Reply to FCPS decline

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The schools are required to educate the ESOL students who are slowing down the classrooms. Actions have consequences. [/quote]

I grew up in a pretty low-income area and attended public schools.  There were plenty of ESOL and other low-income kids, or low-achievement kids, in our school district.  We were tracked -- meaning that students were grouped in to classes based on their academic level, so that smarter students would be in "track 1" and could learn material that was challenging and do so at an appropriately challenging and demanding pace, while "track 2" and "track 3" and "track 4" etc. would each work at their own respective appropriate levels.

It's pretty simple.  You don't have to teach everyone to the lowest common denominator. [/quote]

What does this have to do with anything?

When I was in school they were allow to separate out ESOL and those with learning disabilities but now they aren't. So everyone is stuck in the same class - and yes that means they are teaching to the lowest denominator. There should be some differentiation in the class but there is such a wide gap between some students that this isnt practical in the classroom. My kid has had someone in the classroom who showed up without speaking a single word of english. There is no way teachers can give everyone what they need in this type of environment.[/quote]

Why aren't they allowed to do something as basic as group kids by academic ability?  Who says they aren't allowed?  As far as I know, this is a decision by FCPS -- nothing more.[/quote]

differentiation isnt the issue. the issue is that kids who can't speak english or who otherwise can't keep up are kept in the same room.  Once you start pulling them out and isolating them is where the issue comes in.[/quote]

How would that be an issue? Pullouts are good and the high FARMS schools have more dedicated resources who are really good at what they do in terms of working with kids who are behind, have LD, ESOL, etc. It would be less beneficial for these students to be kept in a classroom where they don't understand the teacher, or cannot keep up at the pace. They should be put in smaller groups or smaller classrooms and have more resources devoted to make sure they don't fall further behind. Isn't that what all of us as humans want, and the SB as well? Everyone is in agreement here, so why don't they do it? There no "isolation" at many of the schools where many of the kids are in the same position, (i.e behind and need extra dedicated resources). But those resources should not be also teaching the rest of the kids, because it will not work.[/quote]

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