Florida school must now teach Algebra to those who are really in need of math life skills.

[madfloridian]

Last edited Thu Oct 30, 2014, 11:52 PM - Edit history (1)

Crossposted in General Discussion for more visibility and with vain hopes for the recs I lost when the bug yesterday took them away from me.

Education reformers are now making their mark on education in this state. Some of us at DU have written about how Special Education students will soon be expected to perform at levels they simply are unable to handle. Why? Because Arne Duncan has fallen for the reformers' pitch that we need to get tougher and more demanding, and that there will be no excuses for failure of any kind. Rick Scott Republicans agree, and few Democrats are speaking out...maybe afraid of going against the party line on it.

Few seem to care, and that disturbs me. We have nearly overnight become a nation lacking tolerance of individuality.

The teachers at this Florida school have done a good job of preparing students with varying disabilities for skills they might need to get into the work force. Now they are going to be forced to spend their time teaching Algebra to these students.

In Florida there has been a special diploma given out to students with needs. This won't be happening anymore, and a state representative is proud of herself for the role she played. She calls this hard-earned diploma just a pat on the head. She pushed to get rid of it so these students could get the "same education" as their peers.

Many of these have Individualized Education Programs called IEPs. They have been already acknowledged by educators and psychologists not to need the same program as their peers. This is a result of the notions of one-size-fits-all, zero tolerance movements.

The article is a little unclear to me, but it looks like those with IEPs will be given a little more time.

Florida Law Has All Students Working to Same Standards




ROOSEVELT ACADEMY teacher Phillip Miles teaches a life skills math class at the school Monday in Lake Wales. Miles said rather than struggling to teach students math they aren't likely to use in their daily lives, he would rather teach them number skills they will need, such as making a budget or calculating sales tax.
RICK RUNION | THE LEDGER

LAKE WALES | On Oct. 13, after nearly two months of school, 9th-grade Roosevelt Academy students were called out of their classes for a meeting.

.....They learned they have to work toward a standard diploma, rather than a special diploma. They found their schedules rearranged, with classes like Algebra 1 in place of intensive math. They were told the whole model of their school, which prepares students with learning disabilities for work and helps them find jobs, would have to change.

"When I got home, I cried because of how much that diploma meant to me," said Georgia Collins.

This paragraph points out the absurdity of requiring the others to fail for four years before qualifying for the special diploma.

"They have to fail for four years before they even get a certificate of completion," said Henry Smith, vocational teacher and career placement coordinator for Roosevelt. "I guarantee you the dropout rate is going to be astronomical."

I agree with the teacher mentioned in the article who said "Rather than struggling to teach them math they aren't likely to use in their daily lives, he would rather teach them number skills they will need, such as making a budget or calculating sales tax."