VA math changes - ways to speak out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They really can’t get rid of taking calculus in highschool. Many colleges require ap calc for engineering majors— it would be putting Virginia highschool graduates at a distinct disadvantage for getting a stem degree. When I was in college, kids who didn’t take ap calc had to take a math class over the summer in college to catch up. They need to work with Virginia colleges/universities— you can’t have public school graduates not prepared to attend state schools.

I don't think they care. The website and video on the website are all about how calculus had been overemphasized and only a small share of college majors even require it. They want more kids passing the SOLs not more kids getting 5s on the AP exam for Calc BC and going on to become scientists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't see how this is helped by removing tracking. No honors algebra 1 vs algebra 1. No 6th graders taking prealgebra. No 7th graders taking prealgebra. All 6th graders in Math 6(possibly renamed to foundations of algebra for next year). All 7th graders in Math 7, not even prealgebra, when currently a high percentage in Loudoun County are taking algebra. I doubt they will be getting any deeper understanding in Math 7, when the teacher is focusing on the weaker students.

Simple.

Developmentally, 6th and 7th graders are not ready for that level of math and don’t truly understand or grasp the concepts. Yes many, many pass the course a lot of them with an “A” but it is watered down to a level they can process. This is leading to the false sense parent like you and many, many others have that their child is ready for advanced math classes far before they are ready.

Are their exceptions? Of course, and by their nature exceptions are rare occurrences so kids who are truly ready at those ages are rare. It’s very tough to hear this I know. It’s really not bad for your kid to spend a year focusing on actually understanding math and being bored in class. School is boring. Listening to lectures is boring. Even as adults this happens. So saying “my kid will be bored!” Is just dumb. School isn’t meant to entertainment - duh.

And before you start firing off emails - for god sakes - use critical thinking 🤔

Do you really, truly believe the state decided to make this change solely to piss off parents in NOVA and to deprive only that part of the state of math curriculum? Does that make sense? Do you honestly believe they never, ever asked an educator, one math teacher, anyone else, any professional, before suggesting this change? Have you talked to any math teachers? Or hey how about that math tutor you pay for every week? Instead of screaming about your AAP snowflake, calm down and think. And then maybe research and consider the pros and cons.

Where is your evidence the classes are watered down? SOLs are decided at the state level, and kids who are accelerated are not in their own class, they are taking these classes with kids in higher grades. In LCPS, the kids who are taking accelerated do better than the on grade level kids. So if the class is watered down, it is to deal with the kids who are not accelerated, which there would be more of under the new system of no tracking.


And yes, I do think these changes are being made because very few black and Hispanic kids are taking the accelerated math track. Boston Public Schools stated it explicitly when they canceled some advanced programs.
The VMPI site highlights equity as a concern, and has a reference link to a paper on this.

You are also making way too many assumptions about math tutor and AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This is about the fifth similar rant you've posted spanning 3 different sub-forums. Every time, someone has asked you for actual facts and evidence of the crap you're spewing, and every time, you disappear without providing a single shred of data or evidence. If you're going to repeatedly claim that the 6th and 7th graders aren't developmentally ready and don't truly grasp the concepts, you must have some data to back this up. Please provide some facts or data.

Why? If it bothers you that much, google is your friend....

So you don't have any facts or evidence, but just keep talking out of your ass on numerous threads. Why are you so jealous of advanced children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like the timeline for this is pretty far out - 2024/2025 implementation? My current 4th grader will be in 6th/pre Algebra in Fall of 2022 and already “tracked.” So this will affect current 2nd and below?

They will take kids who have been tracked and move them into this new system.

How, without having them repeat a subject? I'm guessing they will phase it in pretty slowly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like the timeline for this is pretty far out - 2024/2025 implementation? My current 4th grader will be in 6th/pre Algebra in Fall of 2022 and already “tracked.” So this will affect current 2nd and below?

They will take kids who have been tracked and move them into this new system.

How, without having them repeat a subject? I'm guessing they will phase it in pretty slowly.

That is not what they have said in response to questions. I think they would say that the new curriculum is different enough that it won't seem repetitive. But I think they can't have it both ways -- if it isn't repetitive, then it seems like kids won't be prepared for calculus.

if you disapprove of this plan, speak out to elected officials. At a minimum public pressure could slow the rollout. But if parents don't speak out, this will likely happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They really can’t get rid of taking calculus in highschool. Many colleges require ap calc for engineering majors— it would be putting Virginia highschool graduates at a distinct disadvantage for getting a stem degree. When I was in college, kids who didn’t take ap calc had to take a math class over the summer in college to catch up. They need to work with Virginia colleges/universities— you can’t have public school graduates not prepared to attend state schools.

+1 I'd love to hear what representatives from the VT College of Engineering think about this plan.

There was a question (that went unanswered) on one of the videos from the live chat - from a guy I am reasonably certain is, in fact, a VT COE professor. He was asking some of the same things we are - how are you going to handle the kids well above grade level?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like the timeline for this is pretty far out - 2024/2025 implementation? My current 4th grader will be in 6th/pre Algebra in Fall of 2022 and already “tracked.” So this will affect current 2nd and below?

They will take kids who have been tracked and move them into this new system.

How, without having them repeat a subject? I'm guessing they will phase it in pretty slowly.

They're literally saying that all the kids are going to have to repeat the pre-algebra stuff for years more than they already do. I don't get the impression they care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like the timeline for this is pretty far out - 2024/2025 implementation? My current 4th grader will be in 6th/pre Algebra in Fall of 2022 and already “tracked.” So this will affect current 2nd and below?

They will take kids who have been tracked and move them into this new system.

How, without having them repeat a subject? I'm guessing they will phase it in pretty slowly.

They're literally saying that all the kids are going to have to repeat the pre-algebra stuff for years more than they already do. I don't get the impression they care.

Im talking about kids already in Algebra and Geometry before this takes effect in 2024/2025.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like the timeline for this is pretty far out - 2024/2025 implementation? My current 4th grader will be in 6th/pre Algebra in Fall of 2022 and already “tracked.” So this will affect current 2nd and below?

They will take kids who have been tracked and move them into this new system.

How, without having them repeat a subject? I'm guessing they will phase it in pretty slowly.

They're literally saying that all the kids are going to have to repeat the pre-algebra stuff for years more than they already do. I don't get the impression they care.

Im talking about kids already in Algebra and Geometry before this takes effect in 2024/2025.

Those kids will go back into the new general classes. The accelerated classes will disappear, according to what VDOE is saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like the timeline for this is pretty far out - 2024/2025 implementation? My current 4th grader will be in 6th/pre Algebra in Fall of 2022 and already “tracked.” So this will affect current 2nd and below?

They will take kids who have been tracked and move them into this new system.

How, without having them repeat a subject? I'm guessing they will phase it in pretty slowly.

If you want it phased on slowly you will have to make the case for that. That is not the default policy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like the timeline for this is pretty far out - 2024/2025 implementation? My current 4th grader will be in 6th/pre Algebra in Fall of 2022 and already “tracked.” So this will affect current 2nd and below?

They will take kids who have been tracked and move them into this new system.

How, without having them repeat a subject? I'm guessing they will phase it in pretty slowly.

They're literally saying that all the kids are going to have to repeat the pre-algebra stuff for years more than they already do. I don't get the impression they care.

Im talking about kids already in Algebra and Geometry before this takes effect in 2024/2025.

Those kids will go back into the new general classes. The accelerated classes will disappear, according to what VDOE is saying.

That’s not how it reads to me. Where does it say what you are saying?

[Anonymous]

Why get rid of honors classes? So I get eliminating the advanced track pushing 7th to Alg, eg, but why eliminate honors entirely when kids learn at different speeds? Seems ridiculous and a sure way to bore a huge contingent okmf kids to death

[Anonymous]

I think this is being poorly explained and the freaker-outers are just doing what they always do. No one is going to take a kid who took Algebra 1 in 7th grade and make them repeat it in 9th or 10th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is being poorly explained and the freaker-outers are just doing what they always do. No one is going to take a kid who took Algebra 1 in 7th grade and make them repeat it in 9th or 10th.

In the AAP someone asked about this, and here is the response from VADOE. That said you can definitely ask about this again by filling out this question form. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesz3YtqVqXtAioJKX0xtYbPxUW6l7dfpbwfdbQyEQ5eTgZMQ/viewform?utm_name=.

New response from the VA Dept of Ed when I asked if they could confirm if they would "detrack" and eliminate honors:

The Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative proposals support the vision that all students are capable of making sense of and persevering in solving challenging mathematics problems and should be expected to do so. Many more students, regardless of gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, need to be given the support, confidence, and opportunities to reach much higher levels of mathematical success and interest. VMPI proposals do promote equity and that the practice of isolating low-achieving students in low-level or slower-paced mathematics groups should be eliminated.

Sincerely,
Tina Mazzacane
K-12 Mathematics Coordinator
Virginia Department of Education

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is being poorly explained and the freaker-outers are just doing what they always do. No one is going to take a kid who took Algebra 1 in 7th grade and make them repeat it in 9th or 10th.

In the AAP someone asked about this, and here is the response from VADOE. That said you can definitely ask about this again by filling out this question form. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesz3YtqVqXtAioJKX0xtYbPxUW6l7dfpbwfdbQyEQ5eTgZMQ/viewform?utm_name=.

New response from the VA Dept of Ed when I asked if they could confirm if they would "detrack" and eliminate honors:

The Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative proposals support the vision that all students are capable of making sense of and persevering in solving challenging mathematics problems and should be expected to do so. Many more students, regardless of gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, need to be given the support, confidence, and opportunities to reach much higher levels of mathematical success and interest. VMPI proposals do promote equity and that the practice of isolating low-achieving students in low-level or slower-paced mathematics groups should be eliminated.

Sincerely,
Tina Mazzacane
K-12 Mathematics Coordinator
Virginia Department of Education

Nowhere does that say it will be done retroactively.