In light of the disagreements within the school community, the district’s teachers have largely stayed on the sideline.
Multiple teachers did not respond to interview requests. When reached by phone, the popular Millstone River A&E teacher Hugh Green declined to comment. “There is no upside for me, I have no comment,” he said.
No matter what opinion a teacher has on the ongoing debate, teachers may find themselves caught between discontented parents or the administration.
Joan Ruddiman was the G&T program coordinator before retiring this past summer after 28 years in the district. She has also taught as a PRISM teacher at Grover and served on the internal team that conducted the G&T program review.
In a recent phone interview Ruddiman shared her thoughts on the ongoing debate over the proposal to redesign the A&E program, which will replace grades four and five A&E classes with differentiated learning, in other words single classrooms grouped by skill level (The News, November 6). She emphasized that she no longer works for the district and is speaking as a private citizen on the matter.
“My heart hurts for the parents who are concerned that the A&E program is going away. It’s not,” Ruddiman says. “It bothers me when I see parents thinking it limits math.
“If anything students will be better served. The intent was never to dismantle the A&E math program. The intent is to serve math students effectively, but to serve more math students instead of limiting who can do this. All those kids that just missed it and are not happy in their math class, there will be an opportunity for them to have accelerated and enriched experiences beyond the classroom. As a parent I would think that is comforting, in case a student doesn’t get into A&E. We have G&T specialists at the fourth and fifth level and students can work with them outside of the classroom. Sometimes they work in the classroom. What they do is not more of the same kinds of work, but different and accelerated.”
One recurring question parents have had is why eliminate components of a program that have proved successful?
“The A&E program is essential for students with extremely high competencies. The intent behind it is good. But it’s not the magic bullet that will automatically get you into Harvard or MIT,” Ruddiman says. “The integrity of the program has been hurt. The third grade testing is flawed. I think kids are too young, it’s taken on a life of its own. It’s very stressful. We’ve had kids cry and throw up. You can’t have kids in kindergarten and first grade, going to math skill-and-drill programs to get them ready for a test in third grade. There’s no reason for that. If kids are ready for advanced math, they will be ready for it. ”
When asked how common this is, Ruddiman says she did not have data but there was “enough that it raised some red flags.”
“My contention is there should not be any preparation. If you have the ability, high level cognition, A&E math is the course for you,” Ruddiman says. “And if you’re not in A&E math, does that mean you’re not smart? We’ve worked hard in the district to overcome that perception. A level of elitism has cropped up. That’s not healthy for kids or the culture of the school. I think the administration is trying to balance our need for academic excellence with concern for whole child. What that means is the emotional needs for kids.”
Some parents have also asked why after-school programs are being questioned, when they are just one of many other pursuits like sports or music.
“I appreciate that, with the understanding that this is what your kid has a passion for,” Ruddiman says. “But there’s also kids that are doing math every day with the understanding that they are preparing for the third grade test.”
Ultimately, Ruddiman does not see a reason for parents to worry about the math curriculum, which may increase the number of students in sixth grade A&E if all fifth graders are tested. (Currently, parents sign their children up to take the screening exams.)
“I think it’s important for parents not to make assumptions and really listen to what the district is presenting. I don’t see a reason to be worried,” Ruddiman says. “If you look at testing all of your fifth graders, if we find more kids than are currently in sixth grade A&E, I would imagine the district makes as much room for the kids who need it. There is more opportunity rather than less. I don’t understand why parents don’t see comfort in that.”
Added Ruddiman: “For kids moving faster through the curriculum, they will be able to get to the advanced math program in high school even if you are not in the A&E program. So nobody is left out of the advanced math at the high school level because they didn’t have A&E math in sixth grade, let alone fourth and fifth grade.”
