Anonymous
12/29/2025 22:35
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
Shy, quiet kids aren't dumb.... they are just shy
You have to know the basics before being able to go deeper. How do you assess how well a kid knows the basics ? Tests and grades !
I know plenty of people who know the basics, made good grades, but they can't have a deep, intellectual conversation about anything. They aren't creative. They aren't problem solvers. IDK I don't think your logic holds up.
I know plenty of parents who think their kid is more creative, a better problem solver, and deeper than other kids, when the reality is that their kid would be indistinguishable from everyone else. I understand that your kid doesn't have the scores or grades to suggest that she belongs in AAP, and you're desperate to believe that your kid has some special something to justify her inclusion. Maybe she does. Maybe she doesn't. There are a lot of kids in AAP who don't. There are also a lot of gen ed kids who would be indistinguishable from your child or any other child in AAP.
That sounds great and all, but this thread is not about AAP kids being distinguishable from general ed kids. Someone asked a question about why they don't reevaluate based on grades or SOL. There are many reasons they don't reevaluate, and the fact that some super smart kids don't make great grades is one of them.
But...the fact that they are indistinguishable warrants reevaluation and movement between the classes
Anonymous
12/29/2025 20:56
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
Shy, quiet kids aren't dumb.... they are just shy
You have to know the basics before being able to go deeper. How do you assess how well a kid knows the basics ? Tests and grades !
I know plenty of people who know the basics, made good grades, but they can't have a deep, intellectual conversation about anything. They aren't creative. They aren't problem solvers. IDK I don't think your logic holds up.
I know plenty of parents who think their kid is more creative, a better problem solver, and deeper than other kids, when the reality is that their kid would be indistinguishable from everyone else. I understand that your kid doesn't have the scores or grades to suggest that she belongs in AAP, and you're desperate to believe that your kid has some special something to justify her inclusion. Maybe she does. Maybe she doesn't. There are a lot of kids in AAP who don't. There are also a lot of gen ed kids who would be indistinguishable from your child or any other child in AAP.
That sounds great and all, but this thread is not about AAP kids being distinguishable from general ed kids. Someone asked a question about why they don't reevaluate based on grades or SOL. There are many reasons they don't reevaluate, and the fact that some super smart kids don't make great grades is one of them.
Using grades and SOL/MAP/whatever scores would work for nearly all kids who don't have SN or a LD. Kids with SN of some type would obviously need other criteria.
Reevaluation would honestly be extremely simple. At the end of the year, the AAP teacher should be able to check a box indicating that the teacher thinks the kid is struggling, is holding back the rest of the class, or needs way too much help. If the kid fails to meet whatever end of year benchmarks, and the teacher has indicated that the kid is incorrectly placed in AAP, the kid should be removed.
The only real reason that they don't reevaluate is that they don't want to deal with upset parents, force kids to switch back to a base school, or make (AAP) kids feel bad about themselves. Every school can already on an annual basis determine which kids belong in advanced math. They already move kids up and down based on performance against various benchmarks. It would be trivial to do so more broadly with the entire AAP system.
Anonymous
12/29/2025 20:46
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
Shy, quiet kids aren't dumb.... they are just shy
You have to know the basics before being able to go deeper. How do you assess how well a kid knows the basics ? Tests and grades !
I know plenty of people who know the basics, made good grades, but they can't have a deep, intellectual conversation about anything. They aren't creative. They aren't problem solvers. IDK I don't think your logic holds up.
I know plenty of parents who think their kid is more creative, a better problem solver, and deeper than other kids, when the reality is that their kid would be indistinguishable from everyone else. I understand that your kid doesn't have the scores or grades to suggest that she belongs in AAP, and you're desperate to believe that your kid has some special something to justify her inclusion. Maybe she does. Maybe she doesn't. There are a lot of kids in AAP who don't. There are also a lot of gen ed kids who would be indistinguishable from your child or any other child in AAP.
That sounds great and all, but this thread is not about AAP kids being distinguishable from general ed kids. Someone asked a question about why they don't reevaluate based on grades or SOL. There are many reasons they don't reevaluate, and the fact that some super smart kids don't make great grades is one of them.
Anonymous
12/29/2025 18:15
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
Shy, quiet kids aren't dumb.... they are just shy
You have to know the basics before being able to go deeper. How do you assess how well a kid knows the basics ? Tests and grades !
I know plenty of people who know the basics, made good grades, but they can't have a deep, intellectual conversation about anything. They aren't creative. They aren't problem solvers. IDK I don't think your logic holds up.
I know plenty of parents who think their kid is more creative, a better problem solver, and deeper than other kids, when the reality is that their kid would be indistinguishable from everyone else. I understand that your kid doesn't have the scores or grades to suggest that she belongs in AAP, and you're desperate to believe that your kid has some special something to justify her inclusion. Maybe she does. Maybe she doesn't. There are a lot of kids in AAP who don't. There are also a lot of gen ed kids who would be indistinguishable from your child or any other child in AAP.
That sounds great and all, but this thread is not about AAP kids being distinguishable from general ed kids. Someone asked a question about why they don't reevaluate based on grades or SOL. There are many reasons they don't reevaluate, and the fact that some super smart kids don't make great grades is one of them.
Anonymous
12/29/2025 18:08
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
If your chid can go deeper/more abstract why can't they get 4's? It is an ADVANCED ACADEMIC program.
Maybe you don't hear your kids' friends having a deep conversation with your kid because they are dumbing it down for your kid because they know they get better grades.
lol! Wow.
Anonymous
12/29/2025 18:07
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
If your chid can go deeper/more abstract why can't they get 4's? It is an ADVANCED ACADEMIC program.
Maybe you don't hear your kids' friends having a deep conversation with your kid because they are dumbing it down for your kid because they know they get better grades.
ADHD
Anonymous
12/29/2025 17:53
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
If your chid can go deeper/more abstract why can't they get 4's? It is an ADVANCED ACADEMIC program.
Maybe you don't hear your kids' friends having a deep conversation with your kid because they are dumbing it down for your kid because they know they get better grades.
Anonymous
12/29/2025 17:49
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
Shy, quiet kids aren't dumb.... they are just shy
Huh? What does being shy have to do with it? One 5th grader can carry on an abstract convo about a book, the other 5th grader isn't there yet. One is in AAP, the other one isn't. Teachers, btw, are pretty good at zeroing in on the ones who are deeper thinkers. Someone also said the ability for a school to differentiate this varies in FCPS. That's true. Our center school does a good job going deeper into topics in the AAP curriculum.
They really, really, really aren't. Teachers are great at zeroing in on the kids who are above average, eager to please, have great memories, and are able to parrot things that they've read or they've heard from parents or other classmates. They're pretty awful at identifying kids who are way out there. In a lower SES school, it's especially difficult for a teacher to differentiate between a regular above average kid and a gifted kid because they get so very little time with the higher achieving groups. In that limited time, the extroverted, eager to please, above average kid will stand out much more than a shy, gifted kid.
Anonymous
12/29/2025 17:43
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
Shy, quiet kids aren't dumb.... they are just shy
You have to know the basics before being able to go deeper. How do you assess how well a kid knows the basics ? Tests and grades !
I know plenty of people who know the basics, made good grades, but they can't have a deep, intellectual conversation about anything. They aren't creative. They aren't problem solvers. IDK I don't think your logic holds up.
I know plenty of parents who think their kid is more creative, a better problem solver, and deeper than other kids, when the reality is that their kid would be indistinguishable from everyone else. I understand that your kid doesn't have the scores or grades to suggest that she belongs in AAP, and you're desperate to believe that your kid has some special something to justify her inclusion. Maybe she does. Maybe she doesn't. There are a lot of kids in AAP who don't. There are also a lot of gen ed kids who would be indistinguishable from your child or any other child in AAP.
Anonymous
12/29/2025 17:21
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
Shy, quiet kids aren't dumb.... they are just shy
You have to know the basics before being able to go deeper. How do you assess how well a kid knows the basics ? Tests and grades !
I know plenty of people who know the basics, made good grades, but they can't have a deep, intellectual conversation about anything. They aren't creative. They aren't problem solvers. IDK I don't think your logic holds up.
Anonymous
12/29/2025 17:16
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
Shy, quiet kids aren't dumb.... they are just shy
Huh? What does being shy have to do with it? One 5th grader can carry on an abstract convo about a book, the other 5th grader isn't there yet. One is in AAP, the other one isn't. Teachers, btw, are pretty good at zeroing in on the ones who are deeper thinkers. Someone also said the ability for a school to differentiate this varies in FCPS. That's true. Our center school does a good job going deeper into topics in the AAP curriculum.
Anonymous
12/29/2025 17:10
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
They don't really dive that much deeper than the regular class. The only difference is in math. I know parents want to believe that somehow or another the AAP curriculum is more advanced, but it really isn't. It could be, if the kids in the class could handle the regular work and the deep dives but, as several teachers in this thread have already said, they are working to keep kids on grade level because they are struggling. You might think getting 3's in AAP is fine but it really isn't. The material is not that advanced. A 3 means that your kid is slowing the class down.
It doesn't mean you kid isn't a good kid just that they are not in need of LIV services.
This is very school dependent.
Yes - school dependent. Our center AAP goes into more depth with just about everything.
Anonymous
12/29/2025 16:31
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
They don't really dive that much deeper than the regular class. The only difference is in math. I know parents want to believe that somehow or another the AAP curriculum is more advanced, but it really isn't. It could be, if the kids in the class could handle the regular work and the deep dives but, as several teachers in this thread have already said, they are working to keep kids on grade level because they are struggling. You might think getting 3's in AAP is fine but it really isn't. The material is not that advanced. A 3 means that your kid is slowing the class down.
It doesn't mean you kid isn't a good kid just that they are not in need of LIV services.
This is very school dependent.
Anonymous
12/29/2025 11:51
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
Shy, quiet kids aren't dumb.... they are just shy
You have to know the basics before being able to go deeper. How do you assess how well a kid knows the basics ? Tests and grades !
Anonymous
12/29/2025 11:16
Subject: Why don't schools automatically reevaluate every year?
Anonymous wrote:AAP is about providing more opportunity for deeper/more abstract analysis for kids who can participate in that and thrive. My kid can 100% participate in that and enjoys it, but her grades are never going to be all 4's. She has friends in regular classes making all 4's who can't hold a conversation beyond the most basic shallow level of a topic. It's an obvious difference. So I'm not sure how you would reevaluate every year for AAP, but grades and SOL aren't it.
They don't really dive that much deeper than the regular class. The only difference is in math. I know parents want to believe that somehow or another the AAP curriculum is more advanced, but it really isn't. It could be, if the kids in the class could handle the regular work and the deep dives but, as several teachers in this thread have already said, they are working to keep kids on grade level because they are struggling. You might think getting 3's in AAP is fine but it really isn't. The material is not that advanced. A 3 means that your kid is slowing the class down.
It doesn't mean you kid isn't a good kid just that they are not in need of LIV services.