When take AP Calculus? (11th or 12th grade)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Geometry by 8th is considered the lower track in math in Moco, Arlington, and Fairfax. Yet it is the highest math track offered at the strongest school in dcps. Pathetic.

No it’s not.

Geometry in 8th was the highest option without cramming a year of math into online summer school (until this year when they pushed algebra to 6th grade.)

Algebra in 8th/calc in 12th is very typical for a reasonably bright math student with a good percentage not taking it until 9th and never getting to calc at all.

—FCPS math teacher

[Anonymous]

Walls has a mix of 10th, 11th and 12th graders in AP Calc. The pathways to get there vary- for most, including many 10th graders, it’s based on their middle school math pathway. Some do math over the summer or double up in 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since we’re discussing integrated math, I thought it worth noting that parents with experience with that curriculum in a public school system, rather than an opt-in charter, posting earlier today on the college page, absolutely hate it:

We’re in a moderately competitive public school in southern California, and the math instruction has been very very frustrating. The integrated math system puts you on a super accelerated path or just the regular path. There's no in between, which would be perfect for our kids. Our oldest survived and is headed to HYP. We've learned to navigate the horrible curriculum and crossing fingers it works out for our younger DCs. But I am deeply disappointed that my oldest is turned off by math, even if he's pursuing a major that has nothing to do with math.

Bay Area poster here, same here. Both kids are strong at math, though only one is pursuing STEM. We also found IM really ridiculous. I also can see how kids graduate with no math skills. In DD’s IM3 class the majority of the grade was homework and quizzes. Quizzes were group quizzes. The teacher made a point of making sure a math smart kid was in each group. The other kids would just let the smart kid do all the problems. Homework was never checked, just stamped that you had it. Tests were made up of the exact same questions on the group quizzes, retakes available and same test for afternoon classes or make ups so basically designed to support cheating. …Most (all) of the successful, high stat kids at our school either learn at home on their own using online resources or a parent, take DE courses during the summer or do Russian math.

[Integrated math] truly is Frankenmath designed to inflate grades and deflate skills.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1327108.page

Yeah better to just do the lowest math track you could possibly do in one of the weakest school districts in the county. Never change dcps. You consistently shoot for the sub basement.

THIS! It’s sad and pathetic.

Go read the other math thread. DCI had a 100% passing rate of AP equivalent of 4 or higher in their highest math class, HL AA which covers all of Calculus in addition to some linear algebra and stats. Yea, kids here are not struggling and killing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since we’re discussing integrated math, I thought it worth noting that parents with experience with that curriculum in a public school system, rather than an opt-in charter, posting earlier today on the college page, absolutely hate it:

We’re in a moderately competitive public school in southern California, and the math instruction has been very very frustrating. The integrated math system puts you on a super accelerated path or just the regular path. There's no in between, which would be perfect for our kids. Our oldest survived and is headed to HYP. We've learned to navigate the horrible curriculum and crossing fingers it works out for our younger DCs. But I am deeply disappointed that my oldest is turned off by math, even if he's pursuing a major that has nothing to do with math.

Bay Area poster here, same here. Both kids are strong at math, though only one is pursuing STEM. We also found IM really ridiculous. I also can see how kids graduate with no math skills. In DD’s IM3 class the majority of the grade was homework and quizzes. Quizzes were group quizzes. The teacher made a point of making sure a math smart kid was in each group. The other kids would just let the smart kid do all the problems. Homework was never checked, just stamped that you had it. Tests were made up of the exact same questions on the group quizzes, retakes available and same test for afternoon classes or make ups so basically designed to support cheating. …Most (all) of the successful, high stat kids at our school either learn at home on their own using online resources or a parent, take DE courses during the summer or do Russian math.

[Integrated math] truly is Frankenmath designed to inflate grades and deflate skills.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1327108.page

Yeah better to just do the lowest math track you could possibly do in one of the weakest school districts in the county. Never change dcps. You consistently shoot for the sub basement.

THIS! It’s sad and pathetic.

Go read the other math thread. DCI had a 100% passing rate of AP equivalent of 4 or higher in their highest math class, HL AA which covers all of Calculus in addition to some linear algebra and stats. Yea, kids here are not struggling and killing it.

And at the schools in MCPS that offers both AP and IB courses the math pathway is honors pre- Cal then AP Cal BC then IB HL AA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS collapses Alg 1, geometry, and alg 2 into two Integrated Math classes so they have a good solution for getting calculus by 10th or 11th grade, for high flyers.

No, you start algebra in 6th or double up in math with geometry and algebra 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Geometry by 8th is considered the lower track in math in Moco, Arlington, and Fairfax. Yet it is the highest math track offered at the strongest school in dcps. Pathetic.

No it’s not.

Geometry in 8th was the highest option without cramming a year of math into online summer school (until this year when they pushed algebra to 6th grade.)

Algebra in 8th/calc in 12th is very typical for a reasonably bright math student with a good percentage not taking it until 9th and never getting to calc at all.

—FCPS math teacher

I have friends with kids in FCPS.

It depends on what schools because at top schools the overwhelming majority of kids are getting to cal in 12th. The bright kids are going past that.

[Anonymous]

9th or 10th grade (BASIS DC).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS collapses Alg 1, geometry, and alg 2 into two Integrated Math classes so they have a good solution for getting calculus by 10th or 11th grade, for high flyers.

What? No they don't. They have a speculatice future plan that they haven't figured out yet

Isn’t that for MCPS vote like right now?

MCPS new math track doing two years of Integrated Algebra and geometry instead of three years of alg / geo / alg.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since we’re discussing integrated math, I thought it worth noting that parents with experience with that curriculum in a public school system, rather than an opt-in charter, posting earlier today on the college page, absolutely hate it:

We’re in a moderately competitive public school in southern California, and the math instruction has been very very frustrating. The integrated math system puts you on a super accelerated path or just the regular path. There's no in between, which would be perfect for our kids. Our oldest survived and is headed to HYP. We've learned to navigate the horrible curriculum and crossing fingers it works out for our younger DCs. But I am deeply disappointed that my oldest is turned off by math, even if he's pursuing a major that has nothing to do with math.

Bay Area poster here, same here. Both kids are strong at math, though only one is pursuing STEM. We also found IM really ridiculous. I also can see how kids graduate with no math skills. In DD’s IM3 class the majority of the grade was homework and quizzes. Quizzes were group quizzes. The teacher made a point of making sure a math smart kid was in each group. The other kids would just let the smart kid do all the problems. Homework was never checked, just stamped that you had it. Tests were made up of the exact same questions on the group quizzes, retakes available and same test for afternoon classes or make ups so basically designed to support cheating. …Most (all) of the successful, high stat kids at our school either learn at home on their own using online resources or a parent, take DE courses during the summer or do Russian math.

[Integrated math] truly is Frankenmath designed to inflate grades and deflate skills.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1327108.page

That sounds like a very valid reason to leave public school there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Geometry by 8th is considered the lower track in math in Moco, Arlington, and Fairfax. Yet it is the highest math track offered at the strongest school in dcps. Pathetic.

Is geometry before Algebra I?

It is here in Norfolk area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Geometry by 8th is considered the lower track in math in Moco, Arlington, and Fairfax. Yet it is the highest math track offered at the strongest school in dcps. Pathetic.

No it’s not.

Geometry in 8th was the highest option without cramming a year of math into online summer school (until this year when they pushed algebra to 6th grade.)

Algebra in 8th/calc in 12th is very typical for a reasonably bright math student with a good percentage not taking it until 9th and never getting to calc at all.

—FCPS math teacher

What’s reasonably bright in an overeducated an academic area like this? A median, 50th percentile student?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since we’re discussing integrated math, I thought it worth noting that parents with experience with that curriculum in a public school system, rather than an opt-in charter, posting earlier today on the college page, absolutely hate it:

We’re in a moderately competitive public school in southern California, and the math instruction has been very very frustrating. The integrated math system puts you on a super accelerated path or just the regular path. There's no in between, which would be perfect for our kids. Our oldest survived and is headed to HYP. We've learned to navigate the horrible curriculum and crossing fingers it works out for our younger DCs. But I am deeply disappointed that my oldest is turned off by math, even if he's pursuing a major that has nothing to do with math.

Bay Area poster here, same here. Both kids are strong at math, though only one is pursuing STEM. We also found IM really ridiculous. I also can see how kids graduate with no math skills. In DD’s IM3 class the majority of the grade was homework and quizzes. Quizzes were group quizzes. The teacher made a point of making sure a math smart kid was in each group. The other kids would just let the smart kid do all the problems. Homework was never checked, just stamped that you had it. Tests were made up of the exact same questions on the group quizzes, retakes available and same test for afternoon classes or make ups so basically designed to support cheating. …Most (all) of the successful, high stat kids at our school either learn at home on their own using online resources or a parent, take DE courses during the summer or do Russian math.

[Integrated math] truly is Frankenmath designed to inflate grades and deflate skills.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1327108.page

Yeah better to just do the lowest math track you could possibly do in one of the weakest school districts in the county. Never change dcps. You consistently shoot for the sub basement.

THIS! It’s sad and pathetic.

Go read the other math thread. DCI had a 100% passing rate of AP equivalent of 4 or higher in their highest math class, HL AA which covers all of Calculus in addition to some linear algebra and stats. Yea, kids here are not struggling and killing it.

IB program schools also track better, like at BCC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Geometry by 8th is considered the lower track in math in Moco, Arlington, and Fairfax. Yet it is the highest math track offered at the strongest school in dcps. Pathetic.

No it’s not.

Geometry in 8th was the highest option without cramming a year of math into online summer school (until this year when they pushed algebra to 6th grade.)

Algebra in 8th/calc in 12th is very typical for a reasonably bright math student with a good percentage not taking it until 9th and never getting to calc at all.

—FCPS math teacher

What’s reasonably bright in an overeducated an academic area like this? A median, 50th percentile student?

+1. The families on this site have college bound kids and AP Cal by 12th is the minimum and floor not the ceiling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since we’re discussing integrated math, I thought it worth noting that parents with experience with that curriculum in a public school system, rather than an opt-in charter, posting earlier today on the college page, absolutely hate it:

We’re in a moderately competitive public school in southern California, and the math instruction has been very very frustrating. The integrated math system puts you on a super accelerated path or just the regular path. There's no in between, which would be perfect for our kids. Our oldest survived and is headed to HYP. We've learned to navigate the horrible curriculum and crossing fingers it works out for our younger DCs. But I am deeply disappointed that my oldest is turned off by math, even if he's pursuing a major that has nothing to do with math.

Bay Area poster here, same here. Both kids are strong at math, though only one is pursuing STEM. We also found IM really ridiculous. I also can see how kids graduate with no math skills. In DD’s IM3 class the majority of the grade was homework and quizzes. Quizzes were group quizzes. The teacher made a point of making sure a math smart kid was in each group. The other kids would just let the smart kid do all the problems. Homework was never checked, just stamped that you had it. Tests were made up of the exact same questions on the group quizzes, retakes available and same test for afternoon classes or make ups so basically designed to support cheating. …Most (all) of the successful, high stat kids at our school either learn at home on their own using online resources or a parent, take DE courses during the summer or do Russian math.

[Integrated math] truly is Frankenmath designed to inflate grades and deflate skills.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1327108.page

That is interesting, but maybe an execution problem? Since both DCI and BASIS also combine geometry and Algebra and it seems to work fine for this kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since we’re discussing integrated math, I thought it worth noting that parents with experience with that curriculum in a public school system, rather than an opt-in charter, posting earlier today on the college page, absolutely hate it:

We’re in a moderately competitive public school in southern California, and the math instruction has been very very frustrating. The integrated math system puts you on a super accelerated path or just the regular path. There's no in between, which would be perfect for our kids. Our oldest survived and is headed to HYP. We've learned to navigate the horrible curriculum and crossing fingers it works out for our younger DCs. But I am deeply disappointed that my oldest is turned off by math, even if he's pursuing a major that has nothing to do with math.

Bay Area poster here, same here. Both kids are strong at math, though only one is pursuing STEM. We also found IM really ridiculous. I also can see how kids graduate with no math skills. In DD’s IM3 class the majority of the grade was homework and quizzes. Quizzes were group quizzes. The teacher made a point of making sure a math smart kid was in each group. The other kids would just let the smart kid do all the problems. Homework was never checked, just stamped that you had it. Tests were made up of the exact same questions on the group quizzes, retakes available and same test for afternoon classes or make ups so basically designed to support cheating. …Most (all) of the successful, high stat kids at our school either learn at home on their own using online resources or a parent, take DE courses during the summer or do Russian math.

[Integrated math] truly is Frankenmath designed to inflate grades and deflate skills.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1327108.page

That is interesting, but maybe an execution problem? Since both DCI and BASIS also combine geometry and Algebra and it seems to work fine for this kids.

The math curriculum in IB programs has always been integrated.

There is no course compartmentalization such as Algebra 1, Geometry, or Algebra 2.

That is not how real world problem solving works. Sure you need to learn the basic foundations of Algebra, Geometry, and what not. But solving problems can require using both and more so integration. BTW the IB exams are also structured like this.

IMO it is a better way to learn math and how to apply it in solving real problems.

I also agree that the effectiveness and strength of a course does depend on teacher’s ability to teach it well and its execution which likely the problem in link above.