Minutes of Monday, November 5 meeting at Georgetown Day School

 

In attendance were our hosts, Bruce Snyder and Andy Lipps of the GDS upper school; Karen Michalowicz of the Langley School; Judy Knight of the GDS middle school; Ayana Touval of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School; Ann Lawrence and Syamala Chenulu of the Capitol Hill Day School; Beth Cole (new member!) of the St. Patrick’s School; Dorothy Prats of the St. Andrew’s Episcopal School; Betsy Bennett of the St. Albans School; Margo Dunlavey; Harriet Scheuermann and Shirley Bynoe of the National Cathedral School; Joan Reinthaler of the Sidwell Friends School; and Susan Lauffer of the Sandy Spring Friends School.

 

  1. We almost nailed down all the remaining dates and venues for this academic year.  On Thursday, December 6, we will be meeting at the NCS upper school to enjoy a technology workshop courtesy of Margo Dunlavey.  On Wednesday, February 27, we will meet at the Jewish Day School to enjoy Steve Leinwand’s presentation on the revised NCTM Standards.  On Thursday, April 11, we will meet hopefully at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes upper school to discuss rigor and proof as well some administrative matters.

 

  1. This just in:  Melby Bush at Madeira has agreed to host the April 18 math meet in place of Bishop-Ireton.

 

  1. We spent the rest of the meeting mostly discussing homogeneous and heterogeneous scheduling.  We went around the room to survey where each school stood on ability grouping/pacing.  At St. Patrick’s, grades 4-6 are divided according to multiplication fact speed, with one top section and everyone else mixed.  St. Andrew’s classes are not grouped, but kids start algebra at different grades.  Geometry is heterogeneous.  St. Albans has one top top group, but everyone else is mixed.  Margo’s school in New Jersey had the top 25% in honors classes, and the rest in regular classes.  The best of the rest was unhappy.  At NCS there are three groups in 10th and 11th grade, and five options for seniors.  97% of the kids take math for four years!  At Sidwell some kids take algebra in ninth grade and stay in this semi-remedial path; most kids have a five-year algebra/geometry sequence; the top kids take the same material in four years and calculus as seniors.  The middle school is moving away from homogeneity.  At Sandy Spring some kids take algebra in 8th grade, some in 9th grade.  Statistics is available as a senior year alternative.  Holton has two levels from 8th-12th, and some kids take algebra as ninth graders.  Langley has a lot of bright kids, and there is geometry offered for 8th graders, but Karen teaches the strugglers.  Everyone takes at least algebra by eighth grade, but there is a section of eighth graders that is more remedial.  The Thos. Jefferson magnet school is forcing some kids to try to take algebra and geometry by end of eighth grade or the summer afterward.  At GDS grouping starts in 7th grade, 20-25% take algebra then, many forced in by parents.  In the high school there are 2-3 levels for all the algebra and higher courses.  At JDS algebra I begins for some 7th graders, and it goes for 1.5 years.  Everyone in 9th grade has geometry, 2-3 levels.  At Capitol Hill, 6th grade is the first year for grouping, with alg. I for everyone in 8th grade, but it is more of an intro. course for some kids.  Steve remarked that less than .1% need alternative curriculum, and about 1% can be accelerated the way we hyper-accelerate some kids.  Paul remarked that placement for ability grouping should not be by mental arithmetic skills—too narrow, and that algebra and geometry proficiency are often quite different for the same kids.

 

4.  This also just in:  Nancy Wright reports three new members:  St. Patrick’s, The Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital, and the Alexandria Country Day School.  Good!