Anecdotally, the Centers are stronger, and while I wouldn't call them "Level V," there is a strong sense among many that the ES Center kids are much better prepared (for Algebra, for example) than the ES LLIV kids. When you've increased the % of kids in AAP to such high levels, then you're making the AAP teachers differentiate much more than they used to... when there are also Level III kids mixed into LLIV classrooms (or others just to "fill out" a class), that may also require more differentiation. So, again, anecdotally, many believe the Centers are stronger. Supposedly, the curriculums are the same, but in practice there may be a stronger peer group in Centers.

Just repeating what I've been told. Don't shoot the messenger.

OK my husband says his understanding is that if they do away with AAP centers, there will be no Level IV anywhere. I'm lost.

As an added bonus base school great school's scores would go up.

I'm confused. Our school just had a meeting on AAP last week. There it was explained that AAP is Level IV, just at a center. AAP is not akin to a Level V, but that's what folks make it out to be.

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't establishing level 4s at all ES require a lot of planning -- they would need at least a few trailers at many schools and additional teachers. And also need to figure out the number of students qualified for each class + picking more to fill them out. + changing bus routes to include the formerly-center kids into the base schools.

And then there are schools like my child's center that would literally be decimated if the center left -- I'm assuming it is one that wouldn't be changed since many schools feed into the center.

It seems like a lot of logistics would have to be addressed that would be hard to accomplish if the decision happens in late May.

I'm sure other programmatic changes would also require significant re-structuring as well. Seems like FCPS would need to have a pretty firm plan in place and start working the logistics by February.

Your center school would not be decimated. The schools would be re-balanced a la boundary changes. If they remove the centers, but don't change the boundaries, I would have a lot of questions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our LLIV can't fill a class each grade level either. There is a "lottery" for the extra spaces that is not an actual lottery. High SES school in a good pyramid. The politics behind the lottery are ugly.

+1. We must be neighbors! This is my kids LLIV ES. The politics of pupil placement made the school environment toxic. Until the principal gave up and stopped placing kids altogether. Then the AAP class had 16 kids and the Gen Ed classes had 29. Which also created a nasty "the AAP kids get all the resources "environment. Seriously, everyone pushing for LLIV so that you go back to a "regular, neighborhood school" needs be careful what they wish for. Turns out lots of people (parents and kids) get unhappy when some kids get "chosen" for the "special" class and others don't.

I'm curious about this. What politics could be at play? Why wouldn't the class just be filled with level III kids??

Turns out that building a single AAP class is a very Goldilocks thing. When you add level III, you can get more than a full class and some level III kids don't make the cut and the principal has to choose who. Or that even with level III there aren't enough kids and you still have to subjectively choose the remainders. And you know her child was only chosen because she is a PTA officer/ does this that or the other for the school / etc. As a PP said-- every parent thinks her kid should fill out the class. And is deeply upset when Larla isn't chosen by the principal. Often, much more upset than when Larla isn't selected for level IV to begin with. And very nasty to Larla's now former BFF who is in the class, and will be at the same school but in a separate, "better" class for the next 4 years. My eldest DC got a great education staying at his affluent ES LLIV program (95% of the qualified kids stayed)-- and don't have to change schools and stayed in our neighborhood, with kindergarten friends. DC went on to a very competitive center MS and more than held their own. But watching the AAP vs GE parents each year was nauseating. You really don't want this atmosphere at your neighborhood school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our LLIV can't fill a class each grade level either. There is a "lottery" for the extra spaces that is not an actual lottery. High SES school in a good pyramid. The politics behind the lottery are ugly.

+1. We must be neighbors! This is my kids LLIV ES. The politics of pupil placement made the school environment toxic. Until the principal gave up and stopped placing kids altogether. Then the AAP class had 16 kids and the Gen Ed classes had 29. Which also created a nasty "the AAP kids get all the resources "environment. Seriously, everyone pushing for LLIV so that you go back to a "regular, neighborhood school" needs be careful what they wish for. Turns out lots of people (parents and kids) get unhappy when some kids get "chosen" for the "special" class and others don't.

I'm curious about this. What politics could be at play? Why wouldn't the class just be filled with level III kids??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our LLIV can't fill a class each grade level either. There is a "lottery" for the extra spaces that is not an actual lottery. High SES school in a good pyramid. The politics behind the lottery are ugly.

+1. We must be neighbors! This is my kids LLIV ES. The politics of pupil placement made the school environment toxic. Until the principal gave up and stopped placing kids altogether. Then the AAP class had 16 kids and the Gen Ed classes had 29. Which also created a nasty "the AAP kids get all the resources "environment. Seriously, everyone pushing for LLIV so that you go back to a "regular, neighborhood school" needs be careful what they wish for. Turns out lots of people (parents and kids) get unhappy when some kids get "chosen" for the "special" class and others don't.

My friend's school has a LLIV program where the AAP teacher teaches half the class at the AAP level and the other half at an advanced level in between general ed and AAP. I think there's another split level classroom with some at the LLIII level and some at the general ed level. Seems to work ok for them. There are also schools that combine say 3rd and 4th grade AAP together.

Anonymous wrote:Middle schools usually have more AAP students. Many elementary schools have only a few AAP quailifed students. It is wired that the Recommendatino did not mention to eleminate busess to middle school AAP centers but only mention to elemenary school AAP centers. Why do not they start from eliminating busses to middle school centers? This can save money with little negative side effects?

I seriously doubt there is much in the way of savings. ES AAP is 4 years worth of kids. MS AAP is 2. ES kids go to neighborhood schools. Those that are bused to the Base school aren't bused far and many would be walkers at their base schools. MS students to are bused much further to the base schools, and most MS bases don't have walkers.

Anonymous wrote:Our LLIV can't fill a class each grade level either. There is a "lottery" for the extra spaces that is not an actual lottery. High SES school in a good pyramid. The politics behind the lottery are ugly.

+1. We must be neighbors! This is my kids LLIV ES. The politics of pupil placement made the school environment toxic. Until the principal gave up and stopped placing kids altogether. Then the AAP class had 16 kids and the Gen Ed classes had 29. Which also created a nasty "the AAP kids get all the resources "environment. Seriously, everyone pushing for LLIV so that you go back to a "regular, neighborhood school" needs be careful what they wish for. Turns out lots of people (parents and kids) get unhappy when some kids get "chosen" for the "special" class and others don't.

Wouldn't establishing level 4s at all ES require a lot of planning -- they would need at least a few trailers at many schools and additional teachers. And also need to figure out the number of students qualified for each class + picking more to fill them out. + changing bus routes to include the formerly-center kids into the base schools.

And then there are schools like my child's center that would literally be decimated if the center left -- I'm assuming it is one that wouldn't be changed since many schools feed into the center.

It seems like a lot of logistics would have to be addressed that would be hard to accomplish if the decision happens in late May.

I'm sure other programmatic changes would also require significant re-structuring as well. Seems like FCPS would need to have a pretty firm plan in place and start working the logistics by February.

Our LLIV can't fill a class each grade level either. There is a "lottery" for the extra spaces that is not an actual lottery. High SES school in a good pyramid. The politics behind the lottery are ugly.

Nope, our base schools in Restom and Herndon can't fill a whole class with level IV kids, either.

Interesting . . . Hm, I wonder who will fill up all that empty center space. . .

I have a VERY good idea of where this is going. And I don't like it, considering our school is a center school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way our local elementary used to do it (not sure if they're still doing it this way) was that the grade was grouped into three teams of two classes each. The kids who were in the level IV pull out group were on the same team. The classes were combined and then separated into ability groupings for each subject. With two teachers, they could change the groupings around throughout the day. This class was also the one that would be assigned a student teacher at times, so that could add a third grouping. In addition, the AART would work separately once a week or so with a group of seven or eight kids for language arts.

Team teaching can give schools a lot of flexibility and works well for differentiation. Adding in resource specialists allows further small groupings to give kids what they need.

Many schools don't have 6 classes per grade.

How many classes per grade do most of the schools here have?

I think about 4, maybe 5 not including centers. Typically only one advanced classroom per grade. Some schools only have 2 classes per grade.