Copied from another forum...


I am not surprised that students are needing to be remediated when they reach NOVA. I am sad that it's 50% of the students coming from Fairfax County Public Schools, but the fact that the typical student usually needs this remedial education in math is no surprise at all. The math program in FCPS is non existant at best. What does exist is a desire to force students toward an unrealistically high achievement level, that obviously isn't working. The 2009 standards, which just went into effect this year, even has the elementary school Advanced Academic Teachers scratching their heads. Suddenly, whole units of study have been skipped and a student should miraculously know how to work with negative numbers in 4th grade!

The push for all students to take Algebra in high school is severely damaging the education our students are getting in elementary school. The average general education student is being pushed through the curriculum at such a fast pace that they never actually master a skill. The curriculum is so broad that the average child never fully understands the why behind the math and if they get it at all, it's simply because they know how to memorize.

Currently, there's no elementary school textbook. Each teacher is expected to put together their own curriculum based on a pacing guide. "e-Cart is a ridiculous resource that provides teachcers with some activities for some of the standards but many of these activities are games that don't transfer over to real learning situations. Teachers are forced to spend hours searching the internet for worksheets, spend hundreds of dollars buying materials, and there's no consistency from year to year.

As an elementary school teacher I can tell you, don't blame it on the high school teachers that these kids graduate without the proper skills. They left elementary school without the proper skills. There is a fundamental flaw with the math curriculum in Fairfax County Public Schools. The more the teachers yell about it and ask for a solution, the more close mouthed and resistant the powers that be become. The most recent response to criticism that resources were not being provided for teachers to properly teach math, was to offer a series of workshops to show teachers how to differentiate and teach math! Once again, comments from teachers was turned into a problem that is being considered ignorance on the teacher's part.

Lack of transparency is a tremendous problem in the math department. I challenge anyone to try to get the most basic answers by contacting the math department at FCPS. The website lists contact information:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/math/elementary/index.shtml

The OP is spot on here--especially regarding math instruction--the central office's self-serving priorities (seeming like an innovator to get speaking gigs or promotions) drive the failure to address the real needs of students.

Two sides to this

Yes, there are problems with elementary math - in particular the way they insist that all students go through 13 bizarre ways of solving problems rather than just teaching the one that every one uses in the real world (see lattice multiplication which confuses the hell out of all of them - particularly as it requires more neatness than most can manage at that age)

No, given the rates of fcps students attending 4 year colleges, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that those left behind at NOVA are those who need remedial math. Given the number of kids successfully completing advanced math courses years ahead of the pedestrian US k-12 math expectation, it does seem very questionable to blame the schools rather than the pupils,

Concerned educator has it right. I might add that the emphasis on testing is pushing teachers to teach children to take a test rather than to learn the material. Do we need testing? Absolutely. But, instead of teaching the material needed to pass, the teachers are practicing the tests.

Many years ago, I taught first grade in a Title I school in another state. Every child in my class was Title I. I had 29 students and a part time aide. I had a lot of children who would be classified today as LD and ED. As part of the Title I program, the teachers had written up a grant to get an extra teacher for math. We also had one for reading.

The program was very simple--and cheap. For one hour each day, the math teacher took half my class for a half hour and then we switched halves for another half hour. In other words, for one hour, we each had 15 kids for math instruction.
The math teacher had a math lab and she worked with manipulative items to help the students understand the math. It was a highly structured program and we divided the kids according to their level. The top 15 were together and the bottom 15 were together. Throughout the year, we adjusted groups as some children accelerated and others would plateau.

While the math teacher worked with concrete items, etc., I worked with the "rote" math. We practiced with flash cards, work sheets, etc. We played games with basic math facts.
So, for one hour each day, each child received 30 minutes of math with real world objects and 30 minutes of memorization and rote practice.

At the end of the year, when the children took the standardized tests, their scores matched those of kids in the best schools in the county. The results were amazing. It was a very simple, highly structured, and inexpensive program.

I must add that the math teacher guided this program with the whole school. She was a fantastic teacher and I credit her with the results. She had been a first grade teacher and this program was her idea. However, this could be implemented in many schools.

It was a simple program-and cheap. This was in 1972.

I must add that we also tried working the reading program in the same way. It was not as effective.

FCPS is using the wrong approach. Education is not in Gatehouse or on e-cart. It is in the classrooms with the kids and the teachers.

Bob Dole is in favor of education.

The reason that FCPS students suck at math in college is because they are pushed to take algebra in high school?!? I'm sorry but if you have not mastered basic algebra and geometry in high school, you probably aren't ready for college level math then.

The OP says the problem lies in elementary schools pushing kids so fast that they don't master basic skills. Strange but I see the reverse-elementary math programs progessing so slowly that kids are bored stiff until they finally get to middle and high school and can start taking math classes that challenge them. It seems the real problem is that we are trying to teach too many children at the same rate, a rate which is too fast for some and too slow for others.

Bill.N. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The reason that FCPS students suck at math in
> college is because they are pushed to take algebra
> in high school?!? I'm sorry but if you have not
> mastered basic algebra and geometry in high
> school, you probably aren't ready for college
> level math then.
>
>

+1

If you did master math in middle/high school then you're probably applying for places more challenging than NOVA. Why would you be applying to NOVA unless you had struggled and hence would benefit from remedial help?

If you did master math in middle/high school then you're probably applying for places more challenging than NOVA. Why would you be applying to NOVA unless you had struggled and hence would benefit from remedial help?


Answer: cost. Family issues-health, etc. Job. Lots of reasons.

Also, if you get a certain GPA while at Nova you can transfer to UVA or College of William and Mary, etc.

math Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, there are problems with elementary math - in
> particular the way they insist that all students
> go through 13 bizarre ways of solving problems
> rather than just teaching the one that every one
> uses in the real world (see lattice multiplication
> which confuses the hell out of all of them -
> particularly as it requires more neatness than
> most can manage at that age)
>

Wow, I had never heard of nor used lattice multiplication, and I've taken up through differential equations (and consider myself quite good at algebra, trig, and calculus).

I had to look it up online - and yes, it confused me at first too (well, mostly that was the poor wording and explanation on Wikipedia). I agree it seems like a waste of time and source of confusion to make everyone learn alternative methods such as this.

It took me three times to pass college algebra (Math 126) and I still got a D!

Concerned Educator Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Copied from another forum...
>
>
> I am not surprised that students are needing to be
> remediated when they reach NOVA. I am sad that
> it's 50% of the students coming from Fairfax
> County Public Schools, but the fact that the
> typical student usually needs this remedial
> education in math is no surprise at all. The math
> program in FCPS is non existant at best. What does
> exist is a desire to force students toward an
> unrealistically high achievement level, that
> obviously isn't working. The 2009 standards, which
> just went into effect this year, even has the
> elementary school Advanced Academic Teachers
> scratching their heads. Suddenly, whole units of
> study have been skipped and a student should
> miraculously know how to work with negative
> numbers in 4th grade!
>
> The push for all students to take Algebra in high
> school is severely damaging the education our
> students are getting in elementary school. The
> average general education student is being pushed
> through the curriculum at such a fast pace that
> they never actually master a skill. The curriculum
> is so broad that the average child never fully
> understands the why behind the math and if they
> get it at all, it's simply because they know how
> to memorize.
>
> Currently, there's no elementary school textbook.
> Each teacher is expected to put together their own
> curriculum based on a pacing guide. "e-Cart is a
> ridiculous resource that provides teachcers with
> some activities for some of the standards but many
> of these activities are games that don't transfer
> over to real learning situations. Teachers are
> forced to spend hours searching the internet for
> worksheets, spend hundreds of dollars buying
> materials, and there's no consistency from year to
> year.
>
> As an elementary school teacher I can tell you,
> don't blame it on the high school teachers that
> these kids graduate without the proper skills.
> They left elementary school without the proper
> skills. There is a fundamental flaw with the math
> curriculum in Fairfax County Public Schools. The
> more the teachers yell about it and ask for a
> solution, the more close mouthed and resistant the
> powers that be become. The most recent response to
> criticism that resources were not being provided
> for teachers to properly teach math, was to offer
> a series of workshops to show teachers how to
> differentiate and teach math! Once again, comments
> from teachers was turned into a problem that is
> being considered ignorance on the teacher's part.
>
>
> Lack of transparency is a tremendous problem in
> the math department. I challenge anyone to try to
> get the most basic answers by contacting the math
> department at FCPS. The website lists contact
> information:
>
> http://www.fcps.edu/is/math/elementary/index.shtml

Wow, talk about cherry picking your facts.

I'm not surprised that students going to NOVA need remedial math education. Why not? Because NOVA is going to be the first stop for HS "graduates" that didn't learn shit but have decided an education is worth getting.

Next you're going to tell me that most of the people in line at the Unemployment Office don't have jobs...

americants are retarded, whether in the us or abroad.

my daughter graduated from oakton high school and was great in math,she was trained in math for twelve years in fairfax public schools and didnt need any remedial math in colege,did you consider that some kids are just DUMB.

WilliamRobert Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It took me three times to pass college algebra
> (Math 126) and I still got a D!


dumb ass

I LOVE YOU!!!! OMG THIS IS SO TRUE!!! IM A FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL AND I'M FAILING ALGEBRA CAUSE ITS HARD AND MY MATH TEACHERS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL SUCKED.

My algebra 1 teacher was a used car salesmen with a math degree who phonied up his resume. No lie. The year SUCKED then he was fired/resigned/whatever.

The people in remedial math at NVCC are in remedial math because they didn't get past algebra II in high school. That means they FAILED at least one year of math. Honestly, the ones in remedial classes are the ones going for a "second chance" sort of thing. Usually people going for the sole reason of money are those who already passed these math classes in high school.

And to high school freshman failing algebra: you are not failing algebra because your middle school teachers sucked, you are failing because you chose not to listen or take your own initiative to read a book. Been there, done that, it is not entirely your teachers' fault.

Teaching Math In 1950:
***** A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1960:
**** A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1970:
*** A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

Teaching Math In 1980:
** A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math In 1990:
* By cutting down beautiful forest trees, the logger makes $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the forest birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down the trees. (There are no wrong answers.)

Teaching Math In 2005:
El hachero vende un camion carga por $100. La cuesta de production es...

To the above poster - I don't know if you just made that up or copied from somewhere else, but it's pretty darn funny.

They just landed a robot on Mars and they did it with the OLD MATH..
This new Math teaches 0 skills
Have you read some of those problems on the Common Core??
Math Folks are not writing these...No Way..
People are getting dog-rich from this Common Core..
Students can not add without the calculator.
What a Shame..

The way you do it.
Teach the skills

Then teach the word problems...Discovery Mathod is great as long as they have skills of which THEY DO NOT

You need more Asians in your public high schools. HAA HAA!

reason Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you did master math in middle/high school then
> you're probably applying for places more
> challenging than NOVA. Why would you be applying
> to NOVA unless you had struggled and hence would
> benefit from remedial help?
>
>
> Answer: cost. Family issues-health, etc. Job. Lots
> of reasons.
>
> Also, if you get a certain GPA while at Nova you
> can transfer to UVA or College of William and
> Mary, etc.


FCPS ES math is RETARDED - literally - it is too slow and the POS is written by people who have no clue about how math principles should be sequenced. If your kid goes through regualr math, they will be RETARDED because the curriculum is ridiculous. You may get a teacher who tries to be fancy and xerox sheets from the next grade up but good chance the teacher won't understand it herself and thus will not be able to teach it properly.

Degrees obtained from NOVA transfers will not get you a job! Those schools don't take NOVA transfers into the Business or Engineering schools - WM doesn't even have an Engineering school. Those programs only work if you want to be yet another Biology or History major - more company in the unemployment line.

More than half of whatever problems FCPS might have originates with the ignorant so-called adults of this area who think they know anything at all about how to teach or how to run a school system. A lot more people should simply shut up and go back to the petty details of what little they actually do know how to do.

I took Algebra 1 in 8th grade.

meh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I took Algebra 1 in 8th grade.

I taught myself most of Algebra I in the 5th grade, took it in the 7th grade in FCPS, aced the tests but failed the class because I wouldn't do hours of tedious homework for stuff I already knew. Had to make it up in summer school.

Ah, I had that problem in grades before 8th. They wanted to hold me back because I didn't ever do homework and was failing classes. Switched schools then I began to get better grades.

Anyways, I'd never send my children to public schools. Most of them are shit compared to private schools. What can you expect?

So, dumbfucks go to NOVA. This is news?

The kids who are horrible lost souls that go to NOVA so they can pretend they go to college suck at school?

I'm shocked!!

i never cared for math during hs. i had some very shitty math teachers. I used to skip 9th grade and 10th grade, so i had to repeat alg1 my junior year. part of skipping my math class was due to not caring really.


senior year i was in algebra2 and this guy was nice, but far from qualified to be a good math teacher. i basically wrote my name on my exams and attempted 3 questions. i passed(and graduated) with a B or C? in that class. Come nova, i fell in remedial math, but it was the best thing to happen to me. I love math now and understand it. cant wait until i take calculus 3 at some point, which i know will be a PITA, but itll be a challenge worth it.

lack of transparency should be a banner hoisted over the administration building, no one is ever held accountable, we have a lame duck (who has never been anything but lame) superintendent (two years notice while he lives and "consults" most of the time in Maryland) no one is in charge and no one cares, this school board seems to have already been bought and sold by FCPS admin. Not again.

Simple. Because they do not master the math subjects. Parents and FCPS push them to take Algebra early and no foundation is laid. Curriculum is watered down to make it accessible to the 85% of FFX student that are gifted and/or enrolled in honors. Meanwhile the gifted and advanced are neither...just below-average math students. But they get gold stars and half-point or whole-point boosts to inflated GPAs and everybody's happy. Except little Ashley and Brody can't divide fractions or solve for x.

Passerby Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> More than half of whatever problems FCPS might
> have originates with the ignorant so-called adults
> of this area who think they know anything at all
> about how to teach or how to run a school system.
> A lot more people should simply shut up and go
> back to the petty details of what little they
> actually do know how to do.


lol. more than half of whatever problems fcps might have originates from the selfish administrators who are in it for themselves and don't listen to teachers or parents.

one out of five math teachers is exceptional. regardless of capability, would never slam a hard working teacher. accelerated math teacher should not tell class that she was horrible in math as a child and never did well - this news makes a parent cringe. her incompetency is supported by her disjointed lesson plans and wrong answers on worksheets. fcps is lacking in a strong math curriculum and everyone knows it. it has been a problem for years. principals admit it. teachers admit it. maybe you should step into the real world for a reality check about marketable employment skill sets.

I absolutely agree with the concern. FCPS suck in math requirements (not only Math of course!);
My daughter was a student at Hunters Woods Elementary in Reston and had wonderful grades (including Math). As a parent (educated one), I could clearly see how behind my daughter was in math (it should have been C or D rather instead of an 'A'). I have been working on multiplication table with my daughter daily in 4th and 5th grades, and the teacher was trying to be very nice to kids and not supportive to parents, stating - "multiplication table is hard, don't worry, lots of kids have hard time learning it". That was beyond my understanding. That is the most fundamental skill that school does not reinforce to learn. In Europe, if you did not pass your multiplication table test in 2nd grade your are risking to be held back in the same grade. My daughter made it to 6th grade (yes, she was behind for different reasons, but the teachers in each grade just waved me out, like 'leave that kid alone, she is doing fine' ; I was looking for school support, but got so little, honestly - none. I am absolutely positive the current Math requirements need to be reviewed, restructured, reconsidered and re-done. It sucks big time. The requirements should come from school, not from me as a parent (trying to make sure my kid is on-grade level and understands the concept). The schools should monitor that. The requirements in Elementary and Middle schools must be much higher than they currently are; My older daughter came from straight 'A' in Middle school of Fairfax County to Langley High and started as straight 'D' and 'F'; The teachers told me 'don't worry , it is a regular transition from lower school to higher school'. But there shouldn't be such a transition !!!
That is not a transition, those were totally fake 'A's that haven't been supported by any knowledge. Something must be done about that. The whole system of Education is behind and immature with flaws and loopholes. There are so many smart kids in our County, but with the current guidelines and FCPS requirements in Math and other core classes our naturally smart children will struggle or fail to grow to their potentials and will be failing in their lives. We all are looking for an easy ways. Our children find that EASY way in FC public schools and fail or struggle in colleges.

I did terrible in Math in FCPS and now I'm doing my master's in Math at UVA.

FCPS teaches to the test not for the joy of mathematics. That makes it really boring and tedious.

I think that Yogi Berra was talking about FCPS math when he said that "90% of baseball is mental and the other half is physical"!

MV Fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think that Yogi Berra was talking about FCPS
> math when he said that "90% of baseball is mental
> and the other half is physical"!


That was Jim Wohlford, not Yogi Berra, and the statement was actually "Baseball is 90 percent mental half the time." Having said that, I wish all of Fairfax County would just grow a pair and stop whining. My kids went through FCPS schools. Both are at top colleges. (Yes, even better than UVa and William and Mary.) Despite their supposedly inferior FCPS education, both have received As in all of their college math courses. All it takes is a little bit of nature and a little bit of nurture.

Why did some school have 50% passing in their Algebra sol? only 50% of the students who get 50% right on a simple math sol

I don't think this problem is endemic to just FCPS. I recall needing more math for my chosen field than I was prepared for by my local HS. It was a small school with average teachers, and I didn't see much calculus until college. Also, advanced mathematics was beyond some of my teachers. So I could only help myself really.

>lattice multiplication

I ran across this with some others at work complaining that they don't understand the "new math". It isn't that different, just better accounting really. What I really like is this:

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110310/03354413427/changing-way-that-math-is-taught-to-children.shtml

I don't know if they impress the fact that you can use this method to get approximations of the answer without getting an exact answer. Sometimes approximations are all you need.

This is the kind of crap-filled rants that drive me nuts.

As a student teacher who has been in two systems, FCPS is actually pretty great at math. Yes, there is way too much taught. That is the States SOL stuff, though.

The person in the other forun said E-cart has nothing but games?
That is BS. Damn, FCPS teachers have all sorts of resources. I just checked and of like 2000 math resources, less than 200 are games. Search the internet? Teachers in other places need to do that much more than FCPS teachers!!!

This is just an old teacher who complains... Everything was perfect when we did it my way. Really? You did not give a f%$% about the kids who did not understand your ramblings and BS. They were all stupid or did not work hard, right?

Oh, and the 2009 standards did not just go into effect this year!?! WTF? Maybe for you.

Oh, and no text book? What BS... check on BB, it is right there. Oh, on that E-cart tab that has nothing, right? The teachers in Arlington, PW, Loudoun, etc. would salivate for all these resources. I know that for a fact!

This is just BS... you wonder why good student teachers aren't sure they will stick it out here in FCPS? Low pay and BS like this!

Probs is fcps got tight asssholes

you don't need countless online resources. you need a good solid math teacher in elementary school to drive home the fundamentals. you can't do algebra if you don't master basic principles and speed. algebra isn't the problem, a lack of foundation is the problem. how many times do you stupid teachers need to hear this? professional parents who make a living with math skills keep trying to tell you this. accountants, engineers, programmers know what math skills are needed. we teach our children at home because we can't count on the dumbass teachers to do it in elementary school. some kids luck out and get a good middle school teacher to catch them up and accelerate them through high school.

She wrote that in March 2012. so this is the 3rd year of the new math sol so she was right.
Student Teacher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is the kind of crap-filled rants that drive
> me nuts.
>
> As a student teacher who has been in two systems,
> FCPS is actually pretty great at math. Yes, there
> is way too much taught. That is the States SOL
> stuff, though.
>
> The person in the other forun said E-cart has
> nothing but games?
> That is BS. Damn, FCPS teachers have all sorts of
> resources. I just checked and of like 2000 math
> resources, less than 200 are games. Search the
> internet? Teachers in other places need to do that
> much more than FCPS teachers!!!
>
> This is just an old teacher who complains...
> Everything was perfect when we did it my way.
> Really? You did not give a f%$% about the kids who
> did not understand your ramblings and BS. They
> were all stupid or did not work hard, right?
>
> Oh, and the 2009 standards did not just go into
> effect this year!?! WTF? Maybe for you.
>
> Oh, and no text book? What BS... check on BB, it
> is right there. Oh, on that E-cart tab that has
> nothing, right? The teachers in Arlington, PW,
> Loudoun, etc. would salivate for all these
> resources. I know that for a fact!
>
> This is just BS... you wonder why good student
> teachers aren't sure they will stick it out here
> in FCPS? Low pay and BS like this!

this is nonsense. how about finding an ES teacher with some basic knowledge in his/her head? let's start here, what math classes are required for a person majoring in elementary ed in college?

The truth is that mathematics is hard and not everyone can handle it. So if the chubby fuck you conceived after a drunkin night of schnapps is flunking college because they suck at mathematics blame you shitty genes and not the school system.

Thank you and have a great day. :)

Simple answer:

The rush to take Algebra in 7th grade and Geometry in 8th grade has led to dilution of the curriculum so Cody and Hannah will still make good grades like they did in elementary school.

Therefore, these kids have no foundation in the basic building blocks of math and fall further and further behind as they take more advanced courses.

Everybody in FCPS has a 4.0, but they don't know shit about math.

The real answer:

1. Teaching Math In 1963

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?


2. Teaching Math In 1973

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?


3. Teaching Math In 1983

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?


4. Teaching Math In 1993

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.


5. Teaching Math In 2003 (start of ideas eventually leading to Common Core)

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands (read: he's not a Progressive like us). He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's okay.


6. Teaching Math In 2013

Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

nbWyF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The truth is that mathematics is hard and not
> everyone can handle it.

I feel like this has become conventional wisdom in our culture and people enjoy repeating it, but all it does is create a self perpetuating myth.

People can "handle" 9th grade math the same way they can handle 9th grade reading, history and biology. Math isn't in this magical category completely removed from every other subject. I don't argue that some students will have more of a propensity for it than others, but I fear we've left this impression upon kids (well, and adults for that matter) that math is reserved only for those special people who "get it".



------
Also, FWIW, if you don't like the way a teacher has taught a particular area, there's always Khan academy or a dozen other youtube channels/series that go over all the same material. Find a teacher you like. And at a certain point, MIT has some great video lectures for Calc, Multivar and Diff Eq., either through their OpenCourseware or youtube, and some helpful recitation playlists to go along with them. I wish the Diff Eq one had been around when I was in college...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2013 12:02AM by snowdenscold.

>The truth is that mathematics is hard

I don't think mathematics (and particularly high school mathematics) is hard. I think teaching students how to solve problems is hard. How to setup a problem and what rules you can apply are the hardest parts. Secondly, knowing a list of "tricks" (like completing the square) is the second hard part.

The hardest part of high school mathematics is possibly Geometry. You have a list of theorems and need to get to a final proof. There isn't always a clear path and many students get frustrated after not immediately finding the right answer. They need to be taught sometimes trial and error is just how it is.

Yeah yeah I am comfortable with my parents paying the $40k a year price tag for Georgetown or GW so I will let them who cares if it puts us in the poor house or I have to live out of a box!

Fyi Nova can be a smart choice if you know what you are going to study and stick to it other wise a waste of time. The same teachers that teach at GW Georgetown William and mary teach at NOVA too!

Yawn yawn. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Concerned Educator Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Copied from another forum...
> >
> >
> > I am not surprised that students are needing to
> be
> > remediated when they reach NOVA. I am sad that
> > it's 50% of the students coming from Fairfax
> > County Public Schools, but the fact that the
> > typical student usually needs this remedial
> > education in math is no surprise at all. The
> math
> > program in FCPS is non existant at best. What
> does
> > exist is a desire to force students toward an
> > unrealistically high achievement level, that
> > obviously isn't working. The 2009 standards,
> which
> > just went into effect this year, even has the
> > elementary school Advanced Academic Teachers
> > scratching their heads. Suddenly, whole units
> of
> > study have been skipped and a student should
> > miraculously know how to work with negative
> > numbers in 4th grade!
> >
> > The push for all students to take Algebra in
> high
> > school is severely damaging the education our
> > students are getting in elementary school. The
> > average general education student is being
> pushed
> > through the curriculum at such a fast pace that
> > they never actually master a skill. The
> curriculum
> > is so broad that the average child never fully
> > understands the why behind the math and if they
> > get it at all, it's simply because they know
> how
> > to memorize.
> >
> > Currently, there's no elementary school
> textbook.
> > Each teacher is expected to put together their
> own
> > curriculum based on a pacing guide. "e-Cart is
> a
> > ridiculous resource that provides teachcers
> with
> > some activities for some of the standards but
> many
> > of these activities are games that don't
> transfer
> > over to real learning situations. Teachers are
> > forced to spend hours searching the internet
> for
> > worksheets, spend hundreds of dollars buying
> > materials, and there's no consistency from year
> to
> > year.
> >
> > As an elementary school teacher I can tell you,
> > don't blame it on the high school teachers that
> > these kids graduate without the proper skills.
> > They left elementary school without the proper
> > skills. There is a fundamental flaw with the
> math
> > curriculum in Fairfax County Public Schools.
> The
> > more the teachers yell about it and ask for a
> > solution, the more close mouthed and resistant
> the
> > powers that be become. The most recent response
> to
> > criticism that resources were not being
> provided
> > for teachers to properly teach math, was to
> offer
> > a series of workshops to show teachers how to
> > differentiate and teach math! Once again,
> comments
> > from teachers was turned into a problem that is
> > being considered ignorance on the teacher's
> part.
> >
> >
> > Lack of transparency is a tremendous problem in
> > the math department. I challenge anyone to try
> to
> > get the most basic answers by contacting the
> math
> > department at FCPS. The website lists contact
> > information:
> >
> >
> http://www.fcps.edu/is/math/elementary/index.shtml
>
>
> Wow, talk about cherry picking your facts.
>
> I'm not surprised that students going to NOVA need
> remedial math education. Why not? Because NOVA
> is going to be the first stop for HS "graduates"
> that didn't learn shit but have decided an
> education is worth getting.
>
> Next you're going to tell me that most of the
> people in line at the Unemployment Office don't
> have jobs...

I guess Laplace & Fourier transforms are out of the question for the high school graduates of Fairfuck County? Perhaps we are not spending enough money????? Or are we spending too fucking much?????

You should know Algebra & Geometry BEFORE you even enter high school. What a bunch of stupid tools!!!!

Keep discussing gender benders & women liberation & the popular moronic culture. Meanwhile other countries are passing us by.

You are useless because you suck!

We meed compulsory math & science education in high school!

Mathematics is a fascinating subject full with contradictions and paradoxes. We were recently playing with numbers at school with our friends, and we questioned aloud what is 3/8 as a decimal. After all of the debates, we decided to put this question on the internet. We also found an interesting article that put some insight on the issue. I strongly advise you to read it for yourself; I am confident you will find something fascinating.

Morons'R'US Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You should know Algebra & Geometry BEFORE you even
> enter high school. What a bunch of stupid
> tools!!!!

It was not that long ago when taking Algebra in middle school was rare, and nobody got Geometry before 9th grade. That was back in what people now call the Golden Age of the Fairfax School system.

Yes. The golden era of FCPS was many, many decades ago in the 1960s-1990s. Most of those students are now in their retirement years or parents of older kids. The younger generations have no idea that the maths curriculum was much stronger and more work intensive with weekly graded worksheets, etc.

The shift away from textbooks and/or other reliable materials is now almost complete. The maths textbook itself is no more, unless you're at a private independent school, boarding school, or one of those Catholic schools.

Students now need to supplement with phone apps like Brilliant or other online resources.

(Algebra should go back to being a 9th grade class for most, except for the most advanced students.)

Eye muh reel suhmart libruhull. Eye grajoowaytidd drum FCPS. Meye FCPS teechurr sedd eye didden half 2 lurn no spilling, grandma, spinach oar mathumattix. Shee sedd thett wuz uhpressuf. Meye FCPS teechurr sedd awl eye kneadidd 2 no wuz wite peepull R bed, awl relijjin iz bed accept izlam en wickuh en half gud selphe uhssteam..

Sew eye lissint en nau eye gut awl thett. But eye didden no wut 2 dew win thay head the lekshunn. Sew eye kollt meye FCPS teechurr. Shee sedd 2 boat 4 sum guye naimed Jo Buydinn. Eye didden C thett naime,sew eye boated 4 sum buddy naymed Dawnull Tromp. Eye hoap itt wuz OK.

FCPS students suck at math because the teachers and administration are fucking assholes. They invent stupid games like White Supremist Bingo because they don't want to do their fucking jobs and teach the kids.

Fairfucks County Public Schools Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FCPS students suck at math because the teachers
> and administration are fucking assholes. They
> invent stupid games like White Supremist Bingo
> because they don't want to do their fucking jobs
> and teach the kids.


The problem has been around far longer than those games you rant about.