Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will math classes be next? No allowing for tracked classes? That is happening in FCPS.

This is NOT going to happen...Deal (Wilson's largest feeder) has 8th graders in 4 different levels of math.

I'm amazed that everyone catastrophizes every announcement without looking at the intent and potential. Maybe this will actually help with equity? And if you have a child at Wilson and are concerned about this, maybe you should call the school and ask for more details and what you can do to ensure the change leads to a successful outcome for all students? Maybe the PTA could use some extra resources to support kids who will be in these classes?

Structural racism exists because when there are efforts made to change the system, those that benefit from the existing system refuse to look beyond themselves...

So you are okay with it for subjects other than math? Why the distinction?

the simple reason is because math is math and it is more difficult to water down and bulls$hit. according to DCPS website, 68% of students at Wilson do not fully meet expectations in math. hard to put everybody in AP classes when many kids are not even at grade level.

Look at the racial make-up of the kids taking Algebra 2 at Deal and even Geometry. So not sure you think no way math is not going to change? There is no equitable reason why 20 or so mainly affluent kids in the entire district get the opportunity to be so accelerated when that option isn’t open to all in the district. Is there another school where 8th graders are offered algebra 2?

I'm not sure what your arguing for...that they will stop tracking at Wilson even though they already do it at Deal? Once these kids come in ready for pre-Calculus in 9th grade Wilson will say "sorry" and send them back to Algebra? Or they will insist that everyone take pre-calc in 9th? Or you think they will stop tracking at Deal?

Maybe everyone on this listserve that is concerned should start demanding access to opportunities for kids across the city--not just at their own elementary and middle schools-- so that all kids can come to Wilson ready for advanced classes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will math classes be next? No allowing for tracked classes? That is happening in FCPS.

This is NOT going to happen...Deal (Wilson's largest feeder) has 8th graders in 4 different levels of math.

I'm amazed that everyone catastrophizes every announcement without looking at the intent and potential. Maybe this will actually help with equity? And if you have a child at Wilson and are concerned about this, maybe you should call the school and ask for more details and what you can do to ensure the change leads to a successful outcome for all students? Maybe the PTA could use some extra resources to support kids who will be in these classes?

Structural racism exists because when there are efforts made to change the system, those that benefit from the existing system refuse to look beyond themselves...

So you are okay with it for subjects other than math? Why the distinction?

the simple reason is because math is math and it is more difficult to water down and bulls$hit. according to DCPS website, 68% of students at Wilson do not fully meet expectations in math. hard to put everybody in AP classes when many kids are not even at grade level.

Look at the racial make-up of the kids taking Algebra 2 at Deal and even Geometry. So not sure you think no way math is not going to change? There is no equitable reason why 20 or so mainly affluent kids in the entire district get the opportunity to be so accelerated when that option isn’t open to all in the district. Is there another school where 8th graders are offered algebra 2?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will math classes be next? No allowing for tracked classes? That is happening in FCPS.

This is NOT going to happen...Deal (Wilson's largest feeder) has 8th graders in 4 different levels of math.

I'm amazed that everyone catastrophizes every announcement without looking at the intent and potential. Maybe this will actually help with equity? And if you have a child at Wilson and are concerned about this, maybe you should call the school and ask for more details and what you can do to ensure the change leads to a successful outcome for all students? Maybe the PTA could use some extra resources to support kids who will be in these classes?

Structural racism exists because when there are efforts made to change the system, those that benefit from the existing system refuse to look beyond themselves...

You are under the misguided impression that folks here give a damn about equity or structural racism. The fact that they spent an afternoon last summer marching with BLM doesn't mean they want to give up any of their privilege for real change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will math classes be next? No allowing for tracked classes? That is happening in FCPS.

This is NOT going to happen...Deal (Wilson's largest feeder) has 8th graders in 4 different levels of math.

I'm amazed that everyone catastrophizes every announcement without looking at the intent and potential. Maybe this will actually help with equity? And if you have a child at Wilson and are concerned about this, maybe you should call the school and ask for more details and what you can do to ensure the change leads to a successful outcome for all students? Maybe the PTA could use some extra resources to support kids who will be in these classes?

Structural racism exists because when there are efforts made to change the system, those that benefit from the existing system refuse to look beyond themselves...

So you are okay with it for subjects other than math? Why the distinction?

the simple reason is because math is math and it is more difficult to water down and bulls$hit. according to DCPS website, 68% of students at Wilson do not fully meet expectations in math. hard to put everybody in AP classes when many kids are not even at grade level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will math classes be next? No allowing for tracked classes? That is happening in FCPS.

This is NOT going to happen...Deal (Wilson's largest feeder) has 8th graders in 4 different levels of math.

I'm amazed that everyone catastrophizes every announcement without looking at the intent and potential. Maybe this will actually help with equity? And if you have a child at Wilson and are concerned about this, maybe you should call the school and ask for more details and what you can do to ensure the change leads to a successful outcome for all students? Maybe the PTA could use some extra resources to support kids who will be in these classes?

Structural racism exists because when there are efforts made to change the system, those that benefit from the existing system refuse to look beyond themselves...

So you are okay with it for subjects other than math? Why the distinction?

I am okay with the proposal that has been put out there - it's an attempt to see whether Wilson can move the ball forward vis-a-vis equity. The math analogy doesn't make sense given the feeder school's pre-existing tracking. If all of Wilson's feeder school's stop tracking math, there may be legit concerns that Wilson is going to stop tracking math (though the parallel case would be that all middle schoolers would be accelerated to start taking Algebra II by 9th grade, since that's the typical accelerated track).

If they are doing that to math in Moco and Fairfax why won’t it happen here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a grader for the AP test.

There’s no standardization of the classes. You can teach anything you’d like. I’m surprised most Americans are so clueless about what goes on in schools.

I’m also not happy about the algebra situation but that’s the reality of American education here, there, and everywhere.

This is correct. I teach AP classes at a different school. There is huge variation in how AP courses are taught across different districts and schools. The College Board publishes a curriculum but they don’t micromanage actual classes. Some teachers barely teach the AP curriculum, some manage to do even more than the curriculum and there is a whole range in between. It is very difficult to teach an AP class where some kids are not prepared for the rigor and are uninterested in even taking the class.

This is what I’d be worried about. Kids take the AP for some reason other than actual interest which translates to willingness to do the work required, no matter your level.

Big different between motivated yet struggling kid (just needs extra support) and slacker kid who is not sure why they’re in that class.

Reason for tracking period. Not sure about the whole recommendation thing though, that could cut both ways.

I'm not sure what the motivation would be for a kid to take the AP class other than motivation....anyway, if they are not motivated, they will sit there and not participate...they won't add or detract much from the class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will math classes be next? No allowing for tracked classes? That is happening in FCPS.

This is NOT going to happen...Deal (Wilson's largest feeder) has 8th graders in 4 different levels of math.

I'm amazed that everyone catastrophizes every announcement without looking at the intent and potential. Maybe this will actually help with equity? And if you have a child at Wilson and are concerned about this, maybe you should call the school and ask for more details and what you can do to ensure the change leads to a successful outcome for all students? Maybe the PTA could use some extra resources to support kids who will be in these classes?

Structural racism exists because when there are efforts made to change the system, those that benefit from the existing system refuse to look beyond themselves...

So you are okay with it for subjects other than math? Why the distinction?

How about a student has to earn at least a B in every honors/AP course to qualify for another honors/AP course? Bs are not hard to come by at Wilson.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a grader for the AP test.

There’s no standardization of the classes. You can teach anything you’d like. I’m surprised most Americans are so clueless about what goes on in schools.

I’m also not happy about the algebra situation but that’s the reality of American education here, there, and everywhere.

This is correct. I teach AP classes at a different school. There is huge variation in how AP courses are taught across different districts and schools. The College Board publishes a curriculum but they don’t micromanage actual classes. Some teachers barely teach the AP curriculum, some manage to do even more than the curriculum and there is a whole range in between. It is very difficult to teach an AP class where some kids are not prepared for the rigor and are uninterested in even taking the class.

This is what I’d be worried about. Kids take the AP for some reason other than actual interest which translates to willingness to do the work required, no matter your level.

Big different between motivated yet struggling kid (just needs extra support) and slacker kid who is not sure why they’re in that class.

Reason for tracking period. Not sure about the whole recommendation thing though, that could cut both ways.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will math classes be next? No allowing for tracked classes? That is happening in FCPS.

This is NOT going to happen...Deal (Wilson's largest feeder) has 8th graders in 4 different levels of math.

I'm amazed that everyone catastrophizes every announcement without looking at the intent and potential. Maybe this will actually help with equity? And if you have a child at Wilson and are concerned about this, maybe you should call the school and ask for more details and what you can do to ensure the change leads to a successful outcome for all students? Maybe the PTA could use some extra resources to support kids who will be in these classes?

Structural racism exists because when there are efforts made to change the system, those that benefit from the existing system refuse to look beyond themselves...

Exactly—especially the last part.

Ms. Martin is due for a parent coffee soon. Attend and ask questions and be open to change.

Anonymous wrote:Will math classes be next? No allowing for tracked classes? That is happening in FCPS.

This is NOT going to happen...Deal (Wilson's largest feeder) has 8th graders in 4 different levels of math.

I'm amazed that everyone catastrophizes every announcement without looking at the intent and potential. Maybe this will actually help with equity? And if you have a child at Wilson and are concerned about this, maybe you should call the school and ask for more details and what you can do to ensure the change leads to a successful outcome for all students? Maybe the PTA could use some extra resources to support kids who will be in these classes?

Structural racism exists because when there are efforts made to change the system, those that benefit from the existing system refuse to look beyond themselves...

Will math classes be next? No allowing for tracked classes? That is happening in FCPS.

Anonymous wrote:I was a grader for the AP test.

There’s no standardization of the classes. You can teach anything you’d like. I’m surprised most Americans are so clueless about what goes on in schools.

I’m also not happy about the algebra situation but that’s the reality of American education here, there, and everywhere.

This is correct. I teach AP classes at a different school. There is huge variation in how AP courses are taught across different districts and schools. The College Board publishes a curriculum but they don’t micromanage actual classes. Some teachers barely teach the AP curriculum, some manage to do even more than the curriculum and there is a whole range in between. It is very difficult to teach an AP class where some kids are not prepared for the rigor and are uninterested in even taking the class.

Anonymous wrote:For all of you pointing to the course catalog, last year this same cohort had a choice between History and AP World History for the Sophmore year. Until the school made a policy decision to get rig of AP world history and enroll everyone in Honors World History. After students had already done their course selections. The existence of a course in the Wilson course catalog really doesn’t mean much.

+1. I was about to write the same, a bunch of kids who had selected AP World History found out end of April/May that the class was no longer offered to Sophomores and that they were all going to take Honors World History. so the fact that the classes are on the website does not mean anything based on past experience.

last year I was on the call with the Principal and the head of the department and parents of kids who had selected the AP class, where the decision (already made) was explained to the parents. While I think AP classes in HS are BS (I agree with the poster above on the IB curriculum), I came out of the call very concerned. Frankly I had the impression that the school is under high pressure to close the achievement gap and that it is much easier to do it by cutting corners and "make believe" that kids that are behind are finally doing better than to actually teach kids who may be actually years behind (especially in STEM), see calling all the classes "honors" and so on. the principal gave two reasons to cancel the AP history class for sophomores: 1) the class is too difficult, kids feel the pressure to take it, are not ready but take it anyway and then in the middle of the year struggle, get bad grades and try to get out of it, so let's wait one more year and they are older, more mature, ready for the class, they can take it and do it well. if she stopped there I would have agreed that it was a reasonable approach. but then she proceed to reason number 2) which I remember as follows: mostly white privilege kids take the AP class, vast majority of minority kids take the normal class, minority kids have suffered systemic racial injustice and the result is now that they are poor and disadvantage, they see the white peers proceed with AP classes and better education and this is unfair, so we cancel the AP class and all the kids will be in the same class and will do great. I, and many other parents on the call, found this reasoning stupid since it was unclear how canceling the AP class for the more advanced kids was going to help kids who not at a level sufficient to take it. frankly to me seemed very much a way for the school to show that all kids, white and minorities, are finally taking the same classes and that there is no education and achievement gap, without actually bringing the students who are behind at the level they could take more advanced classes. when my kid was in 8th grade at Deal we went to Wilson for the presentation of the school and the Principal went on and on about her goal to close the achievement gap and the Honors for all in 9th grade that had recently been implemented. a parent asked the obvious question "some kids come to HS and are behind, some significantly behind, how can they do honors classes with success without the school dumbing down the honor classes?". the Principal responded that the plan was to have very small classes in 9th grade, 10-15 kids max so the school could quickly identify the kids who needed help, work with them in an intensive manner, and by the end of the year they would be brought up to grade level and the following year could do well and even take advanced classes. I thought it was a bunch of wishful thinking to use a polite word, but I thought let's giving it a chance and see how it works. classes were not small at all in 9th grade, ranging from 25 to 37 kids for my kid and then when kids selected AP classes for the sophomore year, as the Principal admitted there were not that many minority kids. so it seems that the honors for all system did not really work in helping the kids who are behind. but now the school can boast that all kids take honor classes at Wilson and in the sophomore year there was no gap with mostly white kids taking the
AP class and most minority kids taking the regular class, since the AP class was canceled for sophomore. in short, I am concerned that DCPS is more concerned about making itself look good than actually help the kids who may need help.