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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]MCPS presented the solution as subject-specific (Math or ELA) grade acceleration.  I.e., 3rd graders in need of ELA acceleration beyond the enrichment groupings go to 4th grade classroom for the block.

Among others, challenges include:

-- need for schedule alignment of subject teaching blocks across grades (difficult to manage with need to distribute specials and the like)

-- social/emotional mechanics among kids of different ages in the same class (on top of the social mechanics of differentiation among the students within the grade) and age-related maturity differences in student-teacher interactions

-- scheduling for MCAP/other standardized test schedules, if tied to grade of enrollment vs. grade of instruction, and

-- arranging for transport to/from MS at appropriately synchronized times for elementary students when their acceleration need requires access to middle school classes.

Some of these problems exist to one extent or another/have parallels within the current paradigm (and just about any differentiation paradigm, for that matter).  Success, reiterated by the Superintendent as  measured by school average MCAP scores, will depend largely on how the system resources/trains teachers, identifies/places students and engages/communicates with caregivers, all of which will be made more difficult with the budget under-funding, relative to MCPS plan/BOE request, the County Council is set to present.[/quote]

When did they say this?  Do you have a link/timestamp?  All I heard them say is that acceleration will be delivered through cluster grouping in mixed-level classrooms moving forward.  [/quote]

During Laura Stewart's questions, a bit after the 2h50m mark of the currently posted meeting on YouTube, Niki Porter talked about not taking away Algebra (which would have to be delivered as thevnew Integrated Algebra 1) in 7th and mentioning "some even earlier" -- probably not wanting explicitly to recognize the practice of Algebra in 6th due to the questions over system-wide equity if related discussion went down the rabbit hole of "how," evidencing that it currently is employed regularly at some schools in cohort, sparingly at other schools by individual exception and not at all at yet other schools where such exceptions are dissuaded or denied by local school administrators (though laborious appeal proceedings might be employed).

Immediately after that, Sheila Berlinger followed with talk about employment of "course advancement" (maxxing out at about 5% of the student body).  That's moving Xth graders to the X+1th classroom for the subject.  Stewart included this as "advance highly ready students" among her list of things she summarized MCPS would be expecting of teachers, a list to which MCPS agreed.

A few years back, that course advancement also was the top step in the graphic representation of enrichment/acceleration with the full adoption of Eureka.  It appears that in removing the 3-years-in-2 of "Compacted" Math 4/5 & 5/6, supplanting that with the more sparingly utilized course advancement, they are expecting to reserve such full-grade acceleration to those "truly ready."  It will be important for them to devise clear criteria (not based upon percentile within a school or even district-wide cohort, but upon measures consistent with understanding and capability; mentioned was getting a 4/highest on the MCAP as indicative of having mastered the content of a grade level, but the schedule for that might not be amenable to timely placement at the beginning of a school year), equitable identification paradigms (especially given wealth-related access to outside enrichment) and measures for ensuring all schools adhere to them.[/quote]

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