Fairfax County introduced the Gifted and Talented program and centers into some third- sixth grade public schools throughout the county 1974. The GT program was implemented to provide more rigorous education for those worthy of it and solve for the overcrowding issues that were predicted to occur.

Now, the GT program and centers are being removed to introduce Level IV Advanced Academic Placement curriculum in all of the third through sixth grade elementary schools. 

The school board introduced the AAP Program despite the fact of lack of teacher support, reports the Reston Patch in the article “Curriculum Plan Raises Equity, Policy Issues.”

According to the article, teachers charged with implementing the program are referring to it as “educationally unsound.”

“I think the teachers charged with implementing the program are people that we definitely need to have a discussion with,” vice chairman and Hunter Mill District representative for the school board Pat Hynes said. “Being that the teachers must teach the material, I think we need to see where they feel the program proves unsound.” 

According to the FCPS website, the GT program is described as “a full-time highly challenging instructional program that follows the FCPS Program of Studies.

Differentiation in the depth, breadth, and pace of instruction is designed to meet the needs of advanced learners with a strong emphasis on problem solving, independent and group research, investigations, and higher level thinking skills.”

Such a program is one that can only be supported properly with the financial resources to support the educational push of the program. 

In a program guide released in 2007 by the Department of Education for the State of Hawaii, regarding its own GT program, the department refers to the characteristics that are considered when recommending a student for the GT program.

“Discussions should include characteristics of different cultural, ethnic, special needs, and socio-economic groups of students,” reports the program guide.

FCPS on the other hand, does not use socio-economics as part of its decision regarding admissions to the AAP Program, which in many cases has resulted in unbalances between the schools in free and reduced lunch percentages, test scores, and English literacy proficiency.

Forest Edge Elementary, which is a GT center, is a prime example of demonstrating problems this program creates.

Forest Edge is a school next to a Section 8 neighborhood. Section 8 housing is housing created under the Housing Act of 1937 which authorizes the payment of rental housing assistance to private landlords.

   Based on free and reduced lunch percentages, approximately 33.37% of Forest Edge’s students live in Section 8 housing. Due to the residents’ small access to money, typically free and reduced lunch students’ families do not have the financial support to be able to provide proper resources for a student in such programs as the GT program, meaning that these students may not have the financial resources to participate in such a vigorous program. 

While about one third of the students are in the free and reduced lunch program, about 26% of Forest Edge’s third-sixth graders are in the GT program.   

Based off of GT’s standards, though not a requirement, English proficiency is a necessary skill to participate in the program.

Once the AAP program is in full force, Forest Edge will lose the majority of its GT students who feed into the center from the many surrounding elementary schools.

Students will be able to attend the new, nearby, AAP center.

Free and reduced lunch percentages, test scores, and English literacy percentage will not be a problem for schools gaining back students with their new AAP centers, based off of their free and reduced lunch percentages. For example, Neil Armstrong Elementary has only about 11% free and reduced lunch compared to Forest Edge’s 33% of free and reduced lunch students.

While many negatives perspectives are being expressed by the community, many of the school board members see many positive perspectives in the new program.

Those in favor of the new program are looking at the situation from an overcrowding standpoint.

“The program would stand as a form of reducing overcrowding.” Hynes said. “With the introduction of this program, the GT centers that are overcrowded would then balance out as they lost these extra kids due to the addition of the many AAP centers.”

As the many arguments of the positive and negative stand points of the program are being examined, the school board prepares to vote on the issue in an upcoming meeting.