What happened to thread on advanced math and VMPI?

[Anonymous]

Perhaps I am just not seeing it, but it was in AAP forum had almost 100 pages.

[jsteele]

It was brought to my attention that the subject line of that thread misrepresented reality. Therefore, I removed it. You are welcome to start a new thread that is based on fact.

[Anonymous]

If you had read the thread, you would have seen that is not the case.
The thread was months old, and at the time the title was in line with the facts of the time. In late April, VMPI changed their tune, in response to backlash generated partly by the thread here at DCUM.
Definition of advanced math is subjective. The person who complained to you I suspect is the person who kept posting in defense of VMPI and claiming others were spreading misinformation. All of his or her complaints were answered in the thread.

Here is the original version of VMPI's website.
https://web.archive.org/web/20210227213027/https://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/mathematics/vmpi/index.shtml
That was then changed to the current version which is similar but added all the clarifications:
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/mathematics/vmpi/index.shtml

Before in their videos, they said they wished to eliminate tracking. When teachers were polled in one webinar, and they were against it, one VMPI person said, 'We still have a lot of work to do.'
VMPI's Tina Mazzacane was asked specifically about if VMPI intends to eliminate tracking; her response was posted in the thread:

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.

When VMPI started giving statements that you can have honors classes and acceleration, Tina added the lie that this has always been the case.
This is clearly not true given their prior statements.

On top of that, there is the issue of what individual school districts did in response after talking to the state officials. The thread included examples from around the state, but in LCPS, they have already taken away advanced math because of VMPI. Your complainant says it is unrelated, but here is the video explains the changes, and they said it was in response to VMPI. The LCPS link to the video labels it 'VMPI introduction'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMrwdWwpB4w

About 50 kids have had algebra in 6th grade taken away, which of course propagates down the line to taking away an advanced class in high school. Many more kids have lost the chance to take algebra in 7th grade, limiting them to calculus by 12th grade. More advanced classes have been taken away.

All of this was explained in the thread you deleted and more.
Even if we take their claims of no tracking will be allowed to be true, there is still advanced math being taken away, and this was explained in the thread as well.
You were the one who was given a misrepresentation of reality. I don't fault you for not reading 90 pages of posts to get the facts, but I'm surprised you took down the thread. The person must have been complaining for some time. I saw threats to contact the site administrator months ago.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:If you had read the thread, you would have seen that is not the case.

I believe that what you posted shows that tracking was being eliminated, not advanced math.

[Anonymous]

A few days ago, I reported that the thread title was incorrect. Which is true now - and back when the thread started. I believe that I suggested it should be changed to "VDOE making changes to math curriculum".

VMPI *never* stated they were taking away advanced math. DCUMers speculated based on one comment during one info session and one link on their website. But they NEVER said they were taking away advanced math.

VMPI hasn't even come out with a draft yet, so anything that LCPS has done was on their own (and frankly in line with what other school systems have done before VMPI).

VDOE/VMPI is NOT taking away advanced math. Not sure why you continue to struggle with this.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:A few days ago, I reported that the thread title was incorrect. Which is true now - and back when the thread started. I believe that I suggested it should be changed to "VDOE making changes to math curriculum".

This is correct. Given there was extensive discussion based on the incorrect title, I decided to remove the thread.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you had read the thread, you would have seen that is not the case.

I believe that what you posted shows that tracking was being eliminated, not advanced math.

That is really the same thing, given how tracking is done. This is a subjective opinion. Yes, VMPI never stated explicitly they were taking away advanced math.

[Anonymous]

Even without tracking, the title is still valid, as was explained in the thread. The practice would lead to loss of advanced math for a large number of students, and indeed LCPS has taken away some advanced math based on VMPI. This is a current fact, not guesswork about what will happen in the future.

The thread contained many useful links, and would be better if it were reinstated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even without tracking, the title is still valid, as was explained in the thread. The practice would lead to loss of advanced math for a large number of students, and indeed LCPS has taken away some advanced math based on VMPI. This is a current fact, not guesswork about what will happen in the future.

The thread contained many useful links, and would be better if it were reinstated.

The title was never valid. VDOE was not "eliminating advanced math". They just didn't explicitly call out that school systems could maintain their acceleration/advanced options that they have today. And people speculated and jumped to conclusions.

LCPS may have reduced the compressed math options but not based on anything published by VMPI - VDOE isn't even coming up with a draft proposal until next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even without tracking, the title is still valid, as was explained in the thread. The practice would lead to loss of advanced math for a large number of students, and indeed LCPS has taken away some advanced math based on VMPI. This is a current fact, not guesswork about what will happen in the future.

The thread contained many useful links, and would be better if it were reinstated.

The title was never valid. VDOE was not "eliminating advanced math". They just didn't explicitly call out that school systems could maintain their acceleration/advanced options that they have today. And people speculated and jumped to conclusions.

LCPS may have reduced the compressed math options but not based on anything published by VMPI - VDOE isn't even coming up with a draft proposal until next year.

That's your version.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even without tracking, the title is still valid, as was explained in the thread. The practice would lead to loss of advanced math for a large number of students, and indeed LCPS has taken away some advanced math based on VMPI. This is a current fact, not guesswork about what will happen in the future.

The thread contained many useful links, and would be better if it were reinstated.

Agreed. It was a useful thread with a ton of information. I cannot believe that it was taken down entirely (all 100 pages of discussion) instead of title modification, if that is what was wanted. Furthermore, I haven't seen the VDOE actually explain anything clearly so who actually knows what they are doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even without tracking, the title is still valid, as was explained in the thread. The practice would lead to loss of advanced math for a large number of students, and indeed LCPS has taken away some advanced math based on VMPI. This is a current fact, not guesswork about what will happen in the future.

The thread contained many useful links, and would be better if it were reinstated.

The title was never valid. VDOE was not "eliminating advanced math". They just didn't explicitly call out that school systems could maintain their acceleration/advanced options that they have today. And people speculated and jumped to conclusions.

LCPS may have reduced the compressed math options but not based on anything published by VMPI - VDOE isn't even coming up with a draft proposal until next year.

That's your version.

Sorry, that's reality.

Indisputable facts:
- VPMI is in early "building" phase
- VMPI isn't coming up with a draft proposal until next year
- VMPI has never stated they were eliminating advanced math

[Anonymous]

LCPS in the video said the they were making changes because of VMPI's proposals.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:LCPS in the video said the they were making changes because of VMPI's proposals.

If true, then "LCPS Eliminates Advanced Math" might have been an accurate title. But, that was not the title of the thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LCPS in the video said the they were making changes because of VMPI's proposals.

What proposal?

Someone at LCPS jumped the gun. The draft proposal from VMPI doesn't come out until next year.