Compacted 4/5 Math?
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Anonymous
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Is compacted math still offered in elementary? I have a 3rd grader and I wondered what math options are available in fourth grade. |
Anonymous
| Yes, but it is a tighter spigot for who gets in. You should get a letter about it -- for us it came a couple of weeks after the end of school. You could also ask your kid's current teacher. |
Anonymous
That's odd. It seems like everyone in our school is in the advanced classes. |
Anonymous
The rules changed last year. DD was in 4/5 but didn't make the cut for 5/6. They had 25 kids in 4/5 and only three of them qualified for 5/6. I might have been annoyed because DD has an IEP and her teachers said she could handle the material and get good grades, but the only measurement tool was something DD had not done well on. It was brought up at her meeting and admin confirmed that they could not take teacher recommendations anymore. |
Anonymous
Do you mind me asking what was the measurement tool that determined they could not go to 5/6 math. I also have a student on an IEP that does not test well on the MAP-M but this is not always reflective of the in class knowledge. |
Anonymous
NP, but based on threads about this last year, grades and MAP-M scores were part of it. As the parent of a kid who went through compacted math before they changed the criteria, I think that requiring straight A’s in math (if that is what they require) is not a good litmus test. A kid can get some B’s and still be able to handle the work just fine. |
Anonymous
I wish I could recall. Maybe do a search on this board and something will come up. We had that meeting in May 2021, and the decision had just come down. DD did not do well on MAP tests or any of the checkpoints, especially virtually. She would sometimes refuse to test or would open the test but not work on it. In a classroom setting, she has an accommodation where she takes tests in a small group and the teacher can "strongly encourage" her to get going. She would also get overwhelmed with the length of a test and freeze. Again, in the classroom, with an actual human in her presence, the teacher could present the test one or two questions at a time, and do little things like not have a timer visible and offer stretch breaks. I would have pushed back more on the 5/6 thing if I thought it would do any good, but I also found out that because so few kids had qualified, they would be taken to another room during math and participate in virtual instruction. So we let it go and DD has enjoyed her "easy" 5th grade math class. For middle school, we were offered to let her go into the class that follows 5/6 (I forget the name), but we decided that since math is not a favorite subject, we would just let her follow the regular track. So even if your child does not go to 5/6, it may be possible to jump back onto that track in middle school. Seemed like there was more freedom for the case manager and teachers to make recommendations. |
Anonymous
DC had all As in math last year and this year. Does poorly on long assessments due to lack of attention and focus. Not recommend for compacted math. A shame they put so much emphasis on one assessment. |
Anonymous
If you kid already understands things like how to add and subtract fractions with different denominators and how multiply and divide decimals compacted will be a breeze. |
Anonymous
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Schools (principals, math coordinators, teachers) had the final say on CM placement either way -- keeping out or letting in. Last year, MCPS central offices made the initial recommendation for 4/5 based on grades, curricular assessments and MAP scores, and provided criteria guidance to schools for continuation from 4/5 to 5/6.
Some individual ES administrators made adjustments to the recommended placements while others did not. Any administrator who said their hands were tied by MCPS central policy/placement was not speaking the truth, whether they knew it or not. ES administration also had the option to offer CM in person, team with another ES to offer it (half-virtual), engage the Virtual Academy to offer it or drop it, offering on-grade-level enrichment, instead. I believe the last option is no longer in play for next year. One could appeal to a student's current teacher, the ES administration and then bring in the OSSI supervisor (group of area administrators in charge of supporting groups of schools/principals, and, nominally, their superiors). A formal appeal process, essentially to the superintendent and then the BOE, would be a last resort (short of a lawsuit). |
Anonymous
The first couple years they instituted compacted math it was hard to be selected. My daughter missed the assessment by 1 point, and they wouldn't let her in. When she started MS, they let her (and a bunch of other kids) skip math 6 based on MAP scores. If you think it is appropriate for your kid, there will be more opportunities to advance them. |
Anonymous
| First contact the school about this. But yes they are offering it again. For 4/5 there is a minimum MAP score of 213. |
Anonymous
I think the 213 number was a supposition from threads from last year -- the original rumor was 231, which would have been ultra-restrictive, and there turned out to be some play in the various factors they used, in any case. This year may be different, but whatever the central recommendation is, and whatever other factors/weighting might be involved, it still will be the local ES principal that can make adjustments, including or excluding based on their understanding of individual students and, possibly, on the manageability of cohorts. |
Anonymous
This!! And this fact was clarified for the general public last year so it was not a secret. |