After three months of public comments and extended meetings, the WW-P school board approved the administration’s proposal to redesign the Accelerated & Enriched (A&E) math program, 7-2. The Grover Middle School parking lot was filled to capacity at the December 15 school board meeting, which lasted five hours and featured nearly 100 public comments.
The meeting was standing room only, and parents concerned with the direction of the school district held signs of protest while other parents concerned with the district’s “race to nowhere” environment wore “Take Back Childhood” buttons.
Most of the meeting was mired in public comments, which at times were highly charged. Speakers questioning the administration’s decisions received applause from one section of the audience, many of whom were members from the Asian community. Speakers in support of the administration received applause from other parents and the district staff in attendance. Several commentators exceeded the two-minute talking limit despite repeated exhortations by Board President Tony Fleres. There were several instances of booing.
Originating from a Gifted and Talented internal program review recommendation to eliminate the grades four and four components of the A&E program, the redesign will replace upper elementary A&E classes with differentiated learning. Middle school A&E remains intact, as will the high school math sequence that culminates with multivariable calculus in 12th grade. Instead of being separated into math and A&E classes, upper elementary school students will be grouped by skill level within a heterogeneous classroom. More advanced students will also receive separate math instruction. The two A&E math positions for grades four and five will be eliminated, and one teacher resource specialist position for math will be created to aid teachers with implementing differentiated learning.
Rising fourth graders currently in third grade will begin differentiated instruction in the 2016-’17 academic year, while fourth graders currently in A&E will continue to fifth grade A&E next year. By the 2017-’18 academic year, all fifth graders will be in differentiated instruction and they will undergo a redesigned sixth grade A&E screening process that is still being designed.
In a departure from recent board meetings, and following his Town Hall presentation a week prior (see page 1), superintendent David Aderhold did not make any remarks upon the conclusion of the public commenting period. After the meeting, Aderhold and assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction Martin Smith declined to comment.
In a subsequent E-mail, Aderhold thanked the board for its support as well as the district administrators and staff. He also thanked parents and community members for their input and interest in the process.
“At its heart, the changes in the redesign of the A&E Mathematics Program are grounded in an attempt to restore balance while still maintaining an enriched mathematics program for more students in a system that demands excellence,” wrote Aderhold. “It is incumbent upon excellent school systems to question our practices and continue to seek to improve our academic, social, and emotional development of our children. “
Before the public commenting period, Fleres said: “It’s become an emotional issue in the district, going beyond how to teach math in fourth and fifth grade. Remember everyone is here for the same reason, achieving the best education.”
Various district administrators, including language arts supervisor Penny Fisher, K-12 supervisor of curriculum and instruction Susan Totaro, and grades 6-12 supervisor of mathematics Andrea Bean, voiced support for the A&E redesign and for district staff.
“I’ve heard tonight that we’re holding schools back,” Bean said. “Those [who would be] in A&E will get those enrichment material and those who missed it will get enrichment also. There will be more math for more students. The only thing we’re taking away is the label.”
Language arts supervisor Cathy Reilly endorsed the administration as well. She has had children in the district for 23 years and counting, and she worked as an English educator before joining the district in 2013.“What you hear in public is what is spoken behind closed doors,” Reilly said.
Teachers also weighed in. North math teacher Denise Shea read a letter by South multivariable calculus teacher Charlie Ashton. Noting there are multiple paths to success, Ashton emphasized children mature at different rates and that “separating students too early does more harm than good.”
Susan Zhao, a longtime ESL teacher at South and Plainsboro resident, said bilingual curriculum changes have placed stress on her students. She added further service cuts would result in students leaving, which could negatively impact property value.
Current students and alumni also shared their views.
Three juniors from North jointly commented on the benefits of the no-homework nights, while also asking for the reinstatement of finals with a lower weighted grade for reasons of college preparation.
South senior Rachel Julius said her brother was not in A&E and graduated from Cornell as a physics major. “Students can achieve so much even if they are not in A&E,” she said.
North alumna Rachel Taub, on break from the University of Chicago, noted A&E in fourth and fifth grade “affects the way you treat other people. You weren’t as smart because you aren’t in these special classes. No 9 or 10-year-old should feel less intelligent because they can’t do math as quickly.”
South PTA president Micky Kermani provided 77 statements of support from high school students.
Catherine Foley, founder of the group Take Back Childhood, urged the board not to bow to public pressure and presented 65 statements from parents and alumni in support of the proposed A&E redesign.
Multiple parents criticized the negativity that has arisen in the community, as well as the doubt over educators’ ability to implement differentiated instruction.
“It greatly concerns me that arguments and attacks are based on misconception,” said Millstone River PTA president Lauren Strapp. “The lack of trust in our educators astonishes me. Who do you think makes it an extraordinary district?”
Those in support of the proposed curriculum change believe it would benefit previously overlooked children.
Melanie Wilhelm said the board has an opportunity to prove that they matter, adding the district has been “criticized in the past for only benefiting the brightest of the bright.”
Outgoing West Windsor Council member George Borek also voiced support for Aderhold, mentioning he knows 10 families who have taken their kids out of the district.
Kurt Baker, who lost his son to suicide, received extended applause after his public comment. “What I’m terrified about is many parents deny there is a problem,” Baker said (see letter from his wife, Tricia, page 4).
Sue Roy, former WW-P News school correspondent and mother of two, said she trusts the educators, and urged action: “120 students needing serious mental health guidance is a powerful statistic. If even one student is threatening suicide, that’s the magic number. We don’t need one more suicide, a Columbine, or a Palo Alto situation.”
In the past few months Aderhold has cited the 120 middle school and high school students in the 2014-’15 academic year who were sent for mental health assessments as evidence of the imbalance in the current educational system.
However, most of the parents who spoke at the meeting questioned the A&E curriculum change, as well as past changes. Those opposing the A&E redesign remain unconvinced of the proposal’s connection to stress reduction.
“We have to know: What is [the crisis] based on?” said Bill Chu. “How is it related to fourth and fifth grade A&E?”
“I cannot understand the link between 120 students [sent for mental health assessments] and A&E,” Sophia Xue said. “Please slow down the change. There is shaken trust between taxpayers and the superintendent. People can sense the hastiness. There is no detailed plan.”
Others in opposition were also skeptical the A&E redesign would improve the math curriculum, and there were also questions on how differentiated instruction would impact gifted students.
“Good intention without caution may lead to bad action,” Xuemin Lu said. “Eliminate, redesign, expand. I have heard all these conflicting terms but no concrete plan on implementation and no measure on effectiveness. Once the children pass fourth and fifth grade, they pass the point of no return.”
Brad Clifton has a daughter who did not participate in the A&E program. His son did participate after he was identified in pre-K for being able to do double digit multiplication. “I see the proposal as a positive step, more math for more kids,” Clifton said. “However, I’m concerned differentiated learning is inadequate for kids currently in A&E.”
Adam Berger said that the current screening process is broken. Yet having talked to middle school A&E teachers who run into problems with students who do not belong in the program, he questioned whether teachers implementing differentiated instruction would be able to handle gifted students.
“It seems you’re conflating high achieving children with gifted students,” Berger said. “By cutting out the A&E program, it really is to the detriment of the gifted students. It doesn’t matter if non-A&E students do better in multivariable calculus, the experience is important.”
At times the meeting was marred by parents exceeding their allotted speaking time, as well as by heated language.
“Do you want to be remembered as a respected teacher or do you want to be remembered as a butcher?” said Yao Yang.
Many parents sought additional details and asked the board to delay the vote. “We’ve been asking for a plan so we could review it. How do we know this new program will not label kids?” Peter Syrek said. “I think people are ecstatic there is change, but there is no plan.”
The A&E enrollment process for rising fourth and fifth graders usually begins in the second half of the school year, and changes for the 2016-’17 school year required approval this winter. It was midnight when the board voted 7-2 to approve the A&E curriculum change, with dissenting votes from Yingchao Zhang and Taylor Zhong. All other agenda items passed without any dissenting votes.
Multiple board members made comments before their vote, imploring the community to trust the board to hold the administration accountable.
Board member Isaac Cheng said he appreciated the community feedback, in particular the alumni perspective. As a recent graduate, Cheng said he was at first skeptical about the proposed changes to A&E, having known friends who enjoyed the program.
“After looking at these changes, none will have a detrimental effect on the factors that made me succeed,” said Cheng. “No one is trying to dumb down the curriculum.”
Fellow board member Louisa Ho also said she was skeptical at first but was convinced after challenging the administration.
“We will see more kids in sixth grade A&E,” Ho said. “[The educators] care more than you can imagine and I trust they have our kids’ interest truly at heart.”
Board members Rachel Juliana, Dana Krug, and Taylor Zhong read from prepared statements.
Juliana said she was part of the internal team that reviewed the G&T program and ultimately trusts their recommendation.
“The question posed is: which of the two math programs benefits kids the most as a whole,” Juliana said.
Krug, who chairs the curriculum committee that recommended approval of the A&E redesign, said she was “saddened at what transpired” and asked the community to trust the school board.
In his statement, Zhong said he understands the goal of the new plan is “to not label students and get more students in sixth grade A&E.” However, given the strength of the current program, he sought more successful measures of the new plan.
Zhong also added: “Many Chinese parents accuse the administration of being racist. The parents have different opinions, some support the changes. I don’t think the administration is making a decision based on race.”
Zhang said he supported the goals of more math for more students, reforming the high stakes testing process, as well as the student clustering. Yet Zhang said he was concerned about the implementation in the next academic year, in particular how the upper elementary school teachers would provide differentiated instruction to gifted students in a heterogeneous classroom.
“I would see this as a good turning point to establish cross-cultural dialogue,” Zhang said. “Immigrants come to this country with nothing, most of us have no family ties. For a lot of Asian immigrants, work ethic is the top value.”
Added Zhang: “Many Chinese immigrants are speaking in a foreign language for them. Sometimes with the language barrier, it comes across in the way they don’t mean it to be.”
Echoing comments he made at the previous board meeting, high school social studies teacher and WW-P teachers’ union president Bruce Salmestrelli said: “What we want is happy, healthy, well-balanced children who love learning. We’re setting an example for our children starting tomorrow, that’s the challenge I leave with the community.”
In other news, the meeting began with a presentation of the Human Anatomy & Physiology course by current high school students. The course is taught by Holly Crochetiere at North and Katherine Heavers at South. The board also approved the 2016-’17 Program of Studies revisions.
