Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Chesterbrook has enough local IV kids for a local LIV only class.

It used to be that the local level IV was mostly AAP kids, but Chesterbrook seems to be doing something this year where there are more Gen Ed kids in the LLIV classes. I haven’t figured out what they are doing yet.

I think that is more of a reflection of how they are identifying AAP students now.

Can you elaborate?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you against the Center?

I’m not the OP, but I really wish we didn’t have to choose the center to get a non cluster model. The bus ride is nearly an hour, it feeds into a different high school than his base (so friends won’t stick around), and he doesn’t get to know the neighborhood kids (we moved here in 3rd grade)

I think you're confused about what is and is not clustering. LLIV programs have ALWAYS been a mix of LLIV and principal placed LIII children. That's NOT clustering, it's just filling the classroom. Clustering is when a school doesn't have an LLIV classroom at all but separates out kids for advanced math.

Wait, what? So clustering means...no LLIV for any subject but math (pull outs)? Or is it there some attempt at differentiation within the classroom for other subjects? Or does the meaning of clustering depend on the school?

Also, just curious if anyone knows how long clustering has been a thing in FCPS? Sounds like it's happening more with the increase in LLIV programs but has it always been done?

I think the newer programs (within the last couple of years) started doing the cluster model. Then a few schools changed to it as well that had established programs. There are still schools with 1 Local Level 4 class per grade. Kids who are not Level 4 are principal placed.

Clustering sounds like a good way to ignore the AAP kids since I don't expect a teacher to be able to consistently make 2-3 different lessons plans daily. Yay, equity!

AAP teacher here. If my school ever moved to clustering, I would leave.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you against the Center?

I’m not the OP, but I really wish we didn’t have to choose the center to get a non cluster model. The bus ride is nearly an hour, it feeds into a different high school than his base (so friends won’t stick around), and he doesn’t get to know the neighborhood kids (we moved here in 3rd grade)

I think you're confused about what is and is not clustering. LLIV programs have ALWAYS been a mix of LLIV and principal placed LIII children. That's NOT clustering, it's just filling the classroom. Clustering is when a school doesn't have an LLIV classroom at all but separates out kids for advanced math.

Wait, what? So clustering means...no LLIV for any subject but math (pull outs)? Or is it there some attempt at differentiation within the classroom for other subjects? Or does the meaning of clustering depend on the school?

Also, just curious if anyone knows how long clustering has been a thing in FCPS? Sounds like it's happening more with the increase in LLIV programs but has it always been done?

I think the newer programs (within the last couple of years) started doing the cluster model. Then a few schools changed to it as well that had established programs. There are still schools with 1 Local Level 4 class per grade. Kids who are not Level 4 are principal placed.

Clustering sounds like a good way to ignore the AAP kids since I don't expect a teacher to be able to consistently make 2-3 different lessons plans daily. Yay, equity!

Yep, go to the Center. Your kid will make friends.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Chesterbrook has enough local IV kids for a local LIV only class.

It used to be that the local level IV was mostly AAP kids, but Chesterbrook seems to be doing something this year where there are more Gen Ed kids in the LLIV classes. I haven’t figured out what they are doing yet.

I think that is more of a reflection of how they are identifying AAP students now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you against the Center?

I’m not the OP, but I really wish we didn’t have to choose the center to get a non cluster model. The bus ride is nearly an hour, it feeds into a different high school than his base (so friends won’t stick around), and he doesn’t get to know the neighborhood kids (we moved here in 3rd grade)

I think you're confused about what is and is not clustering. LLIV programs have ALWAYS been a mix of LLIV and principal placed LIII children. That's NOT clustering, it's just filling the classroom. Clustering is when a school doesn't have an LLIV classroom at all but separates out kids for advanced math.

Sorry if I was unclear. I understand the difference. Our base school only offers cluster. I would have been 100% fine with a mixed level 3/4 class, and there are enough kids to make it happen—admin just chose cluster instead, so we moved our kid to the center. Fabulous academically, a bummer socially.

Yeah, that is the issue I have with Centers, they are not good socially for kids coming from outside the base school. In our case, the kids who go to the Center are at an ES that will land at a different high school then the one their peers from the base school will attend. The kids who stayed at the base have a stronger group of friends in ES, because they live close by and are in activities together, and they take that group to high school. The kids at the Center don’t have a bond with the kids from the base school and their ES peers are at a different HS. They are starting from scratch. And they end up in classes with the kids from their base school any way because a high percentage of the kids at the base school end up in Algebra 1 H in 7th grade and taking the same advanced classes so it is not like the Center kids were accelerated past their peers at the base school.

So what is the point of the Center? What is the point of a strong cohort if they don’t socialize after school or do things together? Especially when the academics at the base school are pretty solid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you against the Center?

I’m not the OP, but I really wish we didn’t have to choose the center to get a non cluster model. The bus ride is nearly an hour, it feeds into a different high school than his base (so friends won’t stick around), and he doesn’t get to know the neighborhood kids (we moved here in 3rd grade)

I think you're confused about what is and is not clustering. LLIV programs have ALWAYS been a mix of LLIV and principal placed LIII children. That's NOT clustering, it's just filling the classroom. Clustering is when a school doesn't have an LLIV classroom at all but separates out kids for advanced math.

Sorry if I was unclear. I understand the difference. Our base school only offers cluster. I would have been 100% fine with a mixed level 3/4 class, and there are enough kids to make it happen—admin just chose cluster instead, so we moved our kid to the center. Fabulous academically, a bummer socially.

LLIV not LlIV

This is all I found re clustering on the FCPS website: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary/advanced-academic-programs

Nothing in depth about implementation at LlIV but it is supposed to be access to AAP curriculum, full time. How could that possibly happen if there is no AAP class?

It sounds like some teachers/schools are simply rejecting the publicized model and its goals for the sake of other goals. Question is which ones.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you against the Center?

I’m not the OP, but I really wish we didn’t have to choose the center to get a non cluster model. The bus ride is nearly an hour, it feeds into a different high school than his base (so friends won’t stick around), and he doesn’t get to know the neighborhood kids (we moved here in 3rd grade)

I think you're confused about what is and is not clustering. LLIV programs have ALWAYS been a mix of LLIV and principal placed LIII children. That's NOT clustering, it's just filling the classroom. Clustering is when a school doesn't have an LLIV classroom at all but separates out kids for advanced math.

Wait, what? So clustering means...no LLIV for any subject but math (pull outs)? Or is it there some attempt at differentiation within the classroom for other subjects? Or does the meaning of clustering depend on the school?

Also, just curious if anyone knows how long clustering has been a thing in FCPS? Sounds like it's happening more with the increase in LLIV programs but has it always been done?

I think the newer programs (within the last couple of years) started doing the cluster model. Then a few schools changed to it as well that had established programs. There are still schools with 1 Local Level 4 class per grade. Kids who are not Level 4 are principal placed.

Clustering sounds like a good way to ignore the AAP kids since I don't expect a teacher to be able to consistently make 2-3 different lessons plans daily. Yay, equity!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you against the Center?

I’m not the OP, but I really wish we didn’t have to choose the center to get a non cluster model. The bus ride is nearly an hour, it feeds into a different high school than his base (so friends won’t stick around), and he doesn’t get to know the neighborhood kids (we moved here in 3rd grade)

I think you're confused about what is and is not clustering. LLIV programs have ALWAYS been a mix of LLIV and principal placed LIII children. That's NOT clustering, it's just filling the classroom. Clustering is when a school doesn't have an LLIV classroom at all but separates out kids for advanced math.

Wait, what? So clustering means...no LLIV for any subject but math (pull outs)? Or is it there some attempt at differentiation within the classroom for other subjects? Or does the meaning of clustering depend on the school?

Also, just curious if anyone knows how long clustering has been a thing in FCPS? Sounds like it's happening more with the increase in LLIV programs but has it always been done?

I think the newer programs (within the last couple of years) started doing the cluster model. Then a few schools changed to it as well that had established programs. There are still schools with 1 Local Level 4 class per grade. Kids who are not Level 4 are principal placed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you against the Center?

I’m not the OP, but I really wish we didn’t have to choose the center to get a non cluster model. The bus ride is nearly an hour, it feeds into a different high school than his base (so friends won’t stick around), and he doesn’t get to know the neighborhood kids (we moved here in 3rd grade)

I think you're confused about what is and is not clustering. LLIV programs have ALWAYS been a mix of LLIV and principal placed LIII children. That's NOT clustering, it's just filling the classroom. Clustering is when a school doesn't have an LLIV classroom at all but separates out kids for advanced math.

Wait, what? So clustering means...no LLIV for any subject but math (pull outs)? Or is it there some attempt at differentiation within the classroom for other subjects? Or does the meaning of clustering depend on the school?

Also, just curious if anyone knows how long clustering has been a thing in FCPS? Sounds like it's happening more with the increase in LLIV programs but has it always been done?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Chesterbrook has enough local IV kids for a local LIV only class.

It used to be that the local level IV was mostly AAP kids, but Chesterbrook seems to be doing something this year where there are more Gen Ed kids in the LLIV classes. I haven’t figured out what they are doing yet.

Yes, not as many children qualified for LLIV/AAP last year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you against the Center?

I’m not the OP, but I really wish we didn’t have to choose the center to get a non cluster model. The bus ride is nearly an hour, it feeds into a different high school than his base (so friends won’t stick around), and he doesn’t get to know the neighborhood kids (we moved here in 3rd grade)

I think you're confused about what is and is not clustering. LLIV programs have ALWAYS been a mix of LLIV and principal placed LIII children. That's NOT clustering, it's just filling the classroom. Clustering is when a school doesn't have an LLIV classroom at all but separates out kids for advanced math.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Chesterbrook has enough local IV kids for a local LIV only class.

It used to be that the local level IV was mostly AAP kids, but Chesterbrook seems to be doing something this year where there are more Gen Ed kids in the LLIV classes. I haven’t figured out what they are doing yet.

It starts with c and ends with luster.

Anonymous wrote:I heard Chesterbrook has enough local IV kids for a local LIV only class.

It used to be that the local level IV was mostly AAP kids, but Chesterbrook seems to be doing something this year where there are more Gen Ed kids in the LLIV classes. I haven’t figured out what they are doing yet.