Questions about Pre-Algebra

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are relatively new to FCPS and still trying to get things straight. My questions is, when is the normally advanced schedule (not the super advanced track) for kids to take Algebra early? They need to take the pre-alg in 5th grade or 6th? Thanks!

Algebra is a 9th grade course. Taking it in 6th, 7th or 8th are all considered advanced. As you can see, taking pre-algebra is only needed if they take Algebra in 6th or 7th.

Because Algebra is a high school course, if your child take it in 6th grade and get a B, that grade will follow him/her all the way to college application.

If you don't want to share the private information of your child here, your best course is to talk to your math teacher in FCPS.

This scaremongering is simply false. HS grades before HS can be expunged.

This is district dependent. My child took Alg I- precalc in middle school and I’ve been told they are a permanent part of high school transcript, even if any of them are retaken. Granted, colleges will recalculate GPA for only grades 9-12. Bit definitely find out how your district handles high school classes in middle school before committing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are relatively new to FCPS and still trying to get things straight. My questions is, when is the normally advanced schedule (not the super advanced track) for kids to take Algebra early? They need to take the pre-alg in 5th grade or 6th? Thanks!

Algebra is a 9th grade course. Taking it in 6th, 7th or 8th are all considered advanced. As you can see, taking pre-algebra is only needed if they take Algebra in 6th or 7th.

Because Algebra is a high school course, if your child take it in 6th grade and get a B, that grade will follow him/her all the way to college application.

If you don't want to share the private information of your child here, your best course is to talk to your math teacher in FCPS.

Taking Algebra in 7th or 8th grade is not a new thing. When I went to school in the dark ages (70’s), the advanced kids took Algebra in 7th grade and most of the grade took it in 8th.

Funny thing, my kids used the same book we used. They went to Longfellow. One took it in 7th and one took it in 8th. This was 10-15 years ago.

While it isn’t “new” the curriculum standard for most states is Alg I in 9th. “Advanced” would be Alg I in 8th. Honors 7 math is typically pre-algebra to set kids up for Alg I in 8th. Alg I in 6-7th grade would be considered hyper accelerated

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For middle-class families like ours, following the math acceleration path recommended by school teachers and counselors allowed us to take Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra in high school. This not only made our college application more competitive but also earned us college credits at UVA, saving us our hard-earned dollars. On the other hand, wealthy families have plenty of college tuition dollars at their disposal to pay starting with introductory calculus courses.

Your kid probably took Algebra 1 in 7th grade, which is not unusual in FCPS. About 1,700 kids take Algebra in 7th grade. Kids on that track will take Multivariate in 12th grade.

A kid who takes Algebra 1 in 8th grade will be able to take Calculus in 12th grade, probably an AP or an IB class. They will earn college credit.

Most kids who are taking HS classes in MS will end up with a good number of AP or IB classes and will end up with kids earning college credit. And plenty of those kids are going to be wealthy, their parents took AP/IB classes and they are going to make sure their kid takes AP/IB classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are relatively new to FCPS and still trying to get things straight. My questions is, when is the normally advanced schedule (not the super advanced track) for kids to take Algebra early? They need to take the pre-alg in 5th grade or 6th? Thanks!

Algebra is a 9th grade course. Taking it in 6th, 7th or 8th are all considered advanced. As you can see, taking pre-algebra is only needed if they take Algebra in 6th or 7th.

Because Algebra is a high school course, if your child take it in 6th grade and get a B, that grade will follow him/her all the way to college application.

If you don't want to share the private information of your child here, your best course is to talk to your math teacher in FCPS.

Algebra should only be allowed beginning in 9th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are relatively new to FCPS and still trying to get things straight. My questions is, when is the normally advanced schedule (not the super advanced track) for kids to take Algebra early? They need to take the pre-alg in 5th grade or 6th? Thanks!

Algebra is a 9th grade course. Taking it in 6th, 7th or 8th are all considered advanced. As you can see, taking pre-algebra is only needed if they take Algebra in 6th or 7th.

Because Algebra is a high school course, if your child take it in 6th grade and get a B, that grade will follow him/her all the way to college application.

If you don't want to share the private information of your child here, your best course is to talk to your math teacher in FCPS.

lol

Algebra should only be allowed beginning in 9th.

Lol no, why would someone think this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are relatively new to FCPS and still trying to get things straight. My questions is, when is the normally advanced schedule (not the super advanced track) for kids to take Algebra early? They need to take the pre-alg in 5th grade or 6th? Thanks!

Algebra is a 9th grade course. Taking it in 6th, 7th or 8th are all considered advanced. As you can see, taking pre-algebra is only needed if they take Algebra in 6th or 7th.

Because Algebra is a high school course, if your child take it in 6th grade and get a B, that grade will follow him/her all the way to college application.

If you don't want to share the private information of your child here, your best course is to talk to your math teacher in FCPS.

Algebra should only be allowed beginning in 9th.

Certainly, it's true for some students. However, others should have the opportunity to take algebra 1 as early as 6th grade. Each child is a unique creation of the Almighty, with some naturally inclined to be precocious while others develop at a different pace.

[Anonymous]

Back to the original question. Pre-Algebra is the (current) standard 8th grade math course. If you take it as a 7th grader, it's called Math 7H. Anyone that is accelerated prior to that does not take a Pre-Algebra course and has to fill in any gaps as they go, and there are some. I have taught middle school Geometry and the students never took a Pre-Algebra course (they jump from 6th Advanced where they took the Math 7 SOL to Algebra).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are relatively new to FCPS and still trying to get things straight. My questions is, when is the normally advanced schedule (not the super advanced track) for kids to take Algebra early? They need to take the pre-alg in 5th grade or 6th? Thanks!

Algebra is a 9th grade course. Taking it in 6th, 7th or 8th are all considered advanced. As you can see, taking pre-algebra is only needed if they take Algebra in 6th or 7th.

Because Algebra is a high school course, if your child take it in 6th grade and get a B, that grade will follow him/her all the way to college application.

If you don't want to share the private information of your child here, your best course is to talk to your math teacher in FCPS.

lol

Algebra should only be allowed beginning in 9th.

Lol no, why would someone think this?

Yes. Don’t you care at all about equity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are relatively new to FCPS and still trying to get things straight. My questions is, when is the normally advanced schedule (not the super advanced track) for kids to take Algebra early? They need to take the pre-alg in 5th grade or 6th? Thanks!

Algebra is a 9th grade course. Taking it in 6th, 7th or 8th are all considered advanced. As you can see, taking pre-algebra is only needed if they take Algebra in 6th or 7th.

Because Algebra is a high school course, if your child take it in 6th grade and get a B, that grade will follow him/her all the way to college application.

If you don't want to share the private information of your child here, your best course is to talk to your math teacher in FCPS.

lol

Algebra should only be allowed beginning in 9th.

Lol no, why would someone think this?

Yes. Don’t you care at all about equity?

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are relatively new to FCPS and still trying to get things straight. My questions is, when is the normally advanced schedule (not the super advanced track) for kids to take Algebra early? They need to take the pre-alg in 5th grade or 6th? Thanks!

Algebra is a 9th grade course. Taking it in 6th, 7th or 8th are all considered advanced. As you can see, taking pre-algebra is only needed if they take Algebra in 6th or 7th.

Because Algebra is a high school course, if your child take it in 6th grade and get a B, that grade will follow him/her all the way to college application.

If you don't want to share the private information of your child here, your best course is to talk to your math teacher in FCPS.

lol

Algebra should only be allowed beginning in 9th.

Lol no, why would someone think this?

Yes. Don’t you care at all about equity?

2/10 troll

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For middle-class families like ours, following the math acceleration path recommended by school teachers and counselors allowed us to take Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra in high school. This not only made our college application more competitive but also earned us college credits at UVA, saving us our hard-earned dollars. On the other hand, wealthy families have plenty of college tuition dollars at their disposal to pay starting with introductory calculus courses.

Your kid probably took Algebra 1 in 7th grade, which is not unusual in FCPS. About 1,700 kids take Algebra in 7th grade. Kids on that track will take Multivariate in 12th grade.

A kid who takes Algebra 1 in 8th grade will be able to take Calculus in 12th grade, probably an AP or an IB class. They will earn college credit.

Most kids who are taking HS classes in MS will end up with a good number of AP or IB classes and will end up with kids earning college credit. And plenty of those kids are going to be wealthy, their parents took AP/IB classes and they are going to make sure their kid takes AP/IB classes.

Of those couple of thousand kids, a few hundreds are ready to take Algebra 1 in 6th. This has to be discussed with elementary school math teachers/counselors starting in 4th grade. Ask the 4th grade AAP/advanced math teacher at the beginning of the year about math acceleration, dont wait until end, and plan properly. Only a few parents are familiar with this behind the scenes acceleration process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For middle-class families like ours, following the math acceleration path recommended by school teachers and counselors allowed us to take Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra in high school. This not only made our college application more competitive but also earned us college credits at UVA, saving us our hard-earned dollars. On the other hand, wealthy families have plenty of college tuition dollars at their disposal to pay starting with introductory calculus courses.

Your kid probably took Algebra 1 in 7th grade, which is not unusual in FCPS. About 1,700 kids take Algebra in 7th grade. Kids on that track will take Multivariate in 12th grade.

A kid who takes Algebra 1 in 8th grade will be able to take Calculus in 12th grade, probably an AP or an IB class. They will earn college credit.

Most kids who are taking HS classes in MS will end up with a good number of AP or IB classes and will end up with kids earning college credit. And plenty of those kids are going to be wealthy, their parents took AP/IB classes and they are going to make sure their kid takes AP/IB classes.

Of those couple of thousand kids, a few hundreds are ready to take Algebra 1 in 6th. This has to be discussed with elementary school math teachers/counselors starting in 4th grade. Ask the 4th grade AAP/advanced math teacher at the beginning of the year about math acceleration, dont wait until end, and plan properly. Only a few parents are familiar with this behind the scenes acceleration process.

The problem is that there really isn't a standard or process and that some schools will simply say it is not possible regardless of test scores. There are a few schools that seem to have a path for Algebra 1 in 6th and there are some kids that are so clearly ahead at an early age that it makes sense.

My kid probably would have qualified for Algebra in 6th grade. We discussed it as parents and decided not to pursue it. We did not want him getting up to be on the MS bus to take the class in person and then having to get back to ES. We did not want him taking it online because that is not a great way for him to learn. And we don't see the harm in his not taking a third college level math class in high school. Math at school has not been challenging for him but he is really solid on his fundamentals because he has been reviewing them and getting additional practice at school. There is nothing wrong with that. We enrich with math competition class and math competitions, which he enjoys.

Each parent should make their own choice for their kid but I don't see the need to rush through math just to rush through math. We don't do this for LA, Social Studies, or Science and there is no real pressure to do so. I am fine with DS being 2 years accelerated in math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For middle-class families like ours, following the math acceleration path recommended by school teachers and counselors allowed us to take Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra in high school. This not only made our college application more competitive but also earned us college credits at UVA, saving us our hard-earned dollars. On the other hand, wealthy families have plenty of college tuition dollars at their disposal to pay starting with introductory calculus courses.

Your kid probably took Algebra 1 in 7th grade, which is not unusual in FCPS. About 1,700 kids take Algebra in 7th grade. Kids on that track will take Multivariate in 12th grade.

A kid who takes Algebra 1 in 8th grade will be able to take Calculus in 12th grade, probably an AP or an IB class. They will earn college credit.

Most kids who are taking HS classes in MS will end up with a good number of AP or IB classes and will end up with kids earning college credit. And plenty of those kids are going to be wealthy, their parents took AP/IB classes and they are going to make sure their kid takes AP/IB classes.

Of those couple of thousand kids, a few hundreds are ready to take Algebra 1 in 6th. This has to be discussed with elementary school math teachers/counselors starting in 4th grade. Ask the 4th grade AAP/advanced math teacher at the beginning of the year about math acceleration, dont wait until end, and plan properly. Only a few parents are familiar with this behind the scenes acceleration process.

The problem is that there really isn't a standard or process and that some schools will simply say it is not possible regardless of test scores. There are a few schools that seem to have a path for Algebra 1 in 6th and there are some kids that are so clearly ahead at an early age that it makes sense.

My kid probably would have qualified for Algebra in 6th grade. We discussed it as parents and decided not to pursue it. We did not want him getting up to be on the MS bus to take the class in person and then having to get back to ES. We did not want him taking it online because that is not a great way for him to learn. And we don't see the harm in his not taking a third college level math class in high school. Math at school has not been challenging for him but he is really solid on his fundamentals because he has been reviewing them and getting additional practice at school. There is nothing wrong with that. We enrich with math competition class and math competitions, which he enjoys.

Each parent should make their own choice for their kid but I don't see the need to rush through math just to rush through math. We don't do this for LA, Social Studies, or Science and there is no real pressure to do so. I am fine with DS being 2 years accelerated in math.

For lower middle class, public school math acceleration equals college tuition savings, by the credit, with each credit costing hundreds of hard earned dollars. When wealth is at disposal, parents have the luxury of paying for expensive AoPs or RSM tutoring to prepare for competition math. Lower middle class engage in much cheaper Kumon tutoring, and develop proficiency in the boring elementary math. My older student was one of the few from their elementary school who was placed in Algebra1 in 6th grade, and at natural progression there after was able to complete multivar/linear in senior year, that saved us many thousands of college tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For middle-class families like ours, following the math acceleration path recommended by school teachers and counselors allowed us to take Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra in high school. This not only made our college application more competitive but also earned us college credits at UVA, saving us our hard-earned dollars. On the other hand, wealthy families have plenty of college tuition dollars at their disposal to pay starting with introductory calculus courses.

Your kid probably took Algebra 1 in 7th grade, which is not unusual in FCPS. About 1,700 kids take Algebra in 7th grade. Kids on that track will take Multivariate in 12th grade.

A kid who takes Algebra 1 in 8th grade will be able to take Calculus in 12th grade, probably an AP or an IB class. They will earn college credit.

Most kids who are taking HS classes in MS will end up with a good number of AP or IB classes and will end up with kids earning college credit. And plenty of those kids are going to be wealthy, their parents took AP/IB classes and they are going to make sure their kid takes AP/IB classes.

Of those couple of thousand kids, a few hundreds are ready to take Algebra 1 in 6th. This has to be discussed with elementary school math teachers/counselors starting in 4th grade. Ask the 4th grade AAP/advanced math teacher at the beginning of the year about math acceleration, dont wait until end, and plan properly. Only a few parents are familiar with this behind the scenes acceleration process.

The problem is that there really isn't a standard or process and that some schools will simply say it is not possible regardless of test scores. There are a few schools that seem to have a path for Algebra 1 in 6th and there are some kids that are so clearly ahead at an early age that it makes sense.

My kid probably would have qualified for Algebra in 6th grade. We discussed it as parents and decided not to pursue it. We did not want him getting up to be on the MS bus to take the class in person and then having to get back to ES. We did not want him taking it online because that is not a great way for him to learn. And we don't see the harm in his not taking a third college level math class in high school. Math at school has not been challenging for him but he is really solid on his fundamentals because he has been reviewing them and getting additional practice at school. There is nothing wrong with that. We enrich with math competition class and math competitions, which he enjoys.

Each parent should make their own choice for their kid but I don't see the need to rush through math just to rush through math. We don't do this for LA, Social Studies, or Science and there is no real pressure to do so. I am fine with DS being 2 years accelerated in math.

For lower middle class, public school math acceleration equals college tuition savings, by the credit, with each credit costing hundreds of hard earned dollars. When wealth is at disposal, parents have the luxury of paying for expensive AoPs or RSM tutoring to prepare for competition math. Lower middle class engage in much cheaper Kumon tutoring, and develop proficiency in the boring elementary math. My older student was one of the few from their elementary school who was placed in Algebra1 in 6th grade, and at natural progression there after was able to complete multivar/linear in senior year, that saved us many thousands of college tuition.

Kids taking Algebra 1 in 7th grade can take multivariate/linear in 12th. Most will take Calc BC in 11th grade. Your kid should have had an additional math class beyond that or they needed to slow down and took Calc AB before BC.

If this was an issue that was based on socio-economic status, there would be a normalized path for Algebra 1 in 6th grade and you would see far more kids taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade at the upper middle class ES's. There isn't. About 30 kids a year end up in Algebra 1 in 6th grade and that is spread over a number of schools. It is a rare offering because it is not a great idea to toss a 6th grader into a class with a number of 8th graders. We are Carson bound and I know that the 7th graders taking Algebra 1 are in class with the 8th graders, so a 6th grader would end up in that same class.

You can keep saying that SES is a barrier but it isn't. The numbers across the County make it very clear that FCPS is very hesitant to advance 6th graders into Algebra.

You found a path for enrichment, regardless of the cost. I am sure that there are parents who make less then you and look for ways to do extra math at home because they cannot afford Kumon. My kid watches math programs on YouTube that talks through solving complex problems. There is Khan Academy. There are math message boards that are highly moderated that talk math. AoPS Online is not that much more then Kumon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For middle-class families like ours, following the math acceleration path recommended by school teachers and counselors allowed us to take Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra in high school. This not only made our college application more competitive but also earned us college credits at UVA, saving us our hard-earned dollars. On the other hand, wealthy families have plenty of college tuition dollars at their disposal to pay starting with introductory calculus courses.

Your kid probably took Algebra 1 in 7th grade, which is not unusual in FCPS. About 1,700 kids take Algebra in 7th grade. Kids on that track will take Multivariate in 12th grade.

A kid who takes Algebra 1 in 8th grade will be able to take Calculus in 12th grade, probably an AP or an IB class. They will earn college credit.

Most kids who are taking HS classes in MS will end up with a good number of AP or IB classes and will end up with kids earning college credit. And plenty of those kids are going to be wealthy, their parents took AP/IB classes and they are going to make sure their kid takes AP/IB classes.

Of those couple of thousand kids, a few hundreds are ready to take Algebra 1 in 6th. This has to be discussed with elementary school math teachers/counselors starting in 4th grade. Ask the 4th grade AAP/advanced math teacher at the beginning of the year about math acceleration, dont wait until end, and plan properly. Only a few parents are familiar with this behind the scenes acceleration process.

The problem is that there really isn't a standard or process and that some schools will simply say it is not possible regardless of test scores. There are a few schools that seem to have a path for Algebra 1 in 6th and there are some kids that are so clearly ahead at an early age that it makes sense.

My kid probably would have qualified for Algebra in 6th grade. We discussed it as parents and decided not to pursue it. We did not want him getting up to be on the MS bus to take the class in person and then having to get back to ES. We did not want him taking it online because that is not a great way for him to learn. And we don't see the harm in his not taking a third college level math class in high school. Math at school has not been challenging for him but he is really solid on his fundamentals because he has been reviewing them and getting additional practice at school. There is nothing wrong with that. We enrich with math competition class and math competitions, which he enjoys.

Each parent should make their own choice for their kid but I don't see the need to rush through math just to rush through math. We don't do this for LA, Social Studies, or Science and there is no real pressure to do so. I am fine with DS being 2 years accelerated in math.

For lower middle class, public school math acceleration equals college tuition savings, by the credit, with each credit costing hundreds of hard earned dollars. When wealth is at disposal, parents have the luxury of paying for expensive AoPs or RSM tutoring to prepare for competition math. Lower middle class engage in much cheaper Kumon tutoring, and develop proficiency in the boring elementary math. My older student was one of the few from their elementary school who was placed in Algebra1 in 6th grade, and at natural progression there after was able to complete multivar/linear in senior year, that saved us many thousands of college tuition.

This comment is a fever dream.

Lower middle class students with superior academics pay less for college classes than Kumon costs. Kumon costs the same as AOPS. "Preparing code competition math" means doing the work, not paying for tutoring.