APS Duran School Performance Email - Is Long Branch a Failing School?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:So… upon review of VA’s math standards (elementary anyway), it’s pretty obvious that they just… aren’t that rigorous.

Purchase ANY decent math curriculum and consistently use it. Many of them surpass VA’s standards!

Then complain to the state. Get VA to align to common core. This isn’t an APS issue.

Huh? No need to complain to the state when many math programs DO cover (and exceed!) current standards. APS just needs to pick one and teachers need to actually use it.

Envision is crap, but there are many good options.

You should complain to the state because the state standards are not rigorous enough and the issue with unaligned curriculum would go aware if VA went to common core.

There's no rule against exceeding the state standard. That's a minimum.

It gets hard to match up when the local curriculum is different from the state's. And also there's the issue with curriculum literally not matching. There are tons that match common core. But there are some who want to undermine public ed and get vouchers so maybe that's just you instead of looking to the real source of the problem which is Youngkin.

APS not having math curriculum has nothing to do with Youngkin or vouchers. It was the situation before Youngkin and will be after Youngkin. It's an APS issue. Duran knows math test scores are falling across the district and across all demographics, as measured by MAP, SOL and NWEA scores. Yet he literally sent an email saying he was going to watch and wait. That's not okay.

State standards being different than than off the shelf curriculums has been an issue for ages. You can work with the publisher to get a special edition made or put together your own rubric to tell teachers how to match the curriculum to standards. But APS hasn't provided a solution for teachers and isn't even looking for a way to do so because they don't think falling test scores are a problem.

APS only got its act together and dropped Lucy Caulkins after there was nationwide uproar that compelled it to act. Parents need to speak up and tell Syphax to get off its duff and do its job. This isn't an unsolvable problem. APS administrators are just lazy and would prefer to talk more about DEI and make excuses instead of doing their jobs.

yes it's been an issue for ages but youngkin is gov and has been for 4 years and didnt' fix it

Youngkin pushed for more advanced math classes and harder SOL standards. That's something. We now have Math 6 Intensified, a very needed course, only because of Youngkin. I'm not a Republican but am very glad APS now offers that course. There was too big a gap between Math 6 and Pre-algebra, leaving many kids either bored or underwater.

Math 6 intensified wasn't because of Youngkin. Duran finally gave us more intensified classes in middle school. But you will never give him credit for that or anything else will you?

You are wrong. Math 6 Intensified was added over the summer, in a rush, in order to meet requirements in a new law passed by Youngkin's administration. APS was forced into it.

Math 6 intensified is not new this year. I don’t recall when it was added but kids were in it for at least the last 2 years, based on what my friends with older kids tell me. Math 6 advanced was added over the summer because the VA legislature passed a law last spring requiring all kids who score in the top X% of VA SOLs to be in an “advanced math” class. Math 6 intensified is a lot, 3 years in one, so math 6 advanced was created to be something between that and regular Math 6.

This is all incorrect. The class that is math 6-7-8 is called Pre-Algebra for 6th grade, not Math 6 Intensified. There was a new class added over the summer because of Youngkin 's new law. It fills be gap between Math 6 and Pre-algebra. It's absolutely new and a class APS resisted adding it for years until they were forced to do so by this new law.

The bill was sponsored by a DEM. It's not Youngkin's law.

Also the new law did not mandate Advanced Math 6.

You MAGAs lie, lie, lie

It was passed with bipartisan support and signed by Youngkin.

I'm not MAGA. Not even close to Republican, but a parent who is super frustrated that Dems spend all time time talking about equity instead of actually educating kids. That's how you improve lives: you make sure kids get a quality education. You don't dumb down standards to make things look more equal. Duran had years to add that class and it didn't happen until he was forced to do so.

You are not alone. I feel the same way

As someone with a 4th grader, I'm really excited that the law requires APS to offer advanced math for 5th graders next year. APS would never ever do that if they weren't being forced.

Now we just need APS to use a quality math curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So… upon review of VA’s math standards (elementary anyway), it’s pretty obvious that they just… aren’t that rigorous.

Purchase ANY decent math curriculum and consistently use it. Many of them surpass VA’s standards!

Then complain to the state. Get VA to align to common core. This isn’t an APS issue.

Huh? No need to complain to the state when many math programs DO cover (and exceed!) current standards. APS just needs to pick one and teachers need to actually use it.

Envision is crap, but there are many good options.

You should complain to the state because the state standards are not rigorous enough and the issue with unaligned curriculum would go aware if VA went to common core.

There's no rule against exceeding the state standard. That's a minimum.

It gets hard to match up when the local curriculum is different from the state's. And also there's the issue with curriculum literally not matching. There are tons that match common core. But there are some who want to undermine public ed and get vouchers so maybe that's just you instead of looking to the real source of the problem which is Youngkin.

APS not having math curriculum has nothing to do with Youngkin or vouchers. It was the situation before Youngkin and will be after Youngkin. It's an APS issue. Duran knows math test scores are falling across the district and across all demographics, as measured by MAP, SOL and NWEA scores. Yet he literally sent an email saying he was going to watch and wait. That's not okay.

State standards being different than than off the shelf curriculums has been an issue for ages. You can work with the publisher to get a special edition made or put together your own rubric to tell teachers how to match the curriculum to standards. But APS hasn't provided a solution for teachers and isn't even looking for a way to do so because they don't think falling test scores are a problem.

APS only got its act together and dropped Lucy Caulkins after there was nationwide uproar that compelled it to act. Parents need to speak up and tell Syphax to get off its duff and do its job. This isn't an unsolvable problem. APS administrators are just lazy and would prefer to talk more about DEI and make excuses instead of doing their jobs.

yes it's been an issue for ages but youngkin is gov and has been for 4 years and didnt' fix it

Youngkin pushed for more advanced math classes and harder SOL standards. That's something. We now have Math 6 Intensified, a very needed course, only because of Youngkin. I'm not a Republican but am very glad APS now offers that course. There was too big a gap between Math 6 and Pre-algebra, leaving many kids either bored or underwater.

Math 6 intensified wasn't because of Youngkin. Duran finally gave us more intensified classes in middle school. But you will never give him credit for that or anything else will you?

You are wrong. Math 6 Intensified was added over the summer, in a rush, in order to meet requirements in a new law passed by Youngkin's administration. APS was forced into it.

Math 6 intensified is not new this year. I don’t recall when it was added but kids were in it for at least the last 2 years, based on what my friends with older kids tell me. Math 6 advanced was added over the summer because the VA legislature passed a law last spring requiring all kids who score in the top X% of VA SOLs to be in an “advanced math” class. Math 6 intensified is a lot, 3 years in one, so math 6 advanced was created to be something between that and regular Math 6.

This is all incorrect. The class that is math 6-7-8 is called Pre-Algebra for 6th grade, not Math 6 Intensified. There was a new class added over the summer because of Youngkin 's new law. It fills be gap between Math 6 and Pre-algebra. It's absolutely new and a class APS resisted adding it for years until they were forced to do so by this new law.

The bill was sponsored by a DEM. It's not Youngkin's law.

Also the new law did not mandate Advanced Math 6.

You MAGAs lie, lie, lie

It was passed with bipartisan support and signed by Youngkin.

I'm not MAGA. Not even close to Republican, but a parent who is super frustrated that Dems spend all time time talking about equity instead of actually educating kids. That's how you improve lives: you make sure kids get a quality education. You don't dumb down standards to make things look more equal. Duran had years to add that class and it didn't happen until he was forced to do so.

You called it Youngkin's law. That's a lie. All he did was sign it. The law was sponsored by a DEM and passed with bipartisan support.

Also the law didn't mandate the new class either! You people just LIE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So… upon review of VA’s math standards (elementary anyway), it’s pretty obvious that they just… aren’t that rigorous.

Purchase ANY decent math curriculum and consistently use it. Many of them surpass VA’s standards!

Then complain to the state. Get VA to align to common core. This isn’t an APS issue.

Huh? No need to complain to the state when many math programs DO cover (and exceed!) current standards. APS just needs to pick one and teachers need to actually use it.

Envision is crap, but there are many good options.

You should complain to the state because the state standards are not rigorous enough and the issue with unaligned curriculum would go aware if VA went to common core.

There's no rule against exceeding the state standard. That's a minimum.

It gets hard to match up when the local curriculum is different from the state's. And also there's the issue with curriculum literally not matching. There are tons that match common core. But there are some who want to undermine public ed and get vouchers so maybe that's just you instead of looking to the real source of the problem which is Youngkin.

APS not having math curriculum has nothing to do with Youngkin or vouchers. It was the situation before Youngkin and will be after Youngkin. It's an APS issue. Duran knows math test scores are falling across the district and across all demographics, as measured by MAP, SOL and NWEA scores. Yet he literally sent an email saying he was going to watch and wait. That's not okay.

State standards being different than than off the shelf curriculums has been an issue for ages. You can work with the publisher to get a special edition made or put together your own rubric to tell teachers how to match the curriculum to standards. But APS hasn't provided a solution for teachers and isn't even looking for a way to do so because they don't think falling test scores are a problem.

APS only got its act together and dropped Lucy Caulkins after there was nationwide uproar that compelled it to act. Parents need to speak up and tell Syphax to get off its duff and do its job. This isn't an unsolvable problem. APS administrators are just lazy and would prefer to talk more about DEI and make excuses instead of doing their jobs.

yes it's been an issue for ages but youngkin is gov and has been for 4 years and didnt' fix it

Youngkin pushed for more advanced math classes and harder SOL standards. That's something. We now have Math 6 Intensified, a very needed course, only because of Youngkin. I'm not a Republican but am very glad APS now offers that course. There was too big a gap between Math 6 and Pre-algebra, leaving many kids either bored or underwater.

Math 6 intensified wasn't because of Youngkin. Duran finally gave us more intensified classes in middle school. But you will never give him credit for that or anything else will you?

You are wrong. Math 6 Intensified was added over the summer, in a rush, in order to meet requirements in a new law passed by Youngkin's administration. APS was forced into it.

Math 6 intensified is not new this year. I don’t recall when it was added but kids were in it for at least the last 2 years, based on what my friends with older kids tell me. Math 6 advanced was added over the summer because the VA legislature passed a law last spring requiring all kids who score in the top X% of VA SOLs to be in an “advanced math” class. Math 6 intensified is a lot, 3 years in one, so math 6 advanced was created to be something between that and regular Math 6.

This is all incorrect. The class that is math 6-7-8 is called Pre-Algebra for 6th grade, not Math 6 Intensified. There was a new class added over the summer because of Youngkin 's new law. It fills be gap between Math 6 and Pre-algebra. It's absolutely new and a class APS resisted adding it for years until they were forced to do so by this new law.

The bill was sponsored by a DEM. It's not Youngkin's law.

Also the new law did not mandate Advanced Math 6.

You MAGAs lie, lie, lie

It was passed with bipartisan support and signed by Youngkin.

I'm not MAGA. Not even close to Republican, but a parent who is super frustrated that Dems spend all time time talking about equity instead of actually educating kids. That's how you improve lives: you make sure kids get a quality education. You don't dumb down standards to make things look more equal. Duran had years to add that class and it didn't happen until he was forced to do so.

You are not alone. I feel the same way

As someone with a 4th grader, I'm really excited that the law requires APS to offer advanced math for 5th graders next year. APS would never ever do that if they weren't being forced.

Now we just need APS to use a quality math curriculum.

that is not what the law says!!! so much lying or ignorance.

[Anonymous]

This is classic MAGA tactics. They try to take credit for things the Dems did. Like the law that was sponsored by a DEM.

All on a thread that tries to bash Duran. They now say they are happy about something Duran did while lying and saying it was forced by the state law. When it wasn't. Read the actual law. Don't believe their lies.

[Anonymous]

Can someone please summarize or link to a summary about the 5th grade advanced math law?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is classic MAGA tactics. They try to take credit for things the Dems did. Like the law that was sponsored by a DEM.

All on a thread that tries to bash Duran. They now say they are happy about something Duran did while lying and saying it was forced by the state law. When it wasn't. Read the actual law. Don't believe their lies.

The notes from the Jan 20, 2025 Math Advisory Committee explicitly say that Math 6 Advanced was recommended in response to the new law. It’s in the very first yellow highlighted section. APS was not going to offer this class without the new law.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2025/05/Math-Advisory-Committee-Recommendation-2024-25-Updated-April-2025.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is classic MAGA tactics. They try to take credit for things the Dems did. Like the law that was sponsored by a DEM.

All on a thread that tries to bash Duran. They now say they are happy about something Duran did while lying and saying it was forced by the state law. When it wasn't. Read the actual law. Don't believe their lies.

The notes from the Jan 20, 2025 Math Advisory Committee explicitly say that Math 6 Advanced was recommended in response to the new law. It’s in the very first yellow highlighted section. APS was not going to offer this class without the new law.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2025/05/Math-Advisory-Committee-Recommendation-2024-25-Updated-April-2025.pdf

Read the law. The law does not require it. The math advisory committee is just a bunch of APE parents now. Hardly experts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please summarize or link to a summary about the 5th grade advanced math law?

there is no law that requires 5th (or 6th) grade advanced math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please summarize or link to a summary about the 5th grade advanced math law?

I think this is the law they are talking about but it does not mandate advanced math 6.
https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20251/HB2686

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is classic MAGA tactics. They try to take credit for things the Dems did. Like the law that was sponsored by a DEM.

All on a thread that tries to bash Duran. They now say they are happy about something Duran did while lying and saying it was forced by the state law. When it wasn't. Read the actual law. Don't believe their lies.

The notes from the Jan 20, 2025 Math Advisory Committee explicitly say that Math 6 Advanced was recommended in response to the new law. It’s in the very first yellow highlighted section. APS was not going to offer this class without the new law.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2025/05/Math-Advisory-Committee-Recommendation-2024-25-Updated-April-2025.pdf

Read the law. The law does not require it. The math advisory committee is just a bunch of APE parents now. Hardly experts.

Why are you such a troll? Here’s the discussion from the linked document. It very clearly lays out the requirements in the law and why a new course was created between math 6 and pre-algebra.

“ HB 2686 became state law this spring.1 It requires school districts to enroll all students
who score in the “top 25% in VA” on the 5th grade SOL into an advanced course in 6th grade.
MAC estimates, based on APS’s past SOL scores, that this will result in about 50% of APS’s 6th
graders being placed into an advanced course.
Currently APS offers two courses: Math 6 and 6th grade Prealgebra. Enrollment
recently has been split roughly 85% for Math 6 and 15% for Prealgebra. MAC does not believe
that the extra 35% of student that would be required by state law to be placed into an advanced
course would be successful in 6th grade Prealgebra. This provides APS with 3 options: (1)
Place the 35% of students into a course where they will struggle, (2) water down the course so
that the 35% can be successful but then the 15% are deprived of the course for their level and
neither set of students would be prepared to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade, or (3) create a third
course more suited to this 35% group of students. MAC strongly recommends this 3rd
option.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is classic MAGA tactics. They try to take credit for things the Dems did. Like the law that was sponsored by a DEM.

All on a thread that tries to bash Duran. They now say they are happy about something Duran did while lying and saying it was forced by the state law. When it wasn't. Read the actual law. Don't believe their lies.

Did you read the news links? The prior dem administration was trying to get rid of any advanced math until 11th and 12th grade for equity reasons. Youngkin was partially elected in response to that extremely stupid plan.

The law says that advanced math has to be offered to a certain percentage of students. Pre-algebra with no prior differentiation wouldn't have been a class kids could pass. So APS had to offer an appropriate advanced class. So no, the law doesn't specify a specific course name. But it did compel APS to offer advanced math to more 6th graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So… upon review of VA’s math standards (elementary anyway), it’s pretty obvious that they just… aren’t that rigorous.

Purchase ANY decent math curriculum and consistently use it. Many of them surpass VA’s standards!

Then complain to the state. Get VA to align to common core. This isn’t an APS issue.

Huh? No need to complain to the state when many math programs DO cover (and exceed!) current standards. APS just needs to pick one and teachers need to actually use it.

Envision is crap, but there are many good options.

You should complain to the state because the state standards are not rigorous enough and the issue with unaligned curriculum would go aware if VA went to common core.

There's no rule against exceeding the state standard. That's a minimum.

It gets hard to match up when the local curriculum is different from the state's. And also there's the issue with curriculum literally not matching. There are tons that match common core. But there are some who want to undermine public ed and get vouchers so maybe that's just you instead of looking to the real source of the problem which is Youngkin.

APS not having math curriculum has nothing to do with Youngkin or vouchers. It was the situation before Youngkin and will be after Youngkin. It's an APS issue. Duran knows math test scores are falling across the district and across all demographics, as measured by MAP, SOL and NWEA scores. Yet he literally sent an email saying he was going to watch and wait. That's not okay.

State standards being different than than off the shelf curriculums has been an issue for ages. You can work with the publisher to get a special edition made or put together your own rubric to tell teachers how to match the curriculum to standards. But APS hasn't provided a solution for teachers and isn't even looking for a way to do so because they don't think falling test scores are a problem.

APS only got its act together and dropped Lucy Caulkins after there was nationwide uproar that compelled it to act. Parents need to speak up and tell Syphax to get off its duff and do its job. This isn't an unsolvable problem. APS administrators are just lazy and would prefer to talk more about DEI and make excuses instead of doing their jobs.

yes it's been an issue for ages but youngkin is gov and has been for 4 years and didnt' fix it

Youngkin pushed for more advanced math classes and harder SOL standards. That's something. We now have Math 6 Intensified, a very needed course, only because of Youngkin. I'm not a Republican but am very glad APS now offers that course. There was too big a gap between Math 6 and Pre-algebra, leaving many kids either bored or underwater.

Math 6 intensified wasn't because of Youngkin. Duran finally gave us more intensified classes in middle school. But you will never give him credit for that or anything else will you?

You are wrong. Math 6 Intensified was added over the summer, in a rush, in order to meet requirements in a new law passed by Youngkin's administration. APS was forced into it.

Math 6 intensified is not new this year. I don’t recall when it was added but kids were in it for at least the last 2 years, based on what my friends with older kids tell me. Math 6 advanced was added over the summer because the VA legislature passed a law last spring requiring all kids who score in the top X% of VA SOLs to be in an “advanced math” class. Math 6 intensified is a lot, 3 years in one, so math 6 advanced was created to be something between that and regular Math 6.

This is all incorrect. The class that is math 6-7-8 is called Pre-Algebra for 6th grade, not Math 6 Intensified. There was a new class added over the summer because of Youngkin 's new law. It fills be gap between Math 6 and Pre-algebra. It's absolutely new and a class APS resisted adding it for years until they were forced to do so by this new law.

The bill was sponsored by a DEM. It's not Youngkin's law.

Also the new law did not mandate Advanced Math 6.

You MAGAs lie, lie, lie

It was passed with bipartisan support and signed by Youngkin.

I'm not MAGA. Not even close to Republican, but a parent who is super frustrated that Dems spend all time time talking about equity instead of actually educating kids. That's how you improve lives: you make sure kids get a quality education. You don't dumb down standards to make things look more equal. Duran had years to add that class and it didn't happen until he was forced to do so.

You called it Youngkin's law. That's a lie. All he did was sign it. The law was sponsored by a DEM and passed with bipartisan support.

Also the law didn't mandate the new class either! You people just LIE.

This is what the Dems were proposing and one of the reasons Youngkinwas elected: https://virginiamercury.com/2021/04/26/virginia-isnt-eliminating-accelerated-math-courses-but-its-one-of-many-states-rethinking-math-education/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please summarize or link to a summary about the 5th grade advanced math law?

there is no law that requires 5th (or 6th) grade advanced math.

From the summary of the law: "Requires each school board to develop and adopt a policy that sets forth the criteria for students in grades five through eight to be eligible to enroll in advanced or accelerated mathematics"

[Anonymous]

APS had an advanced math class already, pre-algebra. The law required kids scouting in the top 25% across the state to be in an advanced math class. APS could have pushed all those kids into pre-algebra, or mastered down that class to accommodate more kids. Instead. APS offered Math 6 Advanced so kids had more options. Pre-algebra in 6th is a tough course. Not all parents wanted that much for their kids. Arguably, not all kids were ready for that.

Saying the law is the only reason APS offers any advance math is wrong because APS offered pre-algebra previously. APS wasn’t required to add Math 6 advanced. They offered it to provide more differentiation.

[Anonymous]

Apologies for “autocorrect “ errors above. Should be “watered down” not “mastered down”.