What math in fifth grade leads to Algebra 1 in sixth grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CES schools are elementary magnet schools. Traditionally "gifted" kids from around the cluster but MCPS has watered it down to target kids who are statistical outliers for their home school.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/elementary/center-enriched-studies/
For WJ the CES school Chevy Chase.
The curriculum has generally emphasized more intensive reading/writing. Math is largely the same unless there may be a cohort of exceptionally accelerated kids.

At the end of 3rd grade kids are evaluated based on their test scores to see if they make it into the CES lottery. These same scores are used to determine if they should be tracked into the compacted math track which covers grades 4,5,6 math in just two years. This compacted math track puts a kid into AIM in 6th and algebra in 7th.
The curriculum as to whats covered in each grade is on the MCPS website. Since you are coming from outside, please be aware that MCPS curriculum doesn't always align with everyone else.

Not watered down. The 5th grade teacher (not MCPS) is the same person running the same curriculum for the past 30 years.

I had kids in HGC and CES and it is definitely watered down

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You would have to take AIM in 5th, which would need to be offered virtually or by busing to the middle school. Then you’d have the same issue in 8th with Algebra 2.

Not true, my non-W kid did compacted math to Algebra in 6th. Skipped AIM.

Well, that is the policy at our school.

It would be helpful if people named what schools they have experience with as this "policy" clearly varies from school to school. Being vague just invites more misinformation that this only happens at "wealthy" potomac schools.

Another thread specifically mentioned Frost as having a path for going from compact 5/6 straight to Algebra skipping AIM.
In this thread a poster mentioned Tilden as specifically not allowing 6th graders to take algebra.

We have named them over and over again and no one wants to listen. AND, it doesn't matter as you wouldn't send your kids to school there. Pay attention in threads. We don't need to keep rehashing the same thing. Taking Algebra in 6th or 7th really is not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Also OP ask yourself why you are bent on this. My kid took Algebra in 7th grade and ended up taking Calc BC in 10th and is now a math major. I know people want to brag about doing algebra on 6th but personally find this highly unnecessary. Many kids struggle out in math in HS. Rushing through foundational skills is a poor idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also OP ask yourself why you are bent on this. My kid took Algebra in 7th grade and ended up taking Calc BC in 10th and is now a math major. I know people want to brag about doing algebra on 6th but personally find this highly unnecessary. Many kids struggle out in math in HS. Rushing through foundational skills is a poor idea.

What? Did you type one of those numbers incorrectly? If not, this comment makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

My kid was in compacted math in 5th, and qualified for the magnet middle school lottery (but was not picked). Can't remember her MAP-M, but it was decent.

We asked that she be tested the summer before 6th grade, to enroll in Alg 1 in 6th. The math coordinator at Westland MS gave her a test on Alg 1 topics. Not pre-algebra. She got a couple questions wrong out of 20. He said she couldn't enroll in Alg 1. I had the distinct impression he was trying his best to avoid accelerating anyone. He did the same thing to a couple of DD's friends. It is entirely unfair to demand that students already know the content of the class they are asking to enroll in. MCPS is supposed to test for readiness, not mastery.

As it happened, our kid went to the MCPS virtual academy for 6th anyway, where they were delighted to place her in Alg 1, no questions asked. She returned to Westland for 7th grade, and was placed in Honors Geo, since that was the next class, and was bused to BCC for Alg 2 in 8th grade. Now she's in high school, on track to take an advanced math class at UMD for 12th grade if she wants. Math poses no difficulty for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was in compacted math in 5th, and qualified for the magnet middle school lottery (but was not picked). Can't remember her MAP-M, but it was decent.

We asked that she be tested the summer before 6th grade, to enroll in Alg 1 in 6th. The math coordinator at Westland MS gave her a test on Alg 1 topics. Not pre-algebra. She got a couple questions wrong out of 20. He said she couldn't enroll in Alg 1. I had the distinct impression he was trying his best to avoid accelerating anyone. He did the same thing to a couple of DD's friends. It is entirely unfair to demand that students already know the content of the class they are asking to enroll in. MCPS is supposed to test for readiness, not mastery.

As it happened, our kid went to the MCPS virtual academy for 6th anyway, where they were delighted to place her in Alg 1, no questions asked. She returned to Westland for 7th grade, and was placed in Honors Geo, since that was the next class, and was bused to BCC for Alg 2 in 8th grade. Now she's in high school, on track to take an advanced math class at UMD for 12th grade if she wants. Math poses no difficulty for her.

Just to add that DD was in compacted math at the Chevy Chase elementary school CES, prepandemic: it was not a lottery then, but the magnet middle school admissions had just switched to an in-pool selection step then a lottery draw. Don't know how much lottery status affects kids' achievements in math class, though.

I hope the Tilden math coordinator is more understanding than the rank idiot we had at Westland. My daughter has never had a math tutor, but I know some kids who were prepared for the placement test I wrote about, just to make sure there was a score high enough to be indisputable...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also OP ask yourself why you are bent on this. My kid took Algebra in 7th grade and ended up taking Calc BC in 10th and is now a math major. I know people want to brag about doing algebra on 6th but personally find this highly unnecessary. Many kids struggle out in math in HS. Rushing through foundational skills is a poor idea.

Your child rushed it if they took Caculus BC in 10th. Why is it ok for your child but not others kids?

[Anonymous]

In the magnet there are plenty of kids who took geometry in eighth, functions in 9th, in analysis intent which is eneiched calculus BC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the magnet there are plenty of kids who took geometry in eighth, functions in 9th, in analysis intent which is eneiched calculus BC.

That sound like a bad idea to skip over full years of algebra two and pre cal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the magnet there are plenty of kids who took geometry in eighth, functions in 9th, in analysis intent which is eneiched calculus BC.

Yes, plenty of kids have parents willing to pay time and/or money for outside supplementation. It's still bad MCPS structure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the magnet there are plenty of kids who took geometry in eighth, functions in 9th, in analysis intent which is eneiched calculus BC.

That sound like a bad idea to skip over full years of algebra two and pre cal.

It's not skipping, it's accelerated, and it's review / gap-filling because those students did AOPS/RSM or similar Algebra 2 / Precal in middle school.

[Anonymous]

Do not aim to push this for your child. My ds was quite advanced in math and started kindergarten at age 4. But by 7 th grade we had to “ hold him back a bit” in math as he had gotten too far ahead of his brain! Algebra for 11 year boys just isn’t always a good match

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also OP ask yourself why you are bent on this. My kid took Algebra in 7th grade and ended up taking Calc BC in 10th and is now a math major. I know people want to brag about doing algebra on 6th but personally find this highly unnecessary. Many kids struggle out in math in HS. Rushing through foundational skills is a poor idea.

How did this happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the magnet there are plenty of kids who took geometry in eighth, functions in 9th, in analysis intent which is eneiched calculus BC.

Yes, plenty of kids have parents willing to pay time and/or money for outside supplementation. It's still bad MCPS structure.

Parents supplement because school curriculum is too easy for their children. It's not a crime to help your child excel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was in compacted math in 5th, and qualified for the magnet middle school lottery (but was not picked). Can't remember her MAP-M, but it was decent.

We asked that she be tested the summer before 6th grade, to enroll in Alg 1 in 6th. The math coordinator at Westland MS gave her a test on Alg 1 topics. Not pre-algebra. She got a couple questions wrong out of 20. He said she couldn't enroll in Alg 1. I had the distinct impression he was trying his best to avoid accelerating anyone. He did the same thing to a couple of DD's friends. It is entirely unfair to demand that students already know the content of the class they are asking to enroll in. MCPS is supposed to test for readiness, not mastery.

As it happened, our kid went to the MCPS virtual academy for 6th anyway, where they were delighted to place her in Alg 1, no questions asked. She returned to Westland for 7th grade, and was placed in Honors Geo, since that was the next class, and was bused to BCC for Alg 2 in 8th grade. Now she's in high school, on track to take an advanced math class at UMD for 12th grade if she wants. Math poses no difficulty for her.

Care to explain how this works?