Old VMPI plans & FCPS’s E3 Math Pilot

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the "anti-equity" posters (the nicest way to put it) are getting fired up again on limited info and LOADS of speculations.

Spin, spin, spin!

It is speculation until parents see it in action. In Loudoun, this meant no 6th grade algebra, and a much smaller cohort in prealgebra, than the previous Math 6/7.

Complain they are watering it down. Complain they are raising the bar. So much complaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the "anti-equity" posters (the nicest way to put it) are getting fired up again on limited info and LOADS of speculations.

Spin, spin, spin!

It is speculation until parents see it in action. In Loudoun, this meant no 6th grade algebra, and a much smaller cohort in prealgebra, than the previous Math 6/7.

Complain they are watering it down. Complain they are raising the bar. So much complaining.

The students tracking into 6th grade Algebra were qualified. It's not raising the bar if districts find a way to block kids from taking a class where they could otherwise do well. People are complaining about anti-rigor, both from watering down standards and from districts finding ways to prevent students from accelerating because it goes against their desires for heterogenous classes. These are one and the same complaint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the "anti-equity" posters (the nicest way to put it) are getting fired up again on limited info and LOADS of speculations.

Spin, spin, spin!

It is speculation until parents see it in action. In Loudoun, this meant no 6th grade algebra, and a much smaller cohort in prealgebra, than the previous Math 6/7.

Complain they are watering it down. Complain they are raising the bar. So much complaining.

The students tracking into 6th grade Algebra were qualified. It's not raising the bar if districts find a way to block kids from taking a class where they could otherwise do well. People are complaining about anti-rigor, both from watering down standards and from districts finding ways to prevent students from accelerating because it goes against their desires for heterogenous classes. These are one and the same complaint.

I just want to be aware of the changes that affect my kids and would appreciate a bit more transparency. I feel like a pilot like this affecting 10-20 elementary schools should be a little clearer on the web site, or have some presentation materials. anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the "anti-equity" posters (the nicest way to put it) are getting fired up again on limited info and LOADS of speculations.

Spin, spin, spin!

It is speculation until parents see it in action. In Loudoun, this meant no 6th grade algebra, and a much smaller cohort in prealgebra, than the previous Math 6/7.

Complain they are watering it down. Complain they are raising the bar. So much complaining.

The students tracking into 6th grade Algebra were qualified. It's not raising the bar if districts find a way to block kids from taking a class where they could otherwise do well. People are complaining about anti-rigor, both from watering down standards and from districts finding ways to prevent students from accelerating because it goes against their desires for heterogenous classes. These are one and the same complaint.

I just want to be aware of the changes that affect my kids and would appreciate a bit more transparency. I feel like a pilot like this affecting 10-20 elementary schools should be a little clearer on the web site, or have some presentation materials. anything.

Agreed. 20 schools is roughly 13% of all FCPS elementary schools. That's a nontrivial share. If something affects that many kids, details should be provided.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the "anti-equity" posters (the nicest way to put it) are getting fired up again on limited info and LOADS of speculations.

Spin, spin, spin!

It is speculation until parents see it in action. In Loudoun, this meant no 6th grade algebra, and a much smaller cohort in prealgebra, than the previous Math 6/7.

Complain they are watering it down. Complain they are raising the bar. So much complaining.

Abd because of the complaining, the district backed down and reinstated algebra in 6th grade, rather than moving forward with a plan to remove prealgebra in 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Does FCPS have a separate curriculum committee that parents can speak to?

[Anonymous]

It's almost summer, the politicals are at it again...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's almost summer, the politicals are at it again...

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what I can tell, Lane, Union Mill, Va Run, and Baileys all implemented the E3 pilot. All of these don’t offer Level IV for 5th and 6th according to FCPS.

Anyone else know which schools are piloting e3.

I believe we don't have LLIV at VA Run in 5th or 6th because our LLIV is newer- so next year we will have 5th and the year after we will have 6th

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's almost summer, the politicals are at it again...

Exactly. Like clockwork.

[Anonymous]

Just go to the FCPS website and they tell you the plan:

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/academic-overview/mathematics

“The mathematics curriculum is being enriched and expanded to include extensions that allow students to develop critical thinking skills and develop a deeper understanding of mathematics that will better prepare them for upper level mathematics in high school and beyond. The current learning gaps that exist in compacted mathematics, created by selecting only certain standards, are being closed allowing students access to all standards. Compacted mathematics will become advanced mathematics to be more representative of the rigor in the program. The advanced mathematics curriculum will be available in all elementary schools including Advanced Academic center schools.”

Looks like compacted (accelerated) math will go away in favor of deeper extension based math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just go to the FCPS website and they tell you the plan:

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/academic-overview/mathematics

“The mathematics curriculum is being enriched and expanded to include extensions that allow students to develop critical thinking skills and develop a deeper understanding of mathematics that will better prepare them for upper level mathematics in high school and beyond. The current learning gaps that exist in compacted mathematics, created by selecting only certain standards, are being closed allowing students access to all standards. Compacted mathematics will become advanced mathematics to be more representative of the rigor in the program. The advanced mathematics curriculum will be available in all elementary schools including Advanced Academic center schools.”

Looks like compacted (accelerated) math will go away in favor of deeper extension based math.

Looks like the VMPI apologist is back.

First of all, whoever uses edujargon like "critical thinking skills" or "deeper extension based math" has already disqualified themselves and shown where they come from. (Really, "extension based math!?" How much more vacuous can you get?)

Second, "learning gaps" due to "compacted mathematics" exist only in these people's fantasy, they are not real.

Programs like these are squarely designed to hurt children with an interest in and aptitude for mathematics, and with all leftist ideology, without producing any gains for anyone.

[Anonymous]

We are at a pilot school (I have a level 3 4th grader who would have done advanced math in 4th grade if we weren't piloting E3), and I had a lot of concerns, but they have all been addressed and I feel good about E3 math. First of all, we were told clearly by our principal and an FCPS math curriculum specialist that 5th and 6th grade advanced math is NOT changing. There will still be tracked advanced math, where 5th graders learn the 6th grade curriculum and take the 6th grade SOL, available to all students who qualify through SOL scores, teacher rec, beginning of the year pre-test, etc.

The change is that kids aren't tracked ahead in 3rd and 4th grade, instead they get extensions in the classroom. Yes, this puts a lot on the teachers. Because we're a pilot program, we do have a math specialist assigned to our school who lesson plans with the 3rd and 4th grade teams to develop extensions. There also seems to be more math in the Level 3 pull outs than there used to be. E3 philosophy is to go deeper into content rather than covering more skills at a surface level. They said they were finding gaps appear down the road, even showing up in high school, for students who jump and skip a year of content (which all advanced math kids do at some point), and this new curriculum, which will eventually extend all the way down to Kindergarten (NOT up to replace the current advanced math path), is supposed to fill in those gaps so that every student with the ability is ready for the jump to advanced math.

Like I said, I was REALLY not a fan of piloting this program, but I was impressed with the presentation from FCPS and relieved that advanced math in 5th grade and up isn't changing. I guess we'll see how my 4th grader does on the math SOL this year, after using this new curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at a pilot school (I have a level 3 4th grader who would have done advanced math in 4th grade if we weren't piloting E3), and I had a lot of concerns, but they have all been addressed and I feel good about E3 math. First of all, we were told clearly by our principal and an FCPS math curriculum specialist that 5th and 6th grade advanced math is NOT changing. There will still be tracked advanced math, where 5th graders learn the 6th grade curriculum and take the 6th grade SOL, available to all students who qualify through SOL scores, teacher rec, beginning of the year pre-test, etc.

The change is that kids aren't tracked ahead in 3rd and 4th grade, instead they get extensions in the classroom. Yes, this puts a lot on the teachers. Because we're a pilot program, we do have a math specialist assigned to our school who lesson plans with the 3rd and 4th grade teams to develop extensions. There also seems to be more math in the Level 3 pull outs than there used to be. E3 philosophy is to go deeper into content rather than covering more skills at a surface level. They said they were finding gaps appear down the road, even showing up in high school, for students who jump and skip a year of content (which all advanced math kids do at some point), and this new curriculum, which will eventually extend all the way down to Kindergarten (NOT up to replace the current advanced math path), is supposed to fill in those gaps so that every student with the ability is ready for the jump to advanced math.

Like I said, I was REALLY not a fan of piloting this program, but I was impressed with the presentation from FCPS and relieved that advanced math in 5th grade and up isn't changing. I guess we'll see how my 4th grader does on the math SOL this year, after using this new curriculum.

There are trade-offs to going slower in Grades 3-4. It means that kids will have more rapid compaction of content in upper elementary than would otherwise have had. The higher the grade, the more complicated the concepts and the tougher to compact for kids. That was why FCPS initially chose to begin acceleration in Grades 3/4 so the ramping up was more gradual and later elementary would be less rushed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just go to the FCPS website and they tell you the plan:

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/academic-overview/mathematics

“The mathematics curriculum is being enriched and expanded to include extensions that allow students to develop critical thinking skills and develop a deeper understanding of mathematics that will better prepare them for upper level mathematics in high school and beyond. The current learning gaps that exist in compacted mathematics, created by selecting only certain standards, are being closed allowing students access to all standards. Compacted mathematics will become advanced mathematics to be more representative of the rigor in the program. The advanced mathematics curriculum will be available in all elementary schools including Advanced Academic center schools.”

Looks like compacted (accelerated) math will go away in favor of deeper extension based math.

Looks like the VMPI apologist is back.

First of all, whoever uses edujargon like "critical thinking skills" or "deeper extension based math" has already disqualified themselves and shown where they come from. (Really, "extension based math!?" How much more vacuous can you get?)

Second, "learning gaps" due to "compacted mathematics" exist only in these people's fantasy, they are not real.

Programs like these are squarely designed to hurt children with an interest in and aptitude for mathematics, and with all leftist ideology, without producing any gains for anyone.

LeFTiSt iDeOLoGY