This post was in another string and thought it deserved its own Discussion...

Re: AAP Center at Franklin MS
Posted by: NoAAP ()
Date: April 29, 2017 10:26AM

AAP is a hurtful SCAM. I have had children in both AAP IV and AP III. I also know children with much low(er) scores get into AAP IV, mainly because they were a pain in the neck and the teachers wanted to ship them (and their parents) out, or wealthy parents pay psychologists for "gifted" results.

Tracking and labeling children at such an early age are backwards practices, a relic (... even England did away with this elitist scam decades ago.) This is not how we as a County should be teaching and educating our children, instead we should focus on making children ambitious, creative, and talented and respected.

I'll never forget the hurt and sobbing when my daughter didn't get into IV-level AAP. Children shouldn't be told in the second grade their second-rate by the County -- and that's what the County does. It's outrageous. (She ended up at a top sister-school university with a full academic scholarship. **raspberry**)

BTW, Don't tell me all the bull-crap about how I raised my kids -- because they learn all about AAP from their classmates/school from the get-go. And don't give me crap about toughening up my snowflake kid who has to learn life isn't fair. AAP is all a scam. Students are tutored from the time they are 3 years old to get into AAP!

With my oldest (who got in without us knowing anything about it since my wife and I came from more advanced education systems--many decades ago!), I couldn't believe that such programs still existed -- ego-boosts to parents. No wonder parents are so nutty around here, creating this competitive Battle Royal atmosphere starting in the 2nd Grade!

... I can't wait to hear other parents brag about their snotty-nose kid in AAP and how smart they are, and they needed this more challenging curriculum, blah, blah, blah: I know first-hand, it's all bull. AAP-IV classmates, with very, very rare exceptions, were not that "gifted" or bright -- certainly not requiring a whole new budget, bus route, and school to house them.

I remember one kid from my top-notch and affluent school system, with no labels given to kids, was exceptionally smart and talented, and went on to do world-class things. He was given extra attention but he was also a part of our class/community, and was well served by our then school system, without having to develop a whole new education system, and labeling/tracking second-graders (!!!). Jeez.

Another scam: TJ. The final pool of smart kids allows 1/3 into the prestigious high school. So the top 1/3 who score the highest get in, right? Wrong! A staggering 20% of the admission assessment is based on a subjective recommendation. For example, my child got in, but his friend, a top finalist in Virginia's Science Award, with a score in the 90s, was denied admission because of a poorly written, sloppy recommendation. I agree that these students are the smartest kids in the County, but how the County administers these programs is terrible: More money should be placed in local AP courses at instead of spending so much money shipping the "most talented" kids to TJ (or ES or MS "Centers").

AAP is a shameful, bizarre program that should be abolished in favor of keeping kids at local schools while supporting challenging programs, learning from other learners, saving money, and not labeling such young kids -- ANYONE WHO WOULD RUN FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE SUPPORTING THESE SENTIMENTS WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE MY VOTE, AND OTHER PARENTS' VOTES AS WELL!!! We're now done with the school system, but I thought by now that the County would've modernized it's approach to public education (decades ago).

Just my two cents.

As someone who has actually been a scorer for TJ applications, don't assume that a denial is always the work of the admissions team. It's sad when a bright kid hides things in the second paragraph of an essay like "please don't accept me...I'm only doing this because my parents arent so disappointed"

OP, you are full of crap on the Gifted programs not being necessary. Both my kids needed these programs and no we are not snotty stuck up parents. And yes, I paid to have one of my children privately tested because she did not turn up on the group tests, which is not unusual for highly gifted children. She desperately needed this program as she was being bullied mercilessly in her standard classroom for being "too smart". When your child is reading 2nd grade books at age 3 or 4 and doing high school math at age 10 you have to do things differently. A little chat with the psychologist and a look at the test scores was all that we needed to plan for our child. Once we got her into an appropriate classroom everything was fine.

Tell you what-let's get rid of Special Ed. and see what those parents say about that. My kids needed special ed-just for different reasons. I didn't care what they had to do. My kids needed it, they have to provide Gifted services by state law, and they could jolly well make it happen. My 145 IQ children are entitled to an appropriate education just as much as someone with an IQ of 70.

My kid did AAP through 8th grade, then went to Catholic school where he quickly learned that AAP did not nearly prepare him for the rigors of a real college prep education.

Four years later, he was accepted to 9 of 10 colleges he considered, all with excellent grants.

Public school parents are blind to reality around here.

Experienced It Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My kid did AAP through 8th grade, then went to
> Catholic school where he quickly learned that AAP
> did not nearly prepare him for the rigors of a
> real college prep education.
>
> Four years later, he was accepted to 9 of 10
> colleges he considered, all with excellent
> grants.
>
> Public school parents are blind to reality around
> here.

Yeah, getting molested by Catholic priests is not part of the standard FCPS curriculum. Checked Johnny's asshole lately?

Vow of Celibacy LOL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Yeah, getting molested by Catholic priests is not
> part of the standard FCPS curriculum. Checked
> Johnny's asshole lately?


Best defense of public education, ever. Not.

Public education is a relevant today as the US Postal Service.

Creating UPS (union) and FedEx (non-union) alternatives would solve a lot of the problems with accountability.

AAP is vital early on but as kids approach HS it becomes less necessary. HS kids learn its about application. My AAP kids always did well but Honors Math 2 grades ahead in HS is huge ball-buster. They really dont fool around in HS Honors at Woodson. Dont know if its good or bad. If kids get complacent in AAP can you imagine how lazy they would be unchallenged for 6 years.

We really liked aap level iv services thanks FCPS

Separate gifted education is evil

OP is just made because she couldn't get her kid into AAP. Don't worry honey, somebody needs to dig those ditches.

Just wait until all these parents of "gifted" children come to the realization that FCPS "Gifted" programs don't provide one iota of benefit for the the student at college level. These programs are just ways of integrating schools in low income level areas of the county to keep test scores up. So there's no need for you snotty asshole parents to get so worked up. Your kids are carrying all the low income kids while FCPS sucks up those federal dollars.

Nip

My children were bused to a AAP Level 4 Center. They had friends, but not the kind of close friends that you play with after school because they didn't go to the neighborhood school. Also, it was difficult for them to get together with kids at their school without effort. I think separating neighborhood children, and labeling them at such an early age as "gifted," is as one poster said, "evil."

Why not just track kids according to ability in their local school, or does that not offest test scores in less desirable schools?

AAP/Gifted is for the normal kids now. The rest is glorified day care and free meals for the idiots, behavioral problems and Ritalin-addled until they come of age and can be dumped on society. The worse schools (i.e., Glasgow) keep their gifted out of those programs to keep average scores up and their accreditation. It's a really shitty situation.