APS Math & Reading Inventories- pandemic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course kids are learning way less this year. Teachers are cutting 1/3-1/2 the curriculum and there are way fewer instructional hours. The situation is even worse than we can see because there is very lenient grading and rampant cheating going on. Our kids are SO behind their counterparts at private schools and public schools that are open. And, not only that, but the school day will still be significantly reduced even when they are in-person because "equity" - can't have regular school hours in-person if virtual kids aren't getting the same! The equity mission at APS is out of hand. Everyone needs to be reaching out to APS and school board and tell them to end this nonsense. We need regular hours at school, put more kids on busses to make logistics easier, move to 3 feet distancing for elementary. And, most importantly, pay attention to school board elections and stop blindly voting for whoever the ACDC endorses. I hope they find a good candidate, but they have a very bad track record.

Citation? Or let me guess...you pulled that from your a$$?

What do you think is going to happen when they cut instruction time by so much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kid is scoring way above grade level on these inventories in the fall, nothing taught in MS is going to increase it by much. Or at all. My kids always scored two or more years ahead. It would vary over the course of the year, up and down. Pre pandemic. If your kid comes into sixth grade over 1000 on math inventory, nothing they are teaching in math 6 extended is going to move him much. He’s already way ahead. And for reading, the decrease probably reflects that your kid is doing less independent reading than over the summer. The APS reading course or English 7 isn’t going to move the readings score of a high achieving kid. That’s pretty pandemic truth.

My kid's high reading score did increase, but she also is still reading as much as she did over the summer. Maybe even more over these cold months. Also, her English 7 teacher isn't as lax about grading as other teachers so she does take that one a little more seriously.

I think a lot depends on teachers - the 7th grade teachers have been great. Better than the pre-pandemic 6th grade teachers. Plus, there was practically zero new content in pre-pandemic 6th grade so it's tough to compare the years.

I agree with this. I guess my point is that mild declines in already high scores are not a sign of DL failure. These inventories do go up (and my kids did over grades 6-8) but they are really only a measure of the schools “failure” if the kid doesn’t progress with grade level material. They are useful for math placement and identifying need for interventions. That’s about it.

You are in complete and utter denial if you do not think DL for an ENTIRE year and going to a 4-day school week where the teacher only lectures a small portion of the class time has not had a negative effect.

"Negative"? I don't think that is universally true. I think many kids aren't learning quite as much as if it were in-person school, but most kids aren't declining / net negative. At least the ones who are actually attending class. The kids who don't join at all certainly will decline.

And quite frankly even in a regular year there are a wide range of experiences with how much kids learn and outcomes.

But vaccines are here. Kids are going back. Your kid will be OK. He is still a high reading level and better off than the many kids who will never get to that level, pandemic or not.

DP. Not learning as much as kids in sane grade last year is a “negative effect”. Yes- that applies across the board. It’s tiresome to repeatedly hear that the lower standard is fine, acceptable. They didn’t even introduce anything new after March last year so as not to disadvantage certain kids. Sink to the lowest denominator -APS way.

Yes, a lower standard is OK this year. There is a global pandemic FFS.

So, I am one of the PPs. My kid's inventory scores dipped, but I don't care about that. However, his grades also took a significant nosedive, and when I asked his guidance counselor whether there was any discussion/coordination around "a lower standard," I was told no. Actually she kind of chuckled at the question. So, my kid (who is by most of these metrics above-average) might wind up taking a seat in an APS summer school program that really should go to kids who have historically struggled and are doing even worse this year. APS is a train wreck on these issues, even pre-pandemic. The stories I have heard about kids with IEPs and the alleged "interventions" they're getting make my head spin. I believe my kid will be okay in the long term. But this last year has shown me what APS really is--a system that has a reputation for great schools that is largely made up of kids whose parents are wealthy and highly educated. Meaning their kids could live in a cave for a decade and wind up going to college because the parents have the resources to make that happen. Meanwhile, for kids who are genuinely struggling for any number of reasons, APS is just a disaster. In my opinion, you have to be pretty bad to have to pay the DOJ $25 million to settle on your poor treatment of kids and families who don't speak English. But no one in N. Arlington cares about that.

Yeah. You have to love APS parents. Oh my little genius didn't dip at all...and then they let slip the kid has been privately tutored since last March. BWWAHHHHHHH!!!! That really doesn't show what the school system is doing, you know, when the majority of teaching/learning is supplemented outside of the school by the parents. FFS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course kids are learning way less this year. Teachers are cutting 1/3-1/2 the curriculum and there are way fewer instructional hours. The situation is even worse than we can see because there is very lenient grading and rampant cheating going on. Our kids are SO behind their counterparts at private schools and public schools that are open. And, not only that, but the school day will still be significantly reduced even when they are in-person because "equity" - can't have regular school hours in-person if virtual kids aren't getting the same! The equity mission at APS is out of hand. Everyone needs to be reaching out to APS and school board and tell them to end this nonsense. We need regular hours at school, put more kids on busses to make logistics easier, move to 3 feet distancing for elementary. And, most importantly, pay attention to school board elections and stop blindly voting for whoever the ACDC endorses. I hope they find a good candidate, but they have a very bad track record.

That’s right. My kids aren’t going to be shorted a minute of instruction just because you’re fine with yours eating lunch with 100 unmasked kids. Any believe me, I’ll be regularly communicating with whoever I need to ensure that “equity.” And there’s lots of us. And the administration listens to us a lot more than the APE screamers. You’re welcome!

My relatives' kids in Connecticut public school have been back full-time (eating lunch with 100s of unmasked children) and everything has been fine in that school system. My older ones in private schools have been hybrid since September. Again, everything is perfectly fine.

Vaccinate the teachers and DONE. Nobody under the age of 18 has died from Covid in my County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sister is an APS teacher. If your kids went down, be happy they probably aren't cheating. There is rampant cheating going on. DL is just a disaster for learning and your kids are not alone. There's an APE graphic going around about the dramatic increase in failing grades for middle school.

Uh huh. Which is it? Are they failing or are they cheating?

Most kids are not doing well unless they have outside support (tutors, etc). This is reflected in the grades. I think it’s even worse because there is rampant cheating happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course kids are learning way less this year. Teachers are cutting 1/3-1/2 the curriculum and there are way fewer instructional hours. The situation is even worse than we can see because there is very lenient grading and rampant cheating going on. Our kids are SO behind their counterparts at private schools and public schools that are open. And, not only that, but the school day will still be significantly reduced even when they are in-person because "equity" - can't have regular school hours in-person if virtual kids aren't getting the same! The equity mission at APS is out of hand. Everyone needs to be reaching out to APS and school board and tell them to end this nonsense. We need regular hours at school, put more kids on busses to make logistics easier, move to 3 feet distancing for elementary. And, most importantly, pay attention to school board elections and stop blindly voting for whoever the ACDC endorses. I hope they find a good candidate, but they have a very bad track record.

That’s right. My kids aren’t going to be shorted a minute of instruction just because you’re fine with yours eating lunch with 100 unmasked kids. Any believe me, I’ll be regularly communicating with whoever I need to ensure that “equity.” And there’s lots of us. And the administration listens to us a lot more than the APE screamers. You’re welcome!

Lol. Your poor kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sister is an APS teacher. If your kids went down, be happy they probably aren't cheating. There is rampant cheating going on. DL is just a disaster for learning and your kids are not alone. There's an APE graphic going around about the dramatic increase in failing grades for middle school.

Uh huh. Which is it? Are they failing or are they cheating?

Most kids are not doing well unless they have outside support (tutors, etc). This is reflected in the grades. I think it’s even worse because there is rampant cheating happening.

Two middle schoolers doing just fine without tutors. They will do even better when they can resume in person 5 day a week school. In the fall. I hope. But they are doing fine. I never had tutors and I don’t plan on getting them for my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course kids are learning way less this year. Teachers are cutting 1/3-1/2 the curriculum and there are way fewer instructional hours. The situation is even worse than we can see because there is very lenient grading and rampant cheating going on. Our kids are SO behind their counterparts at private schools and public schools that are open. And, not only that, but the school day will still be significantly reduced even when they are in-person because "equity" - can't have regular school hours in-person if virtual kids aren't getting the same! The equity mission at APS is out of hand. Everyone needs to be reaching out to APS and school board and tell them to end this nonsense. We need regular hours at school, put more kids on busses to make logistics easier, move to 3 feet distancing for elementary. And, most importantly, pay attention to school board elections and stop blindly voting for whoever the ACDC endorses. I hope they find a good candidate, but they have a very bad track record.

That’s right. My kids aren’t going to be shorted a minute of instruction just because you’re fine with yours eating lunch with 100 unmasked kids. Any believe me, I’ll be regularly communicating with whoever I need to ensure that “equity.” And there’s lots of us. And the administration listens to us a lot more than the APE screamers. You’re welcome!

My relatives' kids in Connecticut public school have been back full-time (eating lunch with 100s of unmasked children) and everything has been fine in that school system. My older ones in private schools have been hybrid since September. Again, everything is perfectly fine.

Vaccinate the teachers and DONE. Nobody under the age of 18 has died from Covid in my County.

Glad you’re willing to bear that risk. Not many people in this country are recommending indoor dining. So I think you may be the outlier here. You and the APE crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sister is an APS teacher. If your kids went down, be happy they probably aren't cheating. There is rampant cheating going on. DL is just a disaster for learning and your kids are not alone. There's an APE graphic going around about the dramatic increase in failing grades for middle school.

Uh huh. Which is it? Are they failing or are they cheating?

Most kids are not doing well unless they have outside support (tutors, etc). This is reflected in the grades. I think it’s even worse because there is rampant cheating happening.

There is absolutely cheating happening. How could there not be? I have HS kids and it's common knowledge. Grades are a joke this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course kids are learning way less this year. Teachers are cutting 1/3-1/2 the curriculum and there are way fewer instructional hours. The situation is even worse than we can see because there is very lenient grading and rampant cheating going on. Our kids are SO behind their counterparts at private schools and public schools that are open. And, not only that, but the school day will still be significantly reduced even when they are in-person because "equity" - can't have regular school hours in-person if virtual kids aren't getting the same! The equity mission at APS is out of hand. Everyone needs to be reaching out to APS and school board and tell them to end this nonsense. We need regular hours at school, put more kids on busses to make logistics easier, move to 3 feet distancing for elementary. And, most importantly, pay attention to school board elections and stop blindly voting for whoever the ACDC endorses. I hope they find a good candidate, but they have a very bad track record.

That’s right. My kids aren’t going to be shorted a minute of instruction just because you’re fine with yours eating lunch with 100 unmasked kids. Any believe me, I’ll be regularly communicating with whoever I need to ensure that “equity.” And there’s lots of us. And the administration listens to us a lot more than the APE screamers. You’re welcome!

My relatives' kids in Connecticut public school have been back full-time (eating lunch with 100s of unmasked children) and everything has been fine in that school system. My older ones in private schools have been hybrid since September. Again, everything is perfectly fine.

Vaccinate the teachers and DONE. Nobody under the age of 18 has died from Covid in my County.

Glad you’re willing to bear that risk. Not many people in this country are recommending indoor dining. So I think you may be the outlier here. You and the APE crowd.

Not the outlier. I think you'd be surprised if you talk to people in real life. Perhaps get off AEM for a while.

You're free to keep your kid home if you don't want lunch inside. No one is forcing you back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course kids are learning way less this year. Teachers are cutting 1/3-1/2 the curriculum and there are way fewer instructional hours. The situation is even worse than we can see because there is very lenient grading and rampant cheating going on. Our kids are SO behind their counterparts at private schools and public schools that are open. And, not only that, but the school day will still be significantly reduced even when they are in-person because "equity" - can't have regular school hours in-person if virtual kids aren't getting the same! The equity mission at APS is out of hand. Everyone needs to be reaching out to APS and school board and tell them to end this nonsense. We need regular hours at school, put more kids on busses to make logistics easier, move to 3 feet distancing for elementary. And, most importantly, pay attention to school board elections and stop blindly voting for whoever the ACDC endorses. I hope they find a good candidate, but they have a very bad track record.

Citation? Or let me guess...you pulled that from your a$$?

What do you think is going to happen when they cut instruction time by so much?

20% <> 50%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course kids are learning way less this year. Teachers are cutting 1/3-1/2 the curriculum and there are way fewer instructional hours. The situation is even worse than we can see because there is very lenient grading and rampant cheating going on. Our kids are SO behind their counterparts at private schools and public schools that are open. And, not only that, but the school day will still be significantly reduced even when they are in-person because "equity" - can't have regular school hours in-person if virtual kids aren't getting the same! The equity mission at APS is out of hand. Everyone needs to be reaching out to APS and school board and tell them to end this nonsense. We need regular hours at school, put more kids on busses to make logistics easier, move to 3 feet distancing for elementary. And, most importantly, pay attention to school board elections and stop blindly voting for whoever the ACDC endorses. I hope they find a good candidate, but they have a very bad track record.

That’s right. My kids aren’t going to be shorted a minute of instruction just because you’re fine with yours eating lunch with 100 unmasked kids. Any believe me, I’ll be regularly communicating with whoever I need to ensure that “equity.” And there’s lots of us. And the administration listens to us a lot more than the APE screamers. You’re welcome!

My relatives' kids in Connecticut public school have been back full-time (eating lunch with 100s of unmasked children) and everything has been fine in that school system. My older ones in private schools have been hybrid since September. Again, everything is perfectly fine.

Vaccinate the teachers and DONE. Nobody under the age of 18 has died from Covid in my County.

Are all of the schools open in your county?

(and why are you posting on APS thread?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sister is an APS teacher. If your kids went down, be happy they probably aren't cheating. There is rampant cheating going on. DL is just a disaster for learning and your kids are not alone. There's an APE graphic going around about the dramatic increase in failing grades for middle school.

Uh huh. Which is it? Are they failing or are they cheating?

Most kids are not doing well unless they have outside support (tutors, etc). This is reflected in the grades. I think it’s even worse because there is rampant cheating happening.

Two middle schoolers doing just fine without tutors. They will do even better when they can resume in person 5 day a week school. In the fall. I hope. But they are doing fine. I never had tutors and I don’t plan on getting them for my kids.

+1

Most kids we know in ES and MS have been fine - no tutors. But they are attending every day.

I can imagine that the kids who aren't showing up at all are falling behind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course kids are learning way less this year. Teachers are cutting 1/3-1/2 the curriculum and there are way fewer instructional hours. The situation is even worse than we can see because there is very lenient grading and rampant cheating going on. Our kids are SO behind their counterparts at private schools and public schools that are open. And, not only that, but the school day will still be significantly reduced even when they are in-person because "equity" - can't have regular school hours in-person if virtual kids aren't getting the same! The equity mission at APS is out of hand. Everyone needs to be reaching out to APS and school board and tell them to end this nonsense. We need regular hours at school, put more kids on busses to make logistics easier, move to 3 feet distancing for elementary. And, most importantly, pay attention to school board elections and stop blindly voting for whoever the ACDC endorses. I hope they find a good candidate, but they have a very bad track record.

That’s right. My kids aren’t going to be shorted a minute of instruction just because you’re fine with yours eating lunch with 100 unmasked kids. Any believe me, I’ll be regularly communicating with whoever I need to ensure that “equity.” And there’s lots of us. And the administration listens to us a lot more than the APE screamers. You’re welcome!

My relatives' kids in Connecticut public school have been back full-time (eating lunch with 100s of unmasked children) and everything has been fine in that school system. My older ones in private schools have been hybrid since September. Again, everything is perfectly fine.

Vaccinate the teachers and DONE. Nobody under the age of 18 has died from Covid in my County.

Glad you’re willing to bear that risk. Not many people in this country are recommending indoor dining. So I think you may be the outlier here. You and the APE crowd.

+1

Who is recommending indoor dining?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course kids are learning way less this year. Teachers are cutting 1/3-1/2 the curriculum and there are way fewer instructional hours. The situation is even worse than we can see because there is very lenient grading and rampant cheating going on. Our kids are SO behind their counterparts at private schools and public schools that are open. And, not only that, but the school day will still be significantly reduced even when they are in-person because "equity" - can't have regular school hours in-person if virtual kids aren't getting the same! The equity mission at APS is out of hand. Everyone needs to be reaching out to APS and school board and tell them to end this nonsense. We need regular hours at school, put more kids on busses to make logistics easier, move to 3 feet distancing for elementary. And, most importantly, pay attention to school board elections and stop blindly voting for whoever the ACDC endorses. I hope they find a good candidate, but they have a very bad track record.

That’s right. My kids aren’t going to be shorted a minute of instruction just because you’re fine with yours eating lunch with 100 unmasked kids. Any believe me, I’ll be regularly communicating with whoever I need to ensure that “equity.” And there’s lots of us. And the administration listens to us a lot more than the APE screamers. You’re welcome!

My relatives' kids in Connecticut public school have been back full-time (eating lunch with 100s of unmasked children) and everything has been fine in that school system. My older ones in private schools have been hybrid since September. Again, everything is perfectly fine.

Vaccinate the teachers and DONE. Nobody under the age of 18 has died from Covid in my County.

Glad you’re willing to bear that risk. Not many people in this country are recommending indoor dining. So I think you may be the outlier here. You and the APE crowd.

Not the outlier. I think you'd be surprised if you talk to people in real life. Perhaps get off AEM for a while.

You're free to keep your kid home if you don't want lunch inside. No one is forcing you back.

I am. And I’m fine with that. And I’m fine with you sending yours. But don’t start arguing that “the equity mission has gotten out of hand” and your kids in person should get more instructional time than mine. That’s the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course kids are learning way less this year. Teachers are cutting 1/3-1/2 the curriculum and there are way fewer instructional hours. The situation is even worse than we can see because there is very lenient grading and rampant cheating going on. Our kids are SO behind their counterparts at private schools and public schools that are open. And, not only that, but the school day will still be significantly reduced even when they are in-person because "equity" - can't have regular school hours in-person if virtual kids aren't getting the same! The equity mission at APS is out of hand. Everyone needs to be reaching out to APS and school board and tell them to end this nonsense. We need regular hours at school, put more kids on busses to make logistics easier, move to 3 feet distancing for elementary. And, most importantly, pay attention to school board elections and stop blindly voting for whoever the ACDC endorses. I hope they find a good candidate, but they have a very bad track record.

That’s right. My kids aren’t going to be shorted a minute of instruction just because you’re fine with yours eating lunch with 100 unmasked kids. Any believe me, I’ll be regularly communicating with whoever I need to ensure that “equity.” And there’s lots of us. And the administration listens to us a lot more than the APE screamers. You’re welcome!

My relatives' kids in Connecticut public school have been back full-time (eating lunch with 100s of unmasked children) and everything has been fine in that school system. My older ones in private schools have been hybrid since September. Again, everything is perfectly fine.

Vaccinate the teachers and DONE. Nobody under the age of 18 has died from Covid in my County.

Glad you’re willing to bear that risk. Not many people in this country are recommending indoor dining. So I think you may be the outlier here. You and the APE crowd.

Not the outlier. I think you'd be surprised if you talk to people in real life. Perhaps get off AEM for a while.

You're free to keep your kid home if you don't want lunch inside. No one is forcing you back.

I am. And I’m fine with that. And I’m fine with you sending yours. But don’t start arguing that “the equity mission has gotten out of hand” and your kids in person should get more instructional time than mine. That’s the point.

But why shouldn't in-person kids have normal school hours? Everyone has said that it was a big mistake to try and replicate normal school to a virtual model. Why are we trying to shorten normal school just because DL has fewer hours? It makes no sense. They are different learning modes and we should be using best practices for both.