Editor,
The Laguna Beach USD Board of Education approved the math pathways after a long meeting of public comment by parents ending in a 4-1 vote. The decision gives students from most other Orange County districts an advantage when applying for colleges and universities. Those students will have the opportunity to take geometry in the eighth grade.
The reasoning behind the board’s vote is that the new Common Core standards are just too difficult for our students to master. They believe that only 1% of the current fifth- grade students or two out of 200, can successfully complete the course of study in middle school. Other districts believe in their students and will continue to offer geometry for students who qualify. Board member Dee Perry demonstrated support for parents who had been left out the planning process by casting the “no” vote.
The district’s view is that if students “bubble up” and there is a need to provide an option for them, they will deal with it then. Is that any way to plan to serve student needs?
The district tried to rationalize their low expectations of high performing students by assigning new course titles for classes that they claimed had many more standards to master than the prior courses. It is widely known that the prior standards are just as rigorous, and that the Common Core actually reduces the number of standards to be taught so that teachers can focus on the mathematical practices and real life problem solving.
Superintendent Smith actually quotes the Fordham study comparing the Common Core to the California standards; the California standards rank more rigorous. The “smoke and mirrors” pathway presented at the March 10 board meeting included new course titles, but very little substance.
There is a determined group of parents that will continue to work to challenge the low expectations held by the district leadership. This “tweek it” as you go math pathway plan is simply not the type of education we expect for our children. We expect the best from our schools!
David Flores, Laguna Beach
The author is a retired top administrator of the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
