Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 15:45     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Op here

I know for a fact there are lot of kids from fcps going to prep centers

And many kids from private or other school district take it without prep

Fcps cannot ignore these scores just bcz they are from private


OP, don't feel the need to engage negative posters. I would write a letter to the superintendent saying what the AAP office personnel told you. Say this implies that your child is unfairly being denied services based on a presumption that Asians prep. Say you appealed with a WISC scores from a licensed professional, as required by FCPS. State that your child scored well within the range of other accepted students on all tests, including the WISC, and was still found ineligible. Say you have not been given a straight answers as to why the independently administered WISC was not sufficient on appeal. Also say it would be unfortunate if FCPS is making its decisions based on stereotypes of certain communities. It may not get your child in, but someone should be at least made to feel uncomfortable if FCPS is in fact using stereotypes (as suggested by the reference to communities prepping) to deny your child services. If you didn't send your child to a prep center and you used a psychologist that meets FCPS's published requirements, I'd go to the mat on this one. Also, ignore any Asian bashing on the thread, you and your child are not responsible for others actions. I, of course, have no idea why your child was denied services, but the reference to communities prepping makes me uncomfortable because individuals shouldn't be judged based on stereotypes.


They can deny without offering any rational...it was stated before the wording is so ambiguous for a reason. She can't say that the scores are reason enough for his inclusion as they are not...she can't compare anyone else because they will ask how she knows, it is supposed to be private. There is a reason they changed it from gifted (i.e. because if your child met the criteria for gifted on a WISC from a LCP then how could they be denied??) To advanced academics.

High test scores in the gifted range, well complain till the cows come home. And go ahead and bring up the reverse discrimination and stereotyping...see what they say. This board has given responses as to what likely happened. I don't think you like the answers. You mentioned your 8 year old second grade child has a chess tutor (after school and on the weekends) as well as a Lego tutor. You r based in a certain area of the county...there is no shame in the game but please don't pretend you have no knowledge it is even being played.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 14:59     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:
How many is lots? 20? 100? Each fall, around 2000 3rd graders start at center schools around the district. The percentage of kids who are prepped is pretty small.

Based on what? There are at least 4 or 5 prep centers, and there are a lot of online resources. I would not assume that the percentage of kids who are prepped is that small. 10% of FCPS kids score within the top 2% nationally. It's much more likely that a large portion of kids are prepped than it is that this area is that much smarter than anywhere else, especially since every major city with a dedicated gifted program seems to have ludicrously many kids score in the gifted ranges on those tests.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 14:44     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:Because of all the Asian AAP cheaters in FCPS - just another great reason to live in Arlington.


I'm sorry that you feel that way about us. I'm afraid that even without prepping, Asian kids would still make it to AAP. I have volunteered in our elementary school's reading program on a weekly basis. From my small samples, the best readers in one child's Kindergarten and first-year class were of Chinese and Korean heritages. My younger child who is now in K, is doing 4th grade math at home. And he is not "profoundly gifted". He is way behind an average 6 year old in Shanghai. To some of us, it doesn't matter to be in AAP or not. They would just be less bored. Some of us do prep. But don't we prep in anything? I guess we call it work.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 14:36     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Op here

I know for a fact there are lot of kids from fcps going to prep centers

And many kids from private or other school district take it without prep

Fcps cannot ignore these scores just bcz they are from private


OP, don't feel the need to engage negative posters. I would write a letter to the superintendent saying what the AAP office personnel told you. Say this implies that your child is unfairly being denied services based on a presumption that Asians prep. Say you appealed with a WISC scores from a licensed professional, as required by FCPS. State that your child scored well within the range of other accepted students on all tests, including the WISC, and was still found ineligible. Say you have not been given a straight answers as to why the independently administered WISC was not sufficient on appeal. Also say it would be unfortunate if FCPS is making its decisions based on stereotypes of certain communities. It may not get your child in, but someone should be at least made to feel uncomfortable if FCPS is in fact using stereotypes (as suggested by the reference to communities prepping) to deny your child services. If you didn't send your child to a prep center and you used a psychologist that meets FCPS's published requirements, I'd go to the mat on this one. Also, ignore any Asian bashing on the thread, you and your child are not responsible for others actions. I, of course, have no idea why your child was denied services, but the reference to communities prepping makes me uncomfortable because individuals shouldn't be judged based on stereotypes.


Thank you
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 14:20     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Op here

I know for a fact there are lot of kids from fcps going to prep centers

And many kids from private or other school district take it without prep

Fcps cannot ignore these scores just bcz they are from private


OP, don't feel the need to engage negative posters. I would write a letter to the superintendent saying what the AAP office personnel told you. Say this implies that your child is unfairly being denied services based on a presumption that Asians prep. Say you appealed with a WISC scores from a licensed professional, as required by FCPS. State that your child scored well within the range of other accepted students on all tests, including the WISC, and was still found ineligible. Say you have not been given a straight answers as to why the independently administered WISC was not sufficient on appeal. Also say it would be unfortunate if FCPS is making its decisions based on stereotypes of certain communities. It may not get your child in, but someone should be at least made to feel uncomfortable if FCPS is in fact using stereotypes (as suggested by the reference to communities prepping) to deny your child services. If you didn't send your child to a prep center and you used a psychologist that meets FCPS's published requirements, I'd go to the mat on this one. Also, ignore any Asian bashing on the thread, you and your child are not responsible for others actions. I, of course, have no idea why your child was denied services, but the reference to communities prepping makes me uncomfortable because individuals shouldn't be judged based on stereotypes.


Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 14:05     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:Op here

I know for a fact there are lot of kids from fcps going to prep centers

And many kids from private or other school district take it without prep

Fcps cannot ignore these scores just bcz they are from private


OP, don't feel the need to engage negative posters. I would write a letter to the superintendent saying what the AAP office personnel told you. Say this implies that your child is unfairly being denied services based on a presumption that Asians prep. Say you appealed with a WISC scores from a licensed professional, as required by FCPS. State that your child scored well within the range of other accepted students on all tests, including the WISC, and was still found ineligible. Say you have not been given a straight answers as to why the independently administered WISC was not sufficient on appeal. Also say it would be unfortunate if FCPS is making its decisions based on stereotypes of certain communities. It may not get your child in, but someone should be at least made to feel uncomfortable if FCPS is in fact using stereotypes (as suggested by the reference to communities prepping) to deny your child services. If you didn't send your child to a prep center and you used a psychologist that meets FCPS's published requirements, I'd go to the mat on this one. Also, ignore any Asian bashing on the thread, you and your child are not responsible for others actions. I, of course, have no idea why your child was denied services, but the reference to communities prepping makes me uncomfortable because individuals shouldn't be judged based on stereotypes.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 14:03     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Op here

I know for a fact there are lot of kids from fcps going to prep centers

And many kids from private or other school district take it without prep

Fcps cannot ignore these scores just bcz they are from private


How many is lots? 20? 100? Each fall, around 2000 3rd graders start at center schools around the district. The percentage of kids who are prepped is pretty small.


+1


Op here
I agree I know may be 5 or 10 . the point is that should not make kids with good scores ineligible bcz they might have prepared
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 13:45     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Op here

I know for a fact there are lot of kids from fcps going to prep centers

And many kids from private or other school district take it without prep

Fcps cannot ignore these scores just bcz they are from private


How many is lots? 20? 100? Each fall, around 2000 3rd graders start at center schools around the district. The percentage of kids who are prepped is pretty small.


+1
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 13:34     Subject: AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:FCPS should take steps to prevent prepping. They can have all kids planning to take the test do so along with other kids already in the school system. The test itself can be unannounced. Part of the problem is that they’re administering the exact same questions to the kids over and over again. Change that up, and it makes it difficult to prep.


This is why FCPS developed their own CogAT a few years ago.


Yep. FCPS have a different test from the entire rest of Virginia for this reason. Crazy!

While I personally think extreme test prep is morally wrong, is it really breaking any rules? Is it written somewhere that a prepped student may not be admitted? Seems like false accusations could be easy to make without proof which is also unfortunate. FWIW, I also think a kid who could be prepped to a near perfect score is pretty darn smart if not gifted.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 13:25     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:Op here

I know for a fact there are lot of kids from fcps going to prep centers

And many kids from private or other school district take it without prep

Fcps cannot ignore these scores just bcz they are from private


How many is lots? 20? 100? Each fall, around 2000 3rd graders start at center schools around the district. The percentage of kids who are prepped is pretty small.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 13:24     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
This is what our AART teacher said during AAP info session that they recommend GMU for WISC testing and if parents want to use other private testing places, do make sure they are licensed. Was this a hint that FCPS trusts GMU scores more?
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 13:23     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:Op here

I know for a fact there are lot of kids from fcps going to prep centers

And many kids from private or other school district take it without prep

Fcps cannot ignore these scores just bcz they are from private


And how would you know all this OP? Are you hanging out at test centers?
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 13:17     Subject: AAP appeal declined
Anonymous wrote:

Do you mean to say test questions are repeated every year? Questions are randomly generated.


They are not. This is coming directly from the head of the CAP at Mason. We had a nice chat about it on the day DD tested (about prepping, whether IQ can be measured, etc.). This is essentially the reason they don’t let you take the test again for 6 months, and offer the tests in such a tight window. She said that children who retake the test are at an advantage because the type of questions do not change, even though the questions themselves do change for different age groups.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 13:14     Subject: Re:AAP appeal declined
Op here

I know for a fact there are lot of kids from fcps going to prep centers

And many kids from private or other school district take it without prep

Fcps cannot ignore these scores just bcz they are from private
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2018 13:08     Subject: AAP appeal declined
They don’t need to be changed constantly; it is only administered twice a year. They can have say, a pool of 1000 questions, from which each test is derived. The probability of two tests being the same will be small. Or, they can administer CogAT one year, OLSAT another, InView another, etc. No one will know which test will be administered in any given year. Further, they can specify that all children testing for AAP must be administered the test at their base school (except kids previously tested at another public school system). There are ways to reduce prepping if they so choose, instead of speculating about which specific kids from which specific schools may or may not be prepped.