Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at a cluster school but it seems like my kid (who is in Level IV) has mostly non-AAP kids. How can a teacher teach this type of classroom? I am livid and should have switched to the Center school. Our kid is in 6th grade and will suffer in this peer group setting.

Bye Felicia.

I bet that she is not Felicia. I bet her kid is in class with Felicia's kid.

Anonymous wrote:That's what the cluster model is: a couple LIV students in a class of mostly non-LIV students. Was your 6th grader newly admitted to AAP?

The school year hasn't' started yet - can you switch to the center now?

We can argue what "a couple" means - most people would say 2-3 (except when it comes to asking for a couple of M&Ms, in which case it means 5).
Cluster grouping means 5 to 9 (see Brulles et al, 2010, pg 337). Note that in a cluster class, there shouldn't be any super low achievers at all:

In the gifted cluster model, all students at a grade level are scheduled into classrooms in a way that balances ability and
achievement levels throughout the grade level. In this structure, students are purposefully placed into classrooms with no classroom
having both extremes of the learning continuum. The model slightly narrows the range of abilities in each classroom. (Brulles et al.)

This means that the identified (LIV) students are with high and medium performing students, but not low performing students. The other classrooms have high, medium, and low, according to how this model is described in the literature.

The cluster model is, btw, the only model adopted outside of FCPS in Virginia. Except that noone actually explains to us parents what it means. You have to search the literature yourself.

I will quote from the 2010 paper by Brulles some more for the benefit of those who also weren't familar with the term.

Recent national and state legislation intended to raise the level of schools’ accountability has inadvertently diverted educators’
attention away from excellence, creativity, and exploration, in favor of teaching to proficiency levels of instruction. Public
funds have followed this political vision (Brulles, 2005). Models for gifted programs, such as content-replacement, enrichment,
and self-contained classrooms, once prevalent in school districts around the country, have suffered without appropriate and
adequate funding and/or administrative attention or support. Many of these programs have even ceased to exist altogether
(Rogers, 2002). The result has been the widespread application of inclusionary practices, which is characterized as “the
heterogeneous classroom.” Under present circumstances, some leaders in the field of educating gifted learners have advocated the
use of cluster grouping along with curricula that are differentiated according to the needs of the students in the classroom (Gentry,
1999; Rogers, 1991; Winebrenner & Brulles, 2008b).

Cluster grouping represents an inclusion model that allows identified gifted students to receive services on a daily basis
with few financial implications to the district. In a gifted cluster model, all identified gifted students receive services, regardless
of their area(s) of identification, ability level, achievement, or English language proficiency level. Identified gifted students are
clustered into classrooms with a teacher who has been designated as the gifted cluster teacher for that grade. The designated gifted
cluster classroom also includes nongifted students (Gentry & MacDougall, 2008; Winebrenner & Brulles, 2008a). There is typically
one classroom at each grade level in which the grade’s identified gifted students are clustered, creating a gifted strand in
each school that adhered to the district policy.

Very insightful, and written in 2010. "Recent national legislation" of course refers to NCLB - so we have Dubya's social justice
policies to blame for the near complete dismantling of gifted education in this country. Irony? I always knew he was a commie.

Anonymous wrote:Yet you embrace diversity and are open-minded and inclusive.

I’m sorry, OP. Our base school uses the stupid cluster too. They had seven 3rd grade classes and put 4-5 level iv kids in each one, in addition to every other level of ability and need.

It’s so much stress for the teachers. It is now 5 levels of required differentiation instead of 4. It is better for those borderline kids who now have the ability to try harder stuff sometimes, but worse for the other 90% who now get even less teacher focus. Staff has to go to extra training to all be certified to teach advanced academics, and those who were certified need extra support to teach basic skills to below grade level learners. Teachers are actively trying to leave schools that are doing this type of program because it is so. Much. Work.

Is this new this year at your school? Are you new to aap as a 6th grader? I guess at this point you just suck it up until middle school when you’ll get self contained core classes again if you go to the center. (And you should. Honors at a base school is basically the cluster model all over again)

Anonymous wrote:Yet you embrace diversity and are open-minded and inclusive.

+1

Anonymous wrote:We are at a cluster school but it seems like my kid (who is in Level IV) has mostly non-AAP kids. How can a teacher teach this type of classroom? I am livid and should have switched to the Center school. Our kid is in 6th grade and will suffer in this peer group setting.

Bye Felicia.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if OP is a troll, I actually learned something from this thread. DS is just starting 2nd grade, so if he makes AAP, then I will have to make a decision about whether he should switch schools to attend a center school. I realized that I actually would want him in a class that is solely AAP students and not mixed.

It depends on the school. My school is a LL4 and has one AAP class per grade. The class is 60-70 percent Level 4, with the rest filled with Level 3 or high achieving students. You would not know who was Level 4 if you walked into my classroom. Some of my Level 3 kids are better students than my Level 4. We also have kids come back yearly from the center. I would research what model your base school uses first.

Your school is an exception. Most of the schools use the clustering model. My conspiracy theory is that they use the clustering model to have the AAP curriculum in all classrooms, and in turn raise school's overall student test scores. They could careless if AAP students stay or go.

If that worked, every school would do it. But it doesn't, which is why they don't.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if OP is a troll, I actually learned something from this thread. DS is just starting 2nd grade, so if he makes AAP, then I will have to make a decision about whether he should switch schools to attend a center school. I realized that I actually would want him in a class that is solely AAP students and not mixed.

It depends on the school. My school is a LL4 and has one AAP class per grade. The class is 60-70 percent Level 4, with the rest filled with Level 3 or high achieving students. You would not know who was Level 4 if you walked into my classroom. Some of my Level 3 kids are better students than my Level 4. We also have kids come back yearly from the center. I would research what model your base school uses first.

Your school is an exception. Most of the schools use the clustering model. My conspiracy theory is that they use the clustering model to have the AAP curriculum in all classrooms, and in turn raise school's overall student test scores. They could careless if AAP students stay or go.

I am PP. I think most of the cluster models are newer AAP programs. The only school I know of that switched to cluster after having an established program is Shrevewood.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if OP is a troll, I actually learned something from this thread. DS is just starting 2nd grade, so if he makes AAP, then I will have to make a decision about whether he should switch schools to attend a center school. I realized that I actually would want him in a class that is solely AAP students and not mixed.

It depends on the school. My school is a LL4 and has one AAP class per grade. The class is 60-70 percent Level 4, with the rest filled with Level 3 or high achieving students. You would not know who was Level 4 if you walked into my classroom. Some of my Level 3 kids are better students than my Level 4. We also have kids come back yearly from the center. I would research what model your base school uses first.

Your school is an exception. Most of the schools use the clustering model. My conspiracy theory is that they use the clustering model to have the AAP curriculum in all classrooms, and in turn raise school's overall student test scores. They could careless if AAP students stay or go.

Anonymous wrote:Even if OP is a troll, I actually learned something from this thread. DS is just starting 2nd grade, so if he makes AAP, then I will have to make a decision about whether he should switch schools to attend a center school. I realized that I actually would want him in a class that is solely AAP students and not mixed.

It depends on the school. My school is a LL4 and has one AAP class per grade. The class is 60-70 percent Level 4, with the rest filled with Level 3 or high achieving students. You would not know who was Level 4 if you walked into my classroom. Some of my Level 3 kids are better students than my Level 4. We also have kids come back yearly from the center. I would research what model your base school uses first.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if OP is a troll, I actually learned something from this thread. DS is just starting 2nd grade, so if he makes AAP, then I will have to make a decision about whether he should switch schools to attend a center school. I realized that I actually would want him in a class that is solely AAP students and not mixed.

My DD is going into 4th grade. Qualified for AAP last year and we chose the center. We have zero regrets.

Of course. Anyone suggesting it is beneficial for a kid to be in a class of so many varying needs is out of touch with education. I am livid that our school sold us on the idea that the class would be “mostly” AAP kids when in fact there are only a small handful.

Anonymous wrote:Even if OP is a troll, I actually learned something from this thread. DS is just starting 2nd grade, so if he makes AAP, then I will have to make a decision about whether he should switch schools to attend a center school. I realized that I actually would want him in a class that is solely AAP students and not mixed.

My DD is going into 4th grade. Qualified for AAP last year and we chose the center. We have zero regrets.

Even if OP is a troll, I actually learned something from this thread. DS is just starting 2nd grade, so if he makes AAP, then I will have to make a decision about whether he should switch schools to attend a center school. I realized that I actually would want him in a class that is solely AAP students and not mixed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't know this was a thing. Can someone elaborate?

I don't know what cluster means in the OP, but at certain schools that offer local level IV, they don't have enough kids to fill a class will all AAP LLIV kids, so there are other kids in the class. And if you knew anything about AAP, and that was something you cared about, you have to select to attend the center at those school if you want AAP kids only in the class.

I did attend the informational meeting and was assured that half the class would be AAP. It's not remotely close to being true. Plus, the rest of the class isn't even Level III. It's a total mixture with lots of Sped and ESOL. Why do they think this is ok?

Can you believe it - a kid learning another language could actually be gifted too! Wow - what a concept!!

How does the OP know who is AAP and who is not if school hasn't started ?