Middle school honors v middle school advanced academics

[Anonymous]

Is there really much difference between what’s taught in middle school if in an honors class v an AA class? Is different material covered or same material but harder tests or harder grading scale for projects?

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's a huge difference. I guess more of the kids understand the material faster in the AAP classes.

My spouse is a middle school teacher - of course there are outliers on both ends - there are some honors kids that are just as smart as the kids in AAP, and there are some AAP kids that aren't any smarter than the kids in the honors classes.

My oldest was on a middle school team last year that had a mix of honors and AAP classes. They had the same teachers so I am sure it was mostly the same in both levels - but one teacher off hand made a comment to us that the whole class was high / good / fast at picking things up more so than other classes.

[Anonymous]

Middle school math does not divide up honors/AAP, so for that class at least it's the exact same class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Middle school math does not divide up honors/AAP, so for that class at least it's the exact same class.

Honors math 7 is the same class. I wonder if my son had any non-AAP kids in his Alg 1 class in 7th or geometry in 8th. I never thought about that before.

[Anonymous]

In our district, middle school honors is the equivalent of one grade level ahead at max. Example: 7th grade honors math is pre alg equivalent, 8th grade honors is Alg I

The AA program is significantly more rigorous. It teaches 2-3 grade levels ahead at a twice the pace. Example: 7th grade AAP math is Alg I first semester, Alg II second semester. 8th grade AAP math is geo first semester, precalc second semester.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our district, middle school honors is the equivalent of one grade level ahead at max. Example: 7th grade honors math is pre alg equivalent, 8th grade honors is Alg I

The AA program is significantly more rigorous. It teaches 2-3 grade levels ahead at a twice the pace. Example: 7th grade AAP math is Alg I first semester, Alg II second semester. 8th grade AAP math is geo first semester, precalc second semester.

This is completely incorrect. AAP teaches one year ahead. Math is on a completely separate track. Over half of the kids in AAP fail to qualify for Algebra I honors in 7th, and instead take M7H. There is no AAP math in middle or high school. Algebra I honors covers Algebra I for most of the year, with some Algebra II extensions. They don't teach Algebra II in the 2nd semester, and the kids will still need to take Algebra II in 9th. Likewise, Honors geometry does not cover pre-calc and at best has a few light extensions of pre-calc material. The kids still need to take pre-calc in 10th.

Kids following the Algebra I in 7th grade track will take Calculus in 11th grade. This is a pretty standard top track for almost every school district in the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our district, middle school honors is the equivalent of one grade level ahead at max. Example: 7th grade honors math is pre alg equivalent, 8th grade honors is Alg I

The AA program is significantly more rigorous. It teaches 2-3 grade levels ahead at a twice the pace. Example: 7th grade AAP math is Alg I first semester, Alg II second semester. 8th grade AAP math is geo first semester, precalc second semester.

This is completely different from FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our district, middle school honors is the equivalent of one grade level ahead at max. Example: 7th grade honors math is pre alg equivalent, 8th grade honors is Alg I

The AA program is significantly more rigorous. It teaches 2-3 grade levels ahead at a twice the pace. Example: 7th grade AAP math is Alg I first semester, Alg II second semester. 8th grade AAP math is geo first semester, precalc second semester.

Which district is this? I'm doubtful there's any district in VA where thr standard AAP pathway leads to calculus in 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our district, middle school honors is the equivalent of one grade level ahead at max. Example: 7th grade honors math is pre alg equivalent, 8th grade honors is Alg I

The AA program is significantly more rigorous. It teaches 2-3 grade levels ahead at a twice the pace. Example: 7th grade AAP math is Alg I first semester, Alg II second semester. 8th grade AAP math is geo first semester, precalc second semester.

Which district is this? I'm doubtful there's any district in VA where thr standard AAP pathway leads to calculus in 9th grade.

This happens nowhere in the USA, except for maybe some tiny private school.

You'd be hard pressed to find a county that could fill a classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middle school math does not divide up honors/AAP, so for that class at least it's the exact same class.

Honors math 7 is the same class. I wonder if my son had any non-AAP kids in his Alg 1 class in 7th or geometry in 8th. I never thought about that before.

It's possible for a non-LIV student taking advanced math in 6th grade to qualify for Algebra 1 in 7th. I don't know what the statistics are (Adv math vs LIV), but I can see it happening often enough. I know for a fact that there are 6th grade LLIV (non-center) kids that do.

There are also kids who go from 6th grade math to Math 7H, skipping 7th grade math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our district, middle school honors is the equivalent of one grade level ahead at max. Example: 7th grade honors math is pre alg equivalent, 8th grade honors is Alg I

The AA program is significantly more rigorous. It teaches 2-3 grade levels ahead at a twice the pace. Example: 7th grade AAP math is Alg I first semester, Alg II second semester. 8th grade AAP math is geo first semester, precalc second semester.

Which district is this? I'm doubtful there's any district in VA where thr standard AAP pathway leads to calculus in 9th grade.

This happens nowhere in the USA, except for maybe some tiny private school.

You'd be hard pressed to find a county that could fill a classroom.

Not in DC, but yes this is absolutely happening and offered for free through our public schools. 6th graders take the SAT to qualify (for starting in 7th) and it is county wide, not school or district specific. All the qualified kids from the county that want to participate are then pooled together for form classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our district, middle school honors is the equivalent of one grade level ahead at max. Example: 7th grade honors math is pre alg equivalent, 8th grade honors is Alg I

The AA program is significantly more rigorous. It teaches 2-3 grade levels ahead at a twice the pace. Example: 7th grade AAP math is Alg I first semester, Alg II second semester. 8th grade AAP math is geo first semester, precalc second semester.

Which district is this? I'm doubtful there's any district in VA where thr standard AAP pathway leads to calculus in 9th grade.

This happens nowhere in the USA, except for maybe some tiny private school.

You'd be hard pressed to find a county that could fill a classroom.

Not in DC, but yes this is absolutely happening and offered for free through our public schools. 6th graders take the SAT to qualify (for starting in 7th) and it is county wide, not school or district specific. All the qualified kids from the county that want to participate are then pooled together for form classes.

What school systems specifically do this? Curious to read more about it.

[Anonymous]

Watch out for the advising. Completing 8th, heading into 9th. ALL A Students, but not receiving those As in AAP, were not encouraged to take the same uber difficult schedule as the AAP students. Make your own decisions.

[Anonymous]

Big, big difference since honors is open enrollment and aap has an entrance threshold. I have taught sections of honors algebra that barely got through the gen Ed curriculum based on how many students signed up who had struggled in prealgebra or never taken an honors course before.

We called honors “phonors” at my old school. It’s for kids who try hard. Some of them are advanced, some are just hard workers and see varying levels of success. There was a LOT of extra tutoring to keep kids from falling behind, and a lot of extensions and projects we skipped because the honors kids couldnt (as a whole) handle it. Could some of them? Sure! But when only 6 or 7 out of 30 could, we opted to spend more time on remediation instead.

YMMV based on how your school does math placement.

—10 year middle school math teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our district, middle school honors is the equivalent of one grade level ahead at max. Example: 7th grade honors math is pre alg equivalent, 8th grade honors is Alg I

The AA program is significantly more rigorous. It teaches 2-3 grade levels ahead at a twice the pace. Example: 7th grade AAP math is Alg I first semester, Alg II second semester. 8th grade AAP math is geo first semester, precalc second semester.

Which district is this? I'm doubtful there's any district in VA where thr standard AAP pathway leads to calculus in 9th grade.

This happens nowhere in the USA, except for maybe some tiny private school.

You'd be hard pressed to find a county that could fill a classroom.

Not in DC, but yes this is absolutely happening and offered for free through our public schools. 6th graders take the SAT to qualify (for starting in 7th) and it is county wide, not school or district specific. All the qualified kids from the county that want to participate are then pooled together for form classes.

Covering Algebra 2 and Precalculus in one semester each would be very unusual; even TJ does not do this. Either the kids have already taken the material elsewhere and are validating outside work there or the course coverage is pared down. Are they covering vectors, matrices, mathematical induction, conic sections, sequences/series, and limits in Precalc?