I just received my 7th grader's "preliminary" Math SOL results. He ended 7th grade math with an "A" but received a "Fail/Basic" on the SOL. While I understand that the Math SOLs were to be much harder this year, one would think that a kid that got an "A" in math would have at least scored on the lower end of the scale on the new SOLs. Math isn't his strong suit and I'm afraid that if he sees that he "failed" the math SOL it will really bother him. He worked very had for his A. I don't think I'll show him the grade, but if he received a "Fail/Basic," my guess is a great majority of the kids did as well.

Concerned Mom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just received my 7th grader's "preliminary" Math
> SOL results. He ended 7th grade math with an "A"
> but received a "Fail/Basic" on the SOL. While I
> understand that the Math SOLs were to be much
> harder this year, one would think that a kid that
> got an "A" in math would have at least scored on
> the lower end of the scale on the new SOLs. Math
> isn't his strong suit and I'm afraid that if he
> sees that he "failed" the math SOL it will really
> bother him. He worked very had for his A. I
> don't think I'll show him the grade, but if he
> received a "Fail/Basic," my guess is a great
> majority of the kids did as well.


what was his score? I know Mount Vernon High School had an 48% overall for the Math Sol, Algebra 1 50$ Geo 52% and Algebra 2 40%. I know it was a mach harder sol than last time. Falls Church High and West Po, Reported passing at around 50%. I Know only 33% of Whitman Middle SchoOL student passed the Math 7 sol. Don't worry he will only need to pass High School sol in order to graduate. some

He scored a 395 and 400 is considered "Pass/Proficient." He's in high school, not middle school. I haven't seen my high school student's SOLs yet.

So you are so concerned that you decide to post on this retarded site to look for answers?

Read this article and listen to this guy....


Why Johnny Can’t Add Without a Calculator
Technology is doing to math education what industrial agriculture did to food: making it efficient, monotonous, and low-quality.

By Konstantin Kakaes |Posted Monday, June 25, 2012,


When Longfellow Middle School in Falls Church, Va., recently renovated its classrooms, Vern Williams, who might be the best math teacher in the country, had to fight to keep his blackboard. The school was putting in new “interactive whiteboards” in every room, part of a broader effort to increase the use of technology in education. That might sound like a welcome change. But this effort, part of a nationwide trend, is undermining American education, particularly in mathematics and the sciences. It is beginning to do to our educational system what the transformation to industrial agriculture has done to our food system over the past half century: efficiently produce a deluge of cheap, empty calories.
I went to see Williams because he was famous when I was in middle school 20 years ago, at a different school in the same county. Longfellow’s teams have been state champions for 24 of the last 29 years in MathCounts, a competition for middle schoolers. Williams was the only actual teacher on a 17-member National Mathematics Advisory Panel that reported to President Bush in 2008.

Williams doesn’t just prefer his old chalkboard to the high-tech version. His kids learn from textbooks that are decades old—not because they can’t afford new ones, but because Williams and a handful of his like-minded colleagues know the old ones are better. The school’s parent-teacher association buys them from used bookstores because the county won’t pay for them (despite the plentiful money for technology). His preferred algebra book, he says, is “in-your-face algebra. They give amazing outstanding examples. They teach the lessons.”

Concerned Mom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just received my 7th grader's "preliminary" Math
> SOL results. He ended 7th grade math with an "A"
> but received a "Fail/Basic" on the SOL. While I
> understand that the Math SOLs were to be much
> harder this year, one would think that a kid that
> got an "A" in math would have at least scored on
> the lower end of the scale on the new SOLs. Math
> isn't his strong suit and I'm afraid that if he
> sees that he "failed" the math SOL it will really
> bother him. He worked very had for his A. I
> don't think I'll show him the grade, but if he
> received a "Fail/Basic," my guess is a great
> majority of the kids did as well.

FCPS grades are a joke. One my kids got straight A's all year in English, but has never made it above the middle range of Pass Proficient on the Reading SOL's. I'm not kidding myself - he has his struggles with reading, for which we've gotten tutors and extra help. NFW he should be getting straight A's and struggling on the SOL's. FCPS gives out A's like soccer coaches give out trophies. Sad.

FCPS gave my second grader almost no homework this past year. Absurd! He is really smart so I just bought some fifth grade textbooks and taught him myself.

With so many parents crying that "Johnny has never received anything below an A" and then more crying to do "extra credit" or "retake a quiz" or "retake a test", or Johnny wasn't feeling well.........it's no wonder teachers don't grade accurately..........

reality in FCPS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Read this article and listen to this guy....
>
>
> Why Johnny Can’t Add Without a Calculator
> Technology is doing to math education what
> industrial agriculture did to food: making it
> efficient, monotonous, and low-quality.

>
> Williams doesn’t just prefer his old chalkboard
> to the high-tech version. His kids learn from
> textbooks that are decades old—not because they
> can’t afford new ones, but because Williams and
> a handful of his like-minded colleagues know the
> old ones are better. The school’s parent-teacher
> association buys them from used bookstores because
> the county won’t pay for them (despite the
> plentiful money for technology). His preferred
> algebra book, he says, is “in-your-face algebra.
> They give amazing outstanding examples. They teach
> the lessons.”

Seriously, go take one of the "Algebra 2" textbooks that are given out in most county schools. And take a few of the other math textbooks. They're AWFUL, and if you need to teach yourself, then you're regally screwed.

Textbooks from 25 years ago are not just better. They're far better.

I teach in FCPS:
My bosses have been on our asses for years to change what we are doing because kids are less and less likely each year to turn in Math homework. When we penalize them (like we did for years and used to have effect) with 0's the parents come out the woodwork crying foul, this excuse, that excuse, my kid wasn't treated proper, he should get half credit (though in math this is a slippery slope and the kids fall behind thinking late homework is ok) when there is a no late policy...etc

We have actually been guided to find ways around homework...etc the higher ups have nice cushy paying jobs and want to keep them. So to keep them they need happy parents (I know you all aren't happy but you don't show up on their doorsteps like parents unhappy for the opposite reasons).

I hope all of you who bash FCPS understand it's not the teachers (mostly... all jobs have shitty employees on some level but really lots of math teachers I have worked with care and are solid).

PLEASE complain as much as the whiney helicopter mom's (assuming that's not you all) that kids need tough rules to follow and life isn't always lollipops!

I have had to give b's to vegetables the last few years and I really feel dirty but it's not worth losing my job... If the higher ups held this as an important issue I would again be free to give grades that reflect things accurately. Instead it's all SOL this, no giving 0's that, work in "collaborative teams" that lead to kumbaya book sales to people in the pockets of the clusters...etc

If more parents advocated giving PROPER bad grades I'd kiss you all.

It's actually all of the whining parents that believe their child is smarter than any other child and blame it on the teacher, complain and whine to the top - beginning with the school board..........if they would only support holding students accountable.......when I was a child, if I didn't do my homework there was no question about it. It was my fault. If I didn't study for a quiz or test again it was my fault. My mom NEVER questioned the teacher and fortunately, it made me learn how to study, when to study, when to ask questions, when to ask for extra help, etc. It made me who I am today and for that I am thankful. Not a whiner...wanting everything given to me on a silver platter.

Everyone gets a trophy mentality

Why would an FCPS teacher "give" a D or an F to a student when, soon after and most likely, an angry parent email will be launched, then, a time consuming parent conference, wishy washy counselors who will tell you the "Bobby" is depressed, the special ed hounds barking up a storm telling you that Bobby has until Flag Day to turn in his assignments, weak support from the in-school admin, parent complaints the the cluster admin, etc. Hey, just bump it up to a C+ and wait for the sounds of crickets chirping, then go out and have a great lunch. FCPS teachers know this and are comfortable with it knowing that Bobby will find out the hard way that being a lazy sack will earn him nothing. It simply is not worth it anymore.

Is what it is Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I teach in FCPS...When we penalize [students] with 0's
> [when students are late with homework]...

My kid is diligent as Hell doing and turning in homework. ONE time said kid forgot to bring an assignment back to school the next day, not because the homework was not done, but because the kid placed the homework to the side for me to go over the next morning because we had had an argument the homework night. Of course, the kid forgot to put the completed homework into the backpack.

Yup, the kid got a 0. Worse the "extra credit" part of the homework ALSO was discarded with a 0.

It's quite likely this single "missing" homework made the difference between an A and an A- for the final grade. So instead of a 4.0 going into the GPA, a 3.7 did.

Because of one homework totally completed but simply forgotten due to a family argument.

--------------

Though rigid rules are, in general, A Good Thing, there are ramifications that scream out for built-in flex.

Parent Who Supports Her Kid Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is what it is Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I teach in FCPS...When we penalize with 0's
> > ...
>
> My kid is diligent as Hell doing and turning in
> homework. ONE time said kid forgot to bring an
> assignment back to school the next day, not
> because the homework was not done, but because the
> kid placed the homework to the side for me to go
> over the next morning because we had had an
> argument the homework night. Of course, the kid
> forgot to put the completed homework into the
> backpack.
>
> Yup, the kid got a 0. Worse the "extra credit"
> part of the homework ALSO was discarded with a 0.
>
> It's quite likely this single "missing" homework
> made the difference between an A and an A- for the
> final grade. So instead of a 4.0 going into the
> GPA, a 3.7 did.
>
> Because of one homework totally completed but
> simply forgotten due to a family argument.
>
> --------------
>
> Though rigid rules are, in general, A Good Thing,
> there are ramifications that scream out for
> built-in flex.

blah, blah, blah. Take responsibility for your actions and teach your children that too. Believe it or not, it's actually feel pretty good.

FCPS EDUK8TR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why would an FCPS teacher "give" a D or an F to a
> student when, soon after and most likely, an angry
> parent email will be launched,....

Because you are supposed to be a professional? You sound like some hourly worker at Walmart. Sad for all of us.

If a student has a consistently good record of turning in assignments promptly, most teachers will understand that sometimes mistakes are made. It is the student / parent who generate a litany of creative excuses, that is when the red flag goes up and flexibility for late work goes down. If your "said kid" rarely misses assignments, getting that 0 is most likely an aberration.

Is what it is Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I teach in FCPS: My bosses have been on our asses for years to change what we are doing because kids are less and less likely each year to turn in Math homework. When we penalize them (like we did for years and used to have effect) with 0's the parents come out the woodwork crying foul, this excuse, that excuse, my kid wasn't treated proper, he should get half credit (though in math this is a slippery slope and the kids fall behind thinking late homework is ok) when there is a no late policy...etc
>
> We have actually been guided to find ways around homework...etc the higher ups have nice cushy paying jobs and want to keep them. So to keep them they need happy parents (I know you all aren't happy but you don't show up on their doorsteps like parents unhappy for the opposite reasons).<
>
> I hope all of you who bash FCPS understand it's not the teachers (mostly... all jobs have shitty employees on some level but really lots of math teachers I have worked with care and are solid).<
>
> PLEASE complain as much as the whiney helicopter mom's (assuming that's not you all) that kids need tough rules to follow and life isn't always lollipops!<
>
> I have had to give b's to vegetables the last few years and I really feel dirty but it's not worth losing my job... If the higher ups held this as an important issue I would again be free to give grades that reflect things accurately. Instead it's all SOL this, no giving 0's that, work in "collaborative teams" that lead to kumbaya book sales to people in the pockets of the clusters...etc<
>
> If more parents advocated giving PROPER bad grades I'd kiss you all.<


How completely screwed up are you? grading homework!

Homework is supposed to supplement classwork for kids who don't pick it up through classroom instruction and never be part of the grade. If you use it at all in grading, it's to be used to demonstrate mastery when the kid isn't a "good test taker."

FCPS teachers assign too much home work. The FCPS regulation limit homework to 2 hours total per night from all classes. Instead parents and students report total homework load each night exceeds 3+ hours.

Research demonstrates that homework is counterproductive below the ten grade.

The Finns out do us in math and don't give homework.

Please find another line of work before September before you turn another kid off to math.

Next year there will be a new grading system with the new standards based progress reports in the elementary grades. Homework will not be graded (at least, it's not supposed to be). A student's grade won't be lowered for being completed passed a due date. The quarterly grades will reflect what the child has mastered and will not be an average of the quarter.

The new progress reports for elementary school make sense for children at those ages. Good idea.

One of the drivers of the "helicopter parent" phenomenon is the competitiveness of college entry these days. It never used to matter so much what the GPA was for college entrance (within reason). There are many more people (both state, national and international) competing for basically the same number of spots in our colleges and universities. This makes parents have heart attacks over small changes in grades (as the mom above notes that an A- is a huge problem). This is the real problem---that our kids are not allowed the luxury of learning from their mistakes without huge repercussions. The kids are supposed to function with total maturity at age 14 (when they start accumulating a GPA). Lots of parents know this is impossible (or improbable at least) and the helicopter starts whirring. It's too bad. Parents are reacting to the reality of life---they didn't start being this way for no reason.

Good Lord, people, can we call it the way it is?

Stop the garbage.

The kids are in school 7 hours a day. TEACH THEM HOW TO DO MATH!!!!

FIRE THE TEACHERS WHO CAN'T DO MATH THEMSELVES---THERE ARE TONS OF THEM!!

FCPS NEEDS TO USE MATH TEXTBOOKS THAT ACTUALLY TEACH KIDS MATH.

This is not that hard to figure out.

Pay more for QUALITY teachers WITH MATH DEGREES----not English or HISTORY and put them in the classrooms.

Look at what the Koreans are doing-----hiring QUALITY TUTORS after school.

These kids learn more math in 3 hours of tutoring per week than they do in school all week long.

Why is that?

And no, it has nothing to do with parents or too much/too little homework.

Tutors after school (a la Korea) can tailor lessons to the individual student needs. They meet with the student in a one on one situation. Koreans pay for this service (lots of bucks). Teachers, meanwhile, have ever increasing numbers of students in each class (some are 30+) and overall may have to see over 150 students. It is hard to get math majors because they can get more rewarding and higher paying jobs elsewhere. Paying them more may not be an option (the public also is not hep on funding their retirements). This is why parents and tutors have become an important part of the public school education formula. The teacher just plain can't do it all based on who they are and what they are tasked with. Get used to this situation as it is not looking like it will change anytime soon. You are right that this is easy to figure out, but you are wrong if you think they have the means to figure it out.

root of this behavior Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The new progress reports for elementary school
> make sense for children at those ages. Good
> idea.
>

Ah yes, instead of A - D, we'll have 1 - 4. So instead of checking to see all A's you can check for all 1's (or is it 4's?). Yes, much better and very progressive.

I was under the impression that the new report cards would have actual descriptions of what the kids are supposed to learn and whether they have learned it. That would seem like either a "yes" or a "no, not yet" type of thing. Maybe I don't understand the new report cards?

Thank you for letting me know . . . I thought they might enlighten parents about what the kids are supposed to be working on and learning . . .

I'm keeping my job and I'm going to ask kids practice problems for homework and if they don't I'm going to lower their grades. :)

:)

:)

:)

:):)

:):)

:):)

:):)

:):)

:):)

:):)

:):)

:)

All you helicopter parents are too scared to be parents and ask your kids do their fucking homework.

I've worked at 4 HS's in ffx county and no way is there too much math homework assigned. Just too much for parents who have no ability to teach accountability and rigor.

I did a test this year. whole second half of the year I started assigning 4 problems for homework. FOUR. Not crazy hard problems, just 4 of the medium ones from the previous problem set. Also, remember I see the kids 3 or 2 times a week so AT MOST they had 12 problems in 7 days!!

I even gave homework more attention than usual and points since I was doing them a favor.

THE TURN IN RATE SHOT DOWN. The ablility of the kids weakened for long term memory but their short term scores went slightly better. I went from a 65% turn in rate to a 35%.

When it came time for the end of the year review it was like we'd never seen anythign that went back more than 2 weeks because they didn't do any work on their own time to solidify their ideas/memories.

I'm going to give more homework next year than I've ever given before and see what the results are. oh wait I already know them. You bitch ass parents will whine l cause it's making you do more work because you refuse to accept your iphone addicted vegetable children need to do more than have fun 24 hrs a day like they are some kind of twisted video game for you to play with. Whine all you want just makes me stronger!

Thomas More Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is what it is Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----

>
> How completely screwed up are you? grading
> homework!
>

Hi Thomas -

Had a conversation with one of my kid's teachers about a specific type of homework assignment that was used throughout the year -

The teacher's reason for grading that homework was so kids who don't belong in the class could pass it. Could I get my kid to do enough of that homework to get a non-zero grade on it so the teacher could give my kid the A that represented my kid's actual mastery of the subject? Result, conversation with kid about minimum...

Different kid's college recommendation from a teacher -

Kid's mastery of subject had led that teacher to reevaluate usefulness of homework, let alone including homework in grades...

And, of course, graded homework, leads to copied homework, leads to A's for morons who get into TJ, leads to TJ needing remedial math/science for 30% of the kids...

Obviously, I am a former math teacher and honestly reading the comments on this board is very disconcerting. It is because of ridiculous comments like these that I am leaving education. That goes for both sides, the parents and the teachers. You people are arguing about the wrong things. Textbooks do not matter, homework does not matter. What matters is finding ways to motivate the kids to learn and having motivated teachers in the classroom. It is so simple to establish a system that produces results. However, it is no longer worth 45k a year to listen to people argue when they have little to no idea what they are talking about (in the state of VA the vast majority of people do not know how to educate). I am so tired of parents, administrators, and teachers who have warped perceptions how to successfully educate. It is so simple, motivate the kids, hold kids accountable, and take the time to plan. Before you say I am crazy, I am just going to let you know that I started this year at Albemarle County Public Schools. I worked at a title one middle school and I increased their 6th grade math scores from a 55% pass rate to a 84% for my class (as I have at every school I have worked). My colleague's pass rates were in the 50-60% pass range. And unfortunately, I had to be subjected to the bickering displayed above on a daily basis. Furthermore, my opinions were ignored until the students SOL results came in, only then was I heralded as a credible individual capable of reforming their education system. It's disgusting and I can not wait to start working for Highmark as an actuary. Each July, I am going to sit and watch this exact situation play out from the sidelines. Good luck virginia. Since nobody seems to listen here is how you produce a result: KNOW YOUR STANDARDS, USE COOPERATIVE LEARNING TO MOTIVATE AND FOSTER COMPETITIVE LEARNING, USE TECH EFFICIENTLY, REWARD STUDENTS SUCCESS, CONSTANTLY REVIEW. Done

The above results are for my regular math 6 class. My honors class had every student pass but one, pass rate 94%.

homework being included in grades leads to TJ having lower pass rates? No wonder your kids suck at school!

TJ accepts kids not on cheated A's due to homework (which is impossible) but on a very concise entrance test.

Also If kids cheat and copy homework they will usually fail my tests, but the bonus they get for turning in homework is almost nothing. When people say GRADE homework they mean count it (usually a super small 10%) of the class. If you allow the kids to slack off practicing the problems on their own a bit forget retention.

Doing your work protects your grade, doesn't really inflate to A's. That's just people sensationalizing things. I have however had a few kids get B's who test score wise had C+ but that's about the most harm boosting grades for homeowork has done.