Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But most GE kids are not in honors or AP in HS. Most AAP or self dejectedly honors in MS kids will be.

Show proof.

Anonymous wrote:But most GE kids are not in honors or AP in HS. Most AAP or self dejectedly honors in MS kids will be.

Anonymous wrote:Here is what I would be interested in. Hearing from a teacher in a FCPS MS AAP Center. Are self-selected honors and AAP classes doing the same work at the same level in your school? Or are the AAP classes stronger? I'd be especially interested in light of the fact that my AAP kid starts HS next year. Is he going to find honors work to be step down for a couple years until he hits IB (at one of the strong IB schools?). Or will it continue at the same pace as AAP has? Or can we hope for harder in 9th grade? Because, at this point, we are seeing high As with minimal effort at a "strong" AAP Center MS.

Anonymous wrote:Here is what I would be interested in. Hearing from a teacher in a FCPS MS AAP Center. Are self-selected honors and AAP classes doing the same work at the same level in your school? Or are the AAP classes stronger? I'd be especially interested in light of the fact that my AAP kid starts HS next year. Is he going to find honors work to be step down for a couple years until he hits IB (at one of the strong IB schools?). Or will it continue at the same pace as AAP has? Or can we hope for harder in 9th grade? Because, at this point, we are seeing high As with minimal effort at a "strong" AAP Center MS.

Anonymous wrote:Summary Post

What I am saying is your precious snowflakes will do just fine

Do you really think elementary school has that much of an impact on your child's life.

Do you really thinking having someone take AP Calculus in 9th vs 10th vs 11th vs 12th vs gasp not at all is really going to have that much of an impact on your child?

What I am saying is in the real world NOBODY CARES ABOUT AAP or AP or when and if you took AP Calculus or what college you went to or whatever other criteria you idiots are obsessed with for your precious offspring.

They care if you can do the job and guess what when I look at a resume I look at what you did at your last job and maybe the one before that. That's it

Signed someone grounded in reality

I truly feel bad for your kids. Take a chill pill people.

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Anonymous wrote:

You've missed the entire point, which is that AAP is not a gifted program. The curriculum is simply advanced by one year - something most kids could certainly do if given the opportunity. PP even suggested starting this in the 1st grade, so that ALL kids are ahead.

Certainly, not all kids are going to reach the same heights. But that goes for kids within AAP as well. Some kids are going to excel above and beyond any others - and that has nothing to do with being in AAP.

I can tell your mind is made up. But for anyone else listening, the AAP curriculum is not simply the same curriculum advanced by one year. At least not from our experience. If that's all there was to it, there would not be so many people howling about not being part of it. This is just the kind of misinformed belief one would expect to follow the constant hater drumbeat that AAP is "not a gifted program."

Well, from our experience, this is exactly what AAP is. The curriculum was no more challenging than that of the next grade up. I know that AAP parents love to tell themselves, their kids, and anyone who will listen that AAP is a gifted program, but it ceased being that over a decade ago when FCPS decided to include far more kids than they used to. Nothing wrong with an advanced curriculum, but it's very misleading to call it a "gifted" curriculum. Because it's simply advanced, many of us are arguing that it should be open to any child capable of doing the work. No need for a faux-gifted label in the first place.

Well then what the heck meets your definition of a "Gifted Program"? I don't live in Fairfax County, but from what I've read the AAP program blows doors on any gifted programs I've heard of anywhere. My 4th grade daughter's gifted program consists of her being bused to another school one day a week for enrichment activities. This is typical of every school district I've heard of except Fairfax County. These activities are great, but the rest of the time she is still
learning the exact same curriculum and doing the exact same assignments as everyone else. I would much rather trade her one day a week of enrichment activities for a full time program where she is taught all academic subject a grade level up.

Your DD is not in a gifted program; what she receives is advanced academic "pull out" services. I think what people are confusing is a "gifted child" with the AAP program. Yes, there are many gifted children in the AAP program; however, many kids in that program are capable of doing way more challenging academics than what AAP provides. There in lies the rub...the AAP curriculum is just slightly advanced; however, the testing to get in is so over-the-top compared to the actual benefit of the actual program for most gifted kids. What parents are saying is that don't say AAP is a gifted program when it is not...be honest and say what it actually is an advanced academic program (AAP)...and for those parents who have gifted kids that actually score off the chart...you would be well served to actually find resources outside the FCPS to address your kids gifted needs. Otherwise, admission to AAP should be parent referral...

We don't live in Fairfax County. Her pull out program is what the gifted program consists of in our area. My point s that the Fairfax County AAP program is a far more comprehensive program than what I have heard of anywhere else. I'm curious as to what the poster who insists that AAP is not a real gifted program, thinks a Gifted program should be?

Take a look at the Schilling School for Gifted Children. The Lower School curriculum 1.5 - 2 years above grade level with individualized learning options. The program meets the kids where they are and allows them to go as far above grade level as appropriate. A program of this kind would be unsupportable by a public school system. So, the compromise is AAP. FCPS made a financial decision at some point to go with the AAP model...nothing wrong with that but they didn't adjust the paradigm that AAP could be afforded to an even wider group of students.

But why single out AAP then? No public school district has a gifted program that is anywhere close to your example. By saying "AAP is not a real gifted program", the implication is that it is common for other school districts to offer "real" gifted programs. Fairfax County comes closer to this than any public school system I've seen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You've missed the entire point, which is that AAP is not a gifted program. The curriculum is simply advanced by one year - something most kids could certainly do if given the opportunity. PP even suggested starting this in the 1st grade, so that ALL kids are ahead.

Certainly, not all kids are going to reach the same heights. But that goes for kids within AAP as well. Some kids are going to excel above and beyond any others - and that has nothing to do with being in AAP.

I can tell your mind is made up. But for anyone else listening, the AAP curriculum is not simply the same curriculum advanced by one year. At least not from our experience. If that's all there was to it, there would not be so many people howling about not being part of it. This is just the kind of misinformed belief one would expect to follow the constant hater drumbeat that AAP is "not a gifted program."

Well, from our experience, this is exactly what AAP is. The curriculum was no more challenging than that of the next grade up. I know that AAP parents love to tell themselves, their kids, and anyone who will listen that AAP is a gifted program, but it ceased being that over a decade ago when FCPS decided to include far more kids than they used to. Nothing wrong with an advanced curriculum, but it's very misleading to call it a "gifted" curriculum. Because it's simply advanced, many of us are arguing that it should be open to any child capable of doing the work. No need for a faux-gifted label in the first place.

Well then what the heck meets your definition of a "Gifted Program"? I don't live in Fairfax County, but from what I've read the AAP program blows doors on any gifted programs I've heard of anywhere. My 4th grade daughter's gifted program consists of her being bused to another school one day a week for enrichment activities. This is typical of every school district I've heard of except Fairfax County. These activities are great, but the rest of the time she is still
learning the exact same curriculum and doing the exact same assignments as everyone else. I would much rather trade her one day a week of enrichment activities for a full time program where she is taught all academic subject a grade level up.

Your DD is not in a gifted program; what she receives is advanced academic "pull out" services. I think what people are confusing is a "gifted child" with the AAP program. Yes, there are many gifted children in the AAP program; however, many kids in that program are capable of doing way more challenging academics than what AAP provides. There in lies the rub...the AAP curriculum is just slightly advanced; however, the testing to get in is so over-the-top compared to the actual benefit of the actual program for most gifted kids. What parents are saying is that don't say AAP is a gifted program when it is not...be honest and say what it actually is an advanced academic program (AAP)...and for those parents who have gifted kids that actually score off the chart...you would be well served to actually find resources outside the FCPS to address your kids gifted needs. Otherwise, admission to AAP should be parent referral...

We don't live in Fairfax County. Her pull out program is what the gifted program consists of in our area. My point s that the Fairfax County AAP program is a far more comprehensive program than what I have heard of anywhere else. I'm curious as to what the poster who insists that AAP is not a real gifted program, thinks a Gifted program should be?

Take a look at the Schilling School for Gifted Children. The Lower School curriculum 1.5 - 2 years above grade level with individualized learning options. The program meets the kids where they are and allows them to go as far above grade level as appropriate. A program of this kind would be unsupportable by a public school system. So, the compromise is AAP. FCPS made a financial decision at some point to go with the AAP model...nothing wrong with that but they didn't adjust the paradigm that AAP could be afforded to an even wider group of students.

But why single out AAP then? No public school district has a gifted program that is anywhere close to your example. By saying "AAP is not a real gifted program", the implication is that it is common for other school districts to offer "real" gifted programs. Fairfax County comes closer to this than any public school system I've seen.

A couple quick things off the top of my head

1. The biggest one. When you go out in the real world and have a job and you are one of the "top people" what does that entail usually.... management and what is that.... learning how to deal with people who are "lower than you" by helping them succeed and removing barriers.... humm sounds alot like skills someone could learn in a mixed classroom environment

2. True mastery occurs when you can teach concepts to someone else

3. Google there are some interesting studies out there on this

4. Have a great day

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah so someone needs to do a longterm study on the actual benefits of AAP

What is the end goal here. Paying for a couple fewer credits in college lol

ON tracking in general academic studies are split on when is the best time to start and what the actual benefits are

Most people agree that by middle school you should be separating out children for at least part of the day

At the same time there are real benefits for people at the bottom middle and top if you don't separate out students (Google it)

Of course this requires a teacher who actually knows what they are doing, and can teach concepts at multiple levels

From all the literature I have seen tracking should occur for math and reading from an early age

but outside of these subjects its best for at least the elementary level to have kids together for other subjects

And finally again, what is the real point of AAP. Sorry kid you aren't going to Harvard working at McKenzie because you didn't have AAP in elementary school lol.

There is very little academic benefit if any for the kids at the top when you throw everyone together in one class.

A couple quick things off the top of my head

1. The biggest one. When you go out in the real world and have a job and you are one of the "top people" what does that entail usually.... management and what is that.... learning how to deal with people who are "lower than you" by helping them succeed and removing barriers.... humm sounds alot like skills someone could learn in a mixed classroom environment

2. True mastery occurs when you can teach concepts to someone else

3. Google there are some interesting studies out there on this

4. Have a great day

Of the top my head:

1. Top colleges are usually filled with top students.

2. Google about mixing classes and the negative impact on top students. Very little, if any, benefit.

3. Children aren't paid to teach concepts to others their age; that's the teachers job and they are paid to do such.

4. Have an awesome day!