Reply to State set to keep MS math minutes requirement that will likely cut electives (but delaying it a year)

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Despite all the opposition, MSDE appears to be doubling down on keeping the middle school 60-daily-minutes-of-math requirement, although they are at least planning on delaying it a year (starting in fall 2028 rather than fall 2027.)  See [url=https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/documents/edpolicycommittee/20260618/comprehensive-math-policy-and-secondary-math-program-a.pdf]here[/url] (page 21-22 and page 47)-- the committee will vote on it this Thursday and then the full board will likely vote next Tuesday to put it out for public comment, before finalizing it in July.

However, I suspect MCPS will go ahead with implementing it in the 2027-2028 school year anyway because Central Office wants to get all middle schools and high schools on the same schedule starting in fall 2027 and they're not going to want to change the schedules a second time in 2028.  My guess is that unless MSDE repeals the requirement, MCPS will probably go with a 6-period middle school schedule with only one elective starting in 2027 (or some similar change that also results in just one elective per year in MS), and they will probably announce it by this fall at the earliest to give middle schools enough time to prep for the change.  So unless MSDE repeals this in the next few months, it may well be too late to change anything at MCPS.

It is very frustrating.  I was hoping the state would relent on this requirement for 60 minutes of math daily in middle school (which no other state does) after all the powerful testimony they've received from teachers of electives, social studies, and science regarding the harmful impacts of such a requirement in middle school.  Apparently they are too stubborn to do so.  At this point I think people who care about this need to focus hard on expressing our alarm to state legislators and asking them to push MSDE to roll this back (plus make clear they will consider overturning this in law next year if MSDE doesn't change course.)

You can also e-mail State Board of Ed members before the votes-- [url=https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/pages/members.aspx]here is the full list[/url], and the Montgomery County members are: peggy.carr [at] maryland.gov, samir.paul [at] maryland.gov, and nicole.murraylewis [at] maryland.gov  (who's apparently a history teacher at Blake, if anyone knows her personally and can appeal to her directly on this topic)-- and/or sign up to testify at next Tuesday's state Board of Ed meeting (in person, virtually, or through written testimony, although I think the written testimony generally gets ignored): [url]https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/pages/publiccomment.aspx
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(And then of course folks should weigh in through whatever "public comment" process they put out there over the next few weeks-- but there are a bunch of other revisions to the policy that will be part of that as well, and folks shouldn't have any illusions that "public comment" alone will get this repealed.)[/quote]

I think MCPS will gladly take the extra year to figure out any 60-minute math mandate for MS.  That said, such a mandate for all students at that level is folly, and MSDE should adopt a more nuanced approach to ensuring MS math success, one that recognizes the limitations and impact of period scheduling.

I don't think MCPS needs to have MS and HS on the same schedule.  Where did you see that?  If that was the case and MS needed to go to 6 periods, then HS also goes to 6 periods?  I mean, they really should be embracing a uniform 8-period block schedule with one period allowed, but not required, to be study hall to facilitate more meaningful magnets and the like.[/quote]

Sorry, I meant "all middle schools the same" and "all high schools the same," not that the middle schools and high schools necessarily need to match with each other.

MCPS has said they are planning to implement new standardized MS and standardized HS schedules in the 2027-28 school year.  Plus they need to figure out what they're doing middle-school-schedule-wise before they make decisions about how they change middle school programs, which I think they want to decide on this coming year.  In general I get the sense they're antsy to have the new middle school schedules figured out and implemented ASAP, and if they're pretty sure MSDE is going to make them do the 60 minutes then they'll want to get it over with rather than take the extra year.   (Plus the changes will probably require laying off a bunch of middle school electives teachers, and they probably want to factor that into the budget for 2027-28.)

But I could be wrong and certainly would be glad to see MCPS wait on the changes.  And maybe if MSDE is signaling this is a "not yet, and maybe not ever" situation rather than a "we're definitely requiring this but we'll give you another year to prepare if you want it" situation, they'll wait.   But it sounds more like the latter to me...[/quote]

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