Math placement (yet another….sorry!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

For 6th it’s either Math 6 or Math 6-7-8 (prealgebra).

[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.

Sorry the post didn’t specify the district. We are in LCPS with similar structure/testing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I'm not the OP but am in a similar situation. Just wanted to say thanks to this PP. You have definitely given me a lot to think about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Just to share another anecdote… my kid was one who missed the cut off but was allowed to take algebra in 7th after we requested it & he scored higher on the MI at the start of 7th grade (this was last school year). While he did have homework and of course needed to study for tests, etc, it wasn’t overly stressful for him & if there was a highly competitive atmosphere in the class, he never mentioned it. He definitely didn’t do any STEM clubs or extracurriculars. He earned an A in the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Just to share another anecdote… my kid was one who missed the cut off but was allowed to take algebra in 7th after we requested it & he scored higher on the MI at the start of 7th grade (this was last school year). While he did have homework and of course needed to study for tests, etc, it wasn’t overly stressful for him & if there was a highly competitive atmosphere in the class, he never mentioned it. He definitely didn’t do any STEM clubs or extracurriculars. He earned an A in the class.

Was your kid in APS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Just to share another anecdote… my kid was one who missed the cut off but was allowed to take algebra in 7th after we requested it & he scored higher on the MI at the start of 7th grade (this was last school year). While he did have homework and of course needed to study for tests, etc, it wasn’t overly stressful for him & if there was a highly competitive atmosphere in the class, he never mentioned it. He definitely didn’t do any STEM clubs or extracurriculars. He earned an A in the class.

Was your kid in APS?

Yes, he’s a rising 8th grader in APS.