Anonymous wrote:I was a gifted student and did just fine among the masses for grades 1-5 (I skipped over k). In middle school, I was grouped into an honors class of sorts-can't remember if that was what they called it, but it was the brighter kids taking classes together. It wasn't until HS when I was truly with "people like me", and that wasn't in a public school.

But, seriously, I did fine - I excelled in any environment. My needs were met just fine for many years in a non-tracked environment.

Yep. The kids who actually need "special education" at the upper end of the spectrum are few and far between.

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Anonymous wrote:It's nothing compared to the pressure of making the travel teams in sports.

It's part of growing up. Other kids & their parents have different priorities. Raise your kid, others will raise theirs, time will tell who wins.

Quit worrying about what other people do and focus on your own priorities...that's a life lesson really.

Actually, very different from making the travel team. In sports, it is obvious which kids are the best athletes. It is always clear which kids belong on the elite teams and you really can't fake that. Kids either have the talent or they don't. No amount of hard work or prepping is going to fool anyone into thinking that a non-athletic kid belongs on the travel team.

Nonsense. Hard work and practice goes very far in sports (and life). Sure, a non-athletic kid won't make the team, but average talent and above average drive certainly will.

Actually, it is a very good analogy.

A gifted athlete can breeze through the low-level competition without work. But, once they get to a certain level there will be a wake up call. Similarly, some kids can breeze through AAP, HS (AP), etc, but fall on their face in college.

A hard working average to above average student/athlete will do better than a lazy but gifted athlete. But if the coasting gifted kid gets a fire under them, look out.

Actually, you misread the whole post. The original analogy compared the pressure of getting into AAP to making a travel sports team. It's a poor comparison. In both cases, the naturally gifted ones are typically less stressed because they're not trying to prove their something they're not. The talent is obvious. It's the wannabe's and their parents who tend to be more stressed.

I agree though that at a certain point the handwork comes in and can take even a little talent further, than a gifted person who doesn't work.

I was a gifted student and did just fine among the masses for grades 1-5 (I skipped over k). In middle school, I was grouped into an honors class of sorts-can't remember if that was what they called it, but it was the brighter kids taking classes together. It wasn't until HS when I was truly with "people like me", and that wasn't in a public school.

But, seriously, I did fine - I excelled in any environment. My needs were met just fine for many years in a non-tracked environment.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nothing compared to the pressure of making the travel teams in sports.

It's part of growing up. Other kids & their parents have different priorities. Raise your kid, others will raise theirs, time will tell who wins.

Quit worrying about what other people do and focus on your own priorities...that's a life lesson really.

Actually, very different from making the travel team. In sports, it is obvious which kids are the best athletes. It is always clear which kids belong on the elite teams and you really can't fake that. Kids either have the talent or they don't. No amount of hard work or prepping is going to fool anyone into thinking that a non-athletic kid belongs on the travel team.

Nonsense. Hard work and practice goes very far in sports (and life). Sure, a non-athletic kid won't make the team, but average talent and above average drive certainly will.

Actually, it is a very good analogy.

A gifted athlete can breeze through the low-level competition without work. But, once they get to a certain level there will be a wake up call. Similarly, some kids can breeze through AAP, HS (AP), etc, but fall on their face in college.

A hard working average to above average student/athlete will do better than a lazy but gifted athlete. But if the coasting gifted kid gets a fire under them, look out.

Article: 20 reasons it's horrible to grow up 'gifted'

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-its-horrible-to-grow-up-gifted-2015-3#ixzz3VOi2Vbna

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-its-horrible-to-grow-up-gifted-2015-3

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Anonymous wrote:I would assume that within 5 years, every school will offer AAP, centers will be a thing of the past, and then the gen Ed parents will cry "tracking" and it will all disappear.

-signed, a parent of 2 high schoolers who were in GT before the AAP madness started

What they're currently doing is tracking, is it not? Segregated AAP/Gen Ed classes?

It absolutely is. I guess it just isn't obvious in the schools that AREN'T centers?

I can't believe FCPS is actually planning to *add* centers in the future. Seriously?

Yes, because there are overcrowded centers (such as Greenbriar West). The solution? Add more centers to siphon off kids from the overcrowded ones.

No, the obvious solution is to simply send all kids back to their base schools. Problem solved.

Such an approach does not meet the needs of the students.

Oh, please.

Precisely. Oh, please, be aware of the needs of the students.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nothing compared to the pressure of making the travel teams in sports.

It's part of growing up. Other kids & their parents have different priorities. Raise your kid, others will raise theirs, time will tell who wins.

Quit worrying about what other people do and focus on your own priorities...that's a life lesson really.

Actually, very different from making the travel team. In sports, it is obvious which kids are the best athletes. It is always clear which kids belong on the elite teams and you really can't fake that. Kids either have the talent or they don't. No amount of hard work or prepping is going to fool anyone into thinking that a non-athletic kid belongs on the travel team.

Nonsense. Hard work and practice goes very far in sports (and life). Sure, a non-athletic kid won't make the team, but average talent and above average drive certainly will.

Actually, it is a very good analogy.

A gifted athlete can breeze through the low-level competition without work. But, once they get to a certain level there will be a wake up call. Similarly, some kids can breeze through AAP, HS (AP), etc, but fall on their face in college.

A hard working average to above average student/athlete will do better than a lazy but gifted athlete. But if the coasting gifted kid gets a fire under them, look out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nothing compared to the pressure of making the travel teams in sports.

It's part of growing up. Other kids & their parents have different priorities. Raise your kid, others will raise theirs, time will tell who wins.

Quit worrying about what other people do and focus on your own priorities...that's a life lesson really.

Actually, very different from making the travel team. In sports, it is obvious which kids are the best athletes. It is always clear which kids belong on the elite teams and you really can't fake that. Kids either have the talent or they don't. No amount of hard work or prepping is going to fool anyone into thinking that a non-athletic kid belongs on the travel team.

Nonsense. Hard work and practice goes very far in sports (and life). Sure, a non-athletic kid won't make the team, but average talent and above average drive certainly will.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I would assume that within 5 years, every school will offer AAP, centers will be a thing of the past, and then the gen Ed parents will cry "tracking" and it will all disappear.

-signed, a parent of 2 high schoolers who were in GT before the AAP madness started

What they're currently doing is tracking, is it not? Segregated AAP/Gen Ed classes?

It absolutely is. I guess it just isn't obvious in the schools that AREN'T centers?

I can't believe FCPS is actually planning to *add* centers in the future. Seriously?

Yes, because there are overcrowded centers (such as Greenbriar West). The solution? Add more centers to siphon off kids from the overcrowded ones.

No, the obvious solution is to simply send all kids back to their base schools. Problem solved.

Such an approach does not meet the needs of the students.

Oh, please.

Anonymous wrote:My DC was in AAP. It was clear and apparent to the kids very early on who made it into the program on their own merits, and who made it in from appeal etc etc. For those that made it in without lots of "extra" help, they cruised through the program just fine because let's face it, the AAP has been watered down targeting the top 33% instead of the top 5 - 10% of the students. But for those that the parents appealed and pushed to get them in, they struggled!

Ridiculous. My kid has 29 kids in her third grade AAP class. We have no idea who made it in by which measures, who is struggling and who is cruising through. myob.

Anonymous wrote:It's nothing compared to the pressure of making the travel teams in sports.

It's part of growing up. Other kids & their parents have different priorities. Raise your kid, others will raise theirs, time will tell who wins.

Quit worrying about what other people do and focus on your own priorities...that's a life lesson really.

Actually, very different from making the travel team. In sports, it is obvious which kids are the best athletes. It is always clear which kids belong on the elite teams and you really can't fake that. Kids either have the talent or they don't. No amount of hard work or prepping is going to fool anyone into thinking that a non-athletic kid belongs on the travel team.

My DC was in AAP. It was clear and apparent to the kids very early on who made it into the program on their own merits, and who made it in from appeal etc etc. For those that made it in without lots of "extra" help, they cruised through the program just fine because let's face it, the AAP has been watered down targeting the top 33% instead of the top 5 - 10% of the students. But for those that the parents appealed and pushed to get them in, they struggled!

Anonymous wrote:I've heard kids who didn't qualify talking to each other about whether of not their families were going to appeal to get them into AAP. That's crazy and sad.

Agree. Pathetic.

I've heard kids who didn't qualify talking to each other about whether of not their families were going to appeal to get them into AAP. That's crazy and sad.

I manage former gifted program staff of all ages...

Anonymous wrote:How can it not already be recognized as a tracking method? You're grouping kids into classes by ability level. Starting in 3rd grade.

And the ability to join later after 3rd grade appears to challenging - so yes, it's tracking at least until 8th grade (and maybe beyond w/ advanced math in HS)