Equitable access to advanced math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many school systems gatekeep a bit too much for advanced math. In FCPS, there are a lot of kids who would be quite capable of 6th grade Algebra, but made one or two careless mistakes on a test taken in 2nd grade, and thus don't meet the CogAT cutoff.

Iready is given every year and has a very high ceiling. FCPS should be looking into acceleration options for the kids who are far into the 99th percentile. Many of these kids spend all of their early and mid ES years learning nothing at all in their school math class.

Keeping equity bs aside, can you imagine the progress FCPS would be making on math excellence front if thousands of students were taught the next level instead?

BS? Are you for real? You should move to Florida or somewhere that average people like you, with middling educations, go to raise their families. DMV isn't it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many school systems gatekeep a bit too much for advanced math. In FCPS, there are a lot of kids who would be quite capable of 6th grade Algebra, but made one or two careless mistakes on a test taken in 2nd grade, and thus don't meet the CogAT cutoff.

Iready is given every year and has a very high ceiling. FCPS should be looking into acceleration options for the kids who are far into the 99th percentile. Many of these kids spend all of their early and mid ES years learning nothing at all in their school math class.

Keeping equity bs aside, can you imagine the progress FCPS would be making on math excellence front if thousands of students were taught the next level instead?

BS? Are you for real? You should move to Florida or somewhere that average people like you, with middling educations, go to raise their families. DMV isn't it.

DP: To the immediate PP with the snark: Why so nasty? You have no idea who you are responding to. That poster may well have a better education than you. And possibly exceed your definition of average, whatever that is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many school systems gatekeep a bit too much for advanced math. In FCPS, there are a lot of kids who would be quite capable of 6th grade Algebra, but made one or two careless mistakes on a test taken in 2nd grade, and thus don't meet the CogAT cutoff.

Iready is given every year and has a very high ceiling. FCPS should be looking into acceleration options for the kids who are far into the 99th percentile. Many of these kids spend all of their early and mid ES years learning nothing at all in their school math class.

Keeping equity bs aside, can you imagine the progress FCPS would be making on math excellence front if thousands of students were taught the next level instead?

My impression is that if a kid is far into the 99th percentile on iready and demonstrates at the beginning-of-year math testing that they already know everything that is to be taught that year, FCPS does absolutely nothing for that kid. They could push them into a higher grade level class. They could at least provide extra push in enrichment or exempt the kid from the regular class and instead let them do AoPS/Beast academy. But for the most part, they do absolutely nothing and let the kid be bored out of their minds for the year. The very small handful of kids who are skipped ahead in FCPS were fortunate enough to have teachers and principals who wanted them to learn at the right level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many school systems gatekeep a bit too much for advanced math. In FCPS, there are a lot of kids who would be quite capable of 6th grade Algebra, but made one or two careless mistakes on a test taken in 2nd grade, and thus don't meet the CogAT cutoff.

Iready is given every year and has a very high ceiling. FCPS should be looking into acceleration options for the kids who are far into the 99th percentile. Many of these kids spend all of their early and mid ES years learning nothing at all in their school math class.

Keeping equity bs aside, can you imagine the progress FCPS would be making on math excellence front if thousands of students were taught the next level instead?

My impression is that if a kid is far into the 99th percentile on iready and demonstrates at the beginning-of-year math testing that they already know everything that is to be taught that year, FCPS does absolutely nothing for that kid. They could push them into a higher grade level class. They could at least provide extra push in enrichment or exempt the kid from the regular class and instead let them do AoPS/Beast academy. But for the most part, they do absolutely nothing and let the kid be bored out of their minds for the year. The very small handful of kids who are skipped ahead in FCPS were fortunate enough to have teachers and principals who wanted them to learn at the right level.

Does FCPS provide AoPS/Beast Academy materials for advanced kids? Or this is just a suggestion? Just wondering because coincidentally I was looking at these for summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many school systems gatekeep a bit too much for advanced math. In FCPS, there are a lot of kids who would be quite capable of 6th grade Algebra, but made one or two careless mistakes on a test taken in 2nd grade, and thus don't meet the CogAT cutoff.

Iready is given every year and has a very high ceiling. FCPS should be looking into acceleration options for the kids who are far into the 99th percentile. Many of these kids spend all of their early and mid ES years learning nothing at all in their school math class.

Keeping equity bs aside, can you imagine the progress FCPS would be making on math excellence front if thousands of students were taught the next level instead?

My impression is that if a kid is far into the 99th percentile on iready and demonstrates at the beginning-of-year math testing that they already know everything that is to be taught that year, FCPS does absolutely nothing for that kid. They could push them into a higher grade level class. They could at least provide extra push in enrichment or exempt the kid from the regular class and instead let them do AoPS/Beast academy. But for the most part, they do absolutely nothing and let the kid be bored out of their minds for the year. The very small handful of kids who are skipped ahead in FCPS were fortunate enough to have teachers and principals who wanted them to learn at the right level.

Does FCPS provide AoPS/Beast Academy materials for advanced kids? Or this is just a suggestion? Just wondering because coincidentally I was looking at these for summer.

No of course they don't. Such nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many school systems gatekeep a bit too much for advanced math. In FCPS, there are a lot of kids who would be quite capable of 6th grade Algebra, but made one or two careless mistakes on a test taken in 2nd grade, and thus don't meet the CogAT cutoff.

Iready is given every year and has a very high ceiling. FCPS should be looking into acceleration options for the kids who are far into the 99th percentile. Many of these kids spend all of their early and mid ES years learning nothing at all in their school math class.

Keeping equity bs aside, can you imagine the progress FCPS would be making on math excellence front if thousands of students were taught the next level instead?

BS? Are you for real? You should move to Florida or somewhere that average people like you, with middling educations, go to raise their families. DMV isn't it.

DP: To the immediate PP with the snark: Why so nasty? You have no idea who you are responding to. That poster may well have a better education than you. And possibly exceed your definition of average, whatever that is.

DO. The snark is well deserved. There are a lot of smart people who are really dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many school systems gatekeep a bit too much for advanced math. In FCPS, there are a lot of kids who would be quite capable of 6th grade Algebra, but made one or two careless mistakes on a test taken in 2nd grade, and thus don't meet the CogAT cutoff.

Iready is given every year and has a very high ceiling. FCPS should be looking into acceleration options for the kids who are far into the 99th percentile. Many of these kids spend all of their early and mid ES years learning nothing at all in their school math class.

Keeping equity bs aside, can you imagine the progress FCPS would be making on math excellence front if thousands of students were taught the next level instead?

My impression is that if a kid is far into the 99th percentile on iready and demonstrates at the beginning-of-year math testing that they already know everything that is to be taught that year, FCPS does absolutely nothing for that kid. They could push them into a higher grade level class. They could at least provide extra push in enrichment or exempt the kid from the regular class and instead let them do AoPS/Beast academy. But for the most part, they do absolutely nothing and let the kid be bored out of their minds for the year. The very small handful of kids who are skipped ahead in FCPS were fortunate enough to have teachers and principals who wanted them to learn at the right level.

Does FCPS provide AoPS/Beast Academy materials for advanced kids? Or this is just a suggestion? Just wondering because coincidentally I was looking at these for summer.

No. Even if your kid is far ahead, it's rare to find teachers who are willing to let your kid bring in their own AoPS stuff. I got pushback when I wanted my kid to be allowed to do AoPS work rather than Dreambox/ST Math. FCPS is extremely rigid.

[Anonymous]

For those asking for advanced math opportunities, FCPS already offers AAP math, and further with principal approval, 6th graders can enroll in Algebra 1 or go for summer geometry as rising 8th grader. Are you saying even more advanced math options should be provided?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those asking for advanced math opportunities, FCPS already offers AAP math, and further with principal approval, 6th graders can enroll in Algebra 1 or go for summer geometry as rising 8th grader. Are you saying even more advanced math options should be provided?

Algebra in 6th grade is rare, 30 kids most years and only at a few schools. The path to Algebra in 6th is not publicly shared and is fully dependent on a test in 6th grade. People are saying that the path is too strict and needs to be made public.

DS had a 145 on the Q section of the CoGAT, has SOL scores that have never been lower then 550 in math, to include a perfect score, and iReady percentiles in the 99th percentile every time he has taken the iReady. No one discussed Algebra in 6th grade with us. He hit every bench mark for Algebra in 6th grade but our school is not one of the ones that actively looks for kids that fit the profile and we did not know that the path existed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those asking for advanced math opportunities, FCPS already offers AAP math, and further with principal approval, 6th graders can enroll in Algebra 1 or go for summer geometry as rising 8th grader. Are you saying even more advanced math options should be provided?

Algebra in 6th grade is rare, 30 kids most years and only at a few schools. The path to Algebra in 6th is not publicly shared and is fully dependent on a test in 6th grade. People are saying that the path is too strict and needs to be made public.

DS had a 145 on the Q section of the CoGAT, has SOL scores that have never been lower then 550 in math, to include a perfect score, and iReady percentiles in the 99th percentile every time he has taken the iReady. No one discussed Algebra in 6th grade with us. He hit every bench mark for Algebra in 6th grade but our school is not one of the ones that actively looks for kids that fit the profile and we did not know that the path existed.

A ver small number students take Algebra 1 in 6th, definitely less than 1%. You can’t really ask the district to make programs and pour resources into something that so few students would benefit from.

In your case, you probably accelerated your kid with at home and outside enrichment, seems to me it’s more of your responsibility to figure out a path for advanced math placement, instead of complaining he wasn’t placed in 6th in Algebra. There are so many options available, just be nice and understanding when dealing with the school administrators, they most likely will work something out for your kid. Making demands and asking district wide policies and programs is definitely not the way to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those asking for advanced math opportunities, FCPS already offers AAP math, and further with principal approval, 6th graders can enroll in Algebra 1 or go for summer geometry as rising 8th grader. Are you saying even more advanced math options should be provided?

Algebra in 6th grade is rare, 30 kids most years and only at a few schools. The path to Algebra in 6th is not publicly shared and is fully dependent on a test in 6th grade. People are saying that the path is too strict and needs to be made public.

DS had a 145 on the Q section of the CoGAT, has SOL scores that have never been lower then 550 in math, to include a perfect score, and iReady percentiles in the 99th percentile every time he has taken the iReady. No one discussed Algebra in 6th grade with us. He hit every bench mark for Algebra in 6th grade but our school is not one of the ones that actively looks for kids that fit the profile and we did not know that the path existed.

A ver small number students take Algebra 1 in 6th, definitely less than 1%. You can’t really ask the district to make programs and pour resources into something that so few students would benefit from.

In your case, you probably accelerated your kid with at home and outside enrichment, seems to me it’s more of your responsibility to figure out a path for advanced math placement, instead of complaining he wasn’t placed in 6th in Algebra. There are so many options available, just be nice and understanding when dealing with the school administrators, they most likely will work something out for your kid. Making demands and asking district wide policies and programs is definitely not the way to go.

There are many programs where schools pour resources even if less than 1% use it. But that is irrelevant here, since no new programs are required. The point being made is a qualified 6th grade student should be given equitable access to an existing Algebra 1 course. They can even help remedial 8th graders in that same class, if needed. Kids learn from their peers better when standard instruction method does not work out. One of our extended family members who had a remedial math 8th grader was helped by a precocious 6th grader with their math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those asking for advanced math opportunities, FCPS already offers AAP math, and further with principal approval, 6th graders can enroll in Algebra 1 or go for summer geometry as rising 8th grader. Are you saying even more advanced math options should be provided?

It's a lot more complicated than that. Very few people meet the FCPS benchmarks to enroll in Algebra I in 6th grade, regardless of the principal's approval.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those asking for advanced math opportunities, FCPS already offers AAP math, and further with principal approval, 6th graders can enroll in Algebra 1 or go for summer geometry as rising 8th grader. Are you saying even more advanced math options should be provided?

It's a lot more complicated than that. Very few people meet the FCPS benchmarks to enroll in Algebra I in 6th grade, regardless of the principal's approval.

What are they? Can you someone please describe the process how it works or worked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those asking for advanced math opportunities, FCPS already offers AAP math, and further with principal approval, 6th graders can enroll in Algebra 1 or go for summer geometry as rising 8th grader. Are you saying even more advanced math options should be provided?

Algebra in 6th grade is rare, 30 kids most years and only at a few schools. The path to Algebra in 6th is not publicly shared and is fully dependent on a test in 6th grade. People are saying that the path is too strict and needs to be made public.

DS had a 145 on the Q section of the CoGAT, has SOL scores that have never been lower then 550 in math, to include a perfect score, and iReady percentiles in the 99th percentile every time he has taken the iReady. No one discussed Algebra in 6th grade with us. He hit every bench mark for Algebra in 6th grade but our school is not one of the ones that actively looks for kids that fit the profile and we did not know that the path existed.

A ver small number students take Algebra 1 in 6th, definitely less than 1%. You can’t really ask the district to make programs and pour resources into something that so few students would benefit from.

In your case, you probably accelerated your kid with at home and outside enrichment, seems to me it’s more of your responsibility to figure out a path for advanced math placement, instead of complaining he wasn’t placed in 6th in Algebra. There are so many options available, just be nice and understanding when dealing with the school administrators, they most likely will work something out for your kid. Making demands and asking district wide policies and programs is definitely not the way to go.

I'm not sure why you're jumping on the PP. PP's kid met the benchmarks for Algebra in 6th, but their school didn't provide it. That's a pretty textbook example of inequitable access.

No one is asking for new programs or any resources at all. It costs FCPS nothing to let a kid sit in a different classroom for math. If a kid needs transportation to the middle or high school for math, the parent must provide it. Even if the parent wants to take responsibility and figure out a path for their advanced math student, the school generally won't allow it. It would be trivial for math teachers to allow kids to independently study their AoPS/RSM materials when they've already aced the unit pre-test or the beginning of year tests. It would also be trivial for FCPS to allow parents to single subject homeschool their kids. FCPS does not allow any of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those asking for advanced math opportunities, FCPS already offers AAP math, and further with principal approval, 6th graders can enroll in Algebra 1 or go for summer geometry as rising 8th grader. Are you saying even more advanced math options should be provided?

It's a lot more complicated than that. Very few people meet the FCPS benchmarks to enroll in Algebra I in 6th grade, regardless of the principal's approval.

What are they? Can you someone please describe the process how it works or worked?

It has already been listed in this thread and on numerous other threads in this forum. But I'll do it again.

To take Algebra I in 6th grade, the kid must:
Score 145 or higher on the CogAT Quant section
Score a 575 or higher on their 4th grade SOL
have the support of their 4th grade AAP/advanced math teacher.

Then, if they meet all of these at the end of 4th grade, Gatehouse will conduct additional testing. Kids who meet those benchmarks will be jumped up to 6th grade AAP math when in 5th grade.

In 5th grade, they need a 91st percentile or higher score on the IAAT as well as a pass advanced on the 7th grade Math SOL to be eligible for Algebra in 6th grade.