Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny how people want everything to be given to them for free under the term of "equal". Nothing in life is free. You have to work for it!

Everyone gets to take the test. If you score high enough you get into AAP if not then you don't. Sounds pretty darn equal to me.

And if you don't score high enough and your parents push enough, maybe you get in too. Remind me again how that is "equal?" It's not, tilts towards parents who have the time and resources and knowledge of the system.

+100
Which is why AAP is so overcrowded in the McLean, Vienna, Great Falls areas. Pushy parents who are used to getting what they want and who know exactly how and when to refer, appeal, etc. If you parent refer in our center school, your child will get in, regardless of test scores. No wonder AAP has become a joke.

Which center school?

Hum...let's see McLean, Vienna, Great Falls...take a guess which center the poster was referencing. However, it is not just one center it is all centers. It is not equal. It is tracking. And to the poster who said if you score high enough you get in...you are absolutely wrong. Read the criteria for inclusion it is so subjective for a reason... so the "selection committee" can put whomever they want in there.

Nevertheless, FCPS is using the centers as a place to put all of their so called "twice exceptional" misbehaved kids anyway. MHO, keep pushing your kids into centers they will get a better education and so will my non-center kid!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny how people want everything to be given to them for free under the term of "equal". Nothing in life is free. You have to work for it!

Everyone gets to take the test. If you score high enough you get into AAP if not then you don't. Sounds pretty darn equal to me.

And if you don't score high enough and your parents push enough, maybe you get in too. Remind me again how that is "equal?" It's not, tilts towards parents who have the time and resources and knowledge of the system.

+100
Which is why AAP is so overcrowded in the McLean, Vienna, Great Falls areas. Pushy parents who are used to getting what they want and who know exactly how and when to refer, appeal, etc. If you parent refer in our center school, your child will get in, regardless of test scores. No wonder AAP has become a joke.

Which center school?

Hum...let's see McLean, Vienna, Great Falls...take a guess which center the poster was referencing. However, it is not just one center it is all centers. It is not equal. It is tracking. And to the poster who said if you score high enough you get in...you are absolutely wrong. Read the criteria for inclusion it is so subjective for a reason... so the "selection committee" can put whomever they want in there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny how people want everything to be given to them for free under the term of "equal". Nothing in life is free. You have to work for it!

Everyone gets to take the test. If you score high enough you get into AAP if not then you don't. Sounds pretty darn equal to me.

And if you don't score high enough and your parents push enough, maybe you get in too. Remind me again how that is "equal?" It's not, tilts towards parents who have the time and resources and knowledge of the system.

+100
Which is why AAP is so overcrowded in the McLean, Vienna, Great Falls areas. Pushy parents who are used to getting what they want and who know exactly how and when to refer, appeal, etc. If you parent refer in our center school, your child will get in, regardless of test scores. No wonder AAP has become a joke.

Which center school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny how people want everything to be given to them for free under the term of "equal". Nothing in life is free. You have to work for it!

Everyone gets to take the test. If you score high enough you get into AAP if not then you don't. Sounds pretty darn equal to me.

And if you don't score high enough and your parents push enough, maybe you get in too. Remind me again how that is "equal?" It's not, tilts towards parents who have the time and resources and knowledge of the system.

+100
Which is why AAP is so overcrowded in the McLean, Vienna, Great Falls areas. Pushy parents who are used to getting what they want and who know exactly how and when to refer, appeal, etc. If you parent refer in our center school, your child will get in, regardless of test scores. No wonder AAP has become a joke.

Anonymous wrote:Funny how people want everything to be given to them for free under the term of "equal". Nothing in life is free. You have to work for it!

Everyone gets to take the test. If you score high enough you get into AAP if not then you don't. Sounds pretty darn equal to me.

And if you don't score high enough and your parents push enough, maybe you get in too. Remind me again how that is "equal?" It's not, tilts towards parents who have the time and resources and knowledge of the system.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So how is rhe FCPS AAP program different from tracking?

Because it is ability grouping, not tracking.

hairsplitting. those sound the same to me. still not convinced. if aap were ability grouping there are many kids in gen ed who would be in AAP and vice versa.

Continuing the Discussion of Ability Grouping

http://tip.duke.edu/node/803



Tracking, Ability Grouping and the Gifted

http://www.giftedpage.org/docs/bulletins/PageBulletinTracking.pdf



NAGC Position Paper: Grouping

http://www.nagc.org/uploadedFiles/Information_and_Resources/Position_Papers/Grouping.pdf




In Search of Reality: Unraveling the Myths about Tracking, Ability Grouping, and the Gifted

http://media.hoover.org/sites/default/files/documents/0817928723_85.pdf

Thank you for these helpful links! Lots of great food for thought.

Anonymous wrote:The County budget is unveiled today. I'm guessing class sizes will increase even higher than initially proposed by Dr. Garza. Has anyone heard anything further?

It was unveiled today (2/25)

Funny how people want everything to be given to them for free under the term of "equal". Nothing in life is free. You have to work for it!

Everyone gets to take the test. If you score high enough you get into AAP if not then you don't. Sounds pretty darn equal to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So how is rhe FCPS AAP program different from tracking?

Because it is ability grouping, not tracking.

hairsplitting. those sound the same to me. still not convinced. if aap were ability grouping there are many kids in gen ed who would be in AAP and vice versa.

Elementary school had differentiation in math and language arts. So some were in the top group for math but not language arts. Math and reading groups. Middle school tracking was done by ability grouping-test scores, grades, etc. It was more fluid than AAP where if you not at a center school the most rigorous classes are not available. There was no large central department determining your fate. In high school students chose college prep, votech, business.

The County budget is unveiled today. I'm guessing class sizes will increase even higher than initially proposed by Dr. Garza. Has anyone heard anything further?

I believe poster is referring to elementary. Differentiation for 30 elementary students by one teacher is virtually impossible by one teacher and isn't happening effectively although the Tracking is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tracking and ability grouping are dirty words in public schools. Have you ever heard a teacher use those word publicly lately? They would be crucified by their principal.

It's differentiated instruction and it doesn't happen in most schools for high level students. It's an impossible task for teachers with 28 students.

I'd be thrilled if my kids would have 28 students. 6th grader has 35 in his class right now.

What school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tracking and ability grouping are dirty words in public schools. Have you ever heard a teacher use those word publicly lately? They would be crucified by their principal.

It's differentiated instruction and it doesn't happen in most schools for high level students. It's an impossible task for teachers with 28 students.

I'd be thrilled if my kids would have 28 students. 6th grader has 35 in his class right now.

Same here.