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

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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is really hard on teachers to implement. And it does not take into account the special ed kids who need the regular lessons at a slow and steady pace. Not everyone needs acceleration. [/quote]

Which is why there should be a variety of levels (of all core classes), spread among all teachers.  Much more straightforward than all the meaningless, wordy "E3" or AAP Level Whatever nonsense.  [/quote]

Flexible grouping (aka tracking) is Inequitable. [/quote]

Putting all the so-called advanced kids and EVERYONE else together is what is inequitable. AAP is the OPPOSITE of equity. It's catering to rich white and asian families and is disgusting.[/quote]

+100
Flexible groupings would see kids mixed in ways they are not currently.  The "advanced" LA group might not all be in the "advanced" math group (or science, social studies).  This monolithic "AAP" group is full of kids who aren't advanced across the board.  Just as GE is full of bright kids who ARE advanced in certain subjects, but not all.  The current system is ridiculous.[/quote]

I agree. I went to school in FCPS about a zillion years ago; advanced classes didn't start until the 5th- 6th grade, and then we were grouped for math and language arts according to where you performed on the yearly, not monthly, aptitude test. I was reading at an 11th-grade level in the 4th grade, but I failed at math when it meant having to sit down every day and do the work. It's not my jam at all, but I still scored above the 95th percentile for state-wide students in math, so I was in advanced math and language arts for the rest of 5-6th. If someone had tested me in the second grade and assigned me at that point, it would have been over because I could barely read in the 2nd grade.

I got lots of C's in math and A's in language arts; I was perfectly pleased with my C and ecstatic for a B. Some things I picked up quickly, and other things I didn't, no one had to slow down a class so that I could catch up. I got a C, and other kids got an A. And it meant that after elementary I continued on the college prep track. This meant I was getting exposure to the more complex subject matter, even if I didn't master it, which meant that I could pass the minimum math requirement when I did go off to college; I wasn't being tracked to community college or beauty school right out of the gate starting in 2nd grade.

What they are doing now makes no sense. I have a DS who couldn't sit still in 2nd but scores advanced pass for every single Language Arts SOL he's had put in front of him since then; he's a better math student than I ever was, not gifted, but he loves science, language arts, history, social studies, anything that involves reading. He has the closest thing to a photographic memory I've seen in a kid, which isn't just a party trick. It means he has a lot of facts flying around in his head, is chomping at the bit to learn more, is capable of higher-order thinking, and is desperate for opportunities where he can relate what he knows to what he's learning. But there is no place for that in GenEd, which is fine. A school can't be everything for everyone, but it seems to be a waste when a kid like that sits on ice for 8 hours a day.

I have a teacher friend who teaches AAP math in FCPS, and as she put it, they move so fast that almost no one in the class can keep up, and those who do are learning the concepts at a surface level only. There isn't enough time to teach the required materials in the time they have because the majority of the students aren't capable of achieving the level they would need to in order to keep up with the pace.  So, most of her kids are doing outside tutoring, Mathnasium, Kumon etc., to keep up, while others, who are more capable, are doing outside enrichment to fill in the gaps so they can learn what they need to know to stay ahead. Oh, and she mentioned they are all very into Dogman and other graphic novels, but even the most basic young reader literature available. Meanwhile, many kids are in GenEd and can keep up but are bored to tears because it all moves too slowly and isn't challenging enough.

So, what exactly are they accomplishing? I figured out maybe a little too late that my DS wouldn't get the education I received because it isn't being offered to anyone. So now I spend money to have DS work twice weekly with a retired school teacher. My request was that she challenge him, teach him to write in cursive, and give him opportunities to think, allow discussion, write, identify, and also help to fill in the gaps. It's not enough because 2 hours a week doesn't make up for a full-time but fundamentally weak elementary education, but it's something. 
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