BUCKLAND — A new teaching approach, of grouping same-grade students of all learning abilities into one math or science class, is getting failing marks from parents of high-achievers, who say their children are bored and frustrated with the slow pace.
The parents came to meetings at the Mohawk Trail Regional School District, urging educators to make adjustments to teach and challenge the brightest students as effectively as those who need more time and tutoring.
The district has responded by bringing in educational coaches to provide more training for Mohawk’s teachers, although parents want to make sure the education of their advanced students is not watered down.
To meet new state education initiatives that focus on closing the achievement gap between students, Mohawk administrators started heterogeneous teaching in math and science classes, with the aim of teaching all students of different learning levels together, rather than separating them into advanced-placement, remedial and general classrooms. The idea is for classroom teachers to work with students of different learning capacities, broadening the educational experiences of students and helping students learn to work together on inquiry-based learning and critical thinking skills.
“If we want all students to rise together, we must group them together, so they can see how the higher (performing) students act,” math teacher Eric Colbeck said.
“Heterogeneity doesn’t enable all students to rise together,” Jeff Parent of Heath replied. “It chains them together. But you don’t hold them to their highest potential. There’s nothing wrong with one student helping another, but you can’t put anchors around their necks and expect (the advanced students) to do the jobs that teachers are paid to do.”
“But the data, once all the implementation is in place, shows that all levels do rise,” Mohawk Superintendent Michael Buoniconti said.
“Other schools in the area have made adjustments,” Beth Bandy, a Charlemont parent, pointed out. In Amherst, she said, heterogeneous classes are not the only way you can take math. “They have co-teachers in the heterogeneous classes to address the span of needs. There’s also an assumption that heterogeneous classes are all being rolled out in the same way.”
“My concern is that parents are going to pick up their kids and move them to other districts, where heterogeneity does work,” said Bandy, who also chairs Charlemont’s Selectboard. “We’ve been talking about this since September, and it’s not working. I want to know how much it would cost to bring someone extra to support students at whatever level, instead of bringing in consultants for teachers. We don’t feel like we’re being heard. And the year is slipping away.”
Tom Schreiber, an Ashfield parent, said the current approach is “teaching to the bottom. Watering down the class does nothing for all of them,” he said.
“In theory, it’s good for everybody, but we wouldn’t be here, in this room if it was working,” said Lesley Parker, the parent of seventh-grade twins. She added that its also not fair to underperforming students who think: “I’m in a class with peers who are getting it — and I’m not.”
Co-principal Marisa Mendonsa said that writing, assessing and critical reasoning slows down the pace. She said some students just want to “give the answer and move on,” but colleges want students with good, critical reasoning skills, as well as computation skills. Also, Mendonsa said it’s not fair to compare Mohawk to Amherst, which has a different budget, resources and different students. “You can’t compare the districts,” she said.
“You can’t assess halfway through the school year,” she added.
Bandy said the school families “love the teachers,” but find it frustrating that the school isn’t doing something to address their concerns.
Parent Kara Kitchen of Plainfield gave an example from her ninth-grade sons’ school day. She said information was presented that other children didn’t get, and, as a result, the others didn’t do their homework.
“So my sons were the only ones and were once again stuck while the material was presented a second time,” Kitchen said. She said a lot of the children took a summer math program because they expected to enroll in advanced placement math in the fall. “We need some support at both ends,” she said.
After a meeting on Dec. 14 concerning the heterogeneous classes, school administrators told parents they would provide coaching specialists two days a week to better assist the teachers on how to reach students of varying abilities within one classroom. Buoniconti said, “You can’t expect teachers to be ready on day one.”
He said reviving the old class structure is “the one thing we’re not going back to.”
But after meeting with the parents, Buoniconti said he was going through the budget “to see what’s possible,” so that the brightest students feel challenged and motivated. “I’ve heard you,” he told school parents. “I’m uncomfortable, and I’m sorry to the parents. I need to look at what’s available. I need to consult with the math teachers. I oversee the operating budget, so I’ll look to see what’s there, in addition to having these conversations.”