Reply to VADOE adjustments to advanced math track

Forum Index » Advanced Academic Programs (AAP)

Reply to "VADOE adjustments to advanced math track"

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]The default plan is claimed as leading to calculus, in a way that honors kids would stay on the default plan, but the reality is they will be left behind and unable to take calculus.[/quote]

So many off-the-wall assumptions there.

Totally wackadoodle.  :roll: 
[/quote]

It is based on what they have said.
Is the default plan claimed as leaving a pathway to calculus in high school?  Yes it is.  In fact is being used as a selling point for the plan.
Is the current default for honors kids to take calculus as a senior?[/quote]

Based on what they's said so far, honors (all?) kids should be able to take calculus via the default path.

If the default path doesn't actually lead to calculus for whatever reason, schools can still offer accelerated paths so honors kids can take calculus - exactly as they do today. 
[/quote]

You just agreed with almost everything I said while calling it wackadoodle.  The default plan will be claimed to lead to calculus.
I think it will not do so, but will not be obvious because of the blending.  There is no bright line distinction between prealgebra,algebra,algebra 2.  Because this is the weakest kids in the default path this will have very little algebra 2, while they will still be calling it algebra 2.
Now in order to get around that and let honors kids take calculus, school districts would have to develop a more thorough curriculum.  Before they could just use the state curriculum, and put kids ahead a year.  Now it won't matter if kids take the default path accelerated in 7-8-9 instead of 8-9-10.  They still haven't gotten the necessary algebra 2 material.[/quote]

“honors kids would stay on the default plan”. 
If the default plan doesn’t lead to calculus then honors kids would chose the accelerated path. 
[/quote]

If VA DOE were being honest about the default plan.
It's not that simple, as explained.
To offer an accelerated path would require a bit of extra work from the school system.[/quote]

Why would it be any more work to offer acceleration than it is to accelerate today?

Schools offer acceleration today and they can offer it with blended concepts. 
[/quote]

To accelerate today, school districts would just offer kids to move ahead to the next class.
Under the proposal, schools could accelerate kids into this pathway sooner easily.
What would be difficult is getting them the algebra 2 material.  This would now be somewhat missing from the curriculum.
It is not clear if a standalone algebra 2(or algebra or geometry) class is allowed.
Also, non-accelerated kids but instead honors kids would be even harder.
They would be on the same pathway but needing to get the algebra 2 material.  The school district would have to develop the harder I-II-III pathway that truly puts kids on a path to calculus.

Having this algebra 2 thrown in with pre-algebra,algebra, geometry, and stats and modeling, would suggest that the honors kids is the wrong group for this.  Better to target accelerated kids to do all this in grades 6-8 or 7-9.
The regular honors kids need algebra-geometry-algebra 2 in grades 8-10, not pre-algebra.
More advanced kids should have algebra in 6th or 7th.[/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