When do 6th graders take the Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test?

[Anonymous]

What is the rush to push down math to younger and younger ages?

I ask this as a female with a PhD in biochemistry.

I see parents pushing kids ahead and stressing them out in 7th/8th grade with tutors to keep up.

Pretty much most honors HS students will graduate at the same level of math whether they started algebra in 6th or not.

It is very, very important that kids know the material very, very, very well before moving on to the next level.

So what are the goals with a super accelerated math agenda? Entrance to TJ? This is a serious question.

I do know parents love to drop their kids math level at cocktail parties—is that it?

[Anonymous]

Did anyone say there was a rush?

The test is given to 6th graders (some of them). It is a neutral question to ask when that happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the rush to push down math to younger and younger ages?

I ask this as a female with a PhD in biochemistry.

I see parents pushing kids ahead and stressing them out in 7th/8th grade with tutors to keep up.

Pretty much most honors HS students will graduate at the same level of math whether they started algebra in 6th or not.

It is very, very important that kids know the material very, very, very well before moving on to the next level.

So what are the goals with a super accelerated math agenda? Entrance to TJ? This is a serious question.

I do know parents love to drop their kids math level at cocktail parties—is that it?

When I was in the 7th grade, in the 70’s, the mart math kids took algebra in 7th grade and the rest of us took pre-Algebra. Except for the very small number of students who take Algebra in 6th grade, I haven’t seen a push for younger and younger. Plus, we were about 6 months younger in our grades back then as the age cut off for kindergarten was in January.