Disturbing news on math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My point is that it's easy for a person to pronounce grandly that all the schools need to do is [a bunch of phrases that sound good]. It's a whole lot harder to turn [a bunch of phrases that sound good] into real actual stuff that real actual people can do every day in the classroom, system-wide.

This description fits MCPS and 2.0 to a tee!

Agreed. But it also fits a lot of PPs.

[Anonymous]

And also if it were so easy, chances are that they (MCPS) would already be doing it.

[Anonymous]

So now math is just too hard to teach. Really?

I don't understand how MCPS wasn't aware of this until a parents group raised the issue. How is it possible that no one in MCPS pays attention to these things?

MCPS's task force is looking at the data to determine if this clusters in a few schools. From these statements, it sounds like this year's results weren't uncharacteristic or point to a faulty test. I assume that they would have quickly come out with data pointing to previous high scores if this was the case. If students were performing well on other math tests I assume that they would have pointed to this as well.

I wish that one of the local reporters that covers Montgomery County or education would research this and provide the public with some facts and the real story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So now math is just too hard to teach. Really?

What is your personal experience with teaching math in a diverse American public school system with 150,000 students, PP?

All I am saying is, it is easy to say that there is a problem. It's a whole lot harder to figure out what the problem is, and then find ways to fix it

(And no, "MCPS isn't teaching math!" and "MCPS should teach math!" do not count as figuring out what the problem is and finding a way to fix it, respectively.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
agree.
I thought it was kind of interesting that all the signs at our ES were also in Spanish. but then when I saw them put up signs at the MS in spanish too, I knew something is not working. All the new ESL aides, translators, breakfast/lunch/weekend food packs and slowing back curricula are not moving the needle for these needy immigrants.
Perhaps the math test should be proctored in Spanish?

Shorter PP: Those stupid, lazy, ungrateful, poor, Spanish-speaking immigrants, ruining it for the normal people.

Even shorter PP: I say racist things.

MoCo, MD is a magnet for illegals precisely because of its red carpet benefits. Its reputation is renowned in several U.S. states and central America. Ask anyone who just made the trek; they expect the best!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

MoCo, MD is a magnet for illegals precisely because of its red carpet benefits. Its reputation is renowned in several U.S. states and central America. Ask anyone who just made the trek; they expect the best!

Citation please.

[Anonymous]

What is your personal experience with teaching math in a diverse American public school system with 150,000 students, PP?

I've never driven a bus before but I certainly can expect the driver not to run off the side of the road. I've never run an airline but I certainly can expect the airline not to crash 70% of the flights.

What is with some people in Montgomery County never holding anyone accountable for performance? Pepco gets a free pass to provide the worst service in the nation and MCPS can fail at teaching math but get a pass because you think its hard? This is crazy.

I'm the first to support tax dollars going to education but I expect to see performance. My tax dollars should not be spent to just create a large number of jobs (20K+ jobs in MCPS) that don't perform and achieve good outcomes. The ESOL poster needs to use some logic. Math is the one subject that is less affected by language differences.

If MCPS wants to claim that its too hard to teach math in a system that is too large then MCPS should be broken up. I honestly think that this is the core problem with many MCPS issues. Its just too big to function efficiently and perform.

[Anonymous]

Who said anything about giving MCPS a pass because teaching math is hard? I'm the PP you're quoting, and I didn't say that. Of course MCPS should teach math. All I'm saying is that figuring out what the problems are, and then fixing them, is not as easy as some PPs seem to think it is. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.

[Anonymous]

How about making kids learn English BEFORE going to school so the teachers can actually teach them. You want to come to America legally or illegally. It is YOUR responsibility to learn the language taught in schools, not the teachers trying to teach a class of 25+

I was amazed how many kids in my daughter's preschool do not know English and act out all day because they don't understand basic commands. These parents don't seem concerned and will be sending these kids to public school next year.

My son has 3 in his 2nd grade that do not speak English at all and understand very little. At least another 5 more with limited English. Volunteering in that class has made me realize she spends 2-3x more with them then my average-student son. He is often left with busy work while she works with the non-English children. There is no teaching as a whole. Average kids often read books and goof because there is no help.

It is a huge issue in this county. Liberals love to embrace diversity and esl, farms, anything else to help immigrants but no one seems to realize how much harder it is for a teacher in this county to teach a class as a whole when the same language isn't spoken. No offense but if you look at the "schools at a glance", the Hispanic test scores are by far the lowest in every school across the board. Some are only 20% passing.

So we increase education funding for them while nothing is done for other kids. It is a no win situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about making kids learn English BEFORE going to school so the teachers can actually teach them. You want to come to America legally or illegally. It is YOUR responsibility to learn the language taught in schools, not the teachers trying to teach a class of 25+

I was amazed how many kids in my daughter's preschool do not know English and act out all day because they don't understand basic commands. These parents don't seem concerned and will be sending these kids to public school next year.

My son has 3 in his 2nd grade that do not speak English at all and understand very little. At least another 5 more with limited English. Volunteering in that class has made me realize she spends 2-3x more with them then my average-student son. He is often left with busy work while she works with the non-English children. There is no teaching as a whole. Average kids often read books and goof because there is no help.

It is a huge issue in this county. Liberals love to embrace diversity and esl, farms, anything else to help immigrants but no one seems to realize how much harder it is for a teacher in this county to teach a class as a whole when the same language isn't spoken. No offense but if you look at the "schools at a glance", the Hispanic test scores are by far the lowest in every school across the board. Some are only 20% passing.

So we increase education funding for them while nothing is done for other kids. It is a no win situation.

I was giving you the benefit of the doubt until I read this. This says you know nothing about language acquisition in children. We speak another language at home even though our son was born in the US. When he started preschool he was not speaking English at all. The teachers were patient with him because it was hard for him in the beginning. But I think that process takes about a month or two. Now six month later, he was dreaming in English last night. We are worried, just as we have always been, that he is going to lose his first language. Kids at the preschool and early elementary age take up language very quickly. I seriously doubt that this has caused MCPS to fail more than half of their students for high school math.

Math education is an issue. It is an issue not only in MCPS but nationwide. I put the blame on the misguided reform math. That is the big picture issue.

The current fiasco shows that MCPS needs to be more open about its performance and not rest on its reputation. There are so many questions. Are these good assessments? If so, then the curriculum must have a big disconnect to what the students ought to know. I keep hearing review packets. Why don't they have textbooks? Algebra has not changed in the last century. If the requirement is clear, the students should be able to find ample reference material for what they need to know.

The danger is now for MCPS to say those were bad tests and come up with some watered down assessments that everybody can do well. Now, that really does not serve anyone. I hope that the committee that they assembled have good parents representatives and keep the process open and transparent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about making kids learn English BEFORE going to school so the teachers can actually teach them. You want to come to America legally or illegally. It is YOUR responsibility to learn the language taught in schools,

Have you suggested to your son's teacher that the teaching she was doing was not actually teaching? I wonder what her response was. You might also ask her whether having hungry children in her class who are not being taught English would improve learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about making kids learn English BEFORE going to school so the teachers can actually teach them. You want to come to America legally or illegally. It is YOUR responsibility to learn the language taught in schools,

Have you suggested to your son's teacher that the teaching she was doing was not actually teaching? I wonder what her response was. You might also ask her whether having hungry children in her class who are not being taught English would improve learning.

Not PP but many teachers complain about this. They can't teach

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to see the MoCo school budget? If the tax dollars are going more towards educating than free handouts and wasted dollars?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a way to see the MoCo school budget? If the tax dollars are going more towards educating than free handouts and wasted dollars?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=montgomery+county+public+schools+budget

[Anonymous]

the true problem in not with the Algebra but the more basic elementary math. Many students doesn't learn math concept that well also they pass all the requirement. go check

http://rationalmathed.blogspot.com/2007/06/what-does-liping-ma-really-say.html