Did Virginia plan a 'racist' math curriculum change? Here's the truth behind the allegations
Virginia has drawn the ire of the conservatives after its education department recently made a move to eliminate advanced math classes prior to the 11th grade over equity concerns. Last week, Loudoun County school board Ian Serotkin made a Facebook post about the change. In the post, he said the initiative will eliminate all math acceleration prior to 11th grade.
“During last night’s Curriculum & Instruction Committee meeting, we received a briefing from staff on the Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative (VMPI), a sweeping initiative by the Virginia Department of Education to revamp the K-12 math curriculum statewide over the next few years...That is not an exaggeration, nor does there appear to be any discretion in how local districts implement this. All 6th graders will take Foundational Concepts 6. All 7th graders will take Foundational Concepts 7. All 10th graders will take Essential Concepts 10. Only in 11th and 12th grade is there any opportunity for choice in higher math courses,” Serotkin added. Serotkin also said his first reaction to the development was that it seemed “absolutely bananas” and that it “sets a soft cap on the number of higher math courses students are going to be able to take”. He also wondered whether outside math learning franchises (Kaplan, Mathnasium, etc.) were publicly traded since he foresaw their stock soaring.
EDITED 4/27: Changes/updates from VDOE: • The implementation of VMPI would still allow for student acceleration in...
Posted by Ian Serotkin, Loudoun County School Board Member, Blue Ridge District on Tuesday, April 20, 2021
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Loudoun School Board Vice Chair Atoosa Reeser also spoke on the matter on Facebook, reacting to Serotkin’s post. “The ability to accelerate math at the schools in the Algonkian district has been a well-appreciated option for many students. Please keep a lookout for an information item to be on the Board agenda in the near future, which I will share in my Weekly Work-Up,” she said. One member of the Virginia Beach School Board shared a report carried by Fox News on the matter on Facebook and called it “socialism”.
The plan for implementing the changes in various school districts was still not clear. While Virginia, a blue state, has always maintained that the school districts have their discretion, Serotkin said in his post that the county was restricted. When he was asked whether the county had to adopt the framework that he mentioned, he said that he too had asked the same question after getting briefed and it was told that it is a requirement from the state and the county has to adopt it.
Virginia’s math standards get reassessed every seven years and the next review is still some years away. The Virginian Pilot said in a report published on Tuesday, April 27, that while nothing has come before the state’s education board for reviews, discussion or approval, a group of educators have been discussing for the past year what math instruction should look like and what they are envisioning would lead to significant changes backed by research. The group, which is called the VMPI, includes around 30 members including staff from the state education department besides instructors at the K-12, community and four-year college levels.
“They’ve been tasked with rethinking how schools teach math, in part to address persistent gaps in students’ skills. Roughly 2 in 10 students aren’t passing Standards of Learning math tests that would indicate proficiency, and students from some historically marginalized groups — students of color, those who don’t speak English and those from families that are poor — are doing even worse. Close to a third of students at Virginia community colleges have to take remedial math, another sign that students aren’t mastering high school concepts before graduation,” the report added.
At the moment, Virginia has two options. One, for students who pick algebra in middle school and explore more advanced concepts like calculus in schools and the other for those who don’t opt for algebra till they reach high school. According to VMPI and math educators at the national level, the sole focus on calculus has hurt other types of maths that might be relevant for more students. Last November, Virginia’s K-12 math coordinator Tina Mazzacane said in a group meeting that “the rush to calculus” has mixed results even for advanced students. “Two-thirds of those who took calculus in high school have to repeat it — or even one of its prerequisites — in college, suggesting they didn’t fully grasp the concepts,” the Pilot reported.
Virginia education dept defends move
The Virginia education department, however, reacted against the reports last Monday, April 26, saying the move was made to encourage equity. State Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane said at a news conference that reports about advanced coursework aren’t “an accurate representation of the discussions that have been happening.” He also said that calculus is not going away.
“Absolutely acceleration is not going away in mathematics courses in Virginia,” he said. “If a student needs an accelerated pathway, they will absolutely be able to do that,” he said, assuring people like Serotkin over their concerns. “I think the new information they released definitely alleviates much of the concern that I had,” he said in an interview.
Serotkin, however, provided an archive of the education department’s old website on the VMPI, which cited a study from the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics called “Closing the Opportunity Gap: A Call for Detracking Mathematics”. In its current revision of the website, the department says that the studies noted on the website do not give a clear reflection of its views.
The conservatives were little convinced by the move. Kirk Cox, a Republican and retired educator who is running for Virginia governor’s post, slammed the efforts to review the state’s K-12 math curriculum saying it was a part of a “left-wing takeover of public education”. Glenn Youngkin, conservative Republican business leader and also a governor aspirant, also slammed the education department over its decision.
Not all in the guardian community were happy. One parent in Loudoun said on the condition of anonymity that the said changes would “lower standards for all students in the name of equity”, Fox reported. The right-wing network also ran a headline while covering the news: “Leftist administrators hurting America’s students”. Asra Nomani, a former professor from Georgia, told the network that the move made by Virginia is “racist to the bottom”. She said the leadership of Virginia feels any kind of advanced learning is injustice. She said instead of helping the Black and Hispanic students, they were busy making the quality students compromise. Harry Jackson, a parent in Fairfax County, also told Fox that the move is a “racist” one.