Compacted math placement

[Anonymous]

They don't test kids who weren't in the 90th percentile or above on the quantitative section of InView. So I supposed a child could above on that section and lower than 80th percentile on the other sections and not identified as GT.

[Anonymous]

I don't think the GT designation plays a role.

[Anonymous]

But class performance probably does. A kid could bomb on test day but consistently demonstrating ucare qualities is one of the criterias for selection

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But class performance probably does. A kid could bomb on test day but consistently demonstrating ucare qualities is one of the criterias for selection

It sounds like they would still need a 90% on InView quantitative to be assessed.

[Anonymous]

Don't they have to get checks in everything? The assessments + UCARE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The whole thing is secret and subjective. Since it has a major impact on the child's educational trajectory through 12th grade I think this is unacceptable.

To the poster who said relax your child will be recommended if appropriate, I know of specific examples where this is not the case.

Maybe now that Starr is no longer superintendent some changes will be made.

It's not secret -- you can read all about it here: http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/stateboard/legalopinions/2010/docs/PhilipP.Opin.No.14-39.pdf (Also you can ask your child's teacher about the process. My child's teacher volunteered information about the process at the parent-teacher conference in November.)

And everything not based exclusively on test scores is subjective. Do you think it would be better to base everything exclusively on test scores?

I've read that opinion. It's not very useful because (1) assessment on the UCARE standard is based on some other rubric that is considered part of the proprietary part of the curriculum, and (2) the issue wasn't forced in that case because appellant's DC seems to be far enough from the cutoff that appellant has a tough time challenging the qualitative part of the school's methodology.

I don't think basing it on a test score is a panacea. Among other problems, we know that SES generally correlates with performance even among otherwise equally capable kids. So using an entrance exam would exacerbate the difference in placement between cohorts. But what is going on now seems like a huge end run around FERPA, sine as a parent access to DCs educational records is not useful because the county hides so much of the curriculum.


I guess this means the real problem is the Pearson deal, but I don't know if we can get out of it.

[Anonymous]

Listen, if you think your kids should be in Compacted Math, push for it. Under 2.0 there is not much opportunity to get back to a track to take Calculus in 11th grade. It is easier to decelerate later. It is dumb that an assessment in 3rd grade should be so important but it seems to be the only easy to get into Algebra in 7th. So better to cause a few waves now than miss out later. I just feel it is way too exclusive. My DS is in Compacted Math but the entire High School Cluster is in his Math class (taught at Middle School) and it is 11 kids!!! I believe many, many more children should have the opportunity.

[Anonymous]

You sure? I think its a rare kid that needs that. I graduated from MCPS in the 90s and have an engineering degree. I took AP calculus in 12th grade. I got a 5 on the AP test and skipped out of 3 semesters of math in college. Not sure what getting to calculus in 11th grade would have helped.

Of course everyone thinks their kid belongs in compacted math. The selection process looks pretty reasonable and fair to me. Pushing kids that don't belong in there ruins the whole intent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You sure? I think its a rare kid that needs that. I graduated from MCPS in the 90s and have an engineering degree. I took AP calculus in 12th grade. I got a 5 on the AP test and skipped out of 3 semesters of math in college. Not sure what getting to calculus in 11th grade would have helped.

Of course everyone thinks their kid belongs in compacted math. The selection process looks pretty reasonable and fair to me. Pushing kids that don't belong in there ruins the whole intent.

+1 What's with the obsession over having a kid take Calculus in 11th grade or even earlier?

To the other PP about the one-time assessment in 3rd grade setting your kid's math trajectory... I had a friend tell me their kid in MS was reassessed and got put in the higher math class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sure? I think its a rare kid that needs that. I graduated from MCPS in the 90s and have an engineering degree. I took AP calculus in 12th grade. I got a 5 on the AP test and skipped out of 3 semesters of math in college. Not sure what getting to calculus in 11th grade would have helped.

Of course everyone thinks their kid belongs in compacted math. The selection process looks pretty reasonable and fair to me. Pushing kids that don't belong in there ruins the whole intent.

+1 What's with the obsession over having a kid take Calculus in 11th grade or even earlier?

To the other PP about the one-time assessment in 3rd grade setting your kid's math trajectory... I had a friend tell me their kid in MS was reassessed and got put in the higher math class.

That was pre-compacted. Very rigid now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sure? I think its a rare kid that needs that. I graduated from MCPS in the 90s and have an engineering degree. I took AP calculus in 12th grade. I got a 5 on the AP test and skipped out of 3 semesters of math in college. Not sure what getting to calculus in 11th grade would have helped.

Of course everyone thinks their kid belongs in compacted math. The selection process looks pretty reasonable and fair to me. Pushing kids that don't belong in there ruins the whole intent.

+1 What's with the obsession over having a kid take Calculus in 11th grade or even earlier?

To the other PP about the one-time assessment in 3rd grade setting your kid's math trajectory... I had a friend tell me their kid in MS was reassessed and got put in the higher math class.

That was pre-compacted. Very rigid now.

This was last year.

[Anonymous]

Anyone in middle school now was not in compacted math. The first cohort is in 5th grade now (5/6) and will be in IM 2.0 next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sure? I think its a rare kid that needs that. I graduated from MCPS in the 90s and have an engineering degree. I took AP calculus in 12th grade. I got a 5 on the AP test and skipped out of 3 semesters of math in college. Not sure what getting to calculus in 11th grade would have helped.

Of course everyone thinks their kid belongs in compacted math. The selection process looks pretty reasonable and fair to me. Pushing kids that don't belong in there ruins the whole intent.

+1 What's with the obsession over having a kid take Calculus in 11th grade or even earlier?

To the other PP about the one-time assessment in 3rd grade setting your kid's math trajectory... I had a friend tell me their kid in MS was reassessed and got put in the higher math class.

That was pre-compacted. Very rigid now.

Not in my experience. My sixth-grader is in IM, and several sixth-graders moved from Math 6 to her IM class this year after the end of the first marking period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sure? I think its a rare kid that needs that. I graduated from MCPS in the 90s and have an engineering degree. I took AP calculus in 12th grade. I got a 5 on the AP test and skipped out of 3 semesters of math in college. Not sure what getting to calculus in 11th grade would have helped.

Of course everyone thinks their kid belongs in compacted math. The selection process looks pretty reasonable and fair to me. Pushing kids that don't belong in there ruins the whole intent.

+1 What's with the obsession over having a kid take Calculus in 11th grade or even earlier?

To the other PP about the one-time assessment in 3rd grade setting your kid's math trajectory... I had a friend tell me their kid in MS was reassessed and got put in the higher math class.

That was pre-compacted. Very rigid now.

Not in my experience. My sixth-grader is in IM, and several sixth-graders moved from Math 6 to her IM class this year after the end of the first marking period.

And again, since you don't seem to be able to read...if your kid is in 6th grade, this is pre Compacted Math. The first class of compacted Math is currently in 5th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sure? I think its a rare kid that needs that. I graduated from MCPS in the 90s and have an engineering degree. I took AP calculus in 12th grade. I got a 5 on the AP test and skipped out of 3 semesters of math in college. Not sure what getting to calculus in 11th grade would have helped.

Of course everyone thinks their kid belongs in compacted math. The selection process looks pretty reasonable and fair to me. Pushing kids that don't belong in there ruins the whole intent.

+1 What's with the obsession over having a kid take Calculus in 11th grade or even earlier?

To the other PP about the one-time assessment in 3rd grade setting your kid's math trajectory... I had a friend tell me their kid in MS was reassessed and got put in the higher math class.

That was pre-compacted. Very rigid now.

Not in my experience. My sixth-grader is in IM, and several sixth-graders moved from Math 6 to her IM class this year after the end of the first marking period.

And again, since you don't seem to be able to read...if your kid is in 6th grade, this is pre Compacted Math. The first class of compacted Math is currently in 5th grade.

By that metric though, you don't have any data points confirming your assertion that once you enter the system isn't flexible or accommodating of changing abilities. Is there anything to suggest the flexibility that others are citing has been done away with? There aren't any compacted middle schoolers so none of us know!