We respectfully ask the Board of Education to oppose the MCPS plan to eliminate dedicated, cohorted math acceleration in favor of primarily heterogeneous, mixed-readiness classrooms. 

A change of this magnitude should involve meaningful teacher, family, and community engagement. This proposal was presented to the Board of Education without prior public discussion or stakeholder input, limiting transparency and trust in the process.

We support expanding access to accelerated learning. Equity is achieved by opening rigorous opportunities to every student who is prepared and ready to succeed.

We urge MCPS to:

• Preserve dedicated cohorted math acceleration
• Improve identification processes
• Add flexible entry and exit points
• Expand access to underrepresented students

While MCPS’s goals are understandable, including broadening access, reducing rigid tracking, improving identification, and aligning with MSDE guidance, those goals can be achieved without removing dedicated accelerated math pathways that provide students with the pace, depth, and consistency they need to thrive. The solution to inequitable access is to broaden access to strong accelerated programs, not weaken or dismantle them.

The proposed alternative relies heavily on differentiation within mixed-readiness classrooms. In practice, this creates a “floor vs. ceiling” challenge where teachers must simultaneously remediate, teach grade-level content, enrich, and accelerate within one classroom. In math, where learning is cumulative and sequential, this model is especially difficult to execute consistently. The approach sounds good on paper, but implementation meets the messy realities of the classroom. 

As a result:

• Advanced learners receive occasional enrichment rather than true acceleration
• Students needing remediation still struggle to receive enough targeted support
• Instructional quality will vary significantly classroom to classroom, teacher to teacher, school to school, and year to year
• Equity ultimately will be undermined by inconsistent implementation

Math is uniquely hierarchical. Students learn best when instruction is appropriately challenging and paced to their readiness level. When readiness levels span multiple years in a single classroom, it becomes far more difficult for one teacher, one lesson, and one pace to effectively meet every student’s needs.

Cohorted math acceleration is not the same as permanent tracking. MCPS can maintain flexibility through:

• Multiple on-ramps
• Ongoing assessment
• Transparent communication
• Opportunities for movement between pathways

Eliminating dedicated cohorts replaces meaningful acceleration with occasional enrichment, independent work, or peer tutoring. High-achieving students should not become de facto classroom assistants; they also deserve instruction that challenges and advances their learning.

The data used to justify this proposal also deserves careful scrutiny. MCPS cites declining proficiency from a 2021–22 compacted math cohort, but this was a COVID-era cohort and may not provide a reliable basis for a major long-term structural change.

Current research also raises concerns about mixed-attainment math instruction. Recent findings from the Education Endowment Foundation and UCL Institute for Education found that high-attaining math students made slower progress in mixed-attainment classrooms, while lower-attaining and disadvantaged students were not harmed by ability grouping. (High-attaining maths pupils make more progress when grouped by attainment, EEF and UCL research finds, https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/high-attaining-more-progress-when-grouped-eef-and-ucl-research-finds