Teachers and tracking by ability...

are

insufferable

1. It’s ableist AF.

In our anti racism work we are invested in dismantling all systems of oppression (especially within our schools where we work.)

2. Data show that students who are tracked in advance classes have the most post HS opportunities. These classes are overwhelming White/ NE Asian.

These students go to college. Prestigious colleges.

3. Students who are in “general ed” have entirely different graduation rates.

When we disaggregate the data we see how students disadvantaged are impacted. Black + foster youth= lower test scores*, graduation rates.

Intersections. Interlocking systems of oppression.

3.5 * Standardized tests are trash, but it does clearly shows that there are disparate outcomes along racial lines, etc. This is not to support standardized testing.

4. We know what general ed at many urban schools consists of: BIPOC students. And also lower income white students.

5. At my school we have an academy that produces incoming Harvard, Berkeley, and UCLA incoming freshman.

That’s tight, tight?

BUT why is this program overwhelming White/ NE Asian?

Someone argues that “there are Latinxs”... many are white passing.

Remember race is ascribed

6. So the students who are Ivy League or UC bound are concentrated in one academy/ specialty program.

And that academy and specialty program is overwhelmingly White (including white Latinxs) and NE Asian.

You can do a scan the room survey and see the lack of dark students.

7. Dark students= we who are dark a là Frantz Fanon via @BLoveSoulPower

8. So we know that White/Asian students have more opportunity after graduation compared to dark students, including access to higher education and we say to that

How can we maintain this racial segregation in classes/scheduling/funding/power but still achieve equity?

9. Um, you cannot.

If we want to have equitable outcomes for all students and we want to maintain high standards, then we must have high standards for all students.

10. If we have high standards for all students we cannot continue track them by ability.

If we want ALL students to graduate with critical literacy and access to the most post-secondary options then we need to do the work to achieve that.

11. Too many people say that they want to have equity in schools, but are unwilling to take the steps that are necessary to achieve that equity.

If we want to have an outcome such as critical literacy, we should define what critical literacy is.

12. We should have an idea about how we will know students are developing that critical literacy.

13. We should design assessments that measure student growth with rubrics that we use across content areas.

14. We should be clear about the explicit skills that we want students to walk away with for example: a 12-minute mile , developing a bibliography, or solving for Y.

15. We should teach those explicit skills through culturally relevant content/curriculum through culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies.

16. As it stands, at my school everyone does whatever they want to do with no explicit common goals, collaboration for assessment, or scoring/norming.

17. And yet, we say that we want equity.

How can we have equitable results when we have not determined what those results should be, planned the scaffolds/ understanding by design to achieve them, and helped each other with identifying ig the best vehicles.

18. Teachers have lessons that they rock and some they don’t. What if we all shared out best work?

What if we were intentional about curricula that is inclusive? We treat these things are options—not necessities

19. I’ve heard teachers insist that they need classroom autonomy. Cool cool cool. But what are your students learning? How do you know that they learned it? Do you need support? Could you be supporting someone else?

20. Much collaboration is needed to make the necessary changes in school.

At my school we need to work together to support high standards for all students.

21. So I ask: if we have high standards for all students do we really need to continue to track them by so-called ability?

Are some students more able or have our districts over identified students in GATE and/or SPED?

22. Why are there so many Black students in SPED?

Are they more likely to have a learning disability? (No, that’s racist) or are they over identified for SPED.

23. Are white and Asian students smarter? (No, that’s racist) or are they over-identifies for advanced courses?

24. What skills are measured when we assess students for advanced classes?

Are they skills that privilege native/ Standard English?

Are they skills that value written traditions over oral traditions? (Many IBPOC deep cultures have oral traditions)

25. Teachers blame outside factors on disparate outcomes at school while doing NOTHING to mitigate them.

What’s worse is that they defend the very things that perpetuate disparate outcomes: tracking, suspensions, rules, curricular choices.

26. How can you say: I want schools to be more equitable but be unwilling to abolish the practices that WE KNOW are producing inequity.

27. Folks will say, “students can’t keep up with advanced courses.”

There are always different levels of readiness/funds of knowledge.

When I teach SPED in the LRE I don’t say I can’t teach SPED and gen ed. That’s ableist AF.

28. Why are schools allowed/invested in segregation by ability?

Not to be all separate isn’t equal, but actually. Yes. Help me understand.

29. Why do schools have whole DEI initiatives and equity departments meanwhile not addressing the glaring inequities of who teaches what and who?

30. Not only are the honors classes at my school overwhelmingly White/Asian, the teachers are mostly white.

White teachers teaching White students who will eventually end up at UCs and Ivy Leagues meanwhile low graduation rates for BIPOC/SPED/foster youth.

31. I want to acknowledge that I am generalizing.

I also want to acknowledge that I’m tired of folks frontin like they don’t see it.

#cleartheair #edchat #educolor