Anonymous wrote:


It's so easy to criticize teachers, but I suspect most of the critics have no background in education other than having gone to school themselves.

I'm not even sure of that last part! We focused on my state's history in elementary school, and that was 40 years ago.

Fourth graders study their own state's history in every state. It is not unique to Virginia. The curriculum is not about "brainwashing," it's about teaching local history. The history of a student's state forms a foundation for learning how to learn history. The ease of doing local field trips allows students to picture historic events in their own environs.

It's so easy to criticize teachers, but I suspect most of the critics have no background in education other than having gone to school themselves.

Anonymous wrote:Moved to VA recently from NJ. Must agree that there is too much emphasis on VA state history at the expense of other great history lessons. My kids are even complaining about it. They know that other states played an important role in US history, but it is not covered. And forget about WWI/II, reconstruction, and world history...

I grew up in Illinois and we studied Illinois history in elementary school. Live in NoVA, not a fan of most of the state but a great deal of US history happened in VA and there's no harm to learning it

Anonymous wrote:I agree that Mali is sort of random but it has been in the news lately with the fundamental Islamists taking over parts of the country.

Because it had a rich civilization and traded near and far. It's good that schools teach about civilizations outside of Europe.

OP: I had the same thoughts you do. Another test?
For starters, these tests are very easy. They cover basic topics taught over the school year. Whether you are aware or not, your child has had benchmarks that they have had to achieve over the school year. The SOL's are required, and that is a good thing. They indicate how your child is doing, how the teacher is doing and how the county is doing.
I think the best thing to do is not make the tests a big deal to your child and play the game. In terms of the big picture, this is not worth taking on.

Anonymous wrote:I thought the teachers in FCPS were under a great deal of pressure to teach what was on the test. The children certainly know how important it is to the teachers. Prep, prep, prep. I would like to see it abolished. It was an idea for some inner city schools that has spread and become distorted. As for history, ask your kids a few questions about history. They are not learning the same history that we did. They do think that Martin Luther King and George Washington did the exact same thing at the same time.

It depends on the age. I remember thinking that Apartheid was at the same time as slavery. It took me the longest time to remember that Hitler was in WWII and not WWI. By Middle and High school the timeline in our mind sorts itself out.

I thought the teachers in FCPS were under a great deal of pressure to teach what was on the test. The children certainly know how important it is to the teachers. Prep, prep, prep. I would like to see it abolished. It was an idea for some inner city schools that has spread and become distorted. As for history, ask your kids a few questions about history. They are not learning the same history that we did. They do think that Martin Luther King and George Washington did the exact same thing at the same time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP had a valid point. As a parent, SOLs are meaningless.

I understand.
As a teacher, I know that we are transitioning to an evaluation system in which 40% of our evaluation will be based upon student progress. While I don't agree with the new system, SOL scores will be used as a measure. As long as that is in place, I hope there won't be many parents who convey this to their students.

This is not necessarily true. In my FCPS high school, we have been allowed to choose what we are evaluated on as far as student progress - so it could be a reading test, a writing assessment, oral presentations given throughout the year, or an SOL test.

As a high school teacher, I understand the theory of the SOL test, but I don't think it has really helped students learn. It has made most classes become very superficially taught - i.e. Mali for a day, the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans in 2 days, Egypt in 3 days.

As a parent whose son will be in 3rd grade next year, I am worried about how the classes will teach to the test and how much in depth learning my son will be able to experience in his classes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What grade are they studying Mali? Perhaps it came up in class discussion talking about current events.

In second grade they teach about Mali.

Mali comes up in any student of ancient civilizations. It's on the 9th grade World History I SOL, too. Just remember gold and salt and you'll be good.

*Titans*

Need MOAR Ccoffee!

Anonymous wrote:And for the pp who said that most of the civil rights action was further South, you are clearly not familiar with the long and turbulent battle for integration in Virginia schools. It was ugly. And ever hear of Loving v. Virginia?

For that matter, ever see Remember The Titals? That was TC Williams. The one in Alexandria. In the 1970s.

They will certainly look into why the child did not do well on the SOL and depending on the subject determine that the student needs extra help. It may signal an LD. It may be a fluke. The student may have been off a question the whole test. The student may actually need extra help. ......

Anonymous wrote:All teachers have access to the students' pass test score. I can bring up ALL the SOL scores for a student from elementary school to middle school.

If your student doesn't do well on the SOL, they will be put into a remediation program. 8th grade SOL scores will determine which Math class they take as a freshman in high school. 5th grade Math SOL scores can determine if your child is put into the advance Math class in 6th grade.

So a child who gets all 4s and doesn't do well on the 3rd or 4th grade SOLs gets put in a remediation program?

Anonymous wrote:You posters are such children. As soon as someone says something you don't like you tattle to Jeff. I don't think people should use f words or other words but where does it end? Snowflake?

The children aren't the snowflakes. It's those annoying, know-it-all parents who never stopped brown-nosing. They are the snowflakes. Betcha they never learned how to effectively deal with people IRL either.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go, Virginia, go! The brainwashing is disgusting. Do they give out tobacco bubble gum too?

We are definitely traveling a lot during 4th grade for our own learning adventures.

Might I recommend Jamestown, Yorktown, Monticello, Montepelier, Mount Vernon, Manassas/Bull Run or Chancellorsville, and Williamsburg as excellent historical sites to visit. Oh wait, you wouldn't want to brainwash your children into thinking anything interesting happened in Virginia.

As far as tobacco goes, the story of tobacco in Virginia is fascinating. How can your kids learn about and understand the roots of slavery in America and the history of black Americans without learning about tobacco?

And for the pp who said that most of the civil rights action was further South, you are clearly not familiar with the long and turbulent battle for integration in Virginia schools. It was ugly. And ever hear of Loving v. Virginia?

I'll take the top 3. Say, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Bull Run. Then move on. There is plenty of interesting history in the rest of the US to keep us busy.

I prefer to make my own brainwashing curriculum rather than rely on some backwater good 'ole boys from Richmond. Yeehaw!