If 8th grader didn't pass Alg 1 MCAP after VL

[Anonymous]

My DC had Alg 1 in 7th during virtual learning. DC took the Alg MCAP in 8th, and did not meet expectations.

DC is now in 9th, taking Alg 2.

Do these students have to retake the Alg MCAP and pass it? I thought a student had to pass Alg 1 MCAP in order to graduate, but if the state waived it due to VL, how do they know the students who didn't meet the benchmark know the content?

DC is getting A/Bs in Alg2 but that doesn't mean much since there is so much grade inflation. I'm concerned the lack of knowledge in Alg 1 will rear its ugly head in the future.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that they were waived from taking it if they took it virtually. And, they just have to take it, not pass.

If they continue it, get your kid a free tutor.

[Anonymous]

Your child needs a tutor, OP. They risk crashing and burning in Calculus, AP or regular. And these days, getting multiple Bs on a transcript will close the door for an in-state flagship such as UMD and UVA, or hinder your kid getting merit aid at a private, so please be careful about that. You don't want to be forced to pay more for college to the tune of several tens of thousand more dollars per year, just because you didn't pay hundreds of dollars a year for a tutor in high school. In case money is a factor in your decisions, of course.

[Anonymous]

OP here.. I raised my concern with DC, and they said that they had reviewed Alg1 throughout the year in Alg2.

Maybe they did. Maybe DC is fine. But, how would I know this.

Can I get an MCAP-like test somewhere that I could have DC take to ensure DC's Alg knowledge is solid? What's another way to check their knowledge?

[Anonymous]

For the current classes who have taken algebra 1 during/since the pandemic, the requirement is to take the mcap, but there’s no requirement to pass it. For current high schoolers, you can look at their grade and graduation report (on parentvue under documents) and see that the requirement has been met. At least, that’s what I see for my 9th grader who is in the same boat as yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.. I raised my concern with DC, and they said that they had reviewed Alg1 throughout the year in Alg2.

Maybe they did. Maybe DC is fine. But, how would I know this.

Can I get an MCAP-like test somewhere that I could have DC take to ensure DC's Alg knowledge is solid? What's another way to check their knowledge?

No, they're not fine, and you know this because they're getting some Bs. The American grading system is meant to give As for mastery. Bs are not it. I know that a large portion of the population is entirely OK with Bs and Cs, but since you're asking whether your kid is "fine", meaning whether they are capable of getting mostly As in future math classes, then no. Math builds year to year. You need to watch out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is that they were waived from taking it if they took it virtually. And, they just have to take it, not pass.

If they continue it, get your kid a free tutor.

Yes, they had just created the test that year and hadn't worked out the bugs so the scoring was off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.. I raised my concern with DC, and they said that they had reviewed Alg1 throughout the year in Alg2.

Maybe they did. Maybe DC is fine. But, how would I know this.

Can I get an MCAP-like test somewhere that I could have DC take to ensure DC's Alg knowledge is solid? What's another way to check their knowledge?

No, they're not fine, and you know this because they're getting some Bs. The American grading system is meant to give As for mastery. Bs are not it. I know that a large portion of the population is entirely OK with Bs and Cs, but since you're asking whether your kid is "fine", meaning whether they are capable of getting mostly As in future math classes, then no. Math builds year to year. You need to watch out.

Yes, that's true; however, the MCAP was a brand new test that had never been used before that year. There was nothing to compare it to, and there were serious issues with it. The scoring wasn't meaningful so in answer to the OP's question. You kid is fine. Most everyone who took MCAP didn't pass it that year because it was a broken test. Look at their MAP scores for an honest evaluation of their mathematical understanding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.. I raised my concern with DC, and they said that they had reviewed Alg1 throughout the year in Alg2.

Maybe they did. Maybe DC is fine. But, how would I know this.

Can I get an MCAP-like test somewhere that I could have DC take to ensure DC's Alg knowledge is solid? What's another way to check their knowledge?

No, they're not fine, and you know this because they're getting some Bs. The American grading system is meant to give As for mastery. Bs are not it. I know that a large portion of the population is entirely OK with Bs and Cs, but since you're asking whether your kid is "fine", meaning whether they are capable of getting mostly As in future math classes, then no. Math builds year to year. You need to watch out.

Yes, that's true; however, the MCAP was a brand new test that had never been used before that year. There was nothing to compare it to, and there were serious issues with it. The scoring wasn't meaningful so in answer to the OP's question. You kid is fine. Most everyone who took MCAP didn't pass it that year because it was a broken test. Look at their MAP scores for an honest evaluation of their mathematical understanding.

Exactly my kid with 99% MAP-M and who qualified AIME also didn't pass it that year. Use other metrics like MAP or even later MCAPs.

[Anonymous]

OP, check the MAP-M score. Should be 280+ for a student already in Algebra 2 who passed Alg 1 and Geom.

Also do Khan Academy quizzes as a check.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, check the MAP-M score. Should be 280+ for a student already in Algebra 2 who passed Alg 1 and Geom.

Also do Khan Academy quizzes as a check.

A score of 280+ for ANY 9th grader is in the top 99.7% according to NWEA's RIT scoring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, check the MAP-M score. Should be 280+ for a student already in Algebra 2 who passed Alg 1 and Geom.

Also do Khan Academy quizzes as a check.

A score of 280+ for ANY 9th grader is in the top 99.7% according to NWEA's RIT scoring.

OP here. DC scored 266 (just took mcap), I think that's 95%ile? DC's Fall map score was 244. I guess based on the 266, DC is doing fine. I assume the MAP test includes Alg questions if the student is getting a 95%ile. I know MAP gets progressively harder as you answer the questions correctly.

Put in context, older DC took MAP M in 10th grade in the fall before the pandemic hit, and DC scored 282, which is 99%ile for a 10th grader. But, this DC took Alg long before the pandemic and is a whiz at math.

OK, so I'm going to assume DC's Alg knowledge is solid (cross fingers). But just was wondering if there was some test I could get my hands on that tests Alg knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, check the MAP-M score. Should be 280+ for a student already in Algebra 2 who passed Alg 1 and Geom.

Also do Khan Academy quizzes as a check.

A score of 280+ for ANY 9th grader is in the top 99.7% according to NWEA's RIT scoring.

OP here. DC scored 266 (just took mcap), I think that's 95%ile? DC's Fall map score was 244. I guess based on the 266, DC is doing fine. I assume the MAP test includes Alg questions if the student is getting a 95%ile. I know MAP gets progressively harder as you answer the questions correctly.

Put in context, older DC took MAP M in 10th grade in the fall before the pandemic hit, and DC scored 282, which is 99%ile for a 10th grader. But, this DC took Alg long before the pandemic and is a whiz at math.

OK, so I'm going to assume DC's Alg knowledge is solid (cross fingers). But just was wondering if there was some test I could get my hands on that tests Alg knowledge.

** that should read.. "just took MAP M".. not mcap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, check the MAP-M score. Should be 280+ for a student already in Algebra 2 who passed Alg 1 and Geom.

Also do Khan Academy quizzes as a check.

A score of 280+ for ANY 9th grader is in the top 99.7% according to NWEA's RIT scoring.

OP here. DC scored 266 (just took mcap), I think that's 95%ile? DC's Fall map score was 244. I guess based on the 266, DC is doing fine. I assume the MAP test includes Alg questions if the student is getting a 95%ile. I know MAP gets progressively harder as you answer the questions correctly.

Put in context, older DC took MAP M in 10th grade in the fall before the pandemic hit, and DC scored 282, which is 99%ile for a 10th grader. But, this DC took Alg long before the pandemic and is a whiz at math.

OK, so I'm going to assume DC's Alg knowledge is solid (cross fingers). But just was wondering if there was some test I could get my hands on that tests Alg knowledge.

Those MAP scores are very good. 280 is very high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, check the MAP-M score. Should be 280+ for a student already in Algebra 2 who passed Alg 1 and Geom.

Also do Khan Academy quizzes as a check.

A score of 280+ for ANY 9th grader is in the top 99.7% according to NWEA's RIT scoring.

99.7% of 9th graders don't demonstrate mastery of Algebra and Geometry.

OP mentioned 266, which is somewhere above 50% of Algebra 1 + Geometry course questions, but not near 100%. OP also mentioned getting some B's in Alg 2. (OP didn't say Honors, but I presume it was. If not, it's even more.ofna concern.
280 might be a bit high for this level; it's hard to say because NWEA doesn't publish guidance on interpreting scores above 260. Those scores just means increasingly more than 50% correct on the hardest Algebra and Geometry questions.

OP's DC might struggle in Precalculus and Calculus, as many students do, even in >95%ile cohort. Getting B's while being in an advanced track is risky.