This past Tuesday, the administration at RMHS presented at the PTO meeting regarding math and science curriculum, clarification about the Physics options, and information about the math pathways. The middle school principals thought this information may be helpful/ interesting for our middle school families, especially those with rising 8th graders. To that end, I am copy and pasting the email sent by RMHS Principal Kate Boynton, and am linking two documents presented that night:
-Math & Science presentation slides
-Communication Protocols for RMHS staff
From Principal Boynton:
February 25, 2020
Dear RMHS Families,
At the February 24th PTO meeting I was joined by math department head Allyson Williams, science department head Mary Anne Lynn and guidance director Lynna Williams to speak and engage with parents about their questions and concerns related to the math and science course offerings and pathways at Reading Memorial High School. We were delighted to see that the evening was very well attended and the conversation was productive. I began the evening by framing the larger conversation and our commitment as a school to offer the highest quality education to all our students while meeting their unique interests and needs. Mary Anne and Allyson then followed with comprehensive presentations about their respective content areas and we ended the night with a rich Q and A session.
We understand there was a certain level of confusion, anxiety and stress that the revised and originally proposed program of studies created for students and parents, especially with the proposed change that was planned for the Physics course offerings. One important area where we fell short was in our communication with parents. When we received this constructive feedback from parents who contacted us, we regrouped as a leadership team to reflect on our decision making process in this area. Ultimately, we determined that we moved too quickly, and, while our goals were well intentioned, we had not fully thought through all considerations. As a result, we have made the decision to halt all changes to the Physics course offerings in order to conduct a more thorough review that includes all stake-holders to see if this change is feasible at some point in the future for RMHS.
What this means is that for the 2020-2021 Academic Year we will continue to offer sections of both Honors Physics and AP Physics 1. Additionally, instead of offering AP Physics C - Mechanics as a separate stand alone class, we will continue to offer AP Physics C - Electricity, Magnetism, and Mechanics as a single, second-year Physics course.
The math department reflected on the curriculum changes implemented a few years ago that removed Pre-Calculus and emphasized a curriculum track to Calculus for all students. After consulting with the Department of Education, institutions of higher education, other area schools, the National Council for the Teachers of Mathematics and our own student data, the department made the determination that the best course of action is to reinstate Pre-Calculus as a course offering for students for the 2020-2021 Academic Year and to avoid racing through Algebra because it does not support student learning and often leads to conceptual gaps. We want to enable families to have flexibility in choosing an acceleration option that works for them while ensuring that all students receive a solid foundation in Algebra, which builds a greater probability of success for more advanced math concepts when a student is ready. The math department believes there are multiple pathways that lead to success in math, not all of which involve completion of Calculus in high school and they are committed to supporting students in advanced math subjects depending on what a student and family decide is their goal, including Calculus as well as other enriching options such as Statistics and Probability.
As educators, we have a core belief that the best learning often takes place when we make mistakes and are allowed and encouraged to learn and grow from them. This situation presents a poignant example of this type of learning and I thank the RMHS parent community for their willingness to engage in this learning with us as a model for our students.
One message we want to make sure came through at last night’s meeting, is that if you or your child have a question about course recommendations or the recommended course pathway for them given their plans after high school, please reach out directly to the teacher, department chair, or guidance counselor who can help provide personalized and individual support and attention to your question and can help you make the most informed decision for your child and family. If there is a question or issue regarding the Portal, please reach out to the RMHS main office.
Parents and students have through the end of this week to put in course requests in the Portal and counselors will be working one on one with students between March 2nd through the 9th to go over course requests and ensure all students have the appropriate course and level requests.
Attached to this email is a PDF of the slides and the RMHS Protocols of Communication for your reference. We are preparing an FAQ document based on the range of questions we received at Tuesday evening’s meeting and plan to have that ready to share with families soon.
Sincerely,
Kate Boynton, Principal
