Algebra 2 struggle

[Anonymous]

...unless you have an accommodation for a handheld calculator, that is

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the poster above who’s blood is boiling, you are hearing what you want to hear. Teachers are saying students who cheated during the virtual year need to work harder to learn the material they didn’t learn when they used Photomath. The ones who didn’t cheat are doing fine with the intensive review we are providing.

If teachers believe that its only students who cheated who are suffering today, then that conveniently exempts them, doesn't it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the poster above who’s blood is boiling, you are hearing what you want to hear. Teachers are saying students who cheated during the virtual year need to work harder to learn the material they didn’t learn when they used Photomath. The ones who didn’t cheat are doing fine with the intensive review we are providing.

If teachers believe that its only students who cheated who are suffering today, then that conveniently exempts them, doesn't it?

Let it go. Most of us are also parents. We get how bad virtual school was and wanted our own kids in school. Most of these kids took Algebra 1 back in middle school. What do you want? Us to blame teachers at another school for not teaching? Would you rather we not teach Algebra 2 but teach Algebra 1 since they didn’t have it in person and they next year they take….what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the poster above who’s blood is boiling, you are hearing what you want to hear. Teachers are saying students who cheated during the virtual year need to work harder to learn the material they didn’t learn when they used Photomath. The ones who didn’t cheat are doing fine with the intensive review we are providing.

Correct. My grade book is bifurcated right now: a bunch of A's and B's and a bunch of D's and F's. Almost no C's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Desmos was taught, and needs to be to some extent, because that is now the only calculator you're allowed to use on the SOLs starting this year. Science included. It shouldn't be their only understanding of how to get an answer though

The whole calculator discussion is moot. No amount of calculator skills will make up for a lack of fundamentals. The more a student is dependent on calculators for computation, the worse they do, because they have no number sense and have no idea what they're putting in and what they expect the calculator output to be. They press a wrong key and everything is wrong and they have no idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the poster above who’s blood is boiling, you are hearing what you want to hear. Teachers are saying students who cheated during the virtual year need to work harder to learn the material they didn’t learn when they used Photomath. The ones who didn’t cheat are doing fine with the intensive review we are providing.

If teachers believe that its only students who cheated who are suffering today, then that conveniently exempts them, doesn't it?

Let it go. Most of us are also parents. We get how bad virtual school was and wanted our own kids in school. Most of these kids took Algebra 1 back in middle school. What do you want? Us to blame teachers at another school for not teaching? Would you rather we not teach Algebra 2 but teach Algebra 1 since they didn’t have it in person and they next year they take….what?

I would like more compassion and creativity on finding a solution to help kids catch up rather than just saying "guess they must have cheated!" "I guess you just have to work harder! I have to keep the class moving!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Desmos was taught, and needs to be to some extent, because that is now the only calculator you're allowed to use on the SOLs starting this year. Science included. It shouldn't be their only understanding of how to get an answer though

The whole calculator discussion is moot. No amount of calculator skills will make up for a lack of fundamentals. The more a student is dependent on calculators for computation, the worse they do, because they have no number sense and have no idea what they're putting in and what they expect the calculator output to be. They press a wrong key and everything is wrong and they have no idea.

I agree.

I posted earlier about putting my kid in Catholic school to fill holes from distance learning.

One other benefit was they didn't use calculators or desmos in Algebra I. Only Geometry, and that was later in the year.

Not using a calculator was HARD for my kid who usually got all As in math. But, as the year went on she started to get faster, more accurate and more intuitive with her computations and math in general. By the end of the year, she was quite confident in math. During her summer online Algebra I class, ai thought she would use the calculator. Surprisingly, she didn't touch it other than to occasionally double check some her computations.

Fcps is over reliant on technology and is missing the fundamentals.

I think it was accelerated by distance learning. I don't recall my oldest who graduated in 2019, or even my current senior being so reliant on calculators and cheats to do math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the poster above who’s blood is boiling, you are hearing what you want to hear. Teachers are saying students who cheated during the virtual year need to work harder to learn the material they didn’t learn when they used Photomath. The ones who didn’t cheat are doing fine with the intensive review we are providing.

If teachers believe that its only students who cheated who are suffering today, then that conveniently exempts them, doesn't it?

Let it go. Most of us are also parents. We get how bad virtual school was and wanted our own kids in school. Most of these kids took Algebra 1 back in middle school. What do you want? Us to blame teachers at another school for not teaching? Would you rather we not teach Algebra 2 but teach Algebra 1 since they didn’t have it in person and they next year they take….what?

I would like more compassion and creativity on finding a solution to help kids catch up rather than just saying "guess they must have cheated!" "I guess you just have to work harder! I have to keep the class moving!"

There’s no solution to catch them up. We can’t spend their year in Alg2 reviewing Alg1. That won’t help them in Trig or PreCalculus. Time to get a tutor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. My child’s Algebra 1 Honors teacher explicitly told me not to buy a graphing calculator because of Desmos.

I just bought her one this year, and she’s just learning to use it (IB math). Ridiculous, as I would have provided her with anything, had I known.

So did ours. But we bought one anyway. No one uses "desmos" in real life. They use calculators (My DH is an engineer).

I call BS. Nobody uses TI calculators in real life. Engineers and scientists use a computer to do computations, whether it's Desmos, Mathematica, Matlab, WolftramAlpha, or many others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First Alg 2 poster. Many of my students can’t do any basic computation without a calculator. I’m trying to teach them how to use a calculator along with the factoring. Some have never touched a graphing calculator before because along with Photomath, they have only used Desmos. That is another big issue. Yes, they can use Desmos on the SOL but they no longer take SOLs and they can’t use Desmos on classroom tests since they are on paper. There is no hiding behind tech anymore. That’s what parents are seeing.

Why was Desmond taught and used then if eventually they cannot use it? Why wasn’t a traditional graphing calculator taught and used during virtual learning?

I meant Desmos.

A lot of students don't have calculators so during normal times, they borrow one during class time. We only have a loaner calculator for maybe every one in four students since they're shared among multiple classes. We can't make the calculators required because that's not equitable. While it's definitely true that some students can't afford a calculator, we have plenty of students who show up with phones and airpods and the latest Nikes but won't buy a calculator.

Desmos actually has a fabulous graphing interface that's much nicer than the calculator's and we knew many were cheating anyway, so why try to equip them with expensive calculators that would not get used and would get lost or broken?

You are not dealing with this because it’s easier. It’s easier for all of the reasons you gave. Then comes Algebra 2, their Desmos crutch is gone, parents don’t understand why their kids can’t pass and start threads like OP. Teachers have Algebra 2 students who have no idea how to graph a line or plot a point because all they know is how to type into Desmos. You think it’s a fabulous graphing interface. We think it is preventing them from learning basic graphing skills that they will need if they want to take any higher level math.

If you are okay with your own kid never taking classes past AFDA, only have them use Desmos. If you want them to take Algebra 2 and beyond, fight for the change at your local schools.

WTF is AFDA? Please define before referencing stupid acronyms in multiple posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Third algebra 2 teacher, confirming everything stated above.

I usually spend 2.5 days reviewing factoring (algebra 1 spends weeks on it), give a short quiz, and then move on to the actual factoring applications that are in our curriculum. This year I’ve spent 5 days on it so far this year and kids are still struggling. So many of them didn’t get anything out of virtual (thanks, photomath) and those choices are coming back to haunt them this year.

I added extra days here because this skill is so critical to the rest of the year, but I can’t do it for every unit. Kids are going to have to get help outside class, whether from me, khan academy, or an outside tutor.

The vitrual math classesare really going to hit the class of 2026 hard on their SATs and PSAT.

Algebra is the most crucial subject for those tests.

I pulled my kid from fcps and put her in Catholoc for 8th. They had been going in person since August 2020 and had not switched to computer math. Everything was pencil to paper.in Algebra I. Best decision ever.

My kid was so behind for the entire first semester, in spite of testing in the mid 90s on the Iowa the Catholic school used for placement. It seems that she learned almost nothing from virtual pre Algebra in 2020/21 at her fcps middle school. The Catholic school kids were miles ahead of her. It took all year to catch up, but she only had a middle grade in Algebra.

She retook Algebra I online over the summer to raise the grade. Based on what she learned in Catholic school, she did very well in the condensed summer class and felt much more confident in her math knowledge and skills.

My suggestion would be to drop them down to non honors if theh are struggling, and maybe consider some sort of in person (not online) Algebra supplemental class like at Kumon, that starts from the very basic.

Fundamental algebra skills and knowledge are way too important to miss.

Distance learning sucked. We are going to reap the consequences for years down the road for most of the kids, but especially those who learned to read and write 2020-2022, those who were middle schoolers learning algebra, and the teens who are dealing with the emotional scars of those 2 wasted years.

Honestly, my blood is boiling reading all the messages from teachers saying that kids just have to work harder because they didn't learn the material. The kids did not learn the material because virtual teaching -- which teachers overwhelmingly wanted for the 20-21 school year -- was terrible for many kids.

Distance learning wasn't ideal for learning but not that bad if kids were actually motivated to learn. Worst case they could go to Khan Academy and teach themselves if they had a bad teacher, since KA is quite good. The real problem as others above have stated, is that many kids blatantly used DL to cheat their way through classes whenever they could. Now it's biting them back hard, esp. in math class. Rest assured, there are students who learned a lot during DL (sadly not a big %), because DL helped them cut through through all the other physical in person school BS, so they could learn a lot more at home on their own during 7 hours of DL. Those were likely the kids whose parents were either engaged or taught them values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Third algebra 2 teacher, confirming everything stated above.

I usually spend 2.5 days reviewing factoring (algebra 1 spends weeks on it), give a short quiz, and then move on to the actual factoring applications that are in our curriculum. This year I’ve spent 5 days on it so far this year and kids are still struggling. So many of them didn’t get anything out of virtual (thanks, photomath) and those choices are coming back to haunt them this year.

I added extra days here because this skill is so critical to the rest of the year, but I can’t do it for every unit. Kids are going to have to get help outside class, whether from me, khan academy, or an outside tutor.

First Alg 2 teacher back again. I was referring to factoring in my post. We taught it this year like it was brand new and like they had never seen it before. They should have spent a significant amount of time factoring in Algebra 1. When the test came, many students could factor a basic quadratic or take out a GCF still. Like this poster said, we can’t spend so many days reviewing Alg 1 in every chapter. They will need outside help or drop to AFDA if they can.

They seemed to introduce some new methods for factoring with common core, like XBox.

Graphing lines is being taught in prealgebra now.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for all of the input, especially from the teachers early on. He actually is getting help from someone in the family who literally used to teach this class until 2 years ago and even he said some of the questions on the last test my kid got were pretty intense and hard for him to interpret what exactly the question was asking for. I think another problem with these tests is that they have bizarre numbers of problems (17 or 14), so it doesn't take much to tank the grade. I am definitely looking into getting a tutor and he's been going to after school help sessions. I think its odd how many people are very dismissive of the the students. "Oh well, too bad, you better catch up!" Certainly there were some kids who just cheated in middle school and don't care, but there are also many kids who are suffering from the instruction during online learning, and who really WANT to do well. They're kids, that were just working with what they were given, through no fault of their own. This also happened with language. Last year, my kid went into second year language and discovered that his 8th grade teacher had taught him practically nothing, so yes, he had to learn enough to catch up. He worked very hard and was able to do it, but that certainly shouldn't have been ON HIM to make up for was never taught to him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all of the input, especially from the teachers early on. He actually is getting help from someone in the family who literally used to teach this class until 2 years ago and even he said some of the questions on the last test my kid got were pretty intense and hard for him to interpret what exactly the question was asking for. I think another problem with these tests is that they have bizarre numbers of problems (17 or 14), so it doesn't take much to tank the grade. I am definitely looking into getting a tutor and he's been going to after school help sessions. I think its odd how many people are very dismissive of the the students. "Oh well, too bad, you better catch up!" Certainly there were some kids who just cheated in middle school and don't care, but there are also many kids who are suffering from the instruction during online learning, and who really WANT to do well. They're kids, that were just working with what they were given, through no fault of their own. This also happened with language. Last year, my kid went into second year language and discovered that his 8th grade teacher had taught him practically nothing, so yes, he had to learn enough to catch up. He worked very hard and was able to do it, but that certainly shouldn't have been ON HIM to make up for was never taught to him.

OP, I really sympathize with you. My high schooler has struggled with math and my middle school kid with Spanish. They did not appear to cheat their way through the pandemic, and it's taking a while to bounce back from that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Third algebra 2 teacher, confirming everything stated above.

I usually spend 2.5 days reviewing factoring (algebra 1 spends weeks on it), give a short quiz, and then move on to the actual factoring applications that are in our curriculum. This year I’ve spent 5 days on it so far this year and kids are still struggling. So many of them didn’t get anything out of virtual (thanks, photomath) and those choices are coming back to haunt them this year.

I added extra days here because this skill is so critical to the rest of the year, but I can’t do it for every unit. Kids are going to have to get help outside class, whether from me, khan academy, or an outside tutor.

The vitrual math classesare really going to hit the class of 2026 hard on their SATs and PSAT.

Algebra is the most crucial subject for those tests.

I pulled my kid from fcps and put her in Catholoc for 8th. They had been going in person since August 2020 and had not switched to computer math. Everything was pencil to paper.in Algebra I. Best decision ever.

My kid was so behind for the entire first semester, in spite of testing in the mid 90s on the Iowa the Catholic school used for placement. It seems that she learned almost nothing from virtual pre Algebra in 2020/21 at her fcps middle school. The Catholic school kids were miles ahead of her. It took all year to catch up, but she only had a middle grade in Algebra.

She retook Algebra I online over the summer to raise the grade. Based on what she learned in Catholic school, she did very well in the condensed summer class and felt much more confident in her math knowledge and skills.

My suggestion would be to drop them down to non honors if theh are struggling, and maybe consider some sort of in person (not online) Algebra supplemental class like at Kumon, that starts from the very basic.

Fundamental algebra skills and knowledge are way too important to miss.

Distance learning sucked. We are going to reap the consequences for years down the road for most of the kids, but especially those who learned to read and write 2020-2022, those who were middle schoolers learning algebra, and the teens who are dealing with the emotional scars of those 2 wasted years.

Honestly, my blood is boiling reading all the messages from teachers saying that kids just have to work harder because they didn't learn the material. The kids did not learn the material because virtual teaching -- which teachers overwhelmingly wanted for the 20-21 school year -- was terrible for many kids.

Distance learning wasn't ideal for learning but not that bad if kids were actually motivated to learn. Worst case they could go to Khan Academy and teach themselves if they had a bad teacher, since KA is quite good. The real problem as others above have stated, is that many kids blatantly used DL to cheat their way through classes whenever they could. Now it's biting them back hard, esp. in math class. Rest assured, there are students who learned a lot during DL (sadly not a big %), because DL helped them cut through through all the other physical in person school BS, so they could learn a lot more at home on their own during 7 hours of DL. Those were likely the kids whose parents were either engaged or taught them values.

What a sanctimonious post.

Teaching your kids values has zero to do with how ineffective distance learning was for the vast majority of kids.