Amid Honors Debate, West Potomac Teachers Get More Training

Fairfax County Public Schools is giving West Potomac teachers additional training as the school continues to adjust to changes in honors course offerings, officials said.

By the end of the summer teachers in social studies and English will  have received two days of training on how to differentiate or teach to students with varying skill sets in one classroom, said Frances Ivey, director of PreK-12 curriculum and instruction.

The new training program comes after to phase out honors courses in subject areas where there is an AP or IB course.

The of students who are not ready to take on a college-level course, but would not be sufficiently challenged by a general education class.

But school administrators said at a Monday school board work session that there was too much overlap between honors courses and AP courses to make it worthwhile. Additionally they said having fewer tiers gives traditionally disadvantaged students greater access to advanced coursework.

Ivey said that the training would focus on how to build collaborative teams, best practices for teaching and learning, how to asses students, and then how to provide the intervention or enrichment that is necessary for each student to thrive.

“It is a philosophy of teaching that maximizes student growth and learning,” she said.

Ivey said teachers have access to other professional development programs regarding differentiation, including two through George Mason University and the University of Virginia, which give participants class credit.  She added that there would be “ongoing support” for West Potomac teachers throughout the year.

West Potomac was chosen because members of the school community asked for additional resources, Ivey said. She said other teachers at other schools could have access to the program as well.

Local activist groups Restore Honors Classes and Fairgrade are seeking honors courses in World History 2, English 11, US History 11, English 12 and US Government at AP base high schools.

By the end of Wednesday an online petition circulated by the activists had garnered 801 signatures.

At Monday’s work session school board members called for “a larger discussion” on honors course offerings. Part of the board’s next steps included a request for more data and another work session to further address the issue.