School Committee Votes to Retire AEAP program

  This month the School Committee voted to “retire” the AEAP program of studies. I thank everyone, who came along on this ride with me of supporting the AEAP or Gifted program in Malden. Some background on the program from former Linden principal Richard Bransfield:

  “The Linden School opened in September of 2001 and was one of Malden’s theme based and technology focused schools. The theme of the school was the Communications, Humanities and Multi-Media and Magnet/Gifted Education.”

  More than a decade ago, this is what the attempt was according to the same documentation provided by Bransfield:

  “We will offer Pre-Advanced Placement opportunities to further challenge our middle school students by providing a rigorous curriculum and instruction to prepare them for advanced classes in high school.”

  Keeping this brief. The main thrust of this month’s work was this key new resolution of the School Committee in 2023:

  “The Malden School Committee recommends the retirement of the current Accelerated and Enriched Academic Program (A.E.A.P.) to be replaced with a method and/or program that better meets the needs of the students of Malden Public Schools.”

  I voted against this resolution to end the program. We are entering into a new era as values and focus has shifted over these past two decades away from much of the original Gifted/AEAP intent. So, I apologize, that I could not do more to steer the situation to engineer a continuation of a Gifted/AEAP program for another generation of children.

  Going forward, I will help steer and guide the new programs being spun up to lead our city’s children into the new century. I will help assist with the new pre-high school Honors program. And I will work as hard as ever to make our Malden Public Schools the best in the state. No river too wide, no mountain too high, no goal too far to keep striving to make our Malden children the best.

Sincerely,

Joseph Gray

Ward 6 School Committee Member