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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I see MCPS prettying up C2.0 by giving fancy names to concepts that are, in reality, simple and age appropriate not advanced.

For example, kids in 3rd grade are not really doing "algebra".  The "agelbra" my child brings home in third grade is really the idea of triangular math facts disguised as "algebra".   When I saw that my son was bringing these home, I checked to see if he understood or was taught the Algebraic ideas -- that an equation can be changed on by doing the same thing to both sides and that one can "solve" the equation by isolating for X.  It was Martian talk for him.  It is not "algebra" to give a kid a triangular math fact and ask him to substitute in to fill in the blank.  (e.g. 10-X=3).   Mastering triangular math facts (i.e. knowing all the math facts from 1-10 or 12 in all four operations, addition, subtraction, mulitplication and division) and understanding that they are related (e.g. 10-7 = 3 and 3+7=10) has long been the main work of third grade math.  C2.0 isn't doing anything advanced by calling it "Algebra".

Similarly, our school has touted the fact that kids are "learning fractions" now in third grade.  Wow!  this curriculum must be really advanced!  But, if you look carefully at the work, all the kids are learning is how to name a fraction (e.g. that in a picture of a pizza with four slices, each slice is 1/4), and perhaps how to add or subtract a fraction with the same denominator (if Susie eats one slice and Bobby eats two slices, how many slices did they eat?).  There is really no discussion of adding or subtracting fractions with different denominators, unless done pictorially.  There's also no multiplication or division of fractions.  So, really these fraction concepts are not "advanced."  Kids can and do learn these concepts earlier, particularly in a Montessori school (which my son attended through kindergarten).

Look behind the curtain, people.  The Great Oz is just a little bald man with a bad goatee.

MCPS can get away with this, because most parents are not math literate.

[/quote]

Wait, are you saying that MCPS is actually teaching third grade math to third graders? Let's alert the authorities at once.
[/quote]

No, I'm saying that many third grade kids were doing concepts more advanced than third grade and MCPS pulled them all back to on grade level and tried to pretend that the on grade level was advanced.  It's not.  It's just regular old third grade math, the same as always.

To be more specific -- at my child's elementary 1/3 of last year's 2nd graders were either one or two years above grade level, meaning as second graders they were either working on the third grade curriculum or the fourth grade curriculum or third with fourth grade extensions.  This year all these kids were put into third grade math, where they have spent all year repeating the same things they learned last year.  First the school tried to say, "wait, try it, you'll see C2.0 is really 'deeper'".  Parents caught on by mid-year when this year's homework looked suspiciously like last year's homework.  Parents started angrily asking when "new" material would come.  The principal said, "wait, the fractions unit is coming, kids in third grade last year didn't do fractions."  But, now parents can see that the fractions unit is really just naming fractions and adding/subtracting with like denominators.  These concepts are not "deep."

From where I sit, MCPS has tried and failed to eliminate the achievement gaps by bringing up those at the bottom.  So, MCPS is now trying to close the gap by holding back the advancement of kids who have already mastered on grade level skills.  MCPS is doing this by eliminating upper level instruction.  Without instruction, many kids will not continue to advance and, presto, the achievement gap starts to disappear. [/quote]

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