Achievement Gap in MoCo

[Anonymous]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/in-montgomery-schools-achievement-gap-widens-in-some-areas-drawing-criticism/2013/03/12/0d253d1c-8b37-11e2-9f54-f3fdd70acad2_story.html?hpid=z14

So annoying that Valerie Ervin seems to be blaming the "achievement gap" on MCPS. What about talking about the responsibility of parents for a change and getting rid of all these racial categories for measuring performance?

I predict this will lead to more money being spent on studies and yet more efforts to dumb down the curriculum so that MCPS can claim that it has "narrowed the gap." Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Actually dumb down is going to make it worse. My son is 4. I have already decided that I need to instruct him on math myself at home because of all the bad things you hear here on math education. He is going to be fine. But the poor kids' parents may not be as math savvy as I am. And they are not going to be fine.

If they really want to help the poor kids, they need to provide more direct instruction at their level and not evaluate them on these 21st century skills and be surprised that they cannot do math or read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually dumb down is going to make it worse. My son is 4. I have already decided that I need to instruct him on math myself at home because of all the bad things you hear here on math education. He is going to be fine. But the poor kids' parents may not be as math savvy as I am. And they are not going to be fine.

If they really want to help the poor kids, they need to provide more direct instruction at their level and not evaluate them on these 21st century skills and be surprised that they cannot do math or read.

Actually, dumbing down is one way of solving the achievement gap. If you make a test so easy that 100% of students pass, presto! No gap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually dumb down is going to make it worse. My son is 4. I have already decided that I need to instruct him on math myself at home because of all the bad things you hear here on math education. He is going to be fine. But the poor kids' parents may not be as math savvy as I am. And they are not going to be fine.

If they really want to help the poor kids, they need to provide more direct instruction at their level and not evaluate them on these 21st century skills and be surprised that they cannot do math or read.

Actually, dumbing down is one way of solving the achievement gap. If you make a test so easy that 100% of students pass, presto! No gap.

True. Except SAT and ACT is still not dumb enough. The state test is almost there. Maybe one day SAT and ACT will also be dumb?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually dumb down is going to make it worse. My son is 4. I have already decided that I need to instruct him on math myself at home because of all the bad things you hear here on math education. He is going to be fine. But the poor kids' parents may not be as math savvy as I am. And they are not going to be fine.

If they really want to help the poor kids, they need to provide more direct instruction at their level and not evaluate them on these 21st century skills and be surprised that they cannot do math or read.

If your son is 4yo he hasn't even been near an MCPS classroom yet. So why don't you wait and pass judgment on the curriculum after you've actually seen it or god forbid experienced it first-hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually dumb down is going to make it worse. My son is 4. I have already decided that I need to instruct him on math myself at home because of all the bad things you hear here on math education. He is going to be fine. But the poor kids' parents may not be as math savvy as I am. And they are not going to be fine.

If they really want to help the poor kids, they need to provide more direct instruction at their level and not evaluate them on these 21st century skills and be surprised that they cannot do math or read.

Actually, dumbing down is one way of solving the achievement gap. If you make a test so easy that 100% of students pass, presto! No gap.

True. Except SAT and ACT is still not dumb enough. The state test is almost there. Maybe one day SAT and ACT will also be dumb?

One doesn't have to get all the way to 100%. Slightly watering down standards over time should show progress in reducing the gap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually dumb down is going to make it worse. My son is 4. I have already decided that I need to instruct him on math myself at home because of all the bad things you hear here on math education. He is going to be fine. But the poor kids' parents may not be as math savvy as I am. And they are not going to be fine.

If they really want to help the poor kids, they need to provide more direct instruction at their level and not evaluate them on these 21st century skills and be surprised that they cannot do math or read.

If your son is 4yo he hasn't even been near an MCPS classroom yet. So why don't you wait and pass judgment on the curriculum after you've actually seen it or god forbid experienced it first-hand.

Because that would be too logical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually dumb down is going to make it worse. My son is 4. I have already decided that I need to instruct him on math myself at home because of all the bad things you hear here on math education. He is going to be fine. But the poor kids' parents may not be as math savvy as I am. And they are not going to be fine.

If they really want to help the poor kids, they need to provide more direct instruction at their level and not evaluate them on these 21st century skills and be surprised that they cannot do math or read.

If your son is 4yo he hasn't even been near an MCPS classroom yet. So why don't you wait and pass judgment on the curriculum after you've actually seen it or god forbid experienced it first-hand.

I'm not the PP, but I also have a 4 yo and will definitely be supplementing in math at home for her.

You're right, we haven't been in an MCPS classroom yet, but I do talk to my neighbors often, and have gotten a pretty good sense of their frustrations. So, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. But, either way, I'll be helping my kid out at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually dumb down is going to make it worse. My son is 4. I have already decided that I need to instruct him on math myself at home because of all the bad things you hear here on math education. He is going to be fine. But the poor kids' parents may not be as math savvy as I am. And they are not going to be fine.

If they really want to help the poor kids, they need to provide more direct instruction at their level and not evaluate them on these 21st century skills and be surprised that they cannot do math or read.

If your son is 4yo he hasn't even been near an MCPS classroom yet. So why don't you wait and pass judgment on the curriculum after you've actually seen it or god forbid experienced it first-hand.

I'm not the PP, but I also have a 4 yo and will definitely be supplementing in math at home for her.

You're right, we haven't been in an MCPS classroom yet, but I do talk to my neighbors often, and have gotten a pretty good sense of their frustrations. So, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. But, either way, I'll be helping my kid out at home.

Yes, we haven't been in school yet. But I have read so much about Math education in the last few month, my decision is neither premature nor illogical. The truth is I probably will supplement Math wherever he attends. That is how bad I think the math education in the country is in general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually dumb down is going to make it worse. My son is 4. I have already decided that I need to instruct him on math myself at home because of all the bad things you hear here on math education. He is going to be fine. But the poor kids' parents may not be as math savvy as I am. And they are not going to be fine.

If they really want to help the poor kids, they need to provide more direct instruction at their level and not evaluate them on these 21st century skills and be surprised that they cannot do math or read.

If your son is 4yo he hasn't even been near an MCPS classroom yet. So why don't you wait and pass judgment on the curriculum after you've actually seen it or god forbid experienced it first-hand.

I'm not the PP, but I also have a 4 yo and will definitely be supplementing in math at home for her.

You're right, we haven't been in an MCPS classroom yet, but I do talk to my neighbors often, and have gotten a pretty good sense of their frustrations. So, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. But, either way, I'll be helping my kid out at home.

Yes, we haven't been in school yet. But I have read so much about Math education in the last few month, my decision is neither premature nor illogical. The truth is I probably will supplement Math wherever he attends. That is how bad I think the math education in the country is in general.

I fully agree with you, PP.

How are you going to supplement? Can you recommend textbooks/sources?

[Anonymous]

I'm 14:21 with the 4 yo. For now, we do about 10 minutes of math a night. Workbooks (Kumon or Evan Moor). Really, really basic stuff. Writing numbers, counting, simple addition.

We have a Number Chart hanging up. We play Math Games - Leapfrog has a Math Rummy game that DD enjoys. We count EVERYTHING. Cheerios, cookies, jelly beans. Do a lot of 'I have 3 jelly beans, and you have 5! Who has more? What if we combines them?'

Really basic things, but I want to get her to not be afraid of math and as she gets older, keep her in the habit of doing 10-15 mins of math practicing daily.

(sure I'll be flamed here, but I agree that math instruction in this country doesn't seem to be so great)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So annoying that Valerie Ervin seems to be blaming the "achievement gap" on MCPS. What about talking about the responsibility of parents for a change and getting rid of all these racial categories for measuring performance?

Agree with this. If the parents don't care, there is no way to close this 'achievement gap'. Crazy if they continue to spend more money on this.

[Anonymous]

I am 14:40. I am not doing anything just yet. But I think that we will get the Singapore primary textbook and just do that at home when he starts K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So annoying that Valerie Ervin seems to be blaming the "achievement gap" on MCPS. What about talking about the responsibility of parents for a change and getting rid of all these racial categories for measuring performance?

Agree with this. If the parents don't care, there is no way to close this 'achievement gap'. Crazy if they continue to spend more money on this.

It's very rarely because parents don't care. It's usually because they don't have the time and/or resources to help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So annoying that Valerie Ervin seems to be blaming the "achievement gap" on MCPS. What about talking about the responsibility of parents for a change and getting rid of all these racial categories for measuring performance?

Agree with this. If the parents don't care, there is no way to close this 'achievement gap'. Crazy if they continue to spend more money on this.

It's very rarely because parents don't care. It's usually because they don't have the time and/or resources to help.

Agree. That is why dumbing down curriculum is misguided. The kids who really need help should get them at school. That means direct explicit instruction of reading and math at their level and lots of drills. Kids from high SES family may survive the reform math instruction but the low achieving kids need a more direct approach.