that like it's a bad thing. Thank goodness we have it, else we'd just have academic achievement test scores in a vacuum, with no measure of relevant character attributes that are also critical to long-term academic and personal success like the ability to collaborate, think from multiple perspectives or creatively, focus deeply, and so on. There's nothing in the HOPE form about "did you personally like this student?" Most teachers put a lot of sincere effort into accurately filling it out and trying to consciously mitigate any such personal bias. I'm sure there are a few exceptions, as there are with anything, and sorry if you had a bad experience, but you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. The HOPE form is one of the most critical and valuable evaluation tools we have.

FWIW, a student can take a standardized academic assessment and score several percentiles higher/lower depending on the day, their energy level, what happened at home that morning, if they're well-fed, and so on. We all do our best to set kids up to be ready on test day, but sometimes a kid just has a good/bad day and their scores better/worse than their true potential or achievement level. Despite this (and other) flaws with testing, we don't completely dismiss test scores just because they're imperfect, nor because test scores don't measure all the relevant dimensions needed to make an assessment of whether the AAP program is the right match for given student. They're still considered a big part of the picture, along with HOPE scores, work samples, parent questionnaire, and so on. But as a standalone, standardized academic assessment scores wouldn't tell you nearly enough to make any such well-informed decisions.
Anonymous
Post 08/18/2025 09:01     Subject: What is considered for Grade 2 AAP application ?
What does the HOPE form look liks? I remember the GBRS earlier for my other one but would love to know about the HOPE form.