MCPS is ending math acceleration??

[Anonymous]

I have heard rumors that my school is ending math acceleration. Even children that are woking two years above grade level will be returned to grade level to repeat the past two years of instruction. Some parents have said it is a county wide initiative too end to much acceleration that is leading too less math success not more. Has anyone else heard about this? I can't believe my child is going from 4th grade math to 3rd grade math.

[Anonymous]

It's probably so they don't have to offer high level math in high school. Costs too much.

Actually, I haven't heard this, but what the heck, let's keep dumbing down our kids.

Sorry OP.

[Anonymous]

I haven't heard this at all at our school. Where are your kids?

[Anonymous]

The only thing I heard is that they've found that too much acceleration is counter productive, as the kids don't really learn the concepts in depth. As I understand, they do not want kids to be four years ahead, but two years ahead would be considered okay. I heard this at a magnet open house. I would call someone at MCPS or talk to your principal to find out. I don't think they're trying to end acceleration.

[Anonymous]

Indeed, what is going on with accelerated math in MCPS? My child is supposed to be in accelerated math at Chevy Chase ES (CCES), but he reports that classmates who are not in accelerated math are doing the same kind of work. Last year this was not the case. Could it be that the teacher layoffs and overenrollment at CCES have affected the school's ability to provide accelerated math instruction? Last year there was a teacher who taught 3rd-graders accelerated math; this year there is no one teacher teaching accelerated math, just as there is no longer a science teacher -- two positions that were cut last spring.

My plan was to apply to private school for entry in 7th grade but, the way things are going, now I am considering entry in 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

I think there has been a backlash against the math accelleration that was going on willy nilly in the early grades, pushing kids two years ahead in math instruction when many of them hadn't fully mastered (to at least 90% accuracy) the basic skills of the earlier grade levels.

This resulted in parents of 4th graders being asked to not just review, but teach the basic facts, processes for multiplicatoin and long division, because teachers didn't have the time to do all that.

[Anonymous]

15:19 here. I think it's bad that 4th-grade students in advanced math at CCES are being asked to attend a three-week summer math camp at the cost of $350 to prepare for advanced (7th-grade) math next year when they are 5th-graders. This is *public* school, yet we have to pay $350? It's a camp being offered privately by one of the school's math teachers. This camp is not sponsored by the PTA or by CCES. What if some parents can't afford the $350? Would their child not make it to advanced math next year? I think that if the MCPS schools can't teach enough math during term-time to keep up the advanced pace, then just stop pushing acceleration in math. Why try to get students ahead in math by two grade levels if it's not possible to do without three weeks of summer camp at $350?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:19 here. I think it's bad that 4th-grade students in advanced math at CCES are being asked to attend a three-week summer math camp at the cost of $350 to prepare for advanced (7th-grade) math next year when they are 5th-graders. This is *public* school, yet we have to pay $350? It's a camp being offered privately by one of the school's math teachers. This camp is not sponsored by the PTA or by CCES. What if some parents can't afford the $350? Would their child not make it to advanced math next year? I think that if the MCPS schools can't teach enough math during term-time to keep up the advanced pace, then just stop pushing acceleration in math. Why try to get students ahead in math by two grade levels if it's not possible to do without three weeks of summer camp at $350?

Is that for the GT program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:15:19 here. I think it's bad that 4th-grade students in advanced math at CCES are being asked to attend a three-week summer math camp at the cost of $350 to prepare for advanced (7th-grade) math next year when they are 5th-graders. This is *public* school, yet we have to pay $350? It's a camp being offered privately by one of the school's math teachers. This camp is not sponsored by the PTA or by CCES. What if some parents can't afford the $350? Would their child not make it to advanced math next year? I think that if the MCPS schools can't teach enough math during term-time to keep up the advanced pace, then just stop pushing acceleration in math. Why try to get students ahead in math by two grade levels if it's not possible to do without three weeks of summer camp at $350?

Is that for the GT program?

No, not for the GT program. Just for the 4th-graders who are in the regular program but are on the advanced track for math.

[Anonymous]

Haven't heard about that over here in the "red zone."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Indeed, what is going on with accelerated math in MCPS? My child is supposed to be in accelerated math at Chevy Chase ES (CCES), but he reports that classmates who are not in accelerated math are doing the same kind of work. Last year this was not the case. Could it be that the teacher layoffs and overenrollment at CCES have affected the school's ability to provide accelerated math instruction? Last year there was a teacher who taught 3rd-graders accelerated math; this year there is no one teacher teaching accelerated math, just as there is no longer a science teacher -- two positions that were cut last spring.

My plan was to apply to private school for entry in 7th grade but, the way things are going, now I am considering entry in 6th grade.

Many private schools don't accelerate the same way MCPS has so if that's what you are looking for you should make sure you look at the math offerings. My DS is moving from private to public and will be a year behind his MCPS peers (he will finish Alg 1 in 8th grade, they did it in 7th grade). At first I was concerned about this but as I looked at the high school math track he is still be on track to take AP calc in 12th grade and I really don't see the need in HS to accelerate more than that unless you are a math superstar. And I do think his understanding of the fundamentals will be stronger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Indeed, what is going on with accelerated math in MCPS? My child is supposed to be in accelerated math at Chevy Chase ES (CCES), but he reports that classmates who are not in accelerated math are doing the same kind of work. Last year this was not the case. Could it be that the teacher layoffs and overenrollment at CCES have affected the school's ability to provide accelerated math instruction? Last year there was a teacher who taught 3rd-graders accelerated math; this year there is no one teacher teaching accelerated math, just as there is no longer a science teacher -- two positions that were cut last spring.

My plan was to apply to private school for entry in 7th grade but, the way things are going, now I am considering entry in 6th grade.

Many private schools don't accelerate the same way MCPS has so if that's what you are looking for you should make sure you look at the math offerings. My DS is moving from private to public and will be a year behind his MCPS peers (he will finish Alg 1 in 8th grade, they did it in 7th grade). At first I was concerned about this but as I looked at the high school math track he is still be on track to take AP calc in 12th grade and I really don't see the need in HS to accelerate more than that unless you are a math superstar. And I do think his understanding of the fundamentals will be stronger.

At the private school we are considering for our son for 7th grade, he would have to "re-take" a year of math because the private school does not accelerate math. The school does, however, teach that level of math more in-depth than my son will have learned it at CCES. We already went through this with my elder son, who is four years older and attended CCES; he was miffed about having to "repeat" the same of level of math, but soon he saw that the private school was covering a lot of material that had not been taught in his accelerated course at CCES in sixth grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:19 here. I think it's bad that 4th-grade students in advanced math at CCES are being asked to attend a three-week summer math camp at the cost of $350 to prepare for advanced (7th-grade) math next year when they are 5th-graders. This is *public* school, yet we have to pay $350? It's a camp being offered privately by one of the school's math teachers. This camp is not sponsored by the PTA or by CCES. What if some parents can't afford the $350? Would their child not make it to advanced math next year? I think that if the MCPS schools can't teach enough math during term-time to keep up the advanced pace, then just stop pushing acceleration in math. Why try to get students ahead in math by two grade levels if it's not possible to do without three weeks of summer camp at $350?

This is inconsistent with MCPS guidelines. Schools cannot compel parents to pay for anything.

You can complain to MCPS if you'd like (I would).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My plan was to apply to private school for entry in 7th grade but, the way things are going, now I am considering entry in 6th grade.

Many private schools don't accelerate the same way MCPS has so if that's what you are looking for you should make sure you look at the math offerings. My DS is moving from private to public and will be a year behind his MCPS peers (he will finish Alg 1 in 8th grade, they did it in 7th grade). At first I was concerned about this but as I looked at the high school math track he is still be on track to take AP calc in 12th grade and I really don't see the need in HS to accelerate more than that unless you are a math superstar. And I do think his understanding of the fundamentals will be stronger.

At the private school we are considering for our son for 7th grade, he would have to "re-take" a year of math because the private school does not accelerate math. The school does, however, teach that level of math more in-depth than my son will have learned it at CCES. We already went through this with my elder son, who is four years older and attended CCES; he was miffed about having to "repeat" the same of level of math, but soon he saw that the private school was covering a lot of material that had not been taught in his accelerated course at CCES in sixth grade.

We had exactly the same experience when our son moved from MCPS to an independent school at 7th grade. MCPS tends to go faster, but not deeper -- in math and other subjects as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Indeed, what is going on with accelerated math in MCPS? My child is supposed to be in accelerated math at Chevy Chase ES (CCES), but he reports that classmates who are not in accelerated math are doing the same kind of work. Last year this was not the case. Could it be that the teacher layoffs and overenrollment at CCES have affected the school's ability to provide accelerated math instruction? Last year there was a teacher who taught 3rd-graders accelerated math; this year there is no one teacher teaching accelerated math, just as there is no longer a science teacher -- two positions that were cut last spring.

My plan was to apply to private school for entry in 7th grade but, the way things are going, now I am considering entry in 6th grade.

Please, if you are concerned about this, please ask questions directly to the teacher. We are at CCES and have always found them very helpful in addressing these kinds of questions and making adjustments if necessary. We have a child on the accelerated math track at CCES and have found at different times of year that our child may or may not be doing the same as other kids in her grade. For example, those 4th graders who are in accelerated math (whether they skipped 4th grade math or some other math) may be taken thru the 4th grade math objectives in some fashion, because they still have to know these math concepts for the 4th grade MSA, which they take if they are 4th graders, whether or not they are in 5th, 6th or whatever math. A 4th grade child who is working on 6th grade math may very well need some reminders/practice on specific 4th grade concepts to perform well on the MSA.

Also, we have found that the math curriculum does spiral to some extent. So, for example our 3rd grade daughter taking 4th grade math discussed fractions, decimals and percents last year. This year in 4th grade doing 5th grade math, they have also discussed fractions, decimals and percents again, but in a more complex way and being required to understand how to switch back and forth and why some problems are easier to do in one notation and others differently.

I can't speak to the specific structure of 3rd grade teaching, but do encourage you to ask your teacher and/or the principal to find out what is going on.