AIM vs AMP6+

[Anonymous]

I am very torn about whether my daughter should take AIM or AMP6+ next year in Middle School. Her scores/grades should get her an invite to AIM. However, I have a few concerns. First, I'm not sure that I love a pathway that has kids taking Calculus junior year of high school. Do colleges really care about kids being very advanced in math? Or would senior year calculus be enough? My bet is she leans more towards humanities or business rather than, say, engineering.

I am also concerned that while she has had straight As in compacted math, I do a lot of prep work with her before exams and before MAP tests and while she gets it together when we do that, left to her own devices she probably wouldn't have those As and high MAP scores. Some of the fundamentals are forgotten by the time a MAP comes up, so review on multiplying decimals and dividing fractions has really helped.

Third, I've heard AIM is sort of a cobbled together curriculum and based on outdated math science, and that AMP6+ has a much stronger curriculum.

Any advice from the BTDTs of the world? I want my daughter to feel successful in school and to not spend 2-3 years of high school totally stressed and in biweekly tutoring. But I also want her to have a good shot at a good college (doesn't need to be Ivy, or even close -- just want a good school).

We have our middle school night for parents next week and will ask more then, but would love any thoughts folks are willing to offer here too. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

This is a lot of pressure — make the right decision or kid won’t go to good college! Both classes are advanced. Both lead to calculus by end of HS. Your child will be fine either way.

Personally, I would talk to my kid about my concerns with taking AIM and then let her decide. Ultimately, she’s the one who will have to put in the effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am very torn about whether my daughter should take AIM or AMP6+ next year in Middle School. Her scores/grades should get her an invite to AIM. However, I have a few concerns. First, I'm not sure that I love a pathway that has kids taking Calculus junior year of high school. Do colleges really care about kids being very advanced in math? Or would senior year calculus be enough? My bet is she leans more towards humanities or business rather than, say, engineering.

I am also concerned that while she has had straight As in compacted math, I do a lot of prep work with her before exams and before MAP tests and while she gets it together when we do that, left to her own devices she probably wouldn't have those As and high MAP scores. Some of the fundamentals are forgotten by the time a MAP comes up, so review on multiplying decimals and dividing fractions has really helped.

Third, I've heard AIM is sort of a cobbled together curriculum and based on outdated math science, and that AMP6+ has a much stronger curriculum.

Any advice from the BTDTs of the world? I want my daughter to feel successful in school and to not spend 2-3 years of high school totally stressed and in biweekly tutoring. But I also want her to have a good shot at a good college (doesn't need to be Ivy, or even close -- just want a good school).

We have our middle school night for parents next week and will ask more then, but would love any thoughts folks are willing to offer here too. Thank you.

One of my kids took AIM last year and as far as I could tell that was the best math class they ever had at MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am very torn about whether my daughter should take AIM or AMP6+ next year in Middle School. Her scores/grades should get her an invite to AIM. However, I have a few concerns. First, I'm not sure that I love a pathway that has kids taking Calculus junior year of high school. Do colleges really care about kids being very advanced in math? Or would senior year calculus be enough? My bet is she leans more towards humanities or business rather than, say, engineering.

I am also concerned that while she has had straight As in compacted math, I do a lot of prep work with her before exams and before MAP tests and while she gets it together when we do that, left to her own devices she probably wouldn't have those As and high MAP scores. Some of the fundamentals are forgotten by the time a MAP comes up, so review on multiplying decimals and dividing fractions has really helped.

Third, I've heard AIM is sort of a cobbled together curriculum and based on outdated math science, and that AMP6+ has a much stronger curriculum.

Any advice from the BTDTs of the world? I want my daughter to feel successful in school and to not spend 2-3 years of high school totally stressed and in biweekly tutoring. But I also want her to have a good shot at a good college (doesn't need to be Ivy, or even close -- just want a good school).

We have our middle school night for parents next week and will ask more then, but would love any thoughts folks are willing to offer here too. Thank you.

It's time to pull back and see what she can do on her own. To me the advanced math track is for the kid that just gets it, their language is math. You don't want your kid to struggle in math. And the end of HS, if they are a STEM kid, they will have taken Calculus. If it turns out that by senior year, math is not their jam, they can take math 12 and happily go off to a liberal arts major.

[Anonymous]

I have been thinking about this for my own daughter. I am inlined to encourage her to go into AIM, knowing that she can always drop the next year to AMP 7+ and repeat content. It's not like doing AIM means you can never drop down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am very torn about whether my daughter should take AIM or AMP6+ next year in Middle School. Her scores/grades should get her an invite to AIM. However, I have a few concerns. First, I'm not sure that I love a pathway that has kids taking Calculus junior year of high school. Do colleges really care about kids being very advanced in math? Or would senior year calculus be enough? My bet is she leans more towards humanities or business rather than, say, engineering.

I am also concerned that while she has had straight As in compacted math, I do a lot of prep work with her before exams and before MAP tests and while she gets it together when we do that, left to her own devices she probably wouldn't have those As and high MAP scores. Some of the fundamentals are forgotten by the time a MAP comes up, so review on multiplying decimals and dividing fractions has really helped.

Third, I've heard AIM is sort of a cobbled together curriculum and based on outdated math science, and that AMP6+ has a much stronger curriculum.

Any advice from the BTDTs of the world? I want my daughter to feel successful in school and to not spend 2-3 years of high school totally stressed and in biweekly tutoring. But I also want her to have a good shot at a good college (doesn't need to be Ivy, or even close -- just want a good school).

We have our middle school night for parents next week and will ask more then, but would love any thoughts folks are willing to offer here too. Thank you.

One of my kids took AIM last year and as far as I could tell that was the best math class they ever had at MCPS.

Did your child take AIM at a Magnet or at a regular MCPS program? What made it such a good math class? Thanks for any insighs you can provide!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am very torn about whether my daughter should take AIM or AMP6+ next year in Middle School. Her scores/grades should get her an invite to AIM. However, I have a few concerns. First, I'm not sure that I love a pathway that has kids taking Calculus junior year of high school. Do colleges really care about kids being very advanced in math? Or would senior year calculus be enough? My bet is she leans more towards humanities or business rather than, say, engineering.

I am also concerned that while she has had straight As in compacted math, I do a lot of prep work with her before exams and before MAP tests and while she gets it together when we do that, left to her own devices she probably wouldn't have those As and high MAP scores. Some of the fundamentals are forgotten by the time a MAP comes up, so review on multiplying decimals and dividing fractions has really helped.

Third, I've heard AIM is sort of a cobbled together curriculum and based on outdated math science, and that AMP6+ has a much stronger curriculum.

Any advice from the BTDTs of the world? I want my daughter to feel successful in school and to not spend 2-3 years of high school totally stressed and in biweekly tutoring. But I also want her to have a good shot at a good college (doesn't need to be Ivy, or even close -- just want a good school).

We have our middle school night for parents next week and will ask more then, but would love any thoughts folks are willing to offer here too. Thank you.

The prevalence of this, amd the differential ability of high-SES families to provide it is exactly what makes the MCPS magnet criteria chosen for the last two years so terribly inequitable. (not saying you are necessarily high SES, yourself, or the opposite)

That said, if your child likes Math or needs challenge to maintain interest, AIM will fit the bill while providing relative continuity of curriculum, going from Math 5/6 to 7th & 8th. 6+ would repeat content, roughly for about 2/3 of their time in 6th grade. 7+ would see them skipping the first half of 7th grade Math, even if it was made available.

As a PP said, trying it out and then choosing to slow down is an option, especially during MS, where things don't "count" until Algebra.

[Anonymous]

OP, how does your daughter feel about it?

[Anonymous]

With a child in compacted math who has As and high MAP scores (even if you provide a bit of support), always go high. You can always reassess later. She's only at the start of her middle school journey. My child was in compacted math, then went into Algebra 1 in 6th, now Honors Geo in 7th. Calculus can be split into AB and BC, so that's not a problem.

No worries, OP.

[Anonymous]

Calculus junior year is not advanced. My child and many others took algebra 1 in 6th. Some ended up taking Algebra 2 summer after 7th and then Precalculus in 8th. They took calculus in 9th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Calculus junior year is not advanced. My child and many others took algebra 1 in 6th. Some ended up taking Algebra 2 summer after 7th and then Precalculus in 8th. They took calculus in 9th.

Nice brag. Also very irrelevant. Your definition of many is ... questionable. ~15 RM Magnet kids take Calc in 10th, and a similar number at Poolesville SMCS.

OP - it is better to be solid in your math than push the boundaries of advancing as fast as you can. AP BC Calculus in 12th grade is plenty advanced for a non-STEM kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Calculus junior year is not advanced. My child and many others took algebra 1 in 6th. Some ended up taking Algebra 2 summer after 7th and then Precalculus in 8th. They took calculus in 9th.

Nice brag. Also very irrelevant. Your definition of many is ... questionable. ~15 RM Magnet kids take Calc in 10th, and a similar number at Poolesville SMCS.

OP - it is better to be solid in your math than push the boundaries of advancing as fast as you can. AP BC Calculus in 12th grade is plenty advanced for a non-STEM kid.

Frost MS has Hon Algebra 2 this year in school because they had so many kids that qualified. There are 30 kids in the class. So I cannot imagine that only 15 sophomores took Calculus at RM.

[Anonymous]

I think Frost has about 20-25 kids not 30 in Alg 2.

[Anonymous]

OP, your kid can slow down later if they need to. Calclus can be AB+BC in 2 years or BC in 1 year.

MCPS math classes have low expectations, and high qualifications for acceleration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your kid can slow down later if they need to. Calclus can be AB+BC in 2 years or BC in 1 year.

MCPS math classes have low expectations, and high qualifications for acceleration.

So you are saying that a kid who is recommended for AIM should go in because only those who are going to succeed are likely to be recommended?