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April 25, 2021 By Rod DREHER As many of you know, David Brooks and I are friends. I can tell you that it’s hard to find a more generous and decent man anywhere. That’s really true, and that, besides my innate loyalty to friends, is why I ball up my internal fist whenever I hear people criticize him harshly. And it’s why I’m not going to publish any comments on this blog that criticize him personally (as distinct from criticizing his ideas). But I also recognize that David is dispositionally and convictionally more liberal than I am, and far more optimist about the way of the world. Th...

Virginia Moving to Eliminate All Accelerated Math Courses Before 11th Grade Sam Dorman, Fox News, April 22, 2021 The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is moving to eliminate all accelerated math options prior to 11th grade, effectively keeping higher-achieving students from advancing as they usually would in the school system. Loudoun County school board member Ian Serotkin posted about the change via Facebook on Tuesday. According to Serotkin, he learned of the change the night prior during a briefing from staff on the Virginia Mathematics Pathway Initiative (VMPI). “[A]s curre...

23 Apr 2021 The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is taking steps to only offer accelerated math classes to student in 11th and 12th grade — a move critics say will prevent some students to excel earlier in their academic career. Loudoun County School Board member Ian Serotkin posted about the change on his Facebook page Tuesday: MASSIVE STATE MATH CURRICULUM REVAMP 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 r...

  Share Source: AP Photo/Mike Groll In the name of equity, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is moving toward making sweeping changes to the K-12 math curriculum statewide, which includes removing options for advanced math courses prior to 11 th grade. Loudoun County school board member Ian Serotkin wrote on Facebook about the changes. "[A]s currently planned, this initiative will eliminate ALL math acceleration prior to 11th grade," he said. "That is not an exaggeration, nor does there appear to be any discretion in how local districts implement this. All 6th graders will take Fo...

A spokesman for VDOE did not object to Mr. Serotkin’s premise while indicating some wiggle room will be allowed for instructors. “Differentiated instruction means providing instruction that is catered to the learning needs of each child (appropriate levels of challenge and academic rigor),” Charles Pyle told the network. An added defense of the Virginia Mathematics Pathway Initiative by Mr. Pyle touted the educational “pathways [that] seek to restructure mathematics education by focusing instruction on reasoning, real-world problem solving, communication and connections while shifting...