17 pages? I knew it - the AAP crazies got out of their pen again.

23:27 I was suggesting taking out general music for the upper grades once or even twice a week. There's no need for a 5th or 6th grader to take general music twice a week or really at all. They can do band, strings, or chorus instead.

In theory, perhaps. But reality jumped the shark on AAP years ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people on here really want to defund AAP; has about as much chance of ever happening as the Tea Party efforts to defund Obamacare.

Hello idiot (#4today). I think you are wrong here. AAP is on its way out in the elementary schools. And, by the way, the affordable care act is here to stay.

I don't call people names, but I seriously do not think AAP is on the way out anymore than Obamacare is on the way out.

Sadly, probably not, but at least the Affordable Care Act is supported by a majority of the population. Nor does it discriminate in who it provides services for like AAP.

I know I'm going to regret this but how does it discriminate? (I'm talking unlawful discrimination, not in the sense that it favors the smart kids).

Sorry, but was not talking about discrimination in the legal sense, as I'm no lawyer. Although I'm sure FCPS's continuous efforts to adjust AAP entrance requirements to include more underrepresented African Americans and Latinos in AAP speaks to their fears about possibly crossing that line.

What I meant was it favors smart kids and those whose parents know how to work the system.

And it's also discriminatory (maybe not in the legal sense, but very much in the actual sense) to give one group of students certain benefits, but not the other. Especially when the parents of ALL of these kids are paying the same amount in taxes to support these schools. And if AAP parents were to switch places with the Gen Ed parents, you can bet they would feel exactly the same way.

In theory all kids are receiving the education best suited to them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people on here really want to defund AAP; has about as much chance of ever happening as the Tea Party efforts to defund Obamacare.

Hello idiot (#4today). I think you are wrong here. AAP is on its way out in the elementary schools. And, by the way, the affordable care act is here to stay.

I don't call people names, but I seriously do not think AAP is on the way out anymore than Obamacare is on the way out.

Sadly, probably not, but at least the Affordable Care Act is supported by a majority of the population. Nor does it discriminate in who it provides services for like AAP.

I know I'm going to regret this but how does it discriminate? (I'm talking unlawful discrimination, not in the sense that it favors the smart kids).

Sorry, but was not talking about discrimination in the legal sense, as I'm no lawyer. Although I'm sure FCPS's continuous efforts to adjust AAP entrance requirements to include more underrepresented African Americans and Latinos in AAP speaks to their fears about possibly crossing that line.

What I meant was it favors smart kids and those whose parents know how to work the system.

And it's also discriminatory (maybe not in the legal sense, but very much in the actual sense) to give one group of students certain benefits, but not the other. Especially when the parents of ALL of these kids are paying the same amount in taxes to support these schools. And if AAP parents were to switch places with the Gen Ed parents, you can bet they would feel exactly the same way.

PP again. And for those suggesting taking all music out of schools, this might be an interesting read for you.

Using Music to Close the Academic Gap

http://m.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/Using-Music-to-Close-the-Academic-Gap/280362/

Anonymous wrote:Would it help if band, strings, or chorus was a requirement in elementary schools? Everyone has to pick an instrument or sing. It seems odd that you have the option of regular music class, band, strings, or chorus during the elementary music block. Not sure about middle and high school.

How schools handle music scheduling varies. Some schools allow pull outs for band/strings, so that children take band/ strings once a week plus their 2 general music classes. Other schools do not allow pull outs throughout the day, so children have one band/strings class, and one general music class. Chorus is treated separately at the school I teach at, as well as the schools my children attend. Staffing wise, this is only 45 minutes of a music teacher's entire week. Often times, classroom teachers are able to use this chorus time for remediation. If children had to make a choice between either band/strings and chorus, you might as well kiss the middle and high school choral programs goodbye.

If you are suggesting cutting general music, I can assure you this would be a disaster. The 45 minutes a week the band/strings teachers have is barely enough to teach the children "how" to play. The bulk of music fundamentals are taught in General Music.

I was happy to heat Dr. Garza is a supporter of the arts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people on here really want to defund AAP; has about as much chance of ever happening as the Tea Party efforts to defund Obamacare.

Hello idiot (#4today). I think you are wrong here. AAP is on its way out in the elementary schools. And, by the way, the affordable care act is here to stay.

I don't call people names, but I seriously do not think AAP is on the way out anymore than Obamacare is on the way out.

Sadly, probably not, but at least the Affordable Care Act is supported by a majority of the population. Nor does it discriminate in who it provides services for like AAP.

I know I'm going to regret this but how does it discriminate? (I'm talking unlawful discrimination, not in the sense that it favors the smart kids).

Sorry, but was not talking about discrimination in the legal sense, as I'm no lawyer. Although I'm sure FCPS's continuous efforts to adjust AAP entrance requirements to include more underrepresented African Americans and Latinos in AAP speaks to their fears about possibly crossing that line.

What I meant was it favors smart kids and those whose parents know how to work the system.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

AAP is providing a better education to all FCPS students in that it reduces the amount of differentiation that needs to be done in each classroom. So both GE and AAP kids benefit.
[Report Post]

Baloney!

+100

All AAP is doing is skimming off the slightly above-average kids from Gen Ed classes and creating an enormous, bloated, out-of-control mass of kids at center schools, who now outnumber the Gen Ed kids. GE classes are now for kids who just barely missed the AAP cutoff, and all the special needs kids who have been mainstreamed into Gen Ed.

Thus, the typical bright Gen Ed kid is now in a class with the special needs kids, who, guess what, have special needs!

These are the kids who need special accomodations, as well as the tiny percentage of highly gifted kids. Not the vast majority of kids accepted into AAP. The program has become so divisive and mismanaged. As much as parents desperately want to believe their average children are gifted, there needs to be a wakeup call within FCPS. AAP needs to go.

Sounds like this is your problem in the classroom, but I guess it's not so PC to say.

Also note that Fairfax County has been deemed a "Santuary County" for Illegal immigrants that are driven out from Prince William and Loudon starting in 2007

http://asu.news21.com/sanctuary-cities-fairfax-county-va/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Why doesn't FCPS just give each employee a voucher for $1500/year and let them all get health insurance via the ACA? Great heath insurance; choice of plans and the tax payers save a bundle. "

Yes! Then more teachers will move west to Loudoun and we can staff our brand new shiny schools we pay with with our higher taxes. Our latest high school is costing us $100 million just to build! We value children's education here. Sincerely, Loudoun

You seem not to understand basic tax economics. Loudoun Co. does have a higher real estate TAX RATE ($1.285) than does FFx Co. ( $1.07), but the AVERAGE HOME VALUE is nearly 10% higher in FFx Co. Thus, the amount of TAX PAID is roughly the same on average per household.

Looks like Loudon drove out the undocumented immigrants from 2007 up until 2013

What will happen now they aren't enforcing the undocumented immigration laws?
"After five years, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office's participation in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) program — which allowed local officers to help with street-level immigration enforcement — has been discontinued."
http://ashburn.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/ice-removes-immigration-program-from-herndon

Would someone please cite the statistics (perhaps a link?) indicating where "the vast majority of students" are in AAP in FCPS?

Or is this a Haycock moment again?

^^^^

Forgot to ask: exactly how are GE kids benefitting from this arrangement?

Anonymous wrote:

AAP is providing a better education to all FCPS students in that it reduces the amount of differentiation that needs to be done in each classroom. So both GE and AAP kids benefit.
[Report Post]

Baloney!

+100

All AAP is doing is skimming off the slightly above-average kids from Gen Ed classes and creating an enormous, bloated, out-of-control mass of kids at center schools, who now outnumber the Gen Ed kids. GE classes are now for kids who just barely missed the AAP cutoff, and all the special needs kids who have been mainstreamed into Gen Ed. Thus, the typical bright Gen Ed kid is now in a class with the special needs kids, who, guess what, have special needs! These are the kids who need special accomodations, as well as the tiny percentage of highly gifted kids. Not the vast majority of kids accepted into AAP. The program has become so divisive and mismanaged. As much as parents desperately want to believe their average children are gifted, there needs to be a wakeup call within FCPS. AAP needs to go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Part time AAP level I and III programs are in place to help students who don't necessarily make the AAP cut but are gifted in one area. They are very popular and keep kids at base schools.

And it is supposed to be readying kids to take honors courses in middle school and AP/IB in high school so they are more prepared for college. But readying kids for college is not the goal of the New FCPS now.

My kids were in GE and excelled in their honors and AP classes once in middle and high school. AAP has absolutely no bearing on preparation for higher level courses.

My point exactly. FCPS does not want to mandate AP/IB exams as part of taking a course in high school; that way they get around the Cuccinelli problem and the kids have to pay for the exam. AP/IB and honors are all self-selecting now and very watered down (so the GE kids can take part), and it will be even more so with no exam requirement. So throw all of them out and just have a single level of class. Then you can throw out honors and all those special classes at the middle school level, and throw out AAP altogether.

You want extra? Then sign up for extra-curriculars outside of school.

This statement just makes me laugh. While I agree that AAP at the elementary and middle school level needs to be cut entirely, AP classes and exams are just as difficult as they've ever been. The content of the class and exam is the same nationwide, so they have to be, for consistency. Kids who can't manage in AP don't have to take AP classes. But plenty of kids, regardless of prior AAP experience, do just great in them. My DC (prior GE kid, oh the horror) has gotten all 5's on at least 7 AP exams, with more coming up this year. Throwing around ridiculous statement such as the one above just make you look ignorant.