APS - How are Grd 7 & 8 intensified courses?

[Anonymous]

I’m not the Pp whose kid does hours of hw each night but he made district band last year and takes Chinese (we’re native speakers). He also takes all the 8th grade intensified classes offered and geography for hs credit. You guys are really sitting hairs here. There is challenge in various spheres in aps middle schools just not on the high octane Fairfax level. The new intensified classes are a step up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While we are talking about this can we talk about how apparently the addition of intensified classes is creating a problem with Thomas Jefferson high school eligibility for Immersion and Montessori students?

Eligibility requirements for TJHSST has requirements that students be in honors classes in 8th grade for science/english/social studies and math. Immersion and Montessori students are not eligible for intensified science. I am actually not sure if Montessori students can access intensified reading or math because of how their program works.

Right now Gunston is saying immersion and Montessori students will not be eligible to apply to TJ despite those programs not being made available to them. This is despite the fact that TJ's own website seems to suggest that students must be in the highest level of class available to them.

 I know folks hate choice programs here, but it is a big risk for students to withdraw from either program with no guaranteed admission into TJ and no way to re-gain entry back into the choice program.

The school is supposedly working on it but no word as of yet. They were given a grace period for applicants this year.

I will also note that in HS immersion science is ONLY available as intensified (immersion students do not have an option to take non intensified science if they want science in Spanish). As of now, this same logic isn't being applied to 8th grade science.

Anyway, it is all kind of a mess right now for immersion and montessori students interested in TJ high school.

Who at Gunston is saying that? That sounds mistaken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not the Pp whose kid does hours of hw each night but he made district band last year and takes Chinese (we’re native speakers). He also takes all the 8th grade intensified classes offered and geography for hs credit. You guys are really sitting hairs here. There is challenge in various spheres in aps middle schools just not on the high octane Fairfax level. The new intensified classes are a step up.

It's not really splitting hairs when the post is asking about intensified courses specifically.

World Geo and Chinese II have always been offered to 8th graders. It's misleading to others to portray these as intensified options. World Geo is not even an option. That's what 8th graders take for social studies.

Intensified non-math courses are new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While we are talking about this can we talk about how apparently the addition of intensified classes is creating a problem with Thomas Jefferson high school eligibility for Immersion and Montessori students?

Eligibility requirements for TJHSST has requirements that students be in honors classes in 8th grade for science/english/social studies and math. Immersion and Montessori students are not eligible for intensified science. I am actually not sure if Montessori students can access intensified reading or math because of how their program works.

Right now Gunston is saying immersion and Montessori students will not be eligible to apply to TJ despite those programs not being made available to them. This is despite the fact that TJ's own website seems to suggest that students must be in the highest level of class available to them.

 I know folks hate choice programs here, but it is a big risk for students to withdraw from either program with no guaranteed admission into TJ and no way to re-gain entry back into the choice program.

The school is supposedly working on it but no word as of yet. They were given a grace period for applicants this year.

I will also note that in HS immersion science is ONLY available as intensified (immersion students do not have an option to take non intensified science if they want science in Spanish). As of now, this same logic isn't being applied to 8th grade science.

Anyway, it is all kind of a mess right now for immersion and montessori students interested in TJ high school.

Who at Gunston is saying that? That sounds mistaken.

The follow up I've seen shared by parents is that Immersion students are eligible for TJ if they take the highest level courses available within the program. You aren't required to quit Immersion to be eligible.

Similarly, Montessori allows for self directed study so those students are also eligible, even if classes aren't denoted as intensified.

[Anonymous]

This year, what are the math options for 8th?

I’m assuming they don’t offer all of these:

Geo, intensified
Geo
Alg 1, intensified
Alg 1
Math 8, Intensified
Math 8

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This year, what are the math options for 8th?

I’m assuming they don’t offer all of these:

Geo, intensified
Geo
Alg 1, intensified
Alg 1
Math 8, Intensified
Math 8

I don't think they offer non-intensified Geometry. All of the students accelerated enough to take Geometry in 8th are expected to take intensified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This year, what are the math options for 8th?

I’m assuming they don’t offer all of these:

Geo, intensified
Geo
Alg 1, intensified
Alg 1
Math 8, Intensified
Math 8

I don't think they offer non-intensified Geometry. All of the students accelerated enough to take Geometry in 8th are expected to take intensified.

There is no Math 8 intensified. It's not Math 8. It's pre-algebra for 8th graders. For the kids who took pre-algebra in 7th, they place you in Algebra 1, Algebra 1 intensified. If you took 6/7/8 math in 6th grade, you are placed in Algebra 1 intensified and Geo intensified.

So in 8th grade it could be pre-algebra for 8th, Algebra 1, Algebra 1 intensified, or Geometry intensified.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

So there is no pre-algebra for 7th graders, intensified?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So there is no pre-algebra for 7th graders, intensified?

Not currently. It's already "intensified" somewhat because they all need to get placed into it. So it's a bit more of a rigorous class to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So there is no pre-algebra for 7th graders, intensified?

Not currently. It's already "intensified" somewhat because they all need to get placed into it. So it's a bit more of a rigorous class to begin with.

Pre-Algebra in 6th covers 6th, 7th and 8th grade standards.

Pre-Algebra in 7th covers 7th and 8th grade standards. A bit less intense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So there is no pre-algebra for 7th graders, intensified?

Not currently. It's already "intensified" somewhat because they all need to get placed into it. So it's a bit more of a rigorous class to begin with.

Pre-Algebra in 6th covers 6th, 7th and 8th grade standards.

Pre-Algebra in 7th covers 7th and 8th grade standards. A bit less intense.

Yes, but it's more intense than Math 7. The only option from Math 6 is Math 7 or pre-algebra for 7th graders at that point so all those kids who took Math 6, this is the most intense option available to them.

APS is pretty stringent about who does pre-algebra for 6th graders (which they should be). Not a lot of them doing that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While we are talking about this can we talk about how apparently the addition of intensified classes is creating a problem with Thomas Jefferson high school eligibility for Immersion and Montessori students?

Eligibility requirements for TJHSST has requirements that students be in honors classes in 8th grade for science/english/social studies and math. Immersion and Montessori students are not eligible for intensified science. I am actually not sure if Montessori students can access intensified reading or math because of how their program works.

Right now Gunston is saying immersion and Montessori students will not be eligible to apply to TJ despite those programs not being made available to them. This is despite the fact that TJ's own website seems to suggest that students must be in the highest level of class available to them.

 I know folks hate choice programs here, but it is a big risk for students to withdraw from either program with no guaranteed admission into TJ and no way to re-gain entry back into the choice program.

The school is supposedly working on it but no word as of yet. They were given a grace period for applicants this year.

I will also note that in HS immersion science is ONLY available as intensified (immersion students do not have an option to take non intensified science if they want science in Spanish). As of now, this same logic isn't being applied to 8th grade science.

Anyway, it is all kind of a mess right now for immersion and montessori students interested in TJ high school.

Who at Gunston is saying that? That sounds mistaken.

The follow up I've seen shared by parents is that Immersion students are eligible for TJ if they take the highest level courses available within the program. You aren't required to quit Immersion to be eligible.

Similarly, Montessori allows for self directed study so those students are also eligible, even if classes aren't denoted as intensified.

Yes I specifically asked the principal and said they haven't determined that yet and they need written guidance from TJ. But I think that answer makes the most sense because it be wild otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While we are talking about this can we talk about how apparently the addition of intensified classes is creating a problem with Thomas Jefferson high school eligibility for Immersion and Montessori students?

Eligibility requirements for TJHSST has requirements that students be in honors classes in 8th grade for science/english/social studies and math. Immersion and Montessori students are not eligible for intensified science. I am actually not sure if Montessori students can access intensified reading or math because of how their program works.

Right now Gunston is saying immersion and Montessori students will not be eligible to apply to TJ despite those programs not being made available to them. This is despite the fact that TJ's own website seems to suggest that students must be in the highest level of class available to them.

 I know folks hate choice programs here, but it is a big risk for students to withdraw from either program with no guaranteed admission into TJ and no way to re-gain entry back into the choice program.

The school is supposedly working on it but no word as of yet. They were given a grace period for applicants this year.

I will also note that in HS immersion science is ONLY available as intensified (immersion students do not have an option to take non intensified science if they want science in Spanish). As of now, this same logic isn't being applied to 8th grade science.

Anyway, it is all kind of a mess right now for immersion and montessori students interested in TJ high school.

Who at Gunston is saying that? That sounds mistaken.

The follow up I've seen shared by parents is that Immersion students are eligible for TJ if they take the highest level courses available within the program. You aren't required to quit Immersion to be eligible.

Similarly, Montessori allows for self directed study so those students are also eligible, even if classes aren't denoted as intensified.

Yes I specifically asked the principal and said they haven't determined that yet and they need written guidance from TJ. But I think that answer makes the most sense because it be wild otherwise.

The follow up I saw was that someone from APS gifted services DID contact TJ and confirmed that immersion & Montessori kids are eligible.