I disagree with PP who said (sorry, I don't know how to make it show up in blue):
Actually, at our FFX base school, it's already 40% AAP (no one even bothers going to the center anymore because the base is a better school). Yes, 2 full classes out of 5 are AAP. So I do see it as the beginning of the end of the AAP centers. Saves money, still segregates and everyone is happy.

It's no big deal for those who go to a base school that's 40% AAP, but for those kids whose base school only has 8 kids going to AAP in a grade, they currently often opt for the center school. If centers are eliminated, those 8 kids will suffer the most, as they'll be forced back essentially into gen ed, with something like 8 AAP kids with 16 gen ed at their base.

What base school?

Actually, at our FFX base school, it's already 40% AAP (no one even bothers going to the center anymore because the base is a better school). Yes, 2 full classes out of 5 are AAP. So I do see it as the beginning of the end of the AAP centers. Saves money, still segregates and everyone is happy.

pp, you mean the 20 percent Einsteins. you know, all the ones who did test prep and everything so their tiger parents can feel better about what their loins produced.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing I care about most is whether they will still place the "Level IV" kids together. Great if they are going to (try to) teach the AAP curriculum to everyone, but hopefully they will continue to attempt to segregate the truly advanced learners from the rest. It's good for nobody for the Einsteins of the class to be placed with everyone else -- the Einsteins get bored, and the other kids in the class don't enjoy learning as much in the Einsteins' shadows. I hope they don't throw out the actual positives from the AAP program.

This is what I am trying to understand. I have kids at the AAP center and I have seen such a change in them since they have been there socially and academically. If they're going to be thrown in with the general population at the center school, they might as well have stayed at our base school.

Isn't that the whole point? That there will be no center and all AAP will be at the base school? Just pray they continue to segregate so that the 2% Einsteins won't be forced to interact with the 98% geneds.

Anonymous wrote:The thing I care about most is whether they will still place the "Level IV" kids together. Great if they are going to (try to) teach the AAP curriculum to everyone, but hopefully they will continue to attempt to segregate the truly advanced learners from the rest. It's good for nobody for the Einsteins of the class to be placed with everyone else -- the Einsteins get bored, and the other kids in the class don't enjoy learning as much in the Einsteins' shadows. I hope they don't throw out the actual positives from the AAP program.

This is what I am trying to understand. I have kids at the AAP center and I have seen such a change in them since they have been there socially and academically. If they're going to be thrown in with the general population at the center school, they might as well have stayed at our base school.

The thing I care about most is whether they will still place the "Level IV" kids together. Great if they are going to (try to) teach the AAP curriculum to everyone, but hopefully they will continue to attempt to segregate the truly advanced learners from the rest. It's good for nobody for the Einsteins of the class to be placed with everyone else -- the Einsteins get bored, and the other kids in the class don't enjoy learning as much in the Einsteins' shadows. I hope they don't throw out the actual positives from the AAP program.

Anonymous wrote:There's no guarantee that this will ever happen -- probably not in the years that my kids will get any benefit, but it seems like PUBLIC school should try to serve the greatest needs of the general student body.

I agree that things like Socratic Seminar can be shared with many, many children.

It kind of makes sense when you think that they have to change the benchmark for "in pool" up to the 98%-ile b/c they have too many kids scoring at the 97%-ile.

In other school systems, 90th percentile gets you into G/T programs. So, why restrict what the public school is offering so that only a tiny percentage of kids can benefit when there are really a lot of kids who are at the top end of the spectrum. I do understand that the profoundly gifted will perhaps get less -- but I think that they are fewer and further between and they can get services outside of the public school system (i.e. universities) or at higher grade levels in the school system.

There's no guarantee that this will ever happen -- probably not in the years that my kids will get any benefit, but it seems like PUBLIC school should try to serve the greatest needs of the general student body.

Anonymous wrote:Explain to me, exactly, how this is a bad thing

Because the kids that are at the extreme end of the tail are going to get the short end of the stick -- again. The mildly and moderately gifted kids could and would do just fine in a class of bright students. That is not true for the highly and exceptionally gifted kids.

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/underserved.htm

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"...a pilot that will put Level IV Advanced Academic Placement (AAP) curriculum in every third- through sixth-grade classroom of one Fairfax County pyramid..."

http://forthunt.patch.com/articles/curriculum-plan-raises-issues-of-equity-communication

. . .

The board agreed to discuss the AAP pilot program and its implications at an April work session; in May, it will discuss how information about pilot programs and curriculum changes are communicated to the board and how heavily it wants to be involved in their implementation.

. . .


Time to write to the School Board.

And say what, pray?

"Please don't do this. You MUST retain stratas of differentiation to assuage my anxiety and ego about my kid's giftedness."

Explain to me, exactly, how this is a bad thing, other than your feeling that something exclusive has been taken away from you?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just think how relieved you FFX parents will be without all the testing, test prep, in-pool letters. No more differentiation! That is an outstanding result!

Oh, God, no. What will the jealous Arlington parents do if they can't snipe about Fairfax AAP programs? Probably double-down on insulting ACPS.

there you go again, confusing bemusement and condescension with jealousy. but, considering your county is moving in our direction, I guess we were right and you were wrong.

sorry you wasted all that money on COGat instead of ABCs.

So is it just what they learn, not how? I'm the PP who likes the AAP curriculum and thinks everyone could benefit. A major part of it is how they teach it. It's fun, not boring. A lot more experiential learning rather than rote memorization. I hope if they have to learn extra stuff, they get tot do it the fun way rather than just more drill and kill.

this is just expanding the curriculum that those schools have. the aap classes teach more stuff, now the gen ed classes will have to learn that stuff too. and they'll have to know it and it will be reflected on their progress reports. same as trying to get rid of the 'regular' classes in middle and high school and requiring all the kids to take honors classes.

Anonymous wrote:Just think how relieved you FFX parents will be without all the testing, test prep, in-pool letters. No more differentiation! That is an outstanding result!

Oh, God, no. What will the jealous Arlington parents do if they can't snipe about Fairfax AAP programs? Probably double-down on insulting ACPS.