Math placement (yet another….sorry!)

[Anonymous]

So my DD barely made the cutoff with her math scores to be placed in Pre-algebra as a rising 6th grader. We are fine with this decision especially as we prefer her to focus on all the other transitions involved in moving to middle school. With that said, we are concerned about her having enough of an academic challenge which was not the case in elementary. As a result, we supplemented with some challenging math outside of school. Would be interested in hearing from other parents who have previously had kids move through the 6th grade how the middle schools may group kids and provide a challenge to those who did not make the cutoff for pre-Algebra. TIA!

[Anonymous]

Do you mean your DD barely missed the cut off?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean your DD barely missed the cut off?

Oops! Yes....that is what I meant!?! Thank you!

[Anonymous]

It’s 1 class out of 7. She didnt make the cutoff. In 6th grade there are many new things to learn and navigate. She’s going to have to learn to manage assignments for all 7 classes, follow/organize an online agenda and proactively meet with teachers (without moms help). Why add the stress of a compacted math class that her current scores and teachers don’t think she’s ready for?

[Anonymous]

If you think she’s capable of handling the more advanced math class/that it’s a better fit for her, contact the school. Don’t let one test score determine this.

[Anonymous]

If you want you can try to appeal it

[Anonymous]

My kid barely missed the cut off and I didn't push it. He did really well in Math 6 and is now doing pre-algebra in 7th grade to be on track to take Algebra in 8th. No regrets.

[Anonymous]

Depending on school district and school, they may recommend for algebra in 7th students who do well in Foundations of Algebra(currently the class before pre-algebra).
I know students who missed the cutoff this year who appealed and got into prealgebra for 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

What school is this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid barely missed the cut off and I didn't push it. He did really well in Math 6 and is now doing pre-algebra in 7th grade to be on track to take Algebra in 8th. No regrets.

Same here, particularly since my kid was in fifth grade the first Covid year with a very weak math teacher in elementary school. But they were moved up to advanced math in seventh grade.

[Anonymous]

Is your kid special needs? My ADHD kid was placed in algebra in 7th and I’m not totally sure their scores justified it, but it was literally the only class that was a challenge so DD loved it. Other classes were miserable because DD was so bored. I don’t know what the answer is for you but I will say that if your kid has ADHD and needs a challenge it might be worth looking into an appeal.

I don’t remember what she was placed in in 6th, though.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids-- one who got placed in the Pre-Alg track in 6th grade and one who barely missed the cut-off and was put in the regular 6th grade track. Both of them could have handled Pre-Alg in 6th grade. However, 7th grade is a different story. Intensified Algebra 1 is a hard class with a lot of homework. It counts for high school credit for a reason. So if you decide to appeal, you need to think about 7th grade, and whether your kid is going to be happy taking a high-school level class that year, along with all the homework that comes with it. Most of the 7th graders who were taking Intensified Algebra 1 were doing STEM clubs as their main extracurriculars (Math Counts, etc.) and were competing in CML competitions. The bar was really high to be a superstar in that class, so make sure your kid is going to be okay with that stress level in addition to the academic challenge. After watching my oldest do the 7th grade Intensified Alg 1 track, we opted not to appeal my younger kid's placement. I think APS got it right for both kids, and I rarely say that about APS.

[Anonymous]

If she does well in Foundation of Algebra, she can still take Algebra in 7th. That is what my school told me. I also have a rising 6th grader, but also my rising 9th grader took Math 6/7 back when that was a thing and had no issue with Alegbra in 7th.

What I'm more worried about is Algebra II/Trig which everyone says is a doozy, even for kids who got an A+ in Algebra and Geometry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she does well in Foundation of Algebra, she can still take Algebra in 7th. That is what my school told me. I also have a rising 6th grader, but also my rising 9th grader took Math 6/7 back when that was a thing and had no issue with Alegbra in 7th.

What I'm more worried about is Algebra II/Trig which everyone says is a doozy, even for kids who got an A+ in Algebra and Geometry.

This is about APS and there is no foundations course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she does well in Foundation of Algebra, she can still take Algebra in 7th. That is what my school told me. I also have a rising 6th grader, but also my rising 9th grader took Math 6/7 back when that was a thing and had no issue with Alegbra in 7th.

What I'm more worried about is Algebra II/Trig which everyone says is a doozy, even for kids who got an A+ in Algebra and Geometry.

This is about APS and there is no foundations course.

NP. There is some sort of course like that though in APS. I believe that’s what DD took and was placed in algebra in 7th.