Choosing an elementary school for your child can be both thrilling and daunting. As you explore options to nurture their intellect and creativity, understanding specialized curriculum like Irvine’s APAAS program becomes essential. Tailored for students in grades 4 through 6, APAAS is designed to challenge and inspire highly intellectual learners. This article offers insights gathered not only from public sources but also from parents whose children are currently enrolled in the APAAS program. Let’s delve into APAAS, its unique features, and what it offers your child.

What is the APAAS?

The APAAS, or Alternative Program for Academically Advanced Students, is a specialized elementary school curriculum offered by the Irvine Unified School District (IUSD). Designed for students in grades 4 through 6, this program is tailored for a distinctive cohort of highly intellectual learners. It emphasizes challenging content and depth to cultivate critical thinking and foster intellectual creativity among its students.

Key features include:

• Classes operate independently with restricted enrollment.
• Each class typically has one teacher for every 33 students.
• Entrance exams are required for admission.

Why Enroll in the APAAS?

Gifted and Talented Programs are available across the United States, including Irvine, New York, Houston, and Bellevue. These programs serve multiple purposes, including meeting the diverse educational needs of students, fostering the development of exceptional individuals, improving teaching quality, enhancing teacher proficiency, and addressing broader societal demands for specialized education.

As one of these programs, APAAS offers numerous advantages:

• Enrolling in APAAS provides a robust grounding in crucial subjects like mathematics, writing, and reading, ensuring well-rounded skill development.
• APAAS cultivates students’ independent thinking abilities, urging them to delve into concepts critically.
• The program fosters collaborative learning environments, where students participate in group discussions and cooperative activities.

Is APAAS the Right Fit for Your Child?

In addition to a strong foundation in reading, writing, and math, is your child showing signs of being ‘unique’? For instance, while classmates are discussing addition and subtraction, your child may already be showing interest in more complex calculations. If this sounds like your child, APAAS could be an ideal match. APAAS fosters thinking outside the box by encouraging differentiated learning, allowing children to express unconventional ideas, and promoting communication to stimulate creative thinking.

What to Expect in an APAAS Class?

In the APAAS program, one teacher is responsible for all subjects, ensuring a cohesive learning experience.

A typical day involves:

• Class meeting
• Practical applications of mathematics
• Novel reading
• Writing
• Social studies
• Science
• Other activities (music, physics, etc.)

The APAAS curriculum advances at a moderate pace as shown in the example below:

What Is the APAAS Application Process and Criteria?

For those seeking insight into the APAAS application process and its associated criteria, the Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) website provides a comprehensive overview. Below, you’ll find the application timeline for the 2024-25 program:

2024-2025	APAAS Timeline
January 8, 2024	Applications open at 9:00 am
February 16, 2024	Applications closed at 4:00 pm
May 1, 2024	Notifications by email

The application process evaluates criteria encompassing achievement, ability, and creativity. APAAS application criteria are compiled and compared. Program placement is offered to the highest-scoring students in order of score until all classes are filled. Here’s a breakdown of the criteria and components considered during the evaluation process:

3rd Grade:

• Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT)
• STAR Math
• STAR Reading
• Writing sample

4th & 5th Grade:

• STAR Math
• STAR Reading
• 1st and 2nd trimester grades
• CAASPP ELA & Math Scale scores

3rd Grade Application Criteria Overview

According to our survey findings, one-third of parents have expressed interest in the APAAS program for their children, who are currently in Grade 2. Opting for APAAS in the third grade aligns with the preferences of most parents. Following admission, students can progress through to the sixth grade. Now, let’s delve into the specific application criteria for third grade, one by one.

Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT)

The NNAT is widely employed across the United States as a key component of admission processes for gifted and talented programs. This 30-minute assessment comprises 48 multiple-choice questions, strategically crafted to gauge mathematical aptitude grounded in pure logic. It effectively measures essential skills including observation, concentration, reasoning, and logical thinking.

What is a good NNAT score?

Generally speaking, scoring in the “High Average” to “Very Superior” range would be considered desirable.

Description	National Percentile Rank	Standard Age Score
Below Average	1st-24th	Below 89
Average	25th-75th	89-111
High Average	76th-89th	112-120
Superior	90th-97th	121-133
Very Superior	98th+	134+

STAR Math

The STAR Math test is a computer-adaptive assessment tailored to each student’s learning level, adjusting question difficulty based on their responses. It aligns with school-level math Common Core standards and is untimed, typically lasting around 20 minutes on average.

STAR Reading

STAR Reading follows a multiple-choice format and assesses various domains including analyzing literary text, word skills and knowledge, analyzing argument and evaluating text, comprehension strategies and constructing meaning, and understanding author’s craft.

Recommended Practices for STAR Math and STAR Reading: STAR Test Practice for 3rd & 4th Grade

Creative Writing

In creative writing, participants are tasked with crafting imaginative narratives inspired by visual prompts within a time frame of 20-30 minutes. The assessment primarily weighs elements such as sentence structure, logical coherence, creativity, and vocabulary selection. Notably, spelling and grammar do not factor into the evaluation process. Scores, ranging from 0 to 8, gauge the overall effectiveness and ingenuity of the compositions produced.

Recommended Practices for Creative Writing: 150 Inspiring Picture Writing Prompts To Spark Creativity

Which Schools Offer the APAAS Program?

Currently, the APAAS Program is available at six schools:

• Brywood
• Deerfield
• Eastshore
• Santiago Hills
• Turtle Rock
• Westpark

Here are some key insights we’d like to share about the 6 schools:

• Based on our survey findings, among the 6 schools, 57.9% of parents show interest in Turtle Rock, while 26.3% lean towards Santiago Hills. The two schools are renowned for their exceptional faculty, high rankings, and distinct school philosophies, thus contributing to their popularity.
• Brywood and Deerfield prioritize reading and writing, making them ideal for children seeking to enhance their English proficiency.
• Westpark stands apart with its year-round program, commencing in July and offering summer classes instead of the traditional September start.
• Across all schools, exceptional teachers are typically chosen to lead APAAS classes in all schools.

Application Tips

You can apply to all six schools and prioritize them according to your preferences: first choice, second choice, and so on. All six schools can be designated as first choice, or you can select one as your first choice and the remaining five as second choices. It’s not recommended to rank them numerically as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Admission Rate

The overall admission rate is approximately 10% to 15%.

Grade Level	Applicants Per Year	Admitted Students Per Year
Grade 4	~1000	~200 (6 schools × 33 students per class)
Grade 5	~200	Varies
Grade 6	~100	Varies

How to Prepare for APAAS?

Preparing for APAAS requires a strategic approach that prioritizes long-term skill development over short-term exam preparation. Relying solely on cramming may reveal that APAAS is not the best fit for your child post-admission.

In the Irvine school district, the secondary mathematics progression is diversified. For instance, students in accelerated programs (represented by the black boxes in the chart below) typically complete a 12-year curriculum by tenth grade. This allows them ample time to opt for AP courses to prepare for college. The divergent thinking skills fostered in the APAAS program are highly beneficial for future mathematics learning in secondary school and beyond. Students can continue to apply these skills, enhancing their mathematical abilities.

At Think Academy, we share APAAS’s philosophy. We believe that elementary school mathematics learning should focus on developing abilities and fostering critical thinking. We view mathematics as an interest-driven subject, rather than an exam-oriented education. Learning mathematics can enrich the entire educational journey.