Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Base school level IV is not the same quality as a center school

Please stop saying this. It is the same curriculum. Some centers don’t have certified AAP teachers and some base schools do. Some base schools out perform the center schools. Ask me how I know - I am a teacher at a LL4 that was shocked at some data I saw with VGA regarding centers vs base schools. It all comes down to the teacher.

Agree with the above - It largely depends on the teacher!
My thoughts/experiences are there are plusses and minuses, but largely, the average centers will out-perform the average LLIVs academically.
All of this is dependent on the center and LLIV, which can be different, but the premise is largely accurate.
(FYI - I'm a parent of a student who stayed in LLIV due to sibling/transportation ease)

- Centers have a higher proportion of students who were cental committee admitted vs principal Placed (arguably higher criteria to entry)
- Centers have a larger AAP student base to allow for multiple classes, which can lead to higher collaboration between students and teachers
- Centers are largely more established with years more teaching experience than a LLIV program that is just getting started
- Multiple classes allow for differentiation in the classroom year-to-year and broadening of the ideas and opinions
- LLIV has less "drama" or competition as many stayed to avoid the rat race
- LLIV helps to maintain local school relationships in the neighborhood and easier for transportation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP Teacher here at LL4. Every AAP class regardless of center or local has the following population.

1-2 truly gifted kids.
5-10 kids who are really strong students in all subject areas and do well in all areas but aren’t necessarily gifted.
4-5 kids who are really smart and maybe even gifted but have poor executive functioning, don’t complete assignments and don’t work to their full potential even though the teacher sees it in them.
2-4 kids who you are shocked they got into AAP based on class performance.
1-4 kids who are 2E and have IEP or 504 and struggle with ADHD, Autism or LD.


This is approximate and varies by year. But LL4 and centers have them all. So everyone who thinks there kid is getting a better education at the center, this is the makeup of your child’s class that is all L4. The only difference is I also have Level 3 students who sometimes perform higher than my Level 4 kids.

And the difference between your class and the general ed classes is that we get all the bullies, ESOL, kids who are super disruptive, special ed who don't belong in a separate classroom, and everyone else, even though many of our kids are significantly smarter than those bottom 7-20 kids on your list (you know, the ones whose parents prepped them or who are BFF with the principal and/or teachers at the school)..

Previous poster here. There are definitely bullies and behaviors in AAP. I have also had high ESL kids who needed to be challenged and students with 504s and iEPs. The reasoning for my post was not to debate the issues with Gen Ed but that the center schools aren’t better than the local level 4. They have kids who struggle, lack motivation, etc. I would prefer if centers were eliminated and staffing was better for ESL and SPED students.

Anonymous wrote:Does AAP get different classes in the middle school?

Kids committee placed in LLIV have AAP classes for Social Studies, Science, and LA. Non-LIV kids can take Honors classes, they are supposed to be similar in content but how close the two classes are depends on the school. Some schools end up with AAP classes being more in-depth then Honors classes while others are pretty similar.

Does AAP get different classes in the middle school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AAP Teacher here at LL4. Every AAP class regardless of center or local has the following population.

1-2 truly gifted kids.
5-10 kids who are really strong students in all subject areas and do well in all areas but aren’t necessarily gifted.
4-5 kids who are really smart and maybe even gifted but have poor executive functioning, don’t complete assignments and don’t work to their full potential even though the teacher sees it in them.
2-4 kids who you are shocked they got into AAP based on class performance.
1-4 kids who are 2E and have IEP or 504 and struggle with ADHD, Autism or LD.


This is approximate and varies by year. But LL4 and centers have them all. So everyone who thinks there kid is getting a better education at the center, this is the makeup of your child’s class that is all L4. The only difference is I also have Level 3 students who sometimes perform higher than my Level 4 kids.

And the difference between your class and the general ed classes is that we get all the bullies, ESOL, kids who are super disruptive, special ed who don't belong in a separate classroom, and everyone else, even though many of our kids are significantly smarter than those bottom 7-20 kids on your list (you know, the ones whose parents prepped them or who are BFF with the principal and/or teachers at the school)..

And that’s why parents pursue AAP whether they are gifted or not.