Reply to Is FCPS ending advance math for students who are not in AAP?

Forum Index » Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)

Reply to "Is FCPS ending advance math for students who are not in AAP?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It was the year 2000.  But that just proves my point.  Many ideas and reforms aren't novel new ideas, they are updates/reboots/refined versions of older ideas.  So flexible groupings were the status quo in the 80's to 90's, the pendulum moved away from that.  We then saw things like balanced literacy and "new" math.  Things seem to move further left with the equity focus, etc.  Are we starting to go back towards the center?[/quote]

So last century.

Flexible groupings are far more equitable than AAP. 
[/quote]

PP.  Yes, I agree with you.  It worked when I was a kid, things started to change when I was in college and hopefully things will swing back that direction.  I like the very small GT for those who really need it.[/quote]

DP.  Agreed.  I'm the poster who grew up in FCPS when there was a tiny GT program.  No one resented those students because it was clear they were ACTUALLY gifted and needed a separate program.  Everyone else was put into flexible groups depending on their level, and no one was locked into any one group.  Students can improve and move up, or receive remediation, depending on their abilities in each core subject.  That was the way to go.  [/quote]

I was also in that tiny GT program and I teach for FCPS right now. The dynamics of the current classroom wouldn’t support that type of program anymore. There are kids, in one classroom, at seven different math and reading levels. To be able to put students in the groups that they “should” be in is essentially illegal nowadays.[/quote]

Have you read the entire thread?  This isn't at all what is being discussed here.  It's been repeated, over and over, that what FCPS needs are flexible groupings [b]*among the entire grade level team*[/b].  So Teacher A would take all the advanced math kids, Teacher B would take the grade-level kids, Teacher C would take the remedial group.  And so on for [b]all four core subjects[/b].  No one is talking about dividing up each individual classroom into multiple levels.

And if flexible grouping is "essentially illegal" nowadays (??), then assigning 7 yr. olds to either AAP or GE should absolutely be illegal.[/quote]

This is clearly written by someone who knows nothing about teaching/education. Why don’t you go to the national Department of Education website and do a little research on ability tracking. Once you’ve read up on that, then you’ll realize why FCPS specifically pushes more minorities into AAP. [/quote]

Doesn't work though[/quote]

I am new to the forum. Why does FCPS specifically push more minorities into AAP? Thanks.[/quote]

FCPS is an academic system; ie - a school system.

[b]FCPS has repeatedly stressed academics are not their first priority.  [/b]

Equity is the FCPS school board and superintendent’s first priority.  They stress this over and over.[/quote]

Citation? [/quote]

https://wpde.com/amp/news/nation-world/marginalization-is-driving-force-for-resource-allocation-in-virginia-school-district-fairfax-county-public-schools-equity-policy-thomas-jefferson-high-school-national-merit-recognition

Google the rest yourself.[/quote]
They are pushing for MORE kids to finish Alg 1 by 8th. They are promoting acceleration. 
[/quote]
And also removing acceleration for others aiming for Algebra in 7th. Equity. [/quote]

California attempted a [b]similar approach [/b]to “equity math.”  It was a monumental disaster, both in failing to achieve equity but also in failing to educate the most capable students:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/california-math-framework-algebra/675509/

Fairfax county’s school board and the superintendent are leading FCPS down a path to disaster.[/quote]

They were also pushing more kids to take Alg 1 in 8th? [/quote]
DP Heterogenous classes[/quote]

How is that relevant to what FCPS is doing? FCPS is pushing to have MORE kids take Alg 1 in 8th, not eliminating it. [/quote]
Exactly. They are doing this while simultaneously pushing to have LESS kids take Alg 1 in 7th. Equity. [/quote]

While I agree equity drives almost every decision in FCPS today the issue is not whether kids take Algebra 1 in 7th or 8th grade.   They should be learning basic algebraic concepts in 4th, 5th and 6th grade.   Integrated math is what countries that teach math well in other parts of the world do. Not the chapter book method, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Trig/PreCalc, Calculus that we teach in the US.  [/quote]
Your course list would be a slowdown in curriculum for advanced students; their progression is Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2/Trig, Precalc, Calculus.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics