We are at a center school in high SES school.

The PTA board is not only SAHM, meets in the evenings. Interestingly, all of the children of current and past PTA presidents are in Level IV programs (as well as most of the PTA board). It leads me to believe that, at our school, there may be a strong correlation between PTA involvement and access to AAP.

Some of these parents are putting in 10+ hours a week helping out at the school, so it's no surprise the principal wants to keep them happy. Like someone else said, a lot of these kids are probably borderline, and the principal knows how to write the application to get them in so the kids will be selected by the committee.

If you're really worried about this it seems like a great argument for a central committee and center only model.

Ding, ding. PTA/PTO doesn't help with AAP placement because that is decided by a central committee, but it does help with Principal Placement in an LLIV class. Your kid gets screwed in middle school, though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PTA means stay at home mom which may or may not correspond to above average intelligence.

Wow, that is ugly.

PTA does not mean stay at home Mom, we have a good number of working Dads and Moms at my kids PTA. I am not involved with the PTA but I am with my kids Cub Scout Pack and I work. My Husband works and he coaches one of my kids sports team. Working parents can volunteer and be involved.

And a good number of stay at home parents are educated individuals who are choosing to stay at home because they think it is important. I know stay at home parents (Moms and Dads) who have engineering degrees. I don't know any stay at home parent in my neighborhood who has not completed at college degree.

Perhaps you need to revisit your biases.

Well said! The PP who posted PTA means stay at home moms was rude and biased.
First of all stay at home moms are not the ones who are below average and ones who can’t get a job. Many choose to be at home as they want to focus more on their families and don’t run after money and also have enough money though husband or family inheritance.
Actually some of the working moms are jealous of their kids can’t get in AAP. Working moms doesn’t mean advanced or gifted kids.

Sure, PTA is full of working parents able to attend 10:00 am coffee meetings

Our PTA meets at 7 PM.

No one is having meetings at 10:00am. Most of the parents on our PTA board has full time jobs but they make time. If you think PTA parents get special treatment then volunteer and see if you get the perks.

PTAs and PTOs are two different things. PTAs are required to have meetings that are accessible to all parents. PTOs tend to more geared towards SAHMs and usually meet during the day.

We are at a school with an exclusive PTO whose Board consists only of SAHMs of 3-5 children who meet twice a month during the school day with the Principal and AP. Some of those moms have been on the PTO Board for 10-15 years, so they are in tight with the admin. You'd better believe the PTO Board members' children are ALL in the LLIV classes in our school. My guess is that most of them are the principal placed kids who have to round out the LLIV class (because there's no way that 1/3 of the 75 kids in a grade are Level IV). It's a nightmare - the LLIV kids at our school are a very tight clique and there's no room for non-LLIV friends in their group. Even the moms are all good friends. They're in for a rude awakening come middle and high school when their little group gets opened up to so many more people.

Anonymous wrote:So how does that supposed “link” work when you aren’t at a center? By this logic kids at base get sand-bagged if their parents are active volunteers because the base doesn’t want o lose them? Gimme a break.

Centers should have less of an issue because there is far less, to none, Principal Placement into AAP. All that could happen at a Center is that the Principal pushes for stronger GBRSs but has no control over the work samples and test scores for a kid.

The connection would only play out at a Local Level IV program where, the argument is, that the PTO parents kids are more likely to be Principal placed in the Local Level IV program. Technically, the kids are not admitted into AAP because they have not been chosen by the Central Committee and does not allow the kids into AAP in MS.

So how does that supposed “link” work when you aren’t at a center? By this logic kids at base get sand-bagged if their parents are active volunteers because the base doesn’t want o lose them? Gimme a break.

Anonymous wrote:Well just get overly involved and volunteer and see if it works

I love this plan.

It's not like the PTA at our school is drowning in volunteers - we could use the help!

I also imagine the more overly-involved people there are, the harder it is for an individual to manipulate the system.

Hence the link of selection to AAP from PTO connection is proved! LOL

Yes, real life is not fair to all. If AAP admissions bother you, how will you cope up with the unfair college admissions?
Life is not fair!

Let's be realistic here. At many LLIV schools, there should be a decent number of LIII and LII kids who would be perfectly fine in an AAP classroom. Almost all of these kids would be borderline for AAP. Among these kids, if any of them have parents who are very helpful to the school, of course those kids are going to get picked. Why anger the parents who are a huge asset to the school when the kids you're choosing from are all around the same level?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PTA means stay at home mom which may or may not correspond to above average intelligence.

Wow, that is ugly.

PTA does not mean stay at home Mom, we have a good number of working Dads and Moms at my kids PTA. I am not involved with the PTA but I am with my kids Cub Scout Pack and I work. My Husband works and he coaches one of my kids sports team. Working parents can volunteer and be involved.

And a good number of stay at home parents are educated individuals who are choosing to stay at home because they think it is important. I know stay at home parents (Moms and Dads) who have engineering degrees. I don't know any stay at home parent in my neighborhood who has not completed at college degree.

Perhaps you need to revisit your biases.

Well said! The PP who posted PTA means stay at home moms was rude and biased.
First of all stay at home moms are not the ones who are below average and ones who can’t get a job. Many choose to be at home as they want to focus more on their families and don’t run after money and also have enough money though husband or family inheritance.
Actually some of the working moms are jealous of their kids can’t get in AAP. Working moms doesn’t mean advanced or gifted kids.

Sure, PTA is full of working parents able to attend 10:00 am coffee meetings

Our PTA meets at 7 PM.

No one is having meetings at 10:00am. Most of the parents on our PTA board has full time jobs but they make time. If you think PTA parents get special treatment then volunteer and see if you get the perks.

Well just get overly involved and volunteer and see if it works

If you want to see the PTA and AAP selection link, just observe the parents who are extremely enthusiastic about PTA and making sure their 2nd grade teacher is happy.......just vanish in 3rd grade once the kid makes it in to AAP..........because everyone knows-once in AAP, always in AAP

Anonymous wrote:I swear this comes up every month or two and I've probably posted this on two of those threads:

My guess if you see any correlation is that it is because parents who have the time and means to participate in the PTA also have the time and means to supplement their children's education, thus leading to the academic achievements required to get in to AAP.

So joining the PTA isn't going to get your kid into AAP, but hiring tutors and doing practice COGAT and NNAT tests will.

LOL, I just realized this is an old thread and look at that, I already posted this here!