Anonymous
11/16/2019 09:20
Subject: Level III fcps
My DD has been in advanced math since 4th grade. I applied for Level 3 for her in 3rd grade but she got rejected. She was not labeled Level 3 AAP on her report card despite advanced math. Most of her friends got the once a week Level 3 pullout for Level 3 since 3rd grade but were not in advanced math. This year (6th grade) I got a letter that she got placed in Level 3. It is pretty lame and she doesn't want to go except for the fact that now she fits in with the group, and that is all she wanted. They do 45 min of projects that any kid could do. She misses her time to get her real work done so she ends up with more homework on those days.
Anonymous
11/16/2019 09:12
Subject: Re:Level III fcps
Anonymous wrote:This thread just shows how poorly FCPS communicates about AAP services. It's appalling that almost every few weeks, parents are asking similar questions trying to figure out AAP. It shouldn't be that hard. I don't see as many posts regarding LCPS or APS or ACPS 'gifted' programs.
Level II, Level III and Level IV are all dependent on which school one attends. They are vastly different at different schools, and among the teachers who teach the curriculum. While the AART tries to set a curriculum, and Gatehouse provides some help with training for AAP teachers (i.e., training on where to find content to teach), the program is a "do it yourself" sort of program both in that the teachers have to fend for themselves on how they structure content and curriculum and with how the students process the information which is mainly through individualized pacing and learning. To get any AAP teacher or AART or Kristen (the FCPS AAP program manager) at Gatehouse to talk freely and openly about curriculum and content and delivery will be a miracle. FCPS parents just need to understand the program isn't all that it has been made out to be, and whether your kid gets into it or not is not as big of a deal as whether your kid's teacher (whatever elementary grade they are in) is a GOOD teacher who can maneuver the chaos that is the FCPS elementary curriculum. If you're having to go fishing for content for individualized student learning, imagine how well a teacher with 22+ kids is going to do that.
I accepted a job offer for the county and was assigned to teach AAP without having any idea what it truly was. Essentially I’ve been told they just learn some math standards from the next grade up too. I could surely see how it might seem like a mess to parents. Teaching here in general has this vibe of “just figure everything out for yourself and when you ask questions we’ll answer so rudely that you’ll eventually stop asking.” I can understand how this area had high turnover. I have suggestions that could help decrease that I think, but do you think anyone wants to hear that? They don’t. The kids in VA deserve better in my opinion. It’s a shame my voice doesn’t matter one bit. I’ve seen education done much, much better. They don’t give teachers here manuals for anything. It’s probably hilarious I asked where my teacher editions books and texts were. The pacing guide has a list of many resources that don’t all align. The teachers aren’t given these. You’ll be told to check it out of the professional library. You’ll go to the library during planning time because it closes after school and they won’t have it. They’ll try to find it from another school library and by the time it arrives the unit it was for it over anyway. It’s essentially a s**t show. Sorry.
Anonymous
11/13/2019 12:48
Subject: Re:Level III fcps
This thread just shows how poorly FCPS communicates about AAP services. It's appalling that almost every few weeks, parents are asking similar questions trying to figure out AAP. It shouldn't be that hard. I don't see as many posts regarding LCPS or APS or ACPS 'gifted' programs.
Level II, Level III and Level IV are all dependent on which school one attends. They are vastly different at different schools, and among the teachers who teach the curriculum. While the AART tries to set a curriculum, and Gatehouse provides some help with training for AAP teachers (i.e., training on where to find content to teach), the program is a "do it yourself" sort of program both in that the teachers have to fend for themselves on how they structure content and curriculum and with how the students process the information which is mainly through individualized pacing and learning. To get any AAP teacher or AART or Kristen (the FCPS AAP program manager) at Gatehouse to talk freely and openly about curriculum and content and delivery will be a miracle. FCPS parents just need to understand the program isn't all that it has been made out to be, and whether your kid gets into it or not is not as big of a deal as whether your kid's teacher (whatever elementary grade they are in) is a GOOD teacher who can maneuver the chaos that is the FCPS elementary curriculum. If you're having to go fishing for content for individualized student learning, imagine how well a teacher with 22+ kids is going to do that.
Level II, Level III and Level IV are all dependent on which school one attends. They are vastly different at different schools, and among the teachers who teach the curriculum. While the AART tries to set a curriculum, and Gatehouse provides some help with training for AAP teachers (i.e., training on where to find content to teach), the program is a "do it yourself" sort of program both in that the teachers have to fend for themselves on how they structure content and curriculum and with how the students process the information which is mainly through individualized pacing and learning. To get any AAP teacher or AART or Kristen (the FCPS AAP program manager) at Gatehouse to talk freely and openly about curriculum and content and delivery will be a miracle. FCPS parents just need to understand the program isn't all that it has been made out to be, and whether your kid gets into it or not is not as big of a deal as whether your kid's teacher (whatever elementary grade they are in) is a GOOD teacher who can maneuver the chaos that is the FCPS elementary curriculum. If you're having to go fishing for content for individualized student learning, imagine how well a teacher with 22+ kids is going to do that.
Anonymous
11/11/2019 21:46
Subject: Re:Level III fcps
Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if Level III is sufficient to give a choice in middle schools (the way Level IV does)? Thank you.
You need to be Level IV to have a choice re: which middle school to attend.
Anonymous
11/11/2019 20:50
Subject: Re:Level III fcps
Does anyone know if Level III is sufficient to give a choice in middle schools (the way Level IV does)? Thank you.
Anonymous
09/04/2019 13:44
Subject: Level III fcps
No one else?
Anonymous
09/03/2019 09:56
Subject: Level III fcps
I don't think level 3 is as worthless as people here make it out to be, as long as advanced math is provided starting in 3rd. My AAP kid has 1.5 hours of language arts per day, with at least half of the time being spent on independent reading, listening to the teacher read a book, or independent projects. There is very little individual attention from the teacher. Small reading groups meet infrequently, and when they do, it's more peer learning than teacher directed learning.
My LIII kid does the same independent language arts stuff, has a 4 person reading group that meets with the teacher maybe twice per week, and then also has a very small group (6-8 kids) pull out with the AART for an hour each week. The pull outs involve critical thinking, logic games, science, and lego robotics challenges. It's also an hour of much more individualized attention than my AAP kid ever gets. The advanced math class does Math Olympiad in their classrooms, which is more math enrichment than my AAP kid sees at his center. The AART also runs Science Olympiad for the LIII kids, which is a great opportunity.
The AART is fantastic at the base school, though. Your mileage will vary if your AART isn't particularly invested in the bright level III kids.
My LIII kid does the same independent language arts stuff, has a 4 person reading group that meets with the teacher maybe twice per week, and then also has a very small group (6-8 kids) pull out with the AART for an hour each week. The pull outs involve critical thinking, logic games, science, and lego robotics challenges. It's also an hour of much more individualized attention than my AAP kid ever gets. The advanced math class does Math Olympiad in their classrooms, which is more math enrichment than my AAP kid sees at his center. The AART also runs Science Olympiad for the LIII kids, which is a great opportunity.
The AART is fantastic at the base school, though. Your mileage will vary if your AART isn't particularly invested in the bright level III kids.
Anonymous
09/03/2019 08:48
Subject: Level III fcps
Anonymous wrote:At McNair there are no pull outs. If you aren’t lucky enough to be Principal placed, it’s just says level 3 on the report card.
At our center, everyone isn't automatically designated Level III. So, OP, it all depends on the school. Even AAP/Level IV varies from school to school.
Anonymous
09/02/2019 23:32
Subject: Level III fcps
At McNair there are no pull outs. If you aren’t lucky enough to be Principal placed, it’s just says level 3 on the report card.