What is going on at Holton?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. LS DD was very bored in math last year, and like prior posters said, the school ignored the situation. Very frustrating.

What grade? The math specialist in LS is excellent, and if your daughter interacted with her, I would be surprised if she was still bored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. LS DD was very bored in math last year, and like prior posters said, the school ignored the situation. Very frustrating.

What grade? The math specialist in LS is excellent, and if your daughter interacted with her, I would be surprised if she was still bored.

+1 did you reach out to the math specialist?

[Anonymous]

I have told my DD that unless she is getting all question right in the first try, she has more to learn. If that is indeed happening and the teachers and LS specialist are not helping, that is a different story.

[Anonymous]

If Holton is holding girls back in math, to me that sounds like the opposite of what I thought the school was about. Why would I pay large amounts of money for that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Holton is holding girls back in math, to me that sounds like the opposite of what I thought the school was about. Why would I pay large amounts of money for that?

That's the $50,000 question.

[Anonymous]

Looks like Holton is jumping on the de-tracking bandwagon.

[Anonymous]

Detracking in order to support its equity initiatives.

[Anonymous]

And of course this is not the sort of thing people are allowed to ask about on tours or at open houses.

[Anonymous]

At open houses, Holton talks of having math options in LS and MS (both remedial and advanced), but those are only available for brief periods after school. School gets vague when describing how math works DURING the school day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And of course this is not the sort of thing people are allowed to ask about on tours or at open houses.

We did the open houses (ok it was virtual) but any question people wrote in the chat they answered. No one brought up math (probably wasn't aware of it) though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Furthermore, to reach calculus in 12th grade, a student must now study math over one summer.

This is unequivocally false. Now ALL girls will reach calculus by 12th grade instead of just the top 75% of the class. The elimination of tracking now highlights the fact that the bottom 25% of the class were never before given the opportunity to move beyond a placement decision made when they were 11/12 years old. I see that as a huge win.

Under the new system, the top 25% don’t have the option of taking geometry in 8th grade any longer. To be on par with girls who enter in 9th grade, they will probably need to take geometry over the summer.

This is the same math sequence offered at NCS. Everyone is in Algebra 1 in 8th. A select few (as few as 5) are offered the opportunity to take geometry over the summer after 8th grade and will take Algebra 2 in 9th. The rest will take geometry in 9th.
The incoming 9th graders are all tested and some percentage will also take Algebra 2 in 9th. However, many are asked to repeat Algebra 1 or geometry. My daughter has two friends incoming from public and they will both be repeating a prior math class. They did not do well on the placement exam as it is quite rigorous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And of course this is not the sort of thing people are allowed to ask about on tours or at open houses.

We did the open houses (ok it was virtual) but any question people wrote in the chat they answered. No one brought up math (probably wasn't aware of it) though.

No one did because if you do, you get the side eye as “that” parent actually interested in finding out what the math pathway is for a girl advanced in math.

“Ooo. So you think your girl is advanced? Don’t you know ALL the Holton girls are above average?”

Now don’t you wish you had asked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone told me the Trustees are on the cusp of doing something major. Not sure if it's a personnel change or what that means...

Sounds like a rumor that gets spread every few years. Please elaborate if you have info though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone told me the Trustees are on the cusp of doing something major. Not sure if it's a personnel change or what that means...

Sounds like a rumor that gets spread every few years. Please elaborate if you have info though!

It's called wishful thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So.. most of this argument is about whether kids are allowed to take Geometry in 8th grade or not?

Yes, and only 9 girls were in geometry in 8th grade this year. Nowhere close to the 25% claimed by some on this thread.