Anonymous wrote:Simple solution: get rid of centers. Period. If you can accommodate those at the lower end of the spectrum and those with LD in an "average" classroom, you can certainly accommodate the highly intelligent.

FWIW, I've known at least two families who had kids with rather serious special needs. They fought to keep those kids in mainstream classes--meanwhile, they were sending their other kids to the GT centers--this was before the GT centers took the "twice exceptional". I couldn't believe the irony of these families--except, the special needs kids had issues that I knew I would have fought had mine had those same issues. However, I still couldn't get over the irony that they expected their 'low" kids to be in my kids' classroom-while their other kids were in the GT center.

If we are going to mainstream the special needs kids at the low end, then we must mainstream those at the upper end.

Bottom line: no need for the centers.

Absolutely agree. It's the height of hypocrisy when parents of AAP kids insist that their kids be educated separately, yet they see no problem with the LD or special needs (low end of the spectrum) kids being mainstreamed with the Gen Ed classes. So it's ok for the Gen Ed classes to be pulled down, but no way would it be ok for their AAP kids to be "dragged down" with the masses. Complete double standard. Centers need to go and FCPS should have woken up to that fact several years ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to see fcps pot a program in the McLean arwa where one middle and one elememtary become a dedicated center school with only AAP level four students, and the other schools are all rezoned to fill the missing AAP spots and made into non AAP, non LLIV schools...only gen ed and level three pull outs.

They have the need for AAP in that part of the county to support such a school.

Then, leave the center models in pyramids like LB and WS where they have enough students to support robust centers but not so many that they coukd support dedicated magnets and areas like Lee and Mount Vernon pyramids where they need to centers to even have a viable AAP program.

Fabulous idea! You should post this on the FCPS UserVoice site. (I'd vote for it!)

https://fcps.uservoice.com/forums/302115-what-are-your-ideas-for-balancing-the-potential-1

Disagree. My neighborhood school is a center school. How would you choose which neighborhood school to take away? Right now people have options: you can buy in an area zoned for a center school. You can buy in an area not zoned for a center school. If your child is found eligible for additional services you can choose that they stay at their current school or you can choose to send them to a center school. Why reduce options?

The options only exist for kids in AAP - that is, the option to stay at their base school or go to the center. General Ed. students have no such option.

Anonymous wrote:Simple solution: get rid of centers. Period. If you can accommodate those at the lower end of the spectrum and those with LD in an "average" classroom, you can certainly accommodate the highly intelligent.

FWIW, I've known at least two families who had kids with rather serious special needs. They fought to keep those kids in mainstream classes--meanwhile, they were sending their other kids to the GT centers--this was before the GT centers took the "twice exceptional". I couldn't believe the irony of these families--except, the special needs kids had issues that I knew I would have fought had mine had those same issues. However, I still couldn't get over the irony that they expected their 'low" kids to be in my kids' classroom-while their other kids were in the GT center.

If we are going to mainstream the special needs kids at the low end, then we must mainstream those at the upper end.

Bottom line: no need for the centers.

We don't mainstream kids at the extremely low (bottom 2%) of the spectrum. Just like we shouldn't mainstream kids at the very top. Have you ever Been is a standalone special Ed classroom or center? Because you have not idea about what you are blathering on about.

Simple solution: get rid of centers. Period. If you can accommodate those at the lower end of the spectrum and those with LD in an "average" classroom, you can certainly accommodate the highly intelligent.

FWIW, I've known at least two families who had kids with rather serious special needs. They fought to keep those kids in mainstream classes--meanwhile, they were sending their other kids to the GT centers--this was before the GT centers took the "twice exceptional". I couldn't believe the irony of these families--except, the special needs kids had issues that I knew I would have fought had mine had those same issues. However, I still couldn't get over the irony that they expected their 'low" kids to be in my kids' classroom-while their other kids were in the GT center.

If we are going to mainstream the special needs kids at the low end, then we must mainstream those at the upper end.

Bottom line: no need for the centers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to see fcps pot a program in the McLean arwa where one middle and one elememtary become a dedicated center school with only AAP level four students, and the other schools are all rezoned to fill the missing AAP spots and made into non AAP, non LLIV schools...only gen ed and level three pull outs.

They have the need for AAP in that part of the county to support such a school.

Then, leave the center models in pyramids like LB and WS where they have enough students to support robust centers but not so many that they coukd support dedicated magnets and areas like Lee and Mount Vernon pyramids where they need to centers to even have a viable AAP program.

Fabulous idea! You should post this on the FCPS UserVoice site. (I'd vote for it!)

https://fcps.uservoice.com/forums/302115-what-are-your-ideas-for-balancing-the-potential-1

Disagree. My neighborhood school is a center school. How would you choose which neighborhood school to take away? Right now people have options: you can buy in an area zoned for a center school. You can buy in an area not zoned for a center school. If your child is found eligible for additional services you can choose that they stay at their current school or you can choose to send them to a center school. Why reduce options?

Anonymous wrote:+2 to 11:02's idea -- in essence creating Level V schools for the top 2% of kids.

Top 2% or FCPS or top 2% on a national test?

Anonymous wrote:+2 to 11:02's idea -- in essence creating Level V schools for the top 2% of kids.

Then you are back to the original GT program.

+2 to 11:02's idea -- in essence creating Level V schools for the top 2% of kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to see fcps pot a program in the McLean arwa where one middle and one elememtary become a dedicated center school with only AAP level four students, and the other schools are all rezoned to fill the missing AAP spots and made into non AAP, non LLIV schools...only gen ed and level three pull outs.

They have the need for AAP in that part of the county to support such a school.

Then, leave the center models in pyramids like LB and WS where they have enough students to support robust centers but not so many that they coukd support dedicated magnets and areas like Lee and Mount Vernon pyramids where they need to centers to even have a viable AAP program.

Fabulous idea! You should post this on the FCPS UserVoice site. (I'd vote for it!)

https://fcps.uservoice.com/forums/302115-what-are-your-ideas-for-balancing-the-potential-1

For real?

I think this is a terrible idea. These children would then be isolated all day for years and years and years. There would be no heterogeneous groups at all, not even at recess, in specials, at lunch, or on the bus.

We figured out MANY years ago that isolating a group with special needs is NOT in the best interest of ANYONE. That's part of the reason that most children with disabilities are now in their base schools and that they are involved in the school community as much as possible. In the "real world," there are people with all different abilities, talents, deficits, backgrounds, etc. While it might be in the best interest of children to have the majority of their academic instruction provided with students of "like ability," it is not in their best interest to be in homogeneous groups all the time. Students in schools in which ALL students (those in AAP, general education, ESOL, and/or special education) are around each other learn appreciation and acceptance for diversity and individual differences, and will have an increased preparation for adult life in an inclusive society.


Magnet schools such as TJHSST are different. By high school, students have different needs, and a magnet school is appropriate for certain students (those who want a STEM-heavy focus, for example).

Anonymous wrote:I would love to see fcps pot a program in the McLean arwa where one middle and one elememtary become a dedicated center school with only AAP level four students, and the other schools are all rezoned to fill the missing AAP spots and made into non AAP, non LLIV schools...only gen ed and level three pull outs.

They have the need for AAP in that part of the county to support such a school.

Then, leave the center models in pyramids like LB and WS where they have enough students to support robust centers but not so many that they coukd support dedicated magnets and areas like Lee and Mount Vernon pyramids where they need to centers to even have a viable AAP program.

Fabulous idea! You should post this on the FCPS UserVoice site. (I'd vote for it!)

https://fcps.uservoice.com/forums/302115-what-are-your-ideas-for-balancing-the-potential-1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So are they going to get rid of these stupid centers and just have the kids stay in the schools the house taxes paid for?

The "house taxes" don't go to any particular school. They go into a big pot for the county. FCPS schools don;t get the particular dollars that the people in their base district pay. It's one big budget.

You pay more for a house in a good school!! and more taxes!! You freeloader!

I'm the quoted poster. Can't call me a "freeloader." I happen to live in one of the highest property value neighborhoods (so I pay a lot of taxes based on my property value), but I understand that it doesn't necessarily mean I'm entitled to better schools because of where I live. The schools are better here because parents chip in for fundraisers and volunteer and the kids have a leg up to begin with because of high SES parents -- not because I pay more in taxes. It just doesn't work that way. You really need to look into how the schools are funded if you think your high taxes mean your school gets more money per child to educate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So are they going to get rid of these stupid centers and just have the kids stay in the schools the house taxes paid for?

The "house taxes" don't go to any particular school. They go into a big pot for the county. FCPS schools don;t get the particular dollars that the people in their base district pay. It's one big budget.

You pay more for a house in a good school!! and more taxes!! You freeloader!

Anonymous wrote:I would love to see fcps pot a program in the McLean arwa where one middle and one elememtary become a dedicated center school with only AAP level four students, and the other schools are all rezoned to fill the missing AAP spots and made into non AAP, non LLIV schools...only gen ed and level three pull outs.

They have the need for AAP in that part of the county to support such a school.

Then, leave the center models in pyramids like LB and WS where they have enough students to support robust centers but not so many that they coukd support dedicated magnets and areas like Lee and Mount Vernon pyramids where they need to centers to even have a viable AAP program.

WHo is going to give up a neighborhood school for that? Unless you are talking new construction or re-opening old schools......

I would love to see fcps pot a program in the McLean arwa where one middle and one elememtary become a dedicated center school with only AAP level four students, and the other schools are all rezoned to fill the missing AAP spots and made into non AAP, non LLIV schools...only gen ed and level three pull outs.

They have the need for AAP in that part of the county to support such a school.

Then, leave the center models in pyramids like LB and WS where they have enough students to support robust centers but not so many that they coukd support dedicated magnets and areas like Lee and Mount Vernon pyramids where they need to centers to even have a viable AAP program.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^But I am the Great Unwashed because I don't live in McLean, Vienna, or Great Falls.

You pay to play

Not the PP, but I live in Vienna/Great Falls/McLean and am definitely "paying". However, my kids aren't in AAP. So I'm not sure what it is my family is getting out of living in this area, since my kids have to attend a center school, yet don't benefit from it at all.

I guess the point is, it really doesn't matter what part of the county you live in; if your kids are in Gen Ed, yet still have to attend a center, it's the worst of all worlds. Whatever happened to the smallish, neighborhood school? Certainly, when we moved to this area, we weren't expecting our kids to have to attend a center. That came to us, after we had been living here for several years. We'd be thrilled if there were no more centers, at least in this part of the county where there is no need for them whatsoever.

The centers aren't needed in your area. At least the AAP doesn't wreak havoc on the class size or staffing like immersion. Stuff like 35 in an English only class and 14 [or even less]in immersion. My kids were at various centers but the worst special program impact I ever heard was from multiple parents at a base school with immersion where students were treated like third class citizens.

I edited my post. One base elementary school had a great plan where 4-6 changed rooms [ 3 or 4 sections based on levels] for math and did some in class regrouping for language arts.