VADOE adjustments to advanced math track
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Anonymous
VMPI has links up about how this is inequitable. They claim it will still be available and up to local school districts, though not as individual classes. Meanwhile LCPS is getting rid of this as well as some other divisions. So far, they have gotten rid of algebra in 6th, geometry in 7th, and have only reduced the number of kids taking algebra in 7th by about 90%. Starting 2022-2023 they will eliminate algebra in 7th grade. |
Anonymous
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You keep saying there is no proposal.
Yet Tina Mazzacane referred to VMPI's 'proposals' in her e-mails. 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. |
Anonymous
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In addition, if there is no proposal and no draft, just some changes, why did you suggest a title change of 'VA DOE making changes to math curriculum'?
That is not what happens with mere suggestions. |
Anonymous
The main thread was deleted, but you can search for VMPI in the FCPS and nonFCPS threads for some long discussions. |
Anonymous
They also didn’t say they couldn’t... They didn’t explicitly say one way or another. In the current math curriculum there isn’t anything explicit about acceleration. Math 8 is presumably for 8th graders even though many kids learn those concepts before 8th grade. |
Anonymous
Because they update the math curriculum every 7 years. |
Anonymous
So two school systems jumped the gun? Out of how many school systems in VA? Looks like 227. So those other 225 school systems must be in big trouble for not making changes after they were “told this was definitely happening”. 
Maybe these two were already looking to slow acceleration - as other school districts have done before VMPI - and just used VMPI discussions as a catalyst for making the changes now. |
Anonymous
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Sorry if we haven't surveyed every school system in the state, or if the other districts haven't announced plans yet.
Bottom line, at least two data points that show what VMPI will mean, despite their walkback and your claims of 'it was just some suggestions'. |
Anonymous
So you think VMPI will ban acceleration / advanced math? |
Anonymous
DP, but I think it depends on if parents and math teachers and ES teachers continue to tell them that's a bad idea. Jay Matthews wrote an entire article on the premise that VMPI wouldn't ban acceleration only because the BOE doesn't want to deal with angry parents at their meetings. If they think they can get away with it, though, I think they may try. As far as I can tell, they already did. |
Anonymous
If they had their way, they certainly would. Go and listen to their published webinars and briefings and observe the bile and hatred they show towards students who are interested and good in math. Youtube has the transcripts (click on the ..., then Open Transcripts); just type in VMPI. In the bizarre Newspeak world of the VMPI protagonists, children who are interested and good in math are selected based on "perceived ability," forced into "tracks" from which they cannot escape, whereas students who show less interest and/or aptitude for math are "isolated" in low-performing groups. This is somehow inequitable, therefore, some must be giving up their "privilege," and all must be doing "group work" in "heterogeneous classrooms" until including 10th grade. (Everything I put in quotes are, well, quotations from statements they made or material they've published.) This was the original proposal, and this is how it would still be had they not been temporarily rebuked. And this may well be how it will be depending on who runs the VA government after the Nov elections. |
Anonymous
As explained on the deleted thread, they consider algebra 2 as not necessary for high schoolers, yet they claim they are including it in 10th grade math. It will be a weak version at best, leading to not having enough to take calculus. This is OK for VMPI, as they don't care about people taking calculus in high school. They just include it so they can claim, "Don't worry, we still have calculus available". Their push is for detracking in the name of equity, holding back acceleration and honors classes. They claim they are doing otherwise, but they have made their opinions clear. Site admin isn't aware of it, but detracking means you are eliminating advanced math. These blended classes allow them to hide how much they are holding kids back. It would be possible for school districts to get around it, but beyond accelerating, they would need to develop a stronger curriculum than what VMPI proposes. I don't see any districts doing that, though in many places I suspect there is no separate staff so perhaps with a good teacher and acceleration some kids will be able to take calculus properly. Loudoun has adopted VMPI's thinking and has moved backwards, and kids will end up taking algebra in 9th grade instead of current 6th or 7th grade. |
Anonymous
Acceleration is exactly how school districts can provide advanced math today. And VDOE has explicitly said that they are not banning acceleration or advanced classes/tracking. So this continued handwringing sounds...contrived. The default path today does NOT include calculus. So if they end up providing a path does that include calculus then they would be providing *more* advanced math. Until they come out with more specifics about what concepts would be included in what "course" it's all speculation. |
Anonymous
Ah, there's the VMPI denier again, claiming they don't intend to ban acceleration... Let's see what the main representatives from VDOE actually said about acceleration... Let's go straight to the transcripts, shall we? so if you come into your own mathematically in seventh grade too bad you aren't on the right track you don't get to go take calculus in high school so a track is very limiting to all children even the children who are on the highest track they get stuck and you can't get out of it and if you what if you didn't have such great success or you needed a stronger foundation in algebra one because everything builds on that too bad you took it you got to keep moving on the track it's like a train you're stuck um acceleration chuck and i were just talking about this the other day in the definition of acceleration because we always think of it as just moving just about speed i learned how to multiply all of my times tables before third grade so in third grade you better teach me my two times tables over double digit and triple digit and quadruple digit because that's what's next and i'm ready to go faster um so that is one form of acceleration that we have used in mathematics but oddly not in all other subject areas are you ready to jump in thank you for the transition um so we were talking about it i was talking about the fact that in physics acceleration is also a change in direction and i think we kind of came up with or trying to play with a good analogy that if we're all on a river going kind of the same direction this is an opportunity for someone to change direction go a little bit deeper this is an opportunity for an ability to study the concepts a little bit more be able to do that deeper learning and make those connections other things whether it be science whether it be some real world problems that you can tie the math to it's an opportunity to be able to do that so that acceleration could be depth rather than just being able to push further faster down that river so i think taking a look at that and that there's a range of depth depending where the capacity of the student is and their interest and you know what also provides that chance rather than a kid being on a track that stuck forever some kids are going to resonate with certain parts of the math lessons with different activities different content areas better than others and that gives them a chance to still dive deep where they feel that they're connected with the math and hopefully find the math that resonates most with them so they can pick those pathways later on in high school and hopefully influence their decisions on career pathways so i think that that depth gives us a little bit more importance and capacity to be able to play with the math a little bit differently and be able to appreciate how it fits into our everyday lives is that what we were talking about shelly hopefully i just didn't dream that that is exactly it and and you said depth and i'm thinking that differentiation was the word that was in the question and so what that says is go ahead yeah that's i you're right i use the different term for that but that differentiation is an opportunity for some of the people to dive deeper into some of that and be able to experience some of the math and different connections differently because that's what resonates with them so yeah just connecting back thank you for |
Anonymous
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Ah, the moron/liar who can’t read again.
Let’s go straight to the website: |