Why the push for accelerated math?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Normal pace is AP Calculus BC in 12th grade. Accelerated is AP calculus BC in 10th grade.

Simple explanation. Gracias!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Back in the 1950s, high schools taught calculus like any other math topic. No one saw it as accelerated —just part of a solid education. But by the 1990s, U.S. education started getting softer. Now, it's Asian American students leading the charge to remind the country that preparing youth for today’s STEM demands means bringing back general education standards, like learning calculus in high school, just as before. It’s time to ditch the identity-based entitlement mindset and return to the American way of learning math through practice and hard work.

Now even algebra is considered accelerated.

My dad is a STEM PhD who graduated HS in the '70s and his suburban district absolutely didn't offer calc in high school. He went to school with several people who went on to be leading tech entrepeneurs of their time (well before the current crop of tech bros). All of them had to wait until college to take calc. He's still a little baffled that STEM types pretty much have to take calc in high school now.

Not saying our current pathways are bad; I like them. It's just not true, though, that everyone took calc in the 50s. The data shows our expectations in math have been steadily increasing over time until recently when scores started sliding.

It's especially difficult to compare with math pathways 50+ years ago, because whole grade skipping was common back in the day. They might not have offered calculus in highschool, but the super bright kid graduated at age 16 and still took calculus at what would have been their 11th grade year if they hadn't skipped ahead. Katherine Johnson graduated from high school at age 14.

My high school in the early 90s only offered calculus for 12th grade. But several of my classmates skipped a grade back in ES. There was also a program to allow high school kids to take college classes if the class wasn't available at the high school. So, there was no need for anything beyond 1 year of calc.

A large reason we have so much more math acceleration now is that skipping grades went out of vogue. The educational powers that be decided that remaining with your age peers and single subject accelerating was better than moving up a grade or two and possibly having social issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Normal pace is AP Calculus BC in 12th grade. Accelerated is AP calculus BC in 10th grade.

Simple explanation. Gracias!

While BC in 12th might be common with bright/gifted kids, it’s still accelerated.

From the National Association for Gifted Children:
https://nagc.org/page/glossary
Acceleration
A strategy of progressing through education at rates faster or ages younger than the norm. This can occur through grade skipping or subject acceleration (e.g., a fifth-grade student taking sixth-grade math).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Normal pace is AP Calculus BC in 12th grade. Accelerated is AP calculus BC in 10th grade.

Simple explanation. Gracias!

While BC in 12th might be common with bright/gifted kids, it’s still accelerated.

From the National Association for Gifted Children:
https://nagc.org/page/glossary
Acceleration
A strategy of progressing through education at rates faster or ages younger than the norm. This can occur through grade skipping or subject acceleration (e.g., a fifth-grade student taking sixth-grade math).

In "equity math", even Algebra 1 by 8th grade is considered acceleration, which fcps strongly rejects.

Extreme left doesn't want summer math enrollment, but FCPS encourages summer math advancement.

https://www.fcps.edu/careers/career-opportunities/summer/algebra-power-up

Calculus BC by 12th grade is not acceleration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Normal pace is AP Calculus BC in 12th grade. Accelerated is AP calculus BC in 10th grade.

Simple explanation. Gracias!

While BC in 12th might be common with bright/gifted kids, it’s still accelerated.

From the National Association for Gifted Children:
https://nagc.org/page/glossary
Acceleration
A strategy of progressing through education at rates faster or ages younger than the norm. This can occur through grade skipping or subject acceleration (e.g., a fifth-grade student taking sixth-grade math).

In "equity math", even Algebra 1 by 8th grade is considered acceleration, which fcps strongly rejects.

Extreme left doesn't want summer math enrollment, but FCPS encourages summer math advancement.

https://www.fcps.edu/careers/career-opportunities/summer/algebra-power-up

Calculus BC by 12th grade is not acceleration.

Most of the country sees Algebra 1 in 8th grade as accelerated. At least 1/3 of the MS in the country do not offer Algebra 1 in 8th grade. The other 2/3 restrict who can take Algebra in 8th grade. Even in FCPS, where Algebra by 8th grade is being actively promoted, 1/3 of the kids don't take Algebra 1 in 8th grade and about 25% of the FCPS studetns take Calculus. The majority of the students who take Algebra in MS will take an alternative math path that does not include Calculus.

It is good to have Calculus as an option for students who are interested in it, but it is not the math path the majority of students in FCPS will take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Back in the 1950s, high schools taught calculus like any other math topic. No one saw it as accelerated —just part of a solid education. But by the 1990s, U.S. education started getting softer. Now, it's Asian American students leading the charge to remind the country that preparing youth for today’s STEM demands means bringing back general education standards, like learning calculus in high school, just as before. It’s time to ditch the identity-based entitlement mindset and return to the American way of learning math through practice and hard work.

Myth. Calculus was not common in 12th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the dumbest tangent I've seen on dcum in quite awhile. Of course Calc in 12th is "accelerated." But it's also only mildly accelerated and normal for college bound kids, just like any other AP class.

But from the FCPS grid: It's absurd to call Calc in 11th grade "Hyperaccelerated." Accelerating by 2 years is pretty normal for moderately gifted children. It's solidly accelerated, but there's nothing "hyper" about it. The kids taking Calc in 8th or 9th grade are "hyperaccelerated." 11th grade calc is the standard "top track" at most US schools.

Says the person who doesn't know she lives in a top-5 wealthiest county in USA.

But wouldn't be caught dead living anywhere poorer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Normal pace is AP Calculus BC in 12th grade. Accelerated is AP calculus BC in 10th grade.

Simple explanation. Gracias!

While BC in 12th might be common with bright/gifted kids, it’s still accelerated.

From the National Association for Gifted Children:
https://nagc.org/page/glossary
Acceleration
A strategy of progressing through education at rates faster or ages younger than the norm. This can occur through grade skipping or subject acceleration (e.g., a fifth-grade student taking sixth-grade math).

In "equity math", even Algebra 1 by 8th grade is considered acceleration, which fcps strongly rejects.

Extreme left doesn't want summer math enrollment, but FCPS encourages summer math advancement.

https://www.fcps.edu/careers/career-opportunities/summer/algebra-power-up

Calculus BC by 12th grade is not acceleration.

Most of the country sees Algebra 1 in 8th grade as accelerated. At least 1/3 of the MS in the country do not offer Algebra 1 in 8th grade. The other 2/3 restrict who can take Algebra in 8th grade. Even in FCPS, where Algebra by 8th grade is being actively promoted, 1/3 of the kids don't take Algebra 1 in 8th grade and about 25% of the FCPS studetns take Calculus. The majority of the students who take Algebra in MS will take an alternative math path that does not include Calculus.

It is good to have Calculus as an option for students who are interested in it, but it is not the math path the majority of students in FCPS will take.

FRM & URM students should enroll in FCPS recommended normal progression of Calculus BC in 12 Grade. Why call a normal progression as accelerated? is it discourage the FRM & URMs?

[Anonymous]

ITT: "Calculus is basic high school material. Anyone with half a brain should take calculus in 11th grade. Also it's DEI that my kid who took calculus in 11th grade didn't get into Harvard."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Back in the 1950s, high schools taught calculus like any other math topic. No one saw it as accelerated —just part of a solid education. But by the 1990s, U.S. education started getting softer. Now, it's Asian American students leading the charge to remind the country that preparing youth for today’s STEM demands means bringing back general education standards, like learning calculus in high school, just as before. It’s time to ditch the identity-based entitlement mindset and return to the American way of learning math through practice and hard work.

Myth. Calculus was not common in 12th grade.

It’s never been common, even for college bound students. Some smaller districts don’t offer Calc at all. Some kids who know they’re going into a non-STEM field in college and aren’t strong math students don’t take it. And critically - the SAT and ACT don’t have calculus questions in math. They stop at a pre-calc/trigonometry level. Thats because the testing companies know that not every HS is going to get to Calculus, but that shouldn’t stop students from taking and doing well on the standardized tests.

[Anonymous]

Few high school students are done after Algebra-2, but many others go for three more years past that level and finish off with calculus in junior or senior year. That's all normal math, not accelerated.

[Anonymous]

Roughly a third take algebra 1 in 8th or below. So it is slightly accelerated. That's the track that sets you up for calculus senior year

[Anonymous]

Normal pace is geometry by 8th grade, and slightly accelerated is Algebra-2 by 8th grade?

[Anonymous]

Wait until some people realize that FCPS is piloting a program next year to offer Algebra in elementary schools! I wish my son had that option. He took geometry between 7th/8th instead.

The school board decided to stop using Iowa Algebra Aptitude Tests to determine which 7th graders are eligible for Honors Algebra I in 7th so that even more students would be taking Algebra I even earlier.

[Anonymous]

"Fairfax County Public Schools has made available to all students the opportunity to take Algebra 1 in the 8th
grade"

In practice, Agebra 1 in 7th, but officially it is Algebra1 in 8th.

https://herndonms.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/inline-files/1617mathsequence.pdf