DD went to FCPS and it was great. it all fell apart when the board went woke and the DEI initiatives began. Which is why TJ fell to 14. Fortunately that is changing

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don’t read actual books/novels in elementary and middle anymore because everything is laser focused on the shorter “passages” that appear on the standardized tests. They just read those 2-3 page short stories or articles and that’s it.

Kids read full books in ES/MS in APS.

FCPS as well (as least, that has been my 3rd and 5th graders experiences... I'm sure it's not completely universal one way or the other).

Anonymous wrote:They don’t read actual books/novels in elementary and middle anymore because everything is laser focused on the shorter “passages” that appear on the standardized tests. They just read those 2-3 page short stories or articles and that’s it.

Kids read full books in ES/MS in APS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don’t read actual books/novels in elementary and middle anymore because everything is laser focused on the shorter “passages” that appear on the standardized tests. They just read those 2-3 page short stories or articles and that’s it.

And they have no attention span.

Last year I had a first grader who watched Tik Tok at home.

Most of my teens’ friends are on TikTok. It’s so toxic, horrible, and harmful to attention span.

Anonymous wrote:The quality of the education I received 25 years ago was far superior to what is being offered now. Anyone else notice this?

Hi OP, Google search's AI here with an answer to your question.

Every generation often perceives a decline in education because of a natural tendency to compare the current educational landscape to their own experiences as students, which are often viewed through rose-colored glasses, coupled with the fact that societal changes and technological advancements can make it seem like the current generation is not being adequately prepared for the future, leading to a perception of a decline in educational standards; this is often amplified by a generational gap in understanding and perspective.

Key points explaining this phenomenon
Nostalgia Bias: People tend to remember the positive aspects of their childhood experiences more vividly, leading to an idealized view of their education compared to what they see in the current system.
Rapid Change: As technology and societal norms evolve quickly, older generations may struggle to keep up with the changing educational needs and perceive the current system as lacking in certain areas.
Focus on perceived issues: Each generation tends to focus on the issues they see most prominent in the current educational system, like technology dependence, standardized testing, or curriculum changes, without considering potential improvements.
Misinformation and Media Influence: Media often sensationalizes stories about educational decline, further reinforcing the perception of a downward trend.
Different priorities: Each generation may have different priorities regarding education, with older generations potentially valuing traditional academic skills more than current generations who might prioritize critical thinking and adaptability.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don’t read actual books/novels in elementary and middle anymore because everything is laser focused on the shorter “passages” that appear on the standardized tests. They just read those 2-3 page short stories or articles and that’s it.

And they have no attention span.

Last year I had a first grader who watched Tik Tok at home.

Easily half of my kindergarteners watch Tik Tok. They can’t wait to finish whatever we are doing (even if it’s fun) to get to the next thing. Their attention spans keep dwindling. It’s sad. Listening to a picture book is very, very difficult for many of them. I’ve never seen so many kids want to go to the bathroom so often just to do something else.

The misguided goal is to have “success” accessible to all kids. Because having kids who don’t graduate HS is sad. Or something.

So we may have made success absurdly easy to achieve.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don’t read actual books/novels in elementary and middle anymore because everything is laser focused on the shorter “passages” that appear on the standardized tests. They just read those 2-3 page short stories or articles and that’s it.

And yet they have to fill out a reading log with comments about what they read and are encouraged to read chapter books. Reading is the easiest thing to encourage at home.

Push it off to the parents/kids themselves, that’s a recipe for success for sure. When I was a kid, we read chapter books as a class in school. Everyone got to read books. Now we’re trusting the kids and the parents to just take care of it at home, why?

Because forcing kids to read something that may not interest them is a great way to get them to dislike reading. Letting each kid choose the books they want to read will get them reading more.

Anonymous wrote:They don’t read actual books/novels in elementary and middle anymore because everything is laser focused on the shorter “passages” that appear on the standardized tests. They just read those 2-3 page short stories or articles and that’s it.

And they have no attention span.

Last year I had a first grader who watched Tik Tok at home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don’t read actual books/novels in elementary and middle anymore because everything is laser focused on the shorter “passages” that appear on the standardized tests. They just read those 2-3 page short stories or articles and that’s it.

And yet they have to fill out a reading log with comments about what they read and are encouraged to read chapter books. Reading is the easiest thing to encourage at home.

Push it off to the parents/kids themselves, that’s a recipe for success for sure. When I was a kid, we read chapter books as a class in school. Everyone got to read books. Now we’re trusting the kids and the parents to just take care of it at home, why?

Anonymous wrote:They don’t read actual books/novels in elementary and middle anymore because everything is laser focused on the shorter “passages” that appear on the standardized tests. They just read those 2-3 page short stories or articles and that’s it.

And yet they have to fill out a reading log with comments about what they read and are encouraged to read chapter books. Reading is the easiest thing to encourage at home.

They don’t read actual books/novels in elementary and middle anymore because everything is laser focused on the shorter “passages” that appear on the standardized tests. They just read those 2-3 page short stories or articles and that’s it.

He did. He plays baseball and soccer and is in scouts.

Anonymous wrote:My DS transferred from a Catholic school this September. I quit my job to take care of my father so no money for tuition. What my son tells me is pretty awful. Students wander the halls and don’t go to class, they sleep through class, don’t participate in class if they are awake, zero homework, etc. He went from 2 hrs of homework since 6th grade to none in 9th. They have yet to read an entire novel or write anything more than a page or so. His 8th grade major assignment was a 7-10 page paper on a current topic and then a 6-8 minute Ted talk just using index cards for notes and a slide show. Now he reads excepts from books and writes next to nothing. Sadly I am making plans to go back to work so he can get the hell out of public school.

2 hours of homework a night. Should probably get some other activities that's ridiculous.

My DS transferred from a Catholic school this September. I quit my job to take care of my father so no money for tuition. What my son tells me is pretty awful. Students wander the halls and don’t go to class, they sleep through class, don’t participate in class if they are awake, zero homework, etc. He went from 2 hrs of homework since 6th grade to none in 9th. They have yet to read an entire novel or write anything more than a page or so. His 8th grade major assignment was a 7-10 page paper on a current topic and then a 6-8 minute Ted talk just using index cards for notes and a slide show. Now he reads excepts from books and writes next to nothing. Sadly I am making plans to go back to work so he can get the hell out of public school.