Old VMPI plans & FCPS’s E3 Math Pilot

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PD?

Professional development - a big part of E3, from what I understand, is teaching kids how to give challenging work to someone who is ahead. Parent reports on the ground are that the "challenging work" is ST Math, etc. I don't think that's the intent, but it's the reality for a busy teacher in an overfull class with too many needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is not going to raise the bar for anyone. Kids who are struggling are not going to struggle less because the bar has been raised. It means that Teachers are going to have to focus even more on kids who are struggling to understand the current standard in order to try and getting them to a point to understand an even higher standard. So the kids on grade level, who would benefit from the bar being raised, are going to get less attention because the Teacher is going to be working more with the kids who are struggling. The kids who are advanced are going to be doing ST Math and Dreambox while being completely ignored.

This. The program would stand a chance at a school where most of the students are on or above grade level already. The cluster model can work in that scenario too. If 30% of a class is not on grade level, forget it. I wonder if there's a list of schools that are piloting it. I bet most have a significant percentage of students below grade level. The principals probably don't want to make a clean cut and designate a separate LLIV classroom for the kids who are in the top 20%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not going to raise the bar for anyone. Kids who are struggling are not going to struggle less because the bar has been raised. It means that Teachers are going to have to focus even more on kids who are struggling to understand the current standard in order to try and getting them to a point to understand an even higher standard. So the kids on grade level, who would benefit from the bar being raised, are going to get less attention because the Teacher is going to be working more with the kids who are struggling. The kids who are advanced are going to be doing ST Math and Dreambox while being completely ignored.

This. The program would stand a chance at a school where most of the students are on or above grade level already. The cluster model can work in that scenario too. If 30% of a class is not on grade level, forget it. I wonder if there's a list of schools that are piloting it. I bet most have a significant percentage of students below grade level. The principals probably don't want to make a clean cut and designate a separate LLIV classroom for the kids who are in the top 20%.

The 10 pilot schools are places, in general, that started local level IV this year. It’s the way local level IV may be going, which concerns people who want to maintain a separate gifted program.

[Anonymous]

I don’t see anything that bans advanced math. It’s just a curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see anything that bans advanced math. It’s just a curriculum.

It is a curriculum that advances kids a full year in math. DS started Advanced Math in third grade, they covered third grade and half of fourth grade math. In fourth grade they are covering fourth and half of fifth. In fifth grade they finish fifth and sixth, in sixth they complete the seventh grade curriculum.

There is no way that the E3 program is going to do that for the kids who are Advanced while teaching the regular curriculum to the kids on grade level and behind.

My fourth grader has a fifth grade math packet at home so he has something to work on if there is bad weather. It is not engaging him. We enrolled him in RSM this year because the math, even the Advanced Math, is not challenging.

There is no way that the Teacher is going to be able to teach kids who are behind, on track, and ahead. You are essentially asking one Teacher to teach three grade levels in one class. Not going to happen and the kids who are going to end up with independent work are the advanced kids. The kids on grade level will get some attention but not much. The kids who are behind will get most of the attention and they are likely to fall farther behind because there is now a curriculum that is meant to be more challenging.

Rah

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see anything that bans advanced math. It’s just a curriculum.

It doesn't. But parents report that implementation is happening such that there is no separate advanced math class. Any E3 parents here want to double-confirm or deny?

Parents were also concerned that E3 kids who are advanced won't take the 6th grade SOL in 5th grade like existing advanced math kids do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see anything that bans advanced math. It’s just a curriculum.

It doesn't. But parents report that implementation is happening such that there is no separate advanced math class. Any E3 parents here want to double-confirm or deny?

Parents were also concerned that E3 kids who are advanced won't take the 6th grade SOL in 5th grade like existing advanced math kids do.

There is no separate advanced math. I can confirm. My kid is allowed to do extra worksheets and/or Prodigy while he waits for their classmates. The Level III pullouts didn’t provide advanced math either.

[Anonymous]

Level III never provided Advanced Math, it is more critical thinking and creative problem solving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Level III never provided Advanced Math, it is more critical thinking and creative problem solving.

No, but most schools at least had an advanced math option even if they started it in 5th grade. It really screws some kids if that’s not offered. I’m sure the center schools aren’t doing this nonsense and will appreciate the influx of 5th graders whose parents aren’t interested in their kids being turned into de facto IAs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Level III never provided Advanced Math, it is more critical thinking and creative problem solving.

We were very misled when we arrived at FCPS. Advanced math started in 1st grade where we used to live (kids would get pulled out). I asked about this and was told about AAP and was told there was “advanced math”. I wish they were honest and said “we don’t have advanced math until 6th grade”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Level III never provided Advanced Math, it is more critical thinking and creative problem solving.

We were very misled when we arrived at FCPS. Advanced math started in 1st grade where we used to live (kids would get pulled out). I asked about this and was told about AAP and was told there was “advanced math”. I wish they were honest and said “we don’t have advanced math until 6th grade”.

?? AAP provides math acceleration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Level III never provided Advanced Math, it is more critical thinking and creative problem solving.

We were very misled when we arrived at FCPS. Advanced math started in 1st grade where we used to live (kids would get pulled out). I asked about this and was told about AAP and was told there was “advanced math”. I wish they were honest and said “we don’t have advanced math until 6th grade”.

Many schools start adv math in 3rd grade. There are some schools that don’t start till 5th.

[Anonymous]

More money for Fairfax Collegiate and the companies that sell math curriculum to parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Level III never provided Advanced Math, it is more critical thinking and creative problem solving.

We were very misled when we arrived at FCPS. Advanced math started in 1st grade where we used to live (kids would get pulled out). I asked about this and was told about AAP and was told there was “advanced math”. I wish they were honest and said “we don’t have advanced math until 6th grade”.

DS is in fourth grade and has a fifth grade math packet. He is in Advanced Math. His school started Advanced Math in third grade. AAP starts in third grade and the kids in AAP do Advanced Math.

Some schools don’t start Advanced Math until fifth grade but then those kids are going to be doing 6th grade math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see anything that bans advanced math. It’s just a curriculum.

It doesn't. But parents report that implementation is happening such that there is no separate advanced math class. Any E3 parents here want to double-confirm or deny?

Parents were also concerned that E3 kids who are advanced won't take the 6th grade SOL in 5th grade like existing advanced math kids do.

There is no separate advanced math. I can confirm. My kid is allowed to do extra worksheets and/or Prodigy while he waits for their classmates. The Level III pullouts didn’t provide advanced math either.

This new plan for county-wide E3 is really sad - especially for accelerated / advanced learners.