Anonymous wrote:I have a senior in HS who was Gen Ed and is now a full IB Diploma candidate. FCPS doesn't rank the class so I don't know where he is in the class, but we believe he's in the top 10% of his class. So far he's 100% in college acceptances with some significant merit aid. Our base elementary school is an AAP center school, so he constantly was told he was in the "dumb" class during elementary school. Two of the boys who were in the center class are now doing all "General Ed" classes in HS - not a single Honors or IB class.

My middle DS (now a freshman) was in the center class so he was in the center during middle school. He compared notes one day with one of his friends who was in an Honors class with the same teacher. They were doing the exact same work at the same time. DS could not see any difference in what he was doing other than the fact that everyone in his class was "AAP" and the other class was just students who chose to be in the class.

So I've seen both sides - AAP and General Ed and I am not a fan of the AAP program.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correct. And no, no bias or preference. Teachers help students choose the appropriate level courses for the following year based on student's performance and teacher's observations, but parents/students really have the final say.

I have kids in AAP and it delights me to hear of non-AAP kids getting into schools like W&M and UVA.

Out of curiosity why does it delight you to see "regular track" kids ultimately do just as well as the advanced academic kids?

If your kid has been taking the harder courses up until HS it would be natural to want to see that effort pay off - qualifying for/taking/doing well in the tougher classes in HS and getting into the top college as a result of that effort.

It delights me because I hear so many AAP parents (here and IRL) and kids talk so smugly about how advanced they are and how much smarter they are than the "regular" kids. I hear it IRL while having three kids go through AAP in a center school where the AAP kids and the gen ed kids seem to be set up in a "have and have not" system.

I have always known that there are extremely bright kids in gen ed who didn't make the cutoff when they were in second grade. They didn't pursue it in subsequent years because it wasn't important to their families and they didn't feel their child needed it in order to be successful. So it makes me happy to see it when that plays out. There are many paths to success and I've always hated how AAP parents think that being in the program is the only path and place so much importance on it and get such a sense of validation from it, as well, thereby putting that idea in their kids' heads. It's often to the detriment of others if their kid happens to be the braggy, superior type.

Of course, I want to see my own children's effort pay off in all the ways you mentioned. Like you said, it's natural. Wanting great outcomes for non-AAP kids doesn't mean I want to see AAP kids struggle or flounder. I just enjoy seeing another path to success.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:11:03. I agree. Parents get 5 years to get their kids into an AAP track and there is no limit of kids accepted. I'm glad for kids who are doing well regardless, but hate the way other parents feel like their child is excluded from something and therefore has to hate on other families. Maybe their child is a late bloomer or finally gets their act together by high school to be on a higher track. That stuff happens all the time throughout life.

It's very weird to be pro tracking of academic classes in high school however not approve of them in elementary or middle just because your kid didn't qualify then.

What do you mean? It seems like all classes are available to students if they take and do well in the prerequisites.

The prerequisite for AAP is doing well on tests. Similar to AP classes. I don't see a difference. They both have cutoffs. I don't think it's fair to be pro one tracking method because your child got in and against another because your child didn't get in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correct. And no, no bias or preference. Teachers help students choose the appropriate level courses for the following year based on student's performance and teacher's observations, but parents/students really have the final say.

I have kids in AAP and it delights me to hear of non-AAP kids getting into schools like W&M and UVA.

Out of curiosity why does it delight you to see "regular track" kids ultimately do just as well as the advanced academic kids?

If your kid has been taking the harder courses up until HS it would be natural to want to see that effort pay off - qualifying for/taking/doing well in the tougher classes in HS and getting into the top college as a result of that effort.

It delights me because I hear so many AAP parents (here and IRL) and kids talk so smugly about how advanced they are and how much smarter they are than the "regular" kids. I hear it IRL while having three kids go through AAP in a center school where the AAP kids and the gen ed kids seem to be set up in a "have and have not" system.

I have always known that there are extremely bright kids in gen ed who didn't make the cutoff when they were in second grade. They didn't pursue it in subsequent years because it wasn't important to their families and they didn't feel their child needed it in order to be successful. So it makes me happy to see it when that plays out. There are many paths to success and I've always hated how AAP parents think that being in the program is the only path and place so much importance on it and get such a sense of validation from it, as well, thereby putting that idea in their kids' heads. It's often to the detriment of others if their kid happens to be the braggy, superior type.

Of course, I want to see my own children's effort pay off in all the ways you mentioned. Like you said, it's natural. Wanting great outcomes for non-AAP kids doesn't mean I want to see AAP kids struggle or flounder. I just enjoy seeing another path to success.

"I just enjoy seeing another path to success." Many people agree with this while also disagreeing with these statements from you. "It delights me" and "it's sweet justice". Why would there need to be justice in just seeing another path to success? And why the assumption that AAP kids don't also want other kids to be into academics? I bet in reality many AAP kids are very happy to have more kids finally find academics interesting like they have been since a younger age.

Anonymous wrote:And I am sick of parents from 1st-6th grade saying the gen-ed curriculum is too hard and should slow down when I think it's too easy or complain how AAP is so horrible already and yet they have a 1st grader and have no business making those assumptions with no experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correct. And no, no bias or preference. Teachers help students choose the appropriate level courses for the following year based on student's performance and teacher's observations, but parents/students really have the final say.

I have kids in AAP and it delights me to hear of non-AAP kids getting into schools like W&M and UVA.

Out of curiosity why does it delight you to see "regular track" kids ultimately do just as well as the advanced academic kids?

If your kid has been taking the harder courses up until HS it would be natural to want to see that effort pay off - qualifying for/taking/doing well in the tougher classes in HS and getting into the top college as a result of that effort.

It delights me because I hear so many AAP parents (here and IRL) and kids talk so smugly about how advanced they are and how much smarter they are than the "regular" kids. I hear it IRL while having three kids go through AAP in a center school where the AAP kids and the gen ed kids seem to be set up in a "have and have not" system.

I have always known that there are extremely bright kids in gen ed who didn't make the cutoff when they were in second grade. They didn't pursue it in subsequent years because it wasn't important to their families and they didn't feel their child needed it in order to be successful. So it makes me happy to see it when that plays out. There are many paths to success and I've always hated how AAP parents think that being in the program is the only path and place so much importance on it and get such a sense of validation from it, as well, thereby putting that idea in their kids' heads. It's often to the detriment of others if their kid happens to be the braggy, superior type.

Of course, I want to see my own children's effort pay off in all the ways you mentioned. Like you said, it's natural. Wanting great outcomes for non-AAP kids doesn't mean I want to see AAP kids struggle or flounder. I just enjoy seeing another path to success.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Comment was in response to this statement that seemed to indicate that the AP class is better than AAP because it allowed people in based on a previous honors class verses an IQ test:

You do realize that there are plenty of kids in gen ed who have higher IQs than many in AAP?

The test kids take in second grade to get into the AAP program is NOT an IQ test it is an abilities test.

Anonymous wrote:I have a senior in HS who was Gen Ed and is now a full IB Diploma candidate. FCPS doesn't rank the class so I don't know where he is in the class, but we believe he's in the top 10% of his class. So far he's 100% in college acceptances with some significant merit aid. Our base elementary school is an AAP center school, so he constantly was told he was in the "dumb" class during elementary school. Two of the boys who were in the center class are now doing all "General Ed" classes in HS - not a single Honors or IB class.

My middle DS (now a freshman) was in the center class so he was in the center during middle school. He compared notes one day with one of his friends who was in an Honors class with the same teacher. They were doing the exact same work at the same time. DS could not see any difference in what he was doing other than the fact that everyone in his class was "AAP" and the other class was just students who chose to be in the class.

So I've seen both sides - AAP and General Ed and I am not a fan of the AAP program.

Anonymous wrote:

Comment was in response to this statement that seemed to indicate that the AP class is better than AAP because it allowed people in based on a previous honors class verses an IQ test:

You do realize that there are plenty of kids in gen ed who have higher IQs than many in AAP?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So now you're saying that we should despise people for having high IQ's and only cheer on people who work hard in a subject matter? The issue with the post was that the person was being vindictive.

What are you talking about??????

Comment was in response to this statement that seemed to indicate that the AP class is better than AAP because it allowed people in based on a previous honors class verses an IQ test:

"I don't remember AP tests to be intelligence tests. AP is like taking a college level course isn't it? A student wouldn't have to do well on an IQ type test to gain entrance, just do well in the subject matter in the prerequisite Honors level class in that subject."

I wrote the bolded text and am shocked that you interpreted my statement as snark or implying anything about the valor of AP vs AAP admission. I was stating the fact that students don't have to take an IQ test to qualify for AP classes. You projected your own bias onto my statement. You wrote that AP classes required testing to be admitted like AAP, which they do not require. I said nothing about AP class admission as better than AAP admission.

Comment was in response to this statement that seemed to indicate that the AP class is better than AAP because it allowed people in based on a previous honors class verses an IQ test:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So now you're saying that we should despise people for having high IQ's and only cheer on people who work hard in a subject matter? The issue with the post was that the person was being vindictive.

What are you talking about??????

Comment was in response to this statement that seemed to indicate that the AP class is better than AAP because it allowed people in based on a previous honors class verses an IQ test:

"I don't remember AP tests to be intelligence tests. AP is like taking a college level course isn't it? A student wouldn't have to do well on an IQ type test to gain entrance, just do well in the subject matter in the prerequisite Honors level class in that subject."