Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?

[Anonymous]

Another issue is if it doesn't go well you are bringing down the confidence of the top math kids in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if our mathy 6th graders become decide they want to major in history and go to law school down the road, is it going to look bad if they stop taking math after sophomore year? Or will they now be forced to take multi var?

Our assigned high school is an IB school and does not offer AP stats or the option to slow down the sequence with multiple levels of calculus, it is 2 years of IB and then...nothing unless we pursue dual enrollment.

It's hard to know who our kids will be in 5-6 years.

This is my concern as well. Learning that being advanced in math can actually handicap a student if they pursue a field that doesn’t require much math is eye-opening. My child has known for some time what they want to do, and I don’t see that changing—it’s a career path that requires no more than one year of math in college. However, if they want to earn an advanced diploma, they’ll be forced into the rigorous math sequence, even without a genuine need for those courses. The advanced diploma is practically a requirement for admission to some of Virginia’s more competitive colleges, which makes this a double-edged sword. In high school, instead of focusing on dual enrollment classes that align with their interests, my child will be stuck taking advanced math courses they are unlikely to ever use.

We have friends who choose Math 7H for their kids, instead of Algebra 1H, because they know that their kid is not math focused and they did not feel the need to put their kid on a path of multivariate calculus as a senior. Their kids were capable of Algebra 1 H in 7th grade but the kid wasn't interested in the class and the parents felt that their kid would be fine if they "only" have Calculus in HS.

Some parents are buying into the acceleration craziness. You have choices. You don't have to put your kid in Algebra 1H in 6th or 7th grade. You just don't. It is a choice. No one is forcing you. You could choose not to tell your kid if you think this is the wrong path so that your child is unaware of the option. If you feel like you have to put your kid in an accelerated class because it is offered, that is on you. Plenty of parents have made the choice to slow things down for their kids for a variety of reasons and that is ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Add one more to the list: Did anyone catch that Dr. Reilly (former Mclean HS Principal) noting that high schools are now going to get dinged in their metrics (set by VA Dept of Ed) because they will have kids in 9th through 12 who do not sit for SOLs anymore and apparently there's a metric that captures the % of kids sitting (perhaps passing) for SOLs? She basically said "they'll need to figure out something." Easy for her to say!

she is new in this job, give her a chance. Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The biggest issue is that now to keep our kids with their math peers we are forced to participate in the 6th grade algebra 1 experiment.

No one is forcing you. Just opt out. Say you are fine with your child being in AAP math. It is probably an email or a phone call.

DS is a strong math student. He was involved with his schools Mathcounts team in MS. His coach commented that he was going to be really strong as an 8th grader in Algebra II. I commented that he would be in Geometry in 8th grade. The Coach commented that they figured that he would take Geometry over the summer and was baffled when I said no, he had vacations planned and was going to some camps. Too many people give in to peer pressure and accelerate when they don't have to. Down time, camps, and time with family is more important than getting ahead in math by another year. DS is fine taking Calculus in 11th grade and not 10th grade.

You choose your kids path, hopefully with input from them at this age. You can say no to additional accelerating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I agree that the execution is awful. I don't think they are going to have 500 kids in the pilot. There are 11 schools and at least one person has reported 9 kids that were selected for their school. I doubt that there are 491 at the other 10 schools. I would expect that the secondary schools are all in the pilot because 6th graders can attend Algebra 1H in an established class. They could actually be an interesting comparison to the Center schools to the non-Center schools in the pilot.

https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/apex_captcha/home.do?apexTypeId=306

You can build your own tables. Algebra is listed as an EOC test level and you need to select that to get the Algebra 1 results, or at least that is what I select to get the Algebra 1 levels. All the aggregated SOL data is available for the public to use. I choose the three available years since COVID, Division Level (FCPS), Grade 6,7,8,9, Test level EOC, Test source SOL, subject area Math, test Algebra 1, and all the statistics. There might be another way to build the table but that is how I built mine.

You can also run those tables by individual school. These are the schools that have had someone take the Algebra 1 SOL in 6th grade, there are no numbers available because no school has more than 10 kids to report numbers.

Archer (2021), Canterbury Woods (2021), Churchill Road (2021, 2022, 2023), Colvin Run (2021, 2023), Daniels Run (2023), Forestville (2022, 2023), Greenbriar West (2021,2022), Haycock (2021, 2022, 2023), Holmes (2022), Hunters Woods (2023), Kent Gardens (2021, 2022, 2023), Lees Corner (2023), Lemon Road (2022, 2023), Mantua (2021), Mosaic (2022, 2023), McNair Upper (2021), Navy (2022, 2023), Oak Hill (2021), Oakton (2022), Sangster (2023), Springfield Estates (2023), Spring Hill (2022), Timber Lane (2022), Stenwood (2021, 2023), Willow Springs (2022), Westbriar (2021, 2023),

Thanks for the link! A very clever way to figure out which schools have kids done this before!

[Anonymous]

maaan, finally fcps started listenin. but let’s be real—it took that federal money hold out to make em come to their senses. Parents been hollerin for years, why y’all holding the keys to Algebra 1 learning? Now the kids can get it as soon as they are ready, and the choice is theirs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The biggest issue is that now to keep our kids with their math peers we are forced to participate in the 6th grade algebra 1 experiment.

Despite others disagreeing, I get what you're saying. I wish I had more insight into the number of families opting out. We know the number of students offered spots at our school, and many have accepted. How many kids were not offered spots and will remain in "normal" AAP 6th grade math?

My DC is interested in taking it eventhough our family thinks it's a bad idea. Kids want to stay with their friends and go with the crowd. Just like being selected for AAP or not, kids are going to talk about who is in Algebra and who is not. Sigh.

It's encouraging to see others are not in favor of the program, but I think many on this thread were not offered spots. It's likely many eligible kids are from striver families that will keep their kid in without questioning things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest issue is that now to keep our kids with their math peers we are forced to participate in the 6th grade algebra 1 experiment.

Despite others disagreeing, I get what you're saying. I wish I had more insight into the number of families opting out. We know the number of students offered spots at our school, and many have accepted. How many kids were not offered spots and will remain in "normal" AAP 6th grade math?

My DC is interested in taking it eventhough our family thinks it's a bad idea. Kids want to stay with their friends and go with the crowd. Just like being selected for AAP or not, kids are going to talk about who is in Algebra and who is not. Sigh.

It's encouraging to see others are not in favor of the program, but I think many on this thread were not offered spots. It's likely many eligible kids are from striver families that will keep their kid in without questioning things.

My kid is going into 8th grade, so it was not an option for us. I would have liked to have had the option. We would have discussed how the class is being taught and made a choice based on that. DS would have been able to handle the material, but I am not sure that we would have been happy with an online class.

[Anonymous]

So then one gets to 8th grade and they’re in class with 10th graders?

[Anonymous]

Just got back from our elementary’s open house. The 6th grade team switches teachers, but no one knows who is going to teach the different math classes yet. He kept saying, “we can do the math, we don’t know the logistics. We just heard about this when we came back on Monday.” Teacher said half the AAP students at the school qualified, so there are nearly 50 kids on campus currently enrolled in the pilot.

Wild. Assuming each non center has 5-15 kids in it, that’s a LOT of 7th grade geometry classes next year.

[Anonymous]

We received a letter but talked with our principal and had our child switched back to "regular" 7th grade AAP math. Kids are already stressed out as it is. While I think there might be a handful of students who can truly handle algebra in 6th grade, I'm not convinced the larger number of kids who subjectively qualified will succeed.

It was also interesting to hear the teachers at our Open House open complain about this pilot being announced just days before the start of school. There's a lot of last minute scrambling going on.

[Anonymous]

We had a family friend take calc in 8th grade in another state. They were burnt out on advanced math by mid hs. On the bright side, they got rly into marching band.

Making ms 6-8 just so it’s easier for 6th graders to take algebra seems really stupid

[Anonymous]

I just received a phone call from the principal of Colvin Run ES, who said they will be organizing another “test” next Tuesday to assess how prepared each student is. I’m not sure how the results of this test will affect the eligibility decision.

My child has already received a letter stating that he has been selected. While I believe that taking Algebra 1H in 6th grade is unnecessary—and perhaps a bit excessive—what worries me more is how he might feel about himself if he opts out of an advanced program in which more than half of his classmates are participating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just received a phone call from the principal of Colvin Run ES, who said they will be organizing another “test” next Tuesday to assess how prepared each student is. I’m not sure how the results of this test will affect the eligibility decision.

My child has already received a letter stating that he has been selected. While I believe that taking Algebra 1H in 6th grade is unnecessary—and perhaps a bit excessive—what worries me more is how he might feel about himself if he opts out of an advanced program in which more than half of his classmates are participating.

Whoa…someone’s going to get in trouble when higher ups find out about that. Whether it’s a good idea or not, schools have been told this is the threshold, you can’t change it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just received a phone call from the principal of Colvin Run ES, who said they will be organizing another “test” next Tuesday to assess how prepared each student is. I’m not sure how the results of this test will affect the eligibility decision.

My child has already received a letter stating that he has been selected. While I believe that taking Algebra 1H in 6th grade is unnecessary—and perhaps a bit excessive—what worries me more is how he might feel about himself if he opts out of an advanced program in which more than half of his classmates are participating.

Whoa…someone’s going to get in trouble when higher ups find out about that. Whether it’s a good idea or not, schools have been told this is the threshold, you can’t change it.

All pilot schools were given a copy of this by the county with the option to use. It is basically a pre-assessment, but results won't remove a student from the program. (I work at a pilot school.)