The grade levels K through 12 have 25 to 30 students each.

Curriculum 2.0 now prohibits students in each grade level from moving up (maybe even down?) a level to get appropriate challenge. One assumes that as one goes up a Grade level (from K through 12) the content will get more challenging.

Many parents claim today their children's challenges in math are not being met at each Grade level since children can no longer move up. They were able to do so under the old curriculum. MCPS claims these needs will be met by differentiated teaching at each Grade level in curriculum 2.0. Each teacher will now teach to a wider range of aptitudes, ability, performance and exposure in the 50 min math class (per curriculum 2.0). On paper and in theory this strategy may compensate for prohibiting kids to move up; in reality and practise over the last 2 years this is not the case for many in MCPS.

Removing the current MCPS prohibition of student movement would solve this problem easily. For example, many systems around the globe and country have "block scheduling" (fundamental and basic subjects like math are held at the same time of the day in elementary school). This provides efficiencies (for instruction [teachers] and students) and allows children who have already demonstrated mastery of subject material at a particular Grade level to shift up to an appropriate level (K-8 for example). This becomes critical as the classroom sizes in MCPS continue to grow (>>> 25) and the teaching pipeline pumps out more generalists and teachers less proficient and knowledgeable about mathematics.

If MCPS does not have a prohibition regarding student movement in this regard then the trickle down message from up top flip flops all the way to the bottom. Since no human being seems capable of articulating the policy in clear English what that process, pathway and procedure. This should be transparent and not shrouded in evasion.

Thanks for the thoughtful answer about training and resources, but I don't see the difference in resources between having three teachers with each teaching one level of learners and having three teachers with each teaching a mix of learners. Both involve three teachers. The former model is the current one in our ES for grades 4 and 5.

Actually the school has absolutely no obligation to stimulate your child. The obligation is to prepare them for the workforce/college. If your child isn't stimulated get them a hobby or tutor.

And the current job market reflects MCPS is doing a fantastic job of preparing our kids for the workforce and college. Do you know how many MCPS kids go on to college and then graduate? How many MCPS kids are getting jobs? How many MCPS kids are still home in their parents basement or on their parents dime even after College?

If MCPS doesn't provide a challenging and stimulating curriculum in the classroom (beginning at the elementary school level) for our children, the unemployment rate will continue to rise and kids will continue to enter our colleges unprepared and return to the family basement.

$2.2 billion/year must get our kids more than a 6-hour baby sitting service with teachers and their union as the Baby Sitters and the Principal--the Head Baby Sitter in Chief.

The scarcity of the math teaching resources makes the case for allowing kids to move up and down in the present MCPS math curriculum for best fit rather than overwhelming a single math teacher (precious resource) at each rigid grade level with the task of teaching 30 kids spanning the Bell shaped curve of ability, aptitude and previous experience and exposure in math. The current system is senseless since children are not getting the differentiation marketed and advertised by the MCPS bureaucrats -- who are NOT in the classrooms.

Why is math so different than reading and writing? If differentiation is allowed (albeit in the same classroom) for these skills, why does math have to be treated differently?

ES teachers are better trained to evaluate and coach reading and writing. Their education degrees do not prepare them very well for math or science. Most individuals who gravitate toward teaching are not the analytical, math or science types. You have a serious skill deficiency and professional development cost if a school system wants to get serious about treating math equal to reading/writing. Private schools counter this by having a dedicated Math or Science teacher. This is someone who has a background in these fields and a teaching degree. MCPS has consistently been cutting back on what they call Specials or teachers with focus. The expectation is that one teacher does everything, with no or few aides.

Acceleration in reading and writing requires fewer resources and the upper groups are more independent and student led with teacher as coach. DD is in the higher reading/writing groups and she does this independently with feedback from the teacher rather than significant instruction. If the kids are going to break up into reading groups anyway, it really doesn't make a staffing/resource difference if one group reads an lower level and one group reads a higher level.

Math instruction in MCPS is teacher led..ie teacher up at the prometheus board doing examples, explaining concepts, and articulating the instructions (how to do it i whichever way they have chosen for that day and instructions). In order to allow acceleration in this model, more teaching staff need to be assigned to give different work to different group.

No math acceleration is driven by the desire to close the achievement gap by not documenting the higher %, reduce costs by limiting instruction, and align with the existing workforce rather than change to meet the changing world and economy.

Actually the school has absolutely no obligation to stimulate your child. The obligation is to prepare them for the workforce/college. If your child isn't stimulated get them a hobby or tutor.

Are you a consultant for MCPS? Why don't you advise Starr to rewrite the MCPS mission statement according to your directive. "MCPS schools have absolutely no obligation to provide a challenging and stimulating education for your child".

Are you part of the 47% living off the $2.2 billion/year MCPS trough feeding the mouching adult educational bureaucrats?

Actually the school has absolutely no obligation to stimulate your child. The obligation is to prepare them for the workforce/college. If your child isn't stimulated get them a hobby or tutor.

You have the wrong concept here. We are not referring to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) of pharmacological stimulation from caffeine which is not served during recess. We agree, our taxes don't call for this type of stimulation.