Reply to VA math changes - ways to speak out

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I never thought I would say this but I actually support the changes that VA is going to make.

It will almost certainly go through because too many parents are disillusion regarding their kids abilities and their kids never learn the basics of math and this becomes evident in high school.

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What evidence do you have that these changes will actually lead to kids gaining a better understanding of the basics of math? Serious question. [/quote]

It's no secret that taking the time to learn the basics of Math well and gain a great understanding will be beneficial.

[b]Most kids are rushed through and by the time they get to high school they are struggling and need a tutor to get them through their higher level math classes.[/b]

[b]Most accelerated classes all throughout the schools years make allowances for students who aren't doing well by doing things to prop up grades like grading homework participation, giving many retakes and so on.[/b]

Now that my child is in high school and does really want to go into a STEM field and we are looking at colleges, we are finding that many students once they get to college are repeating their advanced math courses from high school in college. Even when the student gets a high AP exam score. Some schools for some majors seem to require the student take the math courses at their school.

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Do you have a source for these? I'd be interested in seeing data about the first bolded especially. If the second is true, the answer isn't to put these kids in the same class with their peers who cannot master basic concepts. I do think they should do away with "open enrollment" Honors classes, though. You either have the qualifying test scores and grades to get in or you don't. [/quote]

I don't have hard data on this but IME with a 10th and 12th grader who both did the intensified Algebra and Geometry in middle school and did well in the classes without tutors, the HS (at least W-L) seems to set up Intensified Algebra 2 as a weed-out class.  When my 12th grader was in 9th I knew a lot of people who got math tutors for the first time in that class or just opted to switch out of it. My older child had no trouble with it but my younger then did have difficulty with it.  She's a good math student but needs to take her time to really absorb a concept and the super-fast speed of that class did not work for her.  She dropped down to regular Algebra 2 after 1st quarter.  But, that class so was so slow/easy she said kids regularly finished work early and went for walks around the school. I don't know what the answer is but as it is the tracking seems to be super fast or super slow with nothing in between. I also never understood why the only option in MS was "Intensified" Algebra/Geometry.  Why not regular?  Perhaps they'd have had better success with MS kids taking those classes if they didn't push to the intensified level.[/quote]

That's all well and good, but your examples are anecdotal and I could give you plenty of anecdotes to the contrary. Now, if someone can show actual hard data, I would love to see it. [/quote]

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