Considering moving to DC
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Anonymous
(Sorry, I mean algebra in 8th grade!) |
Anonymous
Wow. No, no that is not fine. |
Anonymous
+100. Low standards = DC. Above is the norm, not the outlier. DC falls as the outlier by a long shot. The people on here trying to justify that Calculus should be the top track like it is now in DC are nuts. |
Anonymous
No one is saying people have to feel grateful for it, but basically the posters on this board tried to shame this woman just because her child made it Algebra in 8th grade - when in reality there are MANY students in DCPS who do not. Yes, everyone should have that access. Yes, everyone should have access to it earlier (6th or 7th) IF their child is ready. However, everyone's child might not be. Does that make their children horrible people? No. Are they bad parents because of it? No. And luckily, there are other options for students to catch up in high school if they would also like to do that because of varied options that are available at high schools in DC and beyond. |
Anonymous
I agree, but calling algebra in 8th "accelerated" is totally ridiculous and harmful for students who don't know any better. If you don't make it to algebra in 8th, you can forget being an engineer, computer scientist, etc. You can forget UVA, Virginia Tech, William and Maryland and probably College Park too. It's just such a minimal requirement for anyone who is aiming for a top 100 university. Anyway, off my soapbox. DCPS should be better preparing students to at least reach calculus in high school. Not getting there severely limits their college options. This is not "acceleration". Acceleration is taking algebra in 6th-----like some kids at Deal do and most of the kids at Thomas Jefferson and Montgomery Blair (the suburban science magnet schools) do. Those of you saying that calculus in high school was not necessary when you grew up in Europe 1992 need to join the reality of college admissions at competitive (not just Ivies but any school above 100) in America in 2022. |
Anonymous
| I guess the alternative is calling the 8th grade math students remedial. Good talk. |
Anonymous
Why not? Most people do not use Calculus as adults, at work or in their private lives. Most people who work in finance don't even use calculus! You need it for STEM fields. Not everyone is going into STEM. The main reason people (in general but especially in this area and on DCUM) want their kids to take calculus, outside of a genuine interest and/or aptitude in math that indicates they might pursue STEM, is because it is an AP class and people want APs for weighted GPAs and for college transcripts. The end. It's also why people want their kids to take AP Physics, AP English, AP History, AP languages, etc. But it's not a course people actually need. You can skip calculus and go into almost any non-STEM field and be fine. You can do advanced statistics without calculus (I know because I do advanced statistics and data analysis for work and I never took calculus -- any I might use were learned easily on the job and no further basis was needed). I want my kid to have the opportunity to take Calculus and for that reason I want a middle school that ensures my child can take Algebra by 8th at the latest. If she is very interested in and talented at math, I will make sure she can get it in 7th if that's what makes sense. But if she's just an average math student, I am fine with 8th and no, I don't think those are low expectations. There are lots of other things I want my kid to learn and if she never takes calculus at all, I won't worry that she will somehow be handicapped for life by it. People in this area are INSANE about this stuff, as though if you aren't taking algebra by 7th grade you might as well just lay down and die. People need to chill out, your obsessive intensity about academic achievement is worse for you kid than these alleged "low expectations." |
Anonymous
No one is shaming her. Someone clarified that 8th grade Algebra is not accelerated as she says it is and they are correct. It is not. The last 2 and 1/2 pages is a discussion of this and everyone agrees that it is not accelerated. You are self projecting or making assumptions of your own. Nowhere did anyone say kids are horrible or parents are bad if not taking Algebra in 8th. The issue here is the low expectations and standards in DC as shown by the course offerings where calculus is the highest offered in many schools. Some families may not know better but this is not accelerated in 2022. It’s also the minimum required to get into good colleges. |
Anonymous
You are incorrect. There are lots of kids who are interested in taking AP courses, kids who are bored and not challenged, kids who love a subject. The AP courses are there for the kids, not the parents. Taking only courses that you need for some future job is not the purpose of education. Also I don’t really care what expectations parents have but for a school district to not widely offer a track past calculus when we know students are capable of this is a school district that has low expectations of its students. The end. |
Anonymous
What is this "track past Calculus" you are talking about? Are there actually high schools offering differential equations or linear algebra in high school? And are there kids who have no intention of pursuing degrees in math, engineering, or hard sciences who take them? It's okay to just take that stuff in college, where you can be taught by someone with a PhD. It would be incredibly hard to find high school math teachers capable of teaching these subjects, and even if you did, the odds are good you'd be expected to retake them in college because it's just very unlikely that a high school class, even at a very good school, could be rigorous enough to master these concepts. Sorry, but Calc I and maybe Calc II are more than enough for most high school students. This is not low expectations, this is realistic. High school is not intended to be college. These are children. Also, hate to be the one to break this to you, but a kid taking Calculus their junior or senior year who feels insufficiently challenged? Doesn't need a harder math class. They need a different approach to life. You want a challenge? Get an A+ in Calc and a perfect score on your AP exam. Too easy? Okay great, develop the life skills needed to find out which local universities offer higher level math and investigate taking one, or even just auditing it -- smart, ambitious kid who is bored by his current AP classes should find a complex problem like that engaging to solve. Use your social skills to reach out to the professor to ask permission to take their course. Talk to you parents about tuition or see if you can audit it for a reduced price or for free. Talk to your school's administration about getting credit. The answer to "my child isn't challenged in his high school calculus class" is not "the school district should be offering college level math in junior year." It's to figure out what other skills your kid needs to work on and to work on them. Taking a difficult course load in high school is impressive but not sufficient. It's not up to the school district to ensure that you can specialize in every possible academic area in high school. Do something you are bad at. Join the wrestling team, audition for the school musical, challenge yourself to make a new group of friends. Many DCPS high schools are inadequate but the idea that the main problem is that middle school students aren't taking algebra in 7th grade is insane. That's not the problem. |
Anonymous
+100 And just as a note, this is taken from Harvard's website: "Specifically, calculus is neither a requirement nor a preference for admission to Harvard. We understand that many students have no intention to pursue college coursework that requires a knowledge of calculus, and that other students are unsure of their future college studies. We also understand that not all students have the same opportunities to take certain math classes in high school, including calculus. Thus, we encourage applicants to pursue the pathways through math that are available to them and aligned with their interests and goals." https://college.harvard.edu/resources/faq/are-there-secondary-school-course-requirements-admission |
Anonymous
Bravo!!! Every one should stop posting. If you feel an unabiding need to do so, re-read the above and then stop. |
Anonymous
| My kid was in Algebra 2 in 8th grade. This was on par with my friend’s kid who is a year older and in a gifted program in CO. After having long chats with them, I don’t think being in DCPS holds my kid back. I think many here have a fantasy about gifted programs. |
Anonymous
Agree. Excellent post. Bunch of crazy aggressive parents. |
Anonymous
| Given performance on the PARCC in algebra, way more students should be slowing down rather than going faster. You can also look at the AP calculus tests -- in AB calculus last year in DCPS, only 21% of the test takers scored at least a 3, with 61% for the BC exams. Maybe there are a handful of kids who could be going faster, but there are a lot more kids put into classes before they are ready. |