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][quote=Anonymous]
“It’s important to note that SFUSD made considerable investments in supporting teachers in refining their teaching practices and that the district provided math coaches for teachers. The district is also making curricula changes. As the story states, de-tracking requires far more than simply rearranging students into heterogeneous mathematics classrooms”.

Is Virginia prepared to make these same considerable investments? [/quote]

This!  If VDOE proposed having everyone take a rigorous curriculum like a less intense version of AoPS, but then offered real support for kids who needed it, no one would have a problem with this.  If this proposal also included funding for many more math resource teachers and for smaller classes, everything would be fine.

Many of us are concerned because we've already seen what happens in heterogeneous classrooms with 28+ kids, high FARMS, and a very wide spread in abilities.  It is highly likely in those cases that the instructional pace will slow down to the level of the below-average kids, the top kids will get absolutely nothing from the teacher, and the bottom most kids will be left behind.  What is VDOE proposing to support teachers and make any of this feasible for the teachers?[/quote]

I fully support making these investments, as well as advocating to reduce class size. That was a big factor for us when we were looking at school districts. 
[/quote]

Yes we all may support those things but that is not what VDOE is talking about. Zero mention of extra money nor explicate resources for teachers to do any of this and make the mixed classes genuinely workable. Simply a bit of magic wand waving and assertion that the kids who do not want to sit bored out of their minds for half the day are simply exercising their privilege.

If VDOE took the concerns seriously and was talking about things like money for smaller classes, creating the differentiation for teachers for the different levels in the mixed class, providing supports so this is more of raising the floor rather than lowering the ceiling ..... then it would be a different story. But I have heard all the webinars and read all their stuff so far. There is none of that.  [/quote]

It's still high-level planning so definitely [b]provide that feedback. [/b]

I think we should migrate to Common Core so we don't need to continually reinvent the wheel.

[/quote]

I sent essentially this feedback in to them prior to their last webinar; they chose not to address it during the 'town hall' meeting. But yes, if they would convince us that they are providing appropriate resources to teachers (curriculum resources to support multiple levels/styles of learner, for example) and that this was an increase of rigor instead of lowering the ceiling for everyone, I think you'd have a lot fewer upset parents.[/quote]

I believe they touched on resources for teachers in this session - towards the end: 
https://youtu.be/siS8jlTcUzo

(Sorry - linking from my phone - can try to get timestamp tomorrow). [/quote]

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