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Hello Parents,
On November 30th at 9 a.m., Bren Mar Park will
host a parent coffee discussing the AAP Process for Fairfax County. Ms. Chadbourn, the Advanced Academics
Resource Teacher (AART) will be available to answer any questions you may
have.
Please see the following newsletter for further information.
We hope to see you there.
ADVANCED
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS (AAP) ELEMENTARY CONTINUUM OF SERVICES
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) offers a continuum of
advanced academic services for all students in Grades K-8. Learning experiences
are designed to develop higher-level thinking through enrichment, acceleration,
and extension of the Program of Studies (POS). Teachers, administrators, and
Advanced Academic Resource Teachers (AARTs) work together to provide the
following levels of services. A video showing each level of service in action,
as well as information about middle and high school services, are available at https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-school-academics-k-6/advanced-academics.
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Critical and Creative Thinking Lessons,
Grades K-6 (Level I) Level
I services are provided to all students in Kindergarten through Grade 6 and
consist of lessons designed to teach critical and creative thinking skills.
Strategies are modeled in all classrooms by AARTs and are used throughout the
year by classroom and other teachers.
Student responses to these lessons are used as part of the
identification process for Levels II-IV. Parents may also practice these
strategies during family conversations and activities. Descriptions and videos of
the nine critical and creative thinking strategies can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-school-academics-k-6/advanced-academics/critical-and-creative-thinking.
Because
Level I services are for all FCPS students, there is not a screening
process.
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Differentiated Lessons in Areas of
Academic Strength, Grades K-6 (Level II) Level
II services are available for students in Kindergarten through Grade 6 for
students with strength in a specific subject area. The AART collaborates with
classroom teachers to provide additional challenges using materials from the
AAP Curriculum Framework for Levels II-IV to extend and enrich in the subject
area strength. Screening for this level of service is ongoing throughout the
school year. Multiple criteria are used to screen for this level of service and
decisions are made at the local school level. To
have your student screened for Level II services, complete the AAP School-Based
Referral Form available at https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/AAPSchoolBasedServicesReferralForm_0.pdf.
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Part-Time Advanced Academic Programs,
Grades 3-6 (Level III) Level
III services are available for students in Grades 3-6 who are eligible for
part-time direct services from the AART. Students are identified by a screening
committee at the local school. The AART
uses materials from the AAP Curriculum Framework for Levels II-IV in the four
core subject areas through either a weekly pull-out class or weekly co-teaching
model with the classroom teacher. Screening for this level of service is
ongoing throughout the school year. Multiple
criteria are used to screen for this level of service and decisions are made at
the local school level. To
have your student screened for Level III services, complete the AAP
School-Based Referral Form available at https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/AAPSchoolBasedServicesReferralForm_0.pdf
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Full-Time Advanced Academic Programs,
Grades 3-8 (Level IV) Level IV services are available for
students in Grades 3-8 who are found eligible through a central selection
process. Eligible students use
curriculum from the AAP Curriculum Framework for Levels II-IV in the four
academic subject areas on a full-time basis.
Multiple
criteria are reviewed to determine eligibility for all FCPS advanced academic
services. The countywide central selection committee determines eligibility for
full-time AAP Level IV placement.
Screening
for Level IV services occurs during specific screening cycles:
- Fall
screening is held for students who are new to FCPS and have been referred
- Spring
screening is held for any FCPS-enrolled student who has been referred
Due to the volume of files screened
centrally for Level IV services, deadlines are strictly held.
Additional information about the
holistic screening process and information used for screening can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/registration/advanced-academics-identification-and-placement/current-fcps-students.
Middle and High School AAP
Additional
information about middle and high school services may be found on the Advanced
Academic Programs web page:
Elementary Parent
Information Meeting
A parent information meeting will be held at Bren Mar Park
Elementary School on November 30 at 9:30 AM. The AART will provide information
about levels of service and examples at Bren Mar Park Elementary School, as
well as explain and answer questions about the screening processes for
part-time school-based and full-time Level IV services.
Ability Testing
In the fall, the
Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) is administered to all FCPS first grade
students and the CogAT- Custom Form is administered to all FCPS second grade
students. During the fall testing cycle, the NNAT and/or Cognitive Abilities
Test (CogAT) may be administered to students in Grades 3-6 who do not have an
ability test score.
Parents or
guardians may exercise a one-time retest option during the fall testing cycle. Please
contact the school testing coordinator Erin Lear at ESLear@fcps.edu, no later than 10/12/2018 to
request a one-time retest for either the NNAT or CogAT.
Please do not wait
for test scores before submitting a referral for your student in Grades 2-7 as there
will be no referrals for Level IV screening accepted past the January 10, 2019
deadline. If you are waiting for test scores and would like your student
screened for Level IV, please submit the referral by the published deadline
(even if you have not received the test scores for your student).
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