Take a look at the E3 pilot. And Tina Mazzacane works for FCPS and was a major force for VMPI. 'Practice of putting kids in inferior classes must end'.
That doesn’t mean “reduce math for all”. That was an effort to expand options. Killed by Republican propaganda.
That is not true at all.
Parents across the political and racial spectrum opposed VMPI because it was terrible policy and would have severely damaged the quality of public education in Virginia.
Agreed. VMPI did have a component that was focused on potentially expanding math options at the 11th and 12th grade levels, but it was also stated that they wanted to deemphasize calculus in HS and up until 11th grade were going to have classes where everyone taking the same classes, no acceleration/different levels. When there was an outcry about that, they tried to backpedal and say they wouldn't prohibit districts from acceleration, but it couldn't recover and got killed with the Younkin administration.
Untrue. They always included AP/IB and never said districts couldn’t accelerate kids. Someone mentioned detracking was a trend in math and (politically motivated) people falsely claimed VADOE was going to “ban” acceleration. Even if that were true, they hadn’t even come up with a proposal yet for public review.
The “public outcry” was a political machination. Maybe some gullible people joined in but at the root it was a GOP attack on education.
This is always being claimed on here, but it ignores what Loudoun implemented after close discussion with Tina Mazzacane and the VMPI group. They published a new math pathways chart, with a video titled introducing VMPI. They eliminated 6th grade algebra, and county staff said their goal was to eliminate 6th grade prealgebra, and that they believed it was important to eliminate tracking for equity reasons. Somehow Tina Mazzacane didn't respond as you are doing that there is nothing here about eliminating acceleration.
Cutting 6th grade algebra isn’t eliminating acceleration. Kids could still accelerate by 2 grade levels.
This is true, but parent has to be college educated, leaving URM parents at a disadvantage. Since evidence shows 6th graders who have taken Algebra 1 have nothing but As, why not provide that option to all.
It's quite clear now that this person is just trolling.
Anonymous wrote:Fairfax probably should have twice as many kids in 6th grade algebra.
Why? What's the point?
If the advanced students stick to 7th grade algebra, then they are all advanced together. No one has to be "more advanced" than the advanced kids for college apps.
By that logic they should all stick to 8th grade algebra.
Loudoun has its 6th graders doing well in algebra, and they could probably let in more as they added more restrictions lately. Fairfax is a larger population, so it would be fine with double the numbers.
Also, math in Loudoun elementary is not accelerated. There is no AAP or Level 4 or whatever else Fairfax is doing. The students are likely better able to accelerate in Fairfax, except for the logistics of 6th grade in elementary.
7th grade algebra is also in some schools, half the kids.
That's a "what" answer, not a "why" answer. You say that FCPS should have twice as many students taking algebra in 6th grade, but you don't say why.
DP. I don't think FCPS "should" have twice as many students taking Algebra in 6th. I think that FCPS should give the option to take 6th grade Algebra to any kids who want to do so and are likely to succeed. There are likely well over 100 kids taking Algebra I in 6th grade or even earlier through RSM/AoPS/Chinese School/Curie. It's really dumb to make them sit in a pre-algebra class in FCPS when they're taking more rigorous Algebra classes outside of FCPS.
Maybe, but it's not FCPS who is putting them in AOPS/RSM (Curie is LoCo not Fairfax). It's dumb if their parents to do that, not FCPS.
It doesn't matter why the kid is advanced and capable of handling Algebra. It's dumb for FCPS to force the kid to be sitting in a pre-algebra classroom rather than an Algebra one if the kid already knows pre-algebra.
If fcps didnt restrict, wouldnt it exacerbate the equity problem? There would be advanced learner sixth graders in Algebra 1, and remedial 6th graders doing 5th grade math. That's a math equity gap of almost 2 to 3 years. And when this remedial kid and this advanced sixth grader get to high school or TJ, can you imagine the miles apart equity scenario it presents with both sitting in the same freshman TJ class?
Take a look at the E3 pilot. And Tina Mazzacane works for FCPS and was a major force for VMPI. 'Practice of putting kids in inferior classes must end'.
That doesn’t mean “reduce math for all”. That was an effort to expand options. Killed by Republican propaganda.
That is not true at all.
Parents across the political and racial spectrum opposed VMPI because it was terrible policy and would have severely damaged the quality of public education in Virginia.
Agreed. VMPI did have a component that was focused on potentially expanding math options at the 11th and 12th grade levels, but it was also stated that they wanted to deemphasize calculus in HS and up until 11th grade were going to have classes where everyone taking the same classes, no acceleration/different levels. When there was an outcry about that, they tried to backpedal and say they wouldn't prohibit districts from acceleration, but it couldn't recover and got killed with the Younkin administration.
Untrue. They always included AP/IB and never said districts couldn’t accelerate kids. Someone mentioned detracking was a trend in math and (politically motivated) people falsely claimed VADOE was going to “ban” acceleration. Even if that were true, they hadn’t even come up with a proposal yet for public review.
The “public outcry” was a political machination. Maybe some gullible people joined in but at the root it was a GOP attack on education.
This is always being claimed on here, but it ignores what Loudoun implemented after close discussion with Tina Mazzacane and the VMPI group. They published a new math pathways chart, with a video titled introducing VMPI. They eliminated 6th grade algebra, and county staff said their goal was to eliminate 6th grade prealgebra, and that they believed it was important to eliminate tracking for equity reasons. Somehow Tina Mazzacane didn't respond as you are doing that there is nothing here about eliminating acceleration.
Cutting 6th grade algebra isn’t eliminating acceleration. Kids could still accelerate by 2 grade levels.
This is true, but parent has to be college educated, leaving URM parents at a disadvantage. Since evidence shows 6th graders who have taken Algebra 1 have nothing but As, why not provide that option to all.
It's quite clear now that this person is just trolling.
Nah, I vote for some tiger parent taking the equity angle because they think it might be persuasive to some, but since they are not very familiar with the cultural context, they just spew racist cliches. I hope they brought up the same points in their meeting with the teacher, principal, and math coordinator, must have been quite a show.
Anonymous wrote:Pushing kids to advance in math earlier and earlier is a race to nowhere. 6th grade algebra should be a very rare exception.
Everyone is thinking about their own kid. What about equity? Parents of fast learners should be a little patient and allow the class to sail together. If fast learners all move into Algebra 1 class in 6th grade, then that would leave the regular 6th grade math kids relatively behind. There is a lot of equity research that says fast learners are able to learn fast because of their affluent parents.
Anonymous wrote:
Not true. The issue in SF was around when kids could take Algebra 1, not the content of data science. And even that is not a valid comparison because VADOE never proposed eliminating Algebra 1 from middle schools. In fact, they were discussing having all kids take at least Algebra 1 content by 8th grade.
Twisting the truth is certainly a Republican tactic.
VADOE was the one twisting the truth. They acknowledged in their later sessions that there would be prealgebra content in their 8th grade materials. Which was obvious as you can't take kids deemed not ready for algebra and suddenly have them taking algebra. The reality is they were following the SF path of putting algebra in 9th grade and hiding it behind blended classes called Math 8.9.10
Anonymous wrote:We need more equitable breeding. Anyone who can’t score a 500 on the math SAT (i.e. half the country) should have voluntary, free access to embryo selection for cognitive ability.
Anonymous wrote:Pushing kids to advance in math earlier and earlier is a race to nowhere. 6th grade algebra should be a very rare exception.
Everyone is thinking about their own kid. What about equity? Parents of fast learners should be a little patient and allow the class to sail together. If fast learners all move into Algebra 1 class in 6th grade, then that would leave the regular 6th grade math kids relatively behind. There is a lot of equity research that says fast learners are able to learn fast because of their affluent parents.
Take a look at the E3 pilot. And Tina Mazzacane works for FCPS and was a major force for VMPI. 'Practice of putting kids in inferior classes must end'.
That doesn’t mean “reduce math for all”. That was an effort to expand options. Killed by Republican propaganda.
That is not true at all.
Parents across the political and racial spectrum opposed VMPI because it was terrible policy and would have severely damaged the quality of public education in Virginia.
Agreed. VMPI did have a component that was focused on potentially expanding math options at the 11th and 12th grade levels, but it was also stated that they wanted to deemphasize calculus in HS and up until 11th grade were going to have classes where everyone taking the same classes, no acceleration/different levels. When there was an outcry about that, they tried to backpedal and say they wouldn't prohibit districts from acceleration, but it couldn't recover and got killed with the Younkin administration.
Untrue. They always included AP/IB and never said districts couldn’t accelerate kids. Someone mentioned detracking was a trend in math and (politically motivated) people falsely claimed VADOE was going to “ban” acceleration. Even if that were true, they hadn’t even come up with a proposal yet for public review.
The “public outcry” was a political machination. Maybe some gullible people joined in but at the root it was a GOP attack on education.
This is always being claimed on here, but it ignores what Loudoun implemented after close discussion with Tina Mazzacane and the VMPI group. They published a new math pathways chart, with a video titled introducing VMPI. They eliminated 6th grade algebra, and county staff said their goal was to eliminate 6th grade prealgebra, and that they believed it was important to eliminate tracking for equity reasons. Somehow Tina Mazzacane didn't respond as you are doing that there is nothing here about eliminating acceleration.
Cutting 6th grade algebra isn’t eliminating acceleration. Kids could still accelerate by 2 grade levels.
This is true, but parent has to be college educated, leaving URM parents at a disadvantage. Since evidence shows 6th graders who have taken Algebra 1 have nothing but As, why not provide that option to all.
The kids getting Bs in 7th grade algebra or Ds in 8th grade algebra, you think would get As if they took in 6th grade?
Anonymous wrote:What FCPS needs is a policy similar to what texas has implemented to encourage students to take on advanced math in middle school. The texas state law now requires school districts and charter schools to automatically enroll fifth graders who score in the top 40% on the state standardized math test in advanced math in sixth grade. Families can opt their children out of the advanced class if they choose.
"research has found that students who take four years of math in high school are twice as likely to get a postsecondary credential, such as a certificate, an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. Students whose fourth year of math is a college-aligned course are six times as likely to get a postsecondary credential."
Opt out has always seemed like a better a system because you can opt out at the beginning or later on but you can't really opt in later if you didn't know about the option early on.
Take a look at the E3 pilot. And Tina Mazzacane works for FCPS and was a major force for VMPI. 'Practice of putting kids in inferior classes must end'.
That doesn’t mean “reduce math for all”. That was an effort to expand options. Killed by Republican propaganda.
That is not true at all.
Parents across the political and racial spectrum opposed VMPI because it was terrible policy and would have severely damaged the quality of public education in Virginia.
Agreed. VMPI did have a component that was focused on potentially expanding math options at the 11th and 12th grade levels, but it was also stated that they wanted to deemphasize calculus in HS and up until 11th grade were going to have classes where everyone taking the same classes, no acceleration/different levels. When there was an outcry about that, they tried to backpedal and say they wouldn't prohibit districts from acceleration, but it couldn't recover and got killed with the Younkin administration.
Untrue. They always included AP/IB and never said districts couldn’t accelerate kids. Someone mentioned detracking was a trend in math and (politically motivated) people falsely claimed VADOE was going to “ban” acceleration. Even if that were true, they hadn’t even come up with a proposal yet for public review.
The “public outcry” was a political machination. Maybe some gullible people joined in but at the root it was a GOP attack on education.
This is always being claimed on here, but it ignores what Loudoun implemented after close discussion with Tina Mazzacane and the VMPI group. They published a new math pathways chart, with a video titled introducing VMPI. They eliminated 6th grade algebra, and county staff said their goal was to eliminate 6th grade prealgebra, and that they believed it was important to eliminate tracking for equity reasons. Somehow Tina Mazzacane didn't respond as you are doing that there is nothing here about eliminating acceleration.
Cutting 6th grade algebra isn’t eliminating acceleration. Kids could still accelerate by 2 grade levels.
This is true, but parent has to be college educated, leaving URM parents at a disadvantage. Since evidence shows 6th graders who have taken Algebra 1 have nothing but As, why not provide that option to all.
It's quite clear now that this person is just trolling.
Nah, I vote for some tiger parent taking the equity angle because they think it might be persuasive to some, but since they are not very familiar with the cultural context, they just spew racist cliches. I hope they brought up the same points in their meeting with the teacher, principal, and math coordinator, must have been quite a show.
Take a look at "Grading For Equity" on VADOE Youtube channel. They explain that black kids don't have parents making their kids do their homework. That is why no grading of homework in Fairfax.
Anonymous wrote:For those asking for advanced math opportunities, FCPS already offers AAP math, and further with principal approval, 6th graders can enroll in Algebra 1 or go for summer geometry as rising 8th grader. Are you saying even more advanced math options should be provided?
Algebra in 6th grade is rare, 30 kids most years and only at a few schools. The path to Algebra in 6th is not publicly shared and is fully dependent on a test in 6th grade. People are saying that the path is too strict and needs to be made public.
DS had a 145 on the Q section of the CoGAT, has SOL scores that have never been lower then 550 in math, to include a perfect score, and iReady percentiles in the 99th percentile every time he has taken the iReady. No one discussed Algebra in 6th grade with us. He hit every bench mark for Algebra in 6th grade but our school is not one of the ones that actively looks for kids that fit the profile and we did not know that the path existed.
A ver small number students take Algebra 1 in 6th, definitely less than 1%. You can’t really ask the district to make programs and pour resources into something that so few students would benefit from.
In your case, you probably accelerated your kid with at home and outside enrichment, seems to me it’s more of your responsibility to figure out a path for advanced math placement, instead of complaining he wasn’t placed in 6th in Algebra. There are so many options available, just be nice and understanding when dealing with the school administrators, they most likely will work something out for your kid. Making demands and asking district wide policies and programs is definitely not the way to go.
Where did I complain about it in my post? We did not say anything to the school or complain to the administration. I was unaware that there was a path for Algebra in 6th grade until I read about it here in 5th grade because the county does not make that information public knowledge. The point is that there was at least one kid who met all of the criteria that is suppose to exist who was not offered the opportunity to accelerate at school because the school does not offer that opportunity. And he is not likely the only one that is not given the chance.
We did not prep for the NNAT or the CoGAT and we did not attend math enrichment until the COVID year, so 4th grade for my son. His NNAT and CoGAT scores were his ability, his iReady percentiles were in the 99th percentile in 1-4th grade, before we started RSM. We started RSM because he was bored with math at school, it is what we saw during online learning that prompted our choice to offer it to him.
His K Teacher commented on his math ability and had him working on first grade material in K. Every Teacher he had commented on his math ability and told us that there was no way he wouldn’t end up in Advanced Math. Had he been at one of the handful os schools that look for the benchmarks, there would have been a discussion to advance him or not. Now he is a 6th grader and he scored an 18 on the AMC8, participates in a ton of other math competitions, and studies math outside of school and RSM for fun.
If the County has a policy, and they do, then it should be applied uniformly, and it isn’t. And there is nothing wrong with pointing that out.
Can you link to the policy the district didn’t follow?
Not accessible to URM parents. Only the privileged know how to get their 6th graders in Algebra 1. Must be publicly available so you dont have to come here and ask.
Ok, so you’re just making things up. You said the district has a policy and they’re not applying it uniformly, now you can’t find it because you’re URM. It’s not a policy, it’s left to the school and they can implement it if there are resources, a sufficient number of student to form a class etc.
What specifically are you complaining about?
They are not forming a class of Algebra 1 students in 6th grade. The kids either go to the MS to take the class or they take it online. The kids in 6th grade are dispersed around the County.
Did you ask that they test your student and place him in Algebra? You seem to be upset that they didn’t read your mind and foresee that you might be upset in the future that some kids take Algebra earlier than yours. We’re talking about 30 kids district wide out of 14000 that do Algebra in 6th, it’s usually parents advocating for their kids because it’s so rare, likely the schools won’t know what to do with them.
The point is that smart kids of uninvolved or incompetent parents ("unprivileged" or "URM" because that poster is extremely racist about the ability of URM people to care for their kids) can't get themselves into the advanced classes.
Out of the 30 kids capable of taking algebra in 6th, how many have uninvolved or incompetent parents? Likely you’re the only person having this issue. If indeed your student got 18 on AMC8 in 6th grade, the regular algebra class would not be very useful to him. That’s a score indicative of algebra mastery to say the least.
I can't make heads or taiks out of the confused mix of ideas in that paragraph. You seem to have missed that students not invited to Algebra in 6th are not among the 30 enrolled in Algebra in 6th.
But the AMC 8 is an (enriched) prealgebra test. Mastery of Algebra, including quadratics, is domain of the AMC 10.
6th graders in Algebra 1 class are exactly the sort of people who score about 18. (I know several of them!).
And anyway, if as you say, these students have already mastered algebra, why would you think they should be in pre-algebra class instead?!
The district is not keeping any kids out of Algebra 1 in 6th grade. There no district policy that says a student should be placed in Algebra 1 if they pass certain criteria. It’s left to the latitude of the principal, because they need to figure out if they have the critical mass of students, qualified teachers etc.
You are complaining that there’s no default policy of placing 6th graders in Algebra! How do you not see the insanity of this approach, that’s appropriate for less than 1% of the students.
For such kids it always was about parents working with the school to find an acceptable solution for the math placement of the students, because there’s too few of them.
You could be bothered to do some research on it or talk to the principal, but somehow you think it’s unfair.
If your kid is indeed that advanced, work with the school to figure out a way to accelerate to their appropriate level through summer classes, doubling up, taking additional math as elective etc. in the vast majority of cases there’s a huge disconnect between how bright parents think the kids are and reality, and often schools need to say no to tiger parents inappropriately pushing their kids to advanced classes. Start by taking an independent evaluation like MAP and take the results to the administration to advocate for your kid, make a case and be persistent, friendly and gracious. Whining on DCUM about it will not help your kid’s cause.
DP. You're flat out incorrect with the bolded, and since this has already been explained in this thread, I question your basic reading comprehension.
The district actually does have a policy, and they've set forth specific criteria for Algebra I placement. It's left to the latitude of the principal, not due to any critical mass of students or qualified teachers, but rather because everything in FCPS is at the principal's discussion. They are the lord of their little kingdom. The ones who don't participate are doing so to dodge pushy parents or because they don't want to figure out the minimal logistical concerns required of them, or because they just can't be arsed to do so. Critical mass of students and qualified teachers are irrelevant, because the ES is not providing any of that. Kids who take Algebra in 6th must either do the online class or the parents must transport the kid to the middle school for 1st period, and then back to the ES for the full ES day. The principal doesn't need to do anything.
Also, while 6th grade Algebra is appropriate for less than 1% of the kids, it is appropriate for a much larger percent of the kids in AAP attending an AAP center. My large sized, mid-SES center generally has around 8 kids per grade level take Algebra in 6th. If they widened access to any kid who scored 140+ on the CogAT Q and likewise has iready scores showing readiness for Algebra, they'd likely have 15-20 kids.
Link to the district policy then.
Again, as it has been stated many times on this thread, the district policy is not publicly available. That doesn't mean that it doesn't exist internally. Teachers and administrators can access the policy. Many parents of kids who have been accelerated have been shown the policy by their principals. I personally have laid eyes on the policy, but was not given a hardcopy.
So the policy exists, but it’s hidden! That’s just baseless speculation. Just for lolz I suggest you file a FOIA to get your hands on that elusive document. How can you claim your kid passed all criteria for placement if you haven’t seen the document? What evidence you have that Algebra in 6th was appropriate for him?
I may offer an alternative explanation. You didn’t have a conversation about your students placement with the math teacher who in turn may have honestly thought your child was not ready for Algebra 1 in 6th so she didn’t recommend that route. You’re high on that tiger parent fear of missing out and blame everyone for this situation. There are many other opportunities to accelerate your kid if this is what strokes your ego. I’d just be cautious about it.
Do you have the witch's crystal ball to speculate this wildly? Why are you so against URM 6th grade kids taking Algebra 1? Why the prejudice that URM kids wouldn't be as successful with accelerated math like others?
Anonymous wrote:For those asking for advanced math opportunities, FCPS already offers AAP math, and further with principal approval, 6th graders can enroll in Algebra 1 or go for summer geometry as rising 8th grader. Are you saying even more advanced math options should be provided?
Algebra in 6th grade is rare, 30 kids most years and only at a few schools. The path to Algebra in 6th is not publicly shared and is fully dependent on a test in 6th grade. People are saying that the path is too strict and needs to be made public.
DS had a 145 on the Q section of the CoGAT, has SOL scores that have never been lower then 550 in math, to include a perfect score, and iReady percentiles in the 99th percentile every time he has taken the iReady. No one discussed Algebra in 6th grade with us. He hit every bench mark for Algebra in 6th grade but our school is not one of the ones that actively looks for kids that fit the profile and we did not know that the path existed.
A ver small number students take Algebra 1 in 6th, definitely less than 1%. You can’t really ask the district to make programs and pour resources into something that so few students would benefit from.
In your case, you probably accelerated your kid with at home and outside enrichment, seems to me it’s more of your responsibility to figure out a path for advanced math placement, instead of complaining he wasn’t placed in 6th in Algebra. There are so many options available, just be nice and understanding when dealing with the school administrators, they most likely will work something out for your kid. Making demands and asking district wide policies and programs is definitely not the way to go.
Where did I complain about it in my post? We did not say anything to the school or complain to the administration. I was unaware that there was a path for Algebra in 6th grade until I read about it here in 5th grade because the county does not make that information public knowledge. The point is that there was at least one kid who met all of the criteria that is suppose to exist who was not offered the opportunity to accelerate at school because the school does not offer that opportunity. And he is not likely the only one that is not given the chance.
We did not prep for the NNAT or the CoGAT and we did not attend math enrichment until the COVID year, so 4th grade for my son. His NNAT and CoGAT scores were his ability, his iReady percentiles were in the 99th percentile in 1-4th grade, before we started RSM. We started RSM because he was bored with math at school, it is what we saw during online learning that prompted our choice to offer it to him.
His K Teacher commented on his math ability and had him working on first grade material in K. Every Teacher he had commented on his math ability and told us that there was no way he wouldn’t end up in Advanced Math. Had he been at one of the handful os schools that look for the benchmarks, there would have been a discussion to advance him or not. Now he is a 6th grader and he scored an 18 on the AMC8, participates in a ton of other math competitions, and studies math outside of school and RSM for fun.
If the County has a policy, and they do, then it should be applied uniformly, and it isn’t. And there is nothing wrong with pointing that out.
Can you link to the policy the district didn’t follow?
Not accessible to URM parents. Only the privileged know how to get their 6th graders in Algebra 1. Must be publicly available so you dont have to come here and ask.
Ok, so you’re just making things up. You said the district has a policy and they’re not applying it uniformly, now you can’t find it because you’re URM. It’s not a policy, it’s left to the school and they can implement it if there are resources, a sufficient number of student to form a class etc.
What specifically are you complaining about?
They are not forming a class of Algebra 1 students in 6th grade. The kids either go to the MS to take the class or they take it online. The kids in 6th grade are dispersed around the County.
Did you ask that they test your student and place him in Algebra? You seem to be upset that they didn’t read your mind and foresee that you might be upset in the future that some kids take Algebra earlier than yours. We’re talking about 30 kids district wide out of 14000 that do Algebra in 6th, it’s usually parents advocating for their kids because it’s so rare, likely the schools won’t know what to do with them.
The point is that smart kids of uninvolved or incompetent parents ("unprivileged" or "URM" because that poster is extremely racist about the ability of URM people to care for their kids) can't get themselves into the advanced classes.
Out of the 30 kids capable of taking algebra in 6th, how many have uninvolved or incompetent parents? Likely you’re the only person having this issue. If indeed your student got 18 on AMC8 in 6th grade, the regular algebra class would not be very useful to him. That’s a score indicative of algebra mastery to say the least.
I can't make heads or taiks out of the confused mix of ideas in that paragraph. You seem to have missed that students not invited to Algebra in 6th are not among the 30 enrolled in Algebra in 6th.
But the AMC 8 is an (enriched) prealgebra test. Mastery of Algebra, including quadratics, is domain of the AMC 10.
6th graders in Algebra 1 class are exactly the sort of people who score about 18. (I know several of them!).
And anyway, if as you say, these students have already mastered algebra, why would you think they should be in pre-algebra class instead?!
The district is not keeping any kids out of Algebra 1 in 6th grade. There no district policy that says a student should be placed in Algebra 1 if they pass certain criteria. It’s left to the latitude of the principal, because they need to figure out if they have the critical mass of students, qualified teachers etc.
You are complaining that there’s no default policy of placing 6th graders in Algebra! How do you not see the insanity of this approach, that’s appropriate for less than 1% of the students.
For such kids it always was about parents working with the school to find an acceptable solution for the math placement of the students, because there’s too few of them.
You could be bothered to do some research on it or talk to the principal, but somehow you think it’s unfair.
If your kid is indeed that advanced, work with the school to figure out a way to accelerate to their appropriate level through summer classes, doubling up, taking additional math as elective etc. in the vast majority of cases there’s a huge disconnect between how bright parents think the kids are and reality, and often schools need to say no to tiger parents inappropriately pushing their kids to advanced classes. Start by taking an independent evaluation like MAP and take the results to the administration to advocate for your kid, make a case and be persistent, friendly and gracious. Whining on DCUM about it will not help your kid’s cause.
DP. You're flat out incorrect with the bolded, and since this has already been explained in this thread, I question your basic reading comprehension.
The district actually does have a policy, and they've set forth specific criteria for Algebra I placement. It's left to the latitude of the principal, not due to any critical mass of students or qualified teachers, but rather because everything in FCPS is at the principal's discussion. They are the lord of their little kingdom. The ones who don't participate are doing so to dodge pushy parents or because they don't want to figure out the minimal logistical concerns required of them, or because they just can't be arsed to do so. Critical mass of students and qualified teachers are irrelevant, because the ES is not providing any of that. Kids who take Algebra in 6th must either do the online class or the parents must transport the kid to the middle school for 1st period, and then back to the ES for the full ES day. The principal doesn't need to do anything.
Also, while 6th grade Algebra is appropriate for less than 1% of the kids, it is appropriate for a much larger percent of the kids in AAP attending an AAP center. My large sized, mid-SES center generally has around 8 kids per grade level take Algebra in 6th. If they widened access to any kid who scored 140+ on the CogAT Q and likewise has iready scores showing readiness for Algebra, they'd likely have 15-20 kids.
Link to the district policy then.
Again, as it has been stated many times on this thread, the district policy is not publicly available. That doesn't mean that it doesn't exist internally. Teachers and administrators can access the policy. Many parents of kids who have been accelerated have been shown the policy by their principals. I personally have laid eyes on the policy, but was not given a hardcopy.
So the policy exists, but it’s hidden! That’s just baseless speculation. Just for lolz I suggest you file a FOIA to get your hands on that elusive document. How can you claim your kid passed all criteria for placement if you haven’t seen the document? What evidence you have that Algebra in 6th was appropriate for him?
I may offer an alternative explanation. You didn’t have a conversation about your students placement with the math teacher who in turn may have honestly thought your child was not ready for Algebra 1 in 6th so she didn’t recommend that route. You’re high on that tiger parent fear of missing out and blame everyone for this situation. There are many other opportunities to accelerate your kid if this is what strokes your ego. I’d just be cautious about it.
Do you have the witch's crystal ball to speculate this wildly? Why are you so against URM 6th grade kids taking Algebra 1? Why the prejudice that URM kids wouldn't be as successful with accelerated math like others?
It's not about URM kids, him. FCPS doesn't encourage very many students at all to triple accelerate (and even fewer to accelerate even more).
Anonymous wrote:Pushing kids to advance in math earlier and earlier is a race to nowhere. 6th grade algebra should be a very rare exception.
Everyone is thinking about their own kid. What about equity? Parents of fast learners should be a little patient and allow the class to sail together. If fast learners all move into Algebra 1 class in 6th grade, then that would leave the regular 6th grade math kids relatively behind. There is a lot of equity research that says fast learners are able to learn fast because of their affluent parents.
Education research is all bunk.
This is not true. There is plenty of valid education research. Equity research is mostly BS.
For example, the theory that standardized tests mostly measure parental income is BS. We know this is BS because the test optional period forced on many schools by covid has given us a lot of information that we could not actually simulate. We now know that if you have a rich kid and a poor kid with similar test scores, they have similar college performance. If the test scores merely measured parental income then you would expect the poor kid with the good test score to outperform the rich kid with the same test score, but they don't.
I'm sure there are advantages to having well educated wealthy parents. But every kid deserves a years worth of education for every year of attending school, even the smart children of affluent parents.
Anonymous wrote:Pushing kids to advance in math earlier and earlier is a race to nowhere. 6th grade algebra should be a very rare exception.
Everyone is thinking about their own kid. What about equity? Parents of fast learners should be a little patient and allow the class to sail together. If fast learners all move into Algebra 1 class in 6th grade, then that would leave the regular 6th grade math kids relatively behind. There is a lot of equity research that says fast learners are able to learn fast because of their affluent parents.
Education research is all bunk.
This is not true. There is plenty of valid education research. Equity research is mostly BS.
For example, the theory that standardized tests mostly measure parental income is BS. We know this is BS because the test optional period forced on many schools by covid has given us a lot of information that we could not actually simulate. We now know that if you have a rich kid and a poor kid with similar test scores, they have similar college performance. If the test scores merely measured parental income then you would expect the poor kid with the good test score to outperform the rich kid with the same test score, but they don't.
I'm sure there are advantages to having well educated wealthy parents. But every kid deserves a years worth of education for every year of attending school, even the smart children of affluent parents.
Who is preventing the kids from taking advanced classes? You need to pass the bar of IAAT, SOL, and class prerequisites. The bar is high and rightfully so, because of crazy parents like yourself, motivated by ego to put their kids in a class far below their abilities and essentially screwing their kid up for the rest of their math education.
I am puzzled to where the URM, income, parental education etc come into play here. I fail to understand how the district holds those students back.
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}