Anonymous wrote:You are kidding yourself if you think our kids are getting an advanced education in AAP. The stuff they are doing is nowhere near as creative as the average public school in Minnesota. I had the privelege of attending an American school overseas, and learned the hard way that America is ridiculously behind the rest of the world when it comes to education.

FCPS has watered down the AAP program so it is almost just regular school with more homework. The ONLY real difference is possible exposure to more advanced math, if that happens to be your child's area.

- signed parent of two AAP students who is not impressed

This is not the case at our schools (base school with Local Level IV compared to Center school).

- signed parent of two AAP students who is thankful for Level IV Centers

You are kidding yourself if you think our kids are getting an advanced education in AAP. The stuff they are doing is nowhere near as creative as the average public school in Minnesota. I had the privelege of attending an American school overseas, and learned the hard way that America is ridiculously behind the rest of the world when it comes to education.

FCPS has watered down the AAP program so it is almost just regular school with more homework. The ONLY real difference is possible exposure to more advanced math, if that happens to be your child's area.

- signed parent of two AAP students who is not impressed

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than Montgomery County which spends considerably more per child than FCPS and doesn't teach advanced math in general ed, what other school systems are teaching advanced instruction better than FCPS?

Palo Alto. Cambridge MA. Oak Park / River Forest IL.

You really need to know what you're talking about before you hold up FCPS as the national standard.
http://www.op97.org/teach-learn/Elementary-School.cfm

I would add Lower Merion in PA.

Anonymous wrote:Other than Montgomery County which spends considerably more per child than FCPS and doesn't teach advanced math in general ed, what other school systems are teaching advanced instruction better than FCPS?

Palo Alto. Cambridge MA. Oak Park / River Forest IL.

You really need to know what you're talking about before you hold up FCPS as the national standard.
http://www.op97.org/teach-learn/Elementary-School.cfm

Anonymous wrote:Parent of AAP child: Ideas are bad.

Yes, some ideas are bad, such as that one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And btw you're the one who wants a lower proportion of AA kids in AAP by making it more restrictive.

No, you are missing the point. The program should be treated like a special needs program. Kids that are so advanced they aren't really able to participate in regular classrooms should be placed in an environment that helps them achieve their potential.

The rest of them should be TOGETHER. Helping each other, learning from each other, challenging each other. The idea is to bring the bottom UP, not the top DOWN.

Be careful for what you wish. If the gifted program were treated like special education, then Least Restrictive Environment would prevail and it would lead to the end of the Center model and the local level IV program would be it - with the exception of a handful of students and they would be bused across the county to the one program that meets their needs.

I would be OK with this if there were at least a few centers so the commute wasn't so long for DC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And btw you're the one who wants a lower proportion of AA kids in AAP by making it more restrictive.

No, you are missing the point. The program should be treated like a special needs program. Kids that are so advanced they aren't really able to participate in regular classrooms should be placed in an environment that helps them achieve their potential.

The rest of them should be TOGETHER. Helping each other, learning from each other, challenging each other. The idea is to bring the bottom UP, not the top DOWN.

Be careful for what you wish. If the gifted program were treated like special education, then Least Restrictive Environment would prevail and it would lead to the end of the Center model and the local level IV program would be it - with the exception of a handful of students and they would be bused across the county to the one program that meets their needs.

Anyone have a genie handy?

Anonymous wrote:

And btw you're the one who wants a lower proportion of AA kids in AAP by making it more restrictive.

No, you are missing the point. The program should be treated like a special needs program. Kids that are so advanced they aren't really able to participate in regular classrooms should be placed in an environment that helps them achieve their potential.

The rest of them should be TOGETHER. Helping each other, learning from each other, challenging each other. The idea is to bring the bottom UP, not the top DOWN.

Be careful for what you wish. If the gifted program were treated like special education, then Least Restrictive Environment would prevail and it would lead to the end of the Center model and the local level IV program would be it - with the exception of a handful of students and they would be bused across the county to the one program that meets their needs.

No, you are missing the point. The program should be treated like a special needs program. Kids that are so advanced they aren't really able to participate in regular classrooms should be placed in an environment that helps them achieve their potential.

So you proposed keeping these children cloistered through high school? If these kids can't function in AAP, then even AP/Honors/IB must be regarded as "regular classrooms" . If they can function in AAP, then what's the problem?

Parent of AAP child: Ideas are bad.

[quoteThe idea is to bring the bottom UP, not the top DOWN.