FYI-News: Math education: Parents push schools to accelerate middle schoolers

[Arcadia]

"But many high-performing districts, while adopting the new standards, retain the fast pace of old math instruction. Palo Alto, Saratoga, Cupertino and Pleasanton -- districts that pride themselves on high test scores -- maintain some accelerated math tracks in middle school. So does Los Gatos, which did an about-face after a parent protest last year. Those paths put students on track to taking advanced placement calculus in high school."

 

"And the Cupertino Union School District has a majority of its 6,350 middle-school students on a path that propels them two years ahead in math.

 

Superintendent Wendy Gudalewicz said that at forums to introduce Common Core, "The biggest concern was, 'Are you going to hold my child back?'""

 

http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_26726897/math-education-parents-push-schools-accelerate-middle-schoolers

 

My school district is not in this news but is still offering algebra 1 at 7th grade with no plans to scrap.

 

ETA:

Just thought people might be interested that parents protest does work.

[Roadrunner]

"But many high-performing districts, while adopting the new standards, retain the fast pace of old math instruction. Palo Alto, Saratoga, Cupertino and Pleasanton -- districts that pride themselves on high test scores -- maintain some accelerated math tracks in middle school. So does Los Gatos, which did an about-face after a parent protest last year. Those paths put students on track to taking advanced placement calculus in high school."

 

"And the Cupertino Union School District has a majority of its 6,350 middle-school students on a path that propels them two years ahead in math.

 

Superintendent Wendy Gudalewicz said that at forums to introduce Common Core, "The biggest concern was, 'Are you going to hold my child back?'""

 

http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_26726897/math-education-parents-push-schools-accelerate-middle-schoolers

 

My school district is not in this news but is still offering algebra 1 at 7th grade with no plans to scrap.

I still don't know what our district decided, but I doubt cc I going to produce vastly different results in either direction. 

[Crimson Wife]

So it's going to make the haves vs. have nots divide in CA public education even worse.

 

The town where I live has similar demographics to Pleasanton but is stuck in a huge district with some really poor students. As a result of CCSS, the district has switched from offering 4 options for 8th grade math (geometry, algebra 1, "algebra readiness" aka pre-algebra, and remedial) to requiring all students take CCSS Math 8, which is the old pre-algebra class renamed. The special ed teachers are outraged at the elimination of the remedial course and many parents are outraged at the elimination of middle school algebra 1 & geometry, but the district administration is blaming the unpopular decision on CCSS.

[Crimson Wife]

"The various approaches, permitted under the Common Core standards adopted by California, 42 other states, and the District of Columbia, could cement a two-tier system with accelerated math being the norm in wealthy areas and the exception elsewhere."

 

 

Bingo.

[Crimson Wife]

Even if the middle-class students are in the majority, if the school board is in the pocket of the teachers' union and the teachers' union has drunk the Kool-Aid about CCSS, it won't matter.