VMPI-ways to speak out

[Anonymous]

Here is an e-mail to send to people to raise awareness.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/615/959398.page#19810196

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child struggles in math and should not be in the same class as others who don’t.

Agree. This will be incredibly demoralizing and frustrating for mine. And she already has academic self esteem issues. She struggles now because the smarties blurt out the answer (even if the teacher says to wait) while she is still processing. She could probably get the answer with 10 more seconds but nope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you.

This is a serious issue for all students in Virginia.

Eliminating all levels in math through 10th grade, with no students allowed to take anything higher than Algebra 2 in 11th grade (usually taken in 9th or 10th in fcps and other NOVA districts) essentially eliminates calculus for all students.

This proposal is a travesty.

Virginia is trying to slip if through while everyone is focusing on closed schools.

They are hoping parents of elementary and middle school students don't notice what they are doing until it is too late.

I cannot believe the local and national media is not all over this.

It is an unexceptable dumbing down of Virginia's math curriculum.

Parents everywhere should be outraged.

Go to the va.gov site to see what they are proposing.

The VA department of education is putting a place that will make math education in Virginia among the worst in the country.

I don't see the problem. This was how my state was growing up (Ohio). No one took Alg 2 prior to 11th grade. Every student who wanted it went on to college. Kids who wanted more of a challenge did so in clubs and their own time (college classes).

Very few kids are truly gifted to the point they need to be on an accelerated track. That's my anecdotal observation. But, also, the observations of AAP teacher friends.

I disagree. Americans are so behind other countries in math education. Also, I took Algebra 2 in 10th grade and I am an average math student.

[Anonymous]

I a, a democrat, a HS teacher, and I am pro-tracking. You can always move kids up or down a level, but teaching the same curriculum to students at different stages of learning and intellectual development is pretty near impossible and always ends up shortchanging the advanced kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I a, a democrat, a HS teacher, and I am pro-tracking. You can always move kids up or down a level, but teaching the same curriculum to students at different stages of learning and intellectual development is pretty near impossible and always ends up shortchanging the advanced kids.

It shortchanges the behind kids even more than the smart kids

(Pro tracking Mom of a profoundly gifted kid and a slower yet bright kid with learning disabilities.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

VA dems want to bring math education standards to a remedial level and to among the lowest in the country, not to mention the world.

Stop politicizing math.

This is a broad reform that is nationally in response to the over-acceleration of math in recent decades. AP calculus is a reasonable option for 12th graders with STEM interests.

VA department of education is run and staffed by dems. This is a dem proposal as part of a long term goal of equity (the number 1 priority listed on the dept of educations slides and information.

You and your dem friends might be pro education, but your leaders are not.

Find new leaders please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

VA dems want to bring math education standards to a remedial level and to among the lowest in the country, not to mention the world.

Stop politicizing math.

This is a broad reform that is nationally in response to the over-acceleration of math in recent decades. AP calculus is a reasonable option for 12th graders with STEM interests.

VA department of education is run and staffed by dems. This is a dem proposal as part of a long term goal of equity (the number 1 priority listed on the dept of educations slides and information.

You and your dem friends might be pro education, but your leaders are not.

Find new leaders please.

Is there a middle of the road option? Republicans tend to gut public education and push for privatization which I don’t want. But I’m really hating all the social warriors who are demolishing options and realistic solutions in the name of “equity.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Is there a middle of the road option? Republicans tend to gut public education and push for privatization which I don’t want. But I’m really hating all the social warriors who are demolishing options and realistic solutions in the name of “equity.”

Yeah - I feel like there's a couple things that could be pulled from VMPI that could be really beneficial:
-Offer new math options for 11th/12th grade; those who don't want to take calc (or want to take something in addition) get some options
-Focus on teaching methods that help students internalize concepts over rote memorization, especially in younger grades.
-Focus on communicating to students why this math matters in the real world.

And at the same time:
-Keep ability grouping/accelerated/honors math courses as options. There are a ton of kids in VA who take advantage of these and do well, so it's not like it's too few kids to be worth serving.
-Allow open enrollment in those accelerated/honors courses, or ability to test-in. Kids shouldn't be kept out if they want to try (teacher unconcious bias can impact racial minorities if teachers are gatekeepers on these courses.) But at the same time, the teaching pace shouldn't be slowed, and kids should be allowed to fail if they can't keep pace.
-Offer after-school tutoring and transportation for kids who either need more instruction or would like to cover additional content (so they can hop on to an accelerated track if they're a late bloomer.)
-Offer free summer school options for students in math topics for any reason (not just the kids who failed - the kids who would like to catch up/hop on to an accelerated tracks.)
-Provide a path to calc that is at least as rigorous as what kids have now (instead of, you must repeat topics over and over again in grade school, but you somehow have to learn all of Alg 2 and all of Trig and all of precalc in one year.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you.

This is a serious issue for all students in Virginia.

Eliminating all levels in math through 10th grade, with no students allowed to take anything higher than Algebra 2 in 11th grade (usually taken in 9th or 10th in fcps and other NOVA districts) essentially eliminates calculus for all students.

This proposal is a travesty.

Virginia is trying to slip if through while everyone is focusing on closed schools.

They are hoping parents of elementary and middle school students don't notice what they are doing until it is too late.

I cannot believe the local and national media is not all over this.

It is an unexceptable dumbing down of Virginia's math curriculum.

Parents everywhere should be outraged.

Go to the va.gov site to see what they are proposing.

The VA department of education is putting a place that will make math education in Virginia among the worst in the country.

I don't see the problem. This was how my state was growing up (Ohio). No one took Alg 2 prior to 11th grade. Every student who wanted it went on to college. Kids who wanted more of a challenge did so in clubs and their own time (college classes).

Very few kids are truly gifted to the point they need to be on an accelerated track. That's my anecdotal observation. But, also, the observations of AAP teacher friends.

If they're on an accelerated track and they're getting at least a B, I'd vote that whether they strictly *need* it or not, they're at an appropriate pace, and providing them less challenging/rigorous course material is a disservice. How many students are taking accelerated math in VA (Algebra 1 before high school)? A crapton. How many are doing well in their math classes? Anecdotally, I'd also say, a large majority of the accelerated kids. (I think Loudoun has numbers to back that up somewhere - the accelerated kids all generally do well in their math classes.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is there a middle of the road option? Republicans tend to gut public education and push for privatization which I don’t want. But I’m really hating all the social warriors who are demolishing options and realistic solutions in the name of “equity.”

Yeah - I feel like there's a couple things that could be pulled from VMPI that could be really beneficial:
-Offer new math options for 11th/12th grade; those who don't want to take calc (or want to take something in addition) get some options
-Focus on teaching methods that help students internalize concepts over rote memorization, especially in younger grades.
-Focus on communicating to students why this math matters in the real world.

And at the same time:
-Keep ability grouping/accelerated/honors math courses as options. There are a ton of kids in VA who take advantage of these and do well, so it's not like it's too few kids to be worth serving.
-Allow open enrollment in those accelerated/honors courses, or ability to test-in. Kids shouldn't be kept out if they want to try (teacher unconcious bias can impact racial minorities if teachers are gatekeepers on these courses.) But at the same time, the teaching pace shouldn't be slowed, and kids should be allowed to fail if they can't keep pace.
-Offer after-school tutoring and transportation for kids who either need more instruction or would like to cover additional content (so they can hop on to an accelerated track if they're a late bloomer.)
-Offer free summer school options for students in math topics for any reason (not just the kids who failed - the kids who would like to catch up/hop on to an accelerated tracks.)
-Provide a path to calc that is at least as rigorous as what kids have now (instead of, you must repeat topics over and over again in grade school, but you somehow have to learn all of Alg 2 and all of Trig and all of precalc in one year.)

Almost all of this is currently done. I think rote memorization is repeated too much, but beyond basic arithmetic- multiplication tables, etc, this doesn't happen much. Doing math problems and repeating them is a great way to learn.

[Anonymous]

I dont understand something ....if you know Democrats are going to lower standards continuously why do you keep voting them into office Virginia???? Creating "equity" is code for lowering standards. This is a fact not an opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dont understand something ....if you know Democrats are going to lower standards continuously why do you keep voting them into office Virginia???? Creating "equity" is code for lowering standards. This is a fact not an opinion.

But it's not with the new diploma proposal. Instead they are eliminating the weak standard diploma that let schools off the hook for not expecting students (particularly Black, Hispanic, and Special Ed) to take all core subjects for all four years. Certainly it will be a challenge to get some to pass all the classes they need but it will show up in graduation rates if they fail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dont understand something ....if you know Democrats are going to lower standards continuously why do you keep voting them into office Virginia???? Creating "equity" is code for lowering standards. This is a fact not an opinion.

You heard it here first folks. FACT. Not opinion. Says internet message board person.

The only other major party has been completely taken over by the lowest of the low- conspiracy loonies and white supremacists. So yeah there is that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont understand something ....if you know Democrats are going to lower standards continuously why do you keep voting them into office Virginia???? Creating "equity" is code for lowering standards. This is a fact not an opinion.

You heard it here first folks. FACT. Not opinion. Says internet message board person.

The only other major party has been completely taken over by the lowest of the low- conspiracy loonies and white supremacists. So yeah there is that.

They are dumb AF - what do you expect?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont understand something ....if you know Democrats are going to lower standards continuously why do you keep voting them into office Virginia???? Creating "equity" is code for lowering standards. This is a fact not an opinion.

But it's not with the new diploma proposal. Instead they are eliminating the weak standard diploma that let schools off the hook for not expecting students (particularly Black, Hispanic, and Special Ed) to take all core subjects for all four years. Certainly it will be a challenge to get some to pass all the classes they need but it will show up in graduation rates if they fail.

They are eliminating the advanced diploma, which has more core class requirements and 3 years of a foreign language.

They are NOT bringing up the standard diploma to require all students to take the foreign language.

One one thing the dem VA dept of education did very recently, in the past 2 years, is to require all higg school students to take sequential electives.

They must take a beginner class, then level 2.

So if a kid is qualified for advanced orchestra as a freshman, they must take the lower level for one year before they can do the level they are qualified to do, in order to fulfill the state requirement of sequential electives.

The same goes in reverse. If you have a kid who just loves choir, but sings like a toad, they can no linger just enjoy singing by taking beginning chorus. It won't fulfill their sequential electives graduation requirements. They cannot just stay in the beginning choir for 4 years doing something they love. Either the teacher has to promote them to something they are unqualified for, or they need to find another elective they might not find as enriching, so they can check off the sequential elective box.

Or

If you have a high school kid with a variety of interests who is exploring where their strengths lie, they can no longer explore a variety of electives.

For example, I was a dabbler in high school. I took a different kind of elective every year and had an enriching experience exploring different things. I did theater, drawing, pottery, typing, choir (same beginning level both years) sewing and some business class. I dabbled and was a better student for having the opportunity to explore different things.

The sequential elective requirement decreed by this VA department of education has eliminated one of the most beneficial and enriching parts of the high school experience.

The VA department of education in recent years has been run by a bunch of anti education idiots.