[aberaussie]

Hmmm...homeschoolers have been doing this for a long time. If my children had been allowed to move along at their own pace in elementary school, we might never have pulled them out to homeschool!

[Tarpon]

I think the intent here is more like “and then they shall all be equally stupid.” Removing achievement, by grades and class levels, subtly removes incentive.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

If done right ( a huge qualifier) this is actually a far better way to teach then the one-size-fits-all way that they are doing it now.

[TaxRelief]

The kids will still know. You can’t trick kids. They’ll know who is left back and who is advanced.

This is as dumb as not keeping score at kids’ soccer games. The kids always keep score.

[dawn53]

When we homeschooled that’s how we did it, too.

We used Saxon math and did math year round. The first 30 or so lessons in Saxon are review, so when we’d start a new Saxon book, we’d take the tests, not do the lessons, up to the point where questions were missed on a test. That’s how we determined where/when to start the lessons in that particular level.

[BobL]

...anything to make it harder to measure whether the kids are actually learning anything.

[ImaGraftedBranch]

Socialists don’t do anything without a reason.

While we do homeschool, and our children do learn at their own pace, the goal is different in their case.

In France, for instance, they know which children are moving ahead at an early age, and which ones are falling behind. It helps them categorize people into those that will eventually go to college, and those that won’t.

They know which ones “get” things immediately, which ones take 2x to burn something in, and those that take 5x to get something to burn in.

The tests merely prove their point.

Because the STATE takes care of education through college, you can forget about being a late bloomer — if you don’t show what they are looking for you will be classified for menial labor.

Pity the folks that were late bloomers.

Welcome to Obamaland.

[PizzaDriver]

It wasn’t that long ago the States were taking Great Pride in eliminating “One Room Schools” and putting all children in true Grade Schools.

Just how are these Multi-age class rooms, In multi-room structures, better? Being bused to a distant structure doesn’t strike me as necessary to Childhood.

[wintertime]

If my children had been allowed to move along at their own pace in elementary school, we might never have pulled them out to homeschool!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This is our exact reason for homeschooling. When I told the teacher and principal that my first grade son was doing long division and reading fifth grade books I was IGNORED!

I simply could not stand to see my child's life wasted. As the ad says, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste!”

[Gone_Postal]

damn sounds like 5th grade forever.....
the dumb have just got dumber....

[CholeraJoe]

One student needs three hours to figure out fractions while another takes a full day.

It took me a 50 minute math class in 4th grade.

[gusopol3]

Sue Fine? Hope she doesn’t marry someone named Steele.

[lacrew]

The schools in Manhattan,KS have done this for at least ten years. They lump some of the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders into the same room. They actually have 3 teachers assigned to the group. The teachers are very proud of it - call it muli-echelon something or other.

My opinion - students in the 5th and 6th grade aren’t allowed to fail, which is no good. Also, the smart 4th graders get an early start on pulling the weight of others...kind of depressing.

However good it may look on paper, it does not work well at all in reality.

[Amelia]

They didn’t all learn to sit up & walk at exactly the same age. They don’t all wear the same size shoes. Why do we expect them to all learn math & reading at the same pace?

[SoftballMominVA]

Public Education Ping

This list is for intelligent discussion of articles and issues related to public education (including charter schools) from the preschool to university level. Items more appropriately placed on the “Naughty Teacher” list, “Another reason to Homeschool” list, or of a general public-school-bashing nature will not be pinged. If you would like to be on or off this list, please freepmail Amelia, Gabz, Shag377, or SoftballMominVa

[SoftballMominVA]

Public Education Ping

This list is for intelligent discussion of articles and issues related to public education (including charter schools) from the preschool to university level. Items more appropriately placed on the “Naughty Teacher” list, “Another reason to Homeschool” list, or of a general public-school-bashing nature will not be pinged. If you would like to be on or off this list, please freepmail Amelia, Gabz, Shag377, or SoftballMominVa

[Mike Darancette]

Instead of talent rising to the top, the dregs will sink to the bottom.

[radiohead]

Is there a difference between this and the ‘open classroom’ that was in vogue about 30 years ago?

[3D-JOY]

Sounds just like the early 1900’s One Room School, Mom was ready for college at 14 and that created another problem for the family. No school would allow them to live in the dorm so the family had to move to the college town.

I have to think...What benefits the Unions? That might be the motive.

[Paved Paradise]

This is not even new but has been tried back in the early 70’s. Whatever....

[metmom]

If my children had been allowed to move along at their own pace in elementary school, we might never have pulled them out to homeschool!

Same here. My oldest two were reading proficiently by the time they were five. They would have been going to school with kids who still didn't know their colors (for real - they lived next door to us)

There were several other factors involved in that decision, but that one played a major role.