Youngkin drops Virginia plan that would have eliminated all accelerated math courses before 11th grade

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Woke math movement looks to eliminate advanced classes

Erec Smith, co-founder of 'Free Black Thought' and professor at York College, argues that teaching students based on race is regressive and a step back culturally.

The Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative (VMPI), an equity-focused educational program that would have eliminated all accelerated math courses before 11th grade, is no longer.

The initiative was removed from the Virginia Department of Education's website after newly inaugurated Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Jan. 15 issued Executive Order 1 to, among other things, "restore excellence in education by ending the use of divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory, in public education."

"This is just another instance of Governor Youngkin delivering on his promises to Virginia’s students and parents," Macaulay Porter, a spokesperson for the governor, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The governor pledged to remove the initiative, which would move away from advanced math courses, to restore academic excellence in Virginia and ensure our curriculum is preparing students to excel."

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The education proposal initially made headlines in April 2021 when Loudoun County School Board member Ian Serotkin wrote a Facebook post about the program after a staff briefing, saying it would "eliminate ALL math acceleration prior to 11th grade" and that "only in 11th and 12th grade is there any opportunity for choice in higher math courses."

His post included a chart with what appeared to be set math courses for 2022-2030 in various school districts.

Students prepare to enter the building of Stratford Landing Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, the first day back to school for many districts in northern Virginia. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Virigina Department of Education spokesperson Charles Pyle indicated to Fox News in April 2021 that the courses would allow for at least some variation depending on students' skill level. "Differentiated instruction means providing instruction that is catered to the learning needs of each child (appropriate levels of challenge and academic rigor)," Pyle said.

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The department's website previously displayed an infographic indicating VMPI would require "concepts" courses for each grade level. It stated various goals, including: "[i]mprove equity in mathematics learning opportunities," "[e]mpower students to be active participants in a quantitative world," and "[i]dentify K-12 mathematics pathways that support future success."

The changes prompted concern from parents and educators alike. 

Tristan Thorgersen puts pro-Youngkin signs up as people gather to protest different issues including the board’s handling of a sexual assault that happened in a school bathroom in May, vaccine mandates and critical race theory during a Loudoun County School Board meeting in Ashburn, Virginia, Oct. 26, 2021. (REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo)

Asra Nomani, vice president of Strategy and Investigations for Parents Defending Education, a nonprofit with a mission to "reclaim our schools from activists imposing harmful agendas," cheered Youngkin's order in a Monday statement.

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"…The Youngkin administration with Superintendent Jillian Balow and Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Schultz have eliminated the Virginia Math Pathways Initiative, which was going to deny students advanced math in middle school," she said. "This war on merit must end. Our schools must be places for all children to be challenged academically and grow. We expect this is just the first step in rolling back the damage that has been done by the insidious ideology of critical race theory and its destruction of education in the name of ‘equity.’"

The new Republican governor campaigned in part on giving Virginia parents more control over their children's public education. School closures and mask mandates prompted by COVID-19, as well as complaints about critical race theory being used in schools, largely animated the November 2021 governor's race in which Youngkin pulled off a major upset against Democrat Terry McAuliffe. 

Fox News' Sam Dorman and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.