Math enrichment strategy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In all this you didn't say what your kid's level of motivation is. Enabling your kid's own interest is very different from dragging him by his ear.

DP. my kid is only interested in video games. If didnt drag them by the ear, they wouldnt even be attending school. So abiding by the Virginia compulsory attendance law, I am having to drag by both ears, in your terms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not just place DC in GenEd? You are just pushing, pushing, pushing… DC might just be perfect at GenEd Math 6.

The OPs post said that the 6th grade teacher is awful so the kid is already in 6th grade. If the kid is in LIV/Advanced Math in FCPS, the kid belongs in Math 7H next year. If they kid needs intensive tutoring during the summer to strengthen 6th grade math, they are probably not ready for Math 7H.

Advanced Math still isn't that hard. He'll be fine in Math 7 Honors next year.

Daily tutoring over the summer? For a kid in Advanced Math? What on earth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi AAP moms - I’ve got a bright but not brilliant kid who needs to do pre-algebra over the summer in some kind of 1:1 setting to keep him focused. My goal is to give him a leg up in pre-algebra next school year OR if it goes really well, place him in algebra. Long story short, he has a terrible teacher/class for 6th grade math and needs to be shored up.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to do this and willing to throw money at it but of course would prefer to save. Here are my ideas in descending order of cost.

- Fusion 1:1 tutoring 4-5 days/week. They use their curriculum. Have to schlep him there.

- 1:1 tutoring at home with a “master” tutor using whatever curriculum they recommend

- Buy the AOPs or Beast Academy books and have a less experienced tutor do them with him

- Use the free school curriculum (Illustrative Math, Zearn) with a tutor. This may enable the gaps to be filled more easily and better transition back to school math for placement, but my kid HATES Zearn.

This is a troll post, clearly.
However, reminder for parents considering how to support their children with math. Instead of waiting until the summer before addressing your child's math needs, start early, in elementary grades. Follow teachers' recommendations and assist them with free enrichment materials after school in the evenings. If you're not confident in elementary math, there are plenty of affordable resources available. Ask other parents how they manage it. Experiment with different workbooks, Kumon, or other programs. The key is to get them on a math enrichment path early.

As we speak, currently there are a significant number of TJ kids who have been admitted with poor math skills, who are suffering with Ds and Fs. If your child is admitted by chance using the lottery process, do you want to see your child suffer with poor grades, or do you want to plan ahead so they can take on high school math more confidently at TJ or base school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all this you didn't say what your kid's level of motivation is. Enabling your kid's own interest is very different from dragging him by his ear.

DP. my kid is only interested in video games. If didnt drag them by the ear, they wouldnt even be attending school. So abiding by the Virginia compulsory attendance law, I am having to drag by both ears, in your terms.

There is a difference between sending your kid to school because kids have to go to school and signing your kid up for 1:1 tutoring every day during summer break so that your kid can potentially glide through 7th grade math easily or get bumped into Algebra in 7th grade. Huge difference.

DS attends RSM because he asks to, not because we make him. We suggested it in third grade when he was saying he was bored with math and he said he wanted to try it. He asked to reenroll every year since then. It is his choice. DS has also passed advanced on every SOL he has taken and enjoys math competitions, performing well in competitions for kids older then him. He loves math.

If OP was asking about a kid who loved math and was looking for a summer program that matched that love, people would respond differently. If OP was asking about a program to help shore up skills, people would probably suggest one of the summer classes offered through RSM or AoPS or Mathnasium or working with a tutor one day a week.

OP is suggesting tutoring 5 days a week with an eye towards acceleration when they have a kid who is not succeeding in their classwork as a 6th grader. Word of difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post appears to be an ad for AoPS, which is expensive compared to a Kumon, RSM, Sunshine, Fairfax collegiate, Curie, etc.

OP here. No it is not! It’s just that we did do Beast Academy and a live AOPs class pre-pandemic so I know it’s a good curriculum. At this point we need 1:1, not a class, and AOPs is the only free-standing comprehensive curriculum I know of. If you can recommend another curriculum please do!

For Aops Pre Algebra, all you need is the interactive textbook and free access to the Alchemys. The textbook has several links to videos, making it an easy course to complete independently. This is especially true if your child has already completed Beast Academy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all this you didn't say what your kid's level of motivation is. Enabling your kid's own interest is very different from dragging him by his ear.

DP. my kid is only interested in video games. If didnt drag them by the ear, they wouldnt even be attending school. So abiding by the Virginia compulsory attendance law, I am having to drag by both ears, in your terms.

There is a difference between sending your kid to school because kids have to go to school and signing your kid up for 1:1 tutoring every day during summer break so that your kid can potentially glide through 7th grade math easily or get bumped into Algebra in 7th grade. Huge difference.

DS attends RSM because he asks to, not because we make him. We suggested it in third grade when he was saying he was bored with math and he said he wanted to try it. He asked to reenroll every year since then. It is his choice. DS has also passed advanced on every SOL he has taken and enjoys math competitions, performing well in competitions for kids older then him. He loves math.

If OP was asking about a kid who loved math and was looking for a summer program that matched that love, people would respond differently. If OP was asking about a program to help shore up skills, people would probably suggest one of the summer classes offered through RSM or AoPS or Mathnasium or working with a tutor one day a week.

OP is suggesting tutoring 5 days a week with an eye towards acceleration when they have a kid who is not succeeding in their classwork as a 6th grader. Word of difference.

Similarly, our DD attends Curie because her friends do, and she loves it. We've always believed that enrichment should be optional for the child, provided only if they're interested. However, the Curie environment has significantly boosted her interest in math through engaging, application-based problems and enjoyable contests—not the rote math that people often mistakenly assume. Parents should not be forcing kids to get legup so to speak, but gently presenting ways to improving their math abilities. But start the math enrichment journey as early as they can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not just place DC in GenEd? You are just pushing, pushing, pushing… DC might just be perfect at GenEd Math 6.

+1 Is it possible to drop to math6 now to shore up topics before going to math7 next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi AAP moms - I’ve got a bright but not brilliant kid who needs to do pre-algebra over the summer in some kind of 1:1 setting to keep him focused. My goal is to give him a leg up in pre-algebra next school year OR if it goes really well, place him in algebra. Long story short, he has a terrible teacher/class for 6th grade math and needs to be shored up.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to do this and willing to throw money at it but of course would prefer to save. Here are my ideas in descending order of cost.

- Fusion 1:1 tutoring 4-5 days/week. They use their curriculum. Have to schlep him there.

- 1:1 tutoring at home with a “master” tutor using whatever curriculum they recommend

- Buy the AOPs or Beast Academy books and have a less experienced tutor do them with him

- Use the free school curriculum (Illustrative Math, Zearn) with a tutor. This may enable the gaps to be filled more easily and better transition back to school math for placement, but my kid HATES Zearn.

This is a troll post, clearly.
However, reminder for parents considering how to support their children with math. Instead of waiting until the summer before addressing your child's math needs, start early, in elementary grades. Follow teachers' recommendations and assist them with free enrichment materials after school in the evenings. If you're not confident in elementary math, there are plenty of affordable resources available. Ask other parents how they manage it. Experiment with different workbooks, Kumon, or other programs. The key is to get them on a math enrichment path early.

As we speak, currently there are a significant number of TJ kids who have been admitted with poor math skills, who are suffering with Ds and Fs. If your child is admitted by chance using the lottery process, do you want to see your child suffer with poor grades, or do you want to plan ahead so they can take on high school math more confidently at TJ or base school?

well said

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi AAP moms - I’ve got a bright but not brilliant kid who needs to do pre-algebra over the summer in some kind of 1:1 setting to keep him focused. My goal is to give him a leg up in pre-algebra next school year OR if it goes really well, place him in algebra. Long story short, he has a terrible teacher/class for 6th grade math and needs to be shored up.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to do this and willing to throw money at it but of course would prefer to save. Here are my ideas in descending order of cost.

- Fusion 1:1 tutoring 4-5 days/week. They use their curriculum. Have to schlep him there.

- 1:1 tutoring at home with a “master” tutor using whatever curriculum they recommend

- Buy the AOPs or Beast Academy books and have a less experienced tutor do them with him

- Use the free school curriculum (Illustrative Math, Zearn) with a tutor. This may enable the gaps to be filled more easily and better transition back to school math for placement, but my kid HATES Zearn.

This is a troll post, clearly.
However, reminder for parents considering how to support their children with math. Instead of waiting until the summer before addressing your child's math needs, start early, in elementary grades. Follow teachers' recommendations and assist them with free enrichment materials after school in the evenings. If you're not confident in elementary math, there are plenty of affordable resources available. Ask other parents how they manage it. Experiment with different workbooks, Kumon, or other programs. The key is to get them on a math enrichment path early.

As we speak, currently there are a significant number of TJ kids who have been admitted with poor math skills, who are suffering with Ds and Fs. If your child is admitted by chance using the lottery process, do you want to see your child suffer with poor grades, or do you want to plan ahead so they can take on high school math more confidently at TJ or base school?

But it sounds like Op did do Beast for awhile. This kid should have been dropped to a lower level before this point. One should not need all kinds of daily tutoring to catch up and ‘shore’ up. There’s an underlying problem that the school is failing on. They take all kinds of Assessments, and yet nothing is done to shore up the weak areas in the last 7 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi AAP moms - I’ve got a bright but not brilliant kid who needs to do pre-algebra over the summer in some kind of 1:1 setting to keep him focused. My goal is to give him a leg up in pre-algebra next school year OR if it goes really well, place him in algebra. Long story short, he has a terrible teacher/class for 6th grade math and needs to be shored up.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to do this and willing to throw money at it but of course would prefer to save. Here are my ideas in descending order of cost.

- Fusion 1:1 tutoring 4-5 days/week. They use their curriculum. Have to schlep him there.

- 1:1 tutoring at home with a “master” tutor using whatever curriculum they recommend

- Buy the AOPs or Beast Academy books and have a less experienced tutor do them with him

- Use the free school curriculum (Illustrative Math, Zearn) with a tutor. This may enable the gaps to be filled more easily and better transition back to school math for placement, but my kid HATES Zearn.

This is a troll post, clearly.
However, reminder for parents considering how to support their children with math. Instead of waiting until the summer before addressing your child's math needs, start early, in elementary grades. Follow teachers' recommendations and assist them with free enrichment materials after school in the evenings. If you're not confident in elementary math, there are plenty of affordable resources available. Ask other parents how they manage it. Experiment with different workbooks, Kumon, or other programs. The key is to get them on a math enrichment path early.

As we speak, currently there are a significant number of TJ kids who have been admitted with poor math skills, who are suffering with Ds and Fs. If your child is admitted by chance using the lottery process, do you want to see your child suffer with poor grades, or do you want to plan ahead so they can take on high school math more confidently at TJ or base school?

But it sounds like Op did do Beast for awhile. This kid should have been dropped to a lower level before this point. One should not need all kinds of daily tutoring to catch up and ‘shore’ up. There’s an underlying problem that the school is failing on. They take all kinds of Assessments, and yet nothing is done to shore up the weak areas in the last 7 years.

what else can one expect in with equity based measures instead of merit? Water-downed assessments, inflated grades, and now with HOPE comparative ratings within student culture groups, and shoving social factors into academic evaluations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi AAP moms - I’ve got a bright but not brilliant kid who needs to do pre-algebra over the summer in some kind of 1:1 setting to keep him focused. My goal is to give him a leg up in pre-algebra next school year OR if it goes really well, place him in algebra. Long story short, he has a terrible teacher/class for 6th grade math and needs to be shored up.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to do this and willing to throw money at it but of course would prefer to save. Here are my ideas in descending order of cost.

- Fusion 1:1 tutoring 4-5 days/week. They use their curriculum. Have to schlep him there.

- 1:1 tutoring at home with a “master” tutor using whatever curriculum they recommend

- Buy the AOPs or Beast Academy books and have a less experienced tutor do them with him

- Use the free school curriculum (Illustrative Math, Zearn) with a tutor. This may enable the gaps to be filled more easily and better transition back to school math for placement, but my kid HATES Zearn.

This is a troll post, clearly.
However, reminder for parents considering how to support their children with math. Instead of waiting until the summer before addressing your child's math needs, start early, in elementary grades. Follow teachers' recommendations and assist them with free enrichment materials after school in the evenings. If you're not confident in elementary math, there are plenty of affordable resources available. Ask other parents how they manage it. Experiment with different workbooks, Kumon, or other programs. The key is to get them on a math enrichment path early.

As we speak, currently there are a significant number of TJ kids who have been admitted with poor math skills, who are suffering with Ds and Fs. If your child is admitted by chance using the lottery process, do you want to see your child suffer with poor grades, or do you want to plan ahead so they can take on high school math more confidently at TJ or base school?

But it sounds like Op did do Beast for awhile. This kid should have been dropped to a lower level before this point. One should not need all kinds of daily tutoring to catch up and ‘shore’ up. There’s an underlying problem that the school is failing on. They take all kinds of Assessments, and yet nothing is done to shore up the weak areas in the last 7 years.

the more i hear about Beast it sounds like money down the drain. Stick to tried and true enrichment centers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi AAP moms - I’ve got a bright but not brilliant kid who needs to do pre-algebra over the summer in some kind of 1:1 setting to keep him focused. My goal is to give him a leg up in pre-algebra next school year OR if it goes really well, place him in algebra. Long story short, he has a terrible teacher/class for 6th grade math and needs to be shored up.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to do this and willing to throw money at it but of course would prefer to save. Here are my ideas in descending order of cost.

- Fusion 1:1 tutoring 4-5 days/week. They use their curriculum. Have to schlep him there.

- 1:1 tutoring at home with a “master” tutor using whatever curriculum they recommend

- Buy the AOPs or Beast Academy books and have a less experienced tutor do them with him

- Use the free school curriculum (Illustrative Math, Zearn) with a tutor. This may enable the gaps to be filled more easily and better transition back to school math for placement, but my kid HATES Zearn.

This is a troll post, clearly.
However, reminder for parents considering how to support their children with math. Instead of waiting until the summer before addressing your child's math needs, start early, in elementary grades. Follow teachers' recommendations and assist them with free enrichment materials after school in the evenings. If you're not confident in elementary math, there are plenty of affordable resources available. Ask other parents how they manage it. Experiment with different workbooks, Kumon, or other programs. The key is to get them on a math enrichment path early.

As we speak, currently there are a significant number of TJ kids who have been admitted with poor math skills, who are suffering with Ds and Fs. If your child is admitted by chance using the lottery process, do you want to see your child suffer with poor grades, or do you want to plan ahead so they can take on high school math more confidently at TJ or base school?

But it sounds like Op did do Beast for awhile. This kid should have been dropped to a lower level before this point. One should not need all kinds of daily tutoring to catch up and ‘shore’ up. There’s an underlying problem that the school is failing on. They take all kinds of Assessments, and yet nothing is done to shore up the weak areas in the last 7 years.

what else can one expect in with equity based measures instead of merit? Water-downed assessments, inflated grades, and now with HOPE comparative ratings within student culture groups, and shoving social factors into academic evaluations.

That has nothing to do with the question at hand.

1) The kid in question is in 6th grade. They would have been admitted to AAP using the county wide in-pool score and GBRSs
2) We don't even know if the kid is in FCPS. The parent only references 6th grade, bad teacher, wanting the kid to learn pre-algebra in advance to make 7th grade easier or to skip into algebra in 7th grade. The last bit makes me think that the kid is not in FCPS but the child being described is not going to score in the 91st percentil on the IAAT or pass advance on the SOL and would not qualify for algebra in 7th grade regardless of a summer full of tutoring.

I agree, this is probably a troll post but I can also see there being parents on this board who think this is a feasible idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi AAP moms - I’ve got a bright but not brilliant kid who needs to do pre-algebra over the summer in some kind of 1:1 setting to keep him focused. My goal is to give him a leg up in pre-algebra next school year OR if it goes really well, place him in algebra. Long story short, he has a terrible teacher/class for 6th grade math and needs to be shored up.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to do this and willing to throw money at it but of course would prefer to save. Here are my ideas in descending order of cost.

- Fusion 1:1 tutoring 4-5 days/week. They use their curriculum. Have to schlep him there.

- 1:1 tutoring at home with a “master” tutor using whatever curriculum they recommend

- Buy the AOPs or Beast Academy books and have a less experienced tutor do them with him

- Use the free school curriculum (Illustrative Math, Zearn) with a tutor. This may enable the gaps to be filled more easily and better transition back to school math for placement, but my kid HATES Zearn.

This is a troll post, clearly.
However, reminder for parents considering how to support their children with math. Instead of waiting until the summer before addressing your child's math needs, start early, in elementary grades. Follow teachers' recommendations and assist them with free enrichment materials after school in the evenings. If you're not confident in elementary math, there are plenty of affordable resources available. Ask other parents how they manage it. Experiment with different workbooks, Kumon, or other programs. The key is to get them on a math enrichment path early.

As we speak, currently there are a significant number of TJ kids who have been admitted with poor math skills, who are suffering with Ds and Fs. If your child is admitted by chance using the lottery process, do you want to see your child suffer with poor grades, or do you want to plan ahead so they can take on high school math more confidently at TJ or base school?

But it sounds like Op did do Beast for awhile. This kid should have been dropped to a lower level before this point. One should not need all kinds of daily tutoring to catch up and ‘shore’ up. There’s an underlying problem that the school is failing on. They take all kinds of Assessments, and yet nothing is done to shore up the weak areas in the last 7 years.

the more i hear about Beast it sounds like money down the drain. Stick to tried and true enrichment centers.

proven too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post appears to be an ad for AoPS, which is expensive compared to a Kumon, RSM, Sunshine, Fairfax collegiate, Curie, etc.

OP here. No it is not! It’s just that we did do Beast Academy and a live AOPs class pre-pandemic so I know it’s a good curriculum. At this point we need 1:1, not a class, and AOPs is the only free-standing comprehensive curriculum I know of. If you can recommend another curriculum please do!

AOPS is for kids who are pretty advanced. It's not for shoring up. There are lots of goof math curricula that are aimed at homeschoolers.

I might look at Math Mammoth 7. I haven't used that particular level, but have been impressed with other levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all this you didn't say what your kid's level of motivation is. Enabling your kid's own interest is very different from dragging him by his ear.

DP. my kid is only interested in video games. If didnt drag them by the ear, they wouldnt even be attending school. So abiding by the Virginia compulsory attendance law, I am having to drag by both ears, in your terms.

please do drag them. We have 6 bottom FCPS middle schools where students dont show up to school and teachers get blamed for their lack of learning. Parents have to be held responsible for their own children. If anyone in school needs to be blamed, it's not the teachers but school board for not addressing this mess.