What’s next to AMP 7?

[Anonymous]

So who is the vendor for AMP 7+? Is it still Illustrative Math?
What is the best way to figure out what that first half of 7th grade math is that will be skipped?

(Btw, LearnZillion is now called Imagine Learning Classroom)

[Anonymous]

AMP 6+ and 7+ both use Illustrative Math. AIM uses Curriculum 2.0.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/math/middle

Math 6/7/8 is Prealgebra. It can be done in 1, 2, or 3 years in Middle School, depending on Elementary School preparation.

AMP+ was/is a 2-year program that starts in 6th grade, doing "Math. 6/7/8" in 2 years, leading to algebra 1in 8th.
It's possible that if a student excels in AMP+ in 6th, they could persuade school to jump to Algebra 1 in 7th.

It is less advanced than AIM / Investigations into Mathematics: 1-year Math 7/8 prealgebra done in 6th grade, mainly for students who did 2-year Compacted Math 4/5/6 in 4th and 5th grade. This leads to Algebra in 7th.

It is more accelerated than taking on-level Math 6/7/8 over 3 years, leading to Algebra 1 in 9th.

(Yes, some students do Algebra 1 in 6th. Please let's not have another thread rehashing that.)

My son is a rising 6th grader. I noticed that last year there were 3 options for 6th-grade math: Math 6, AMP6+, and IM. Now, IM seems to be gone. My son is in AMP6+. It seems IM is only for children who were waitlisted for the magnet. We didn't even consider the magnet program and therefore didn't even bother applying, and so he is ineligible for IM. That said, I am not too concerned about this. I was in the magnet programs growing up in MCPS myself, and I haven't found too high a need to advance beyond Calculus 1 and 2 in high school. While you can take multivariable calculus and differential equations in a senior year (which is the track if in IM in 6th grade) or even go beyond that, it doesn't provide that significant a value in college unless you are specifically majoring in math. Even beginning college as a freshman with DiffEQ and Multivar Calculus, a student has plenty of runway to take any level required for majors.

You don’t apply to the magnet; everyone is screened and then those who qualify are placed in a lottery.

We did get the letter that they didn't select him and one factor was our lack of request, so....

Also, DS was not a student in the system for a large portion of the time they screened,

It is not a factor in the lottery for the test-in programs. The magnets that you opt into are not test-in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The secret is that kids in AIM don't need a detailed Curriculum.

Math 6,7,8 is extremely repetitive. After Compacted Math 6, when skipping Math 7, they can easily cover the small gaps to Math 8.

I would much rather have them use Illustrative Mathematics materials than 2.0. MCPS seems to just want to shut this class down. I think ultimately they will get rid of compacted and only begin accelerating with 6+ in middle school.

Then MCPS will be very behind compared to rest of the country. My kids feel compacted math is very slow for them and very bored. But it’s already the most advanced track they can get, which is just similar pace compared to rest of the country.

You are out of touch. The rest of the country is not accelerating faster than MCPS. Most kids follow the common core, which has algebra in 9th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AMP 6+ and 7+ both use Illustrative Math. AIM uses Curriculum 2.0.

Thank you - this is helpful!

For AMP 7+, are they skipping anything entirely, or just moving faster through everything/repeating less?

Is AMP 7+ called Accelerated Grade 7 on the Illustrative Math website?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The secret is that kids in AIM don't need a detailed Curriculum.

Math 6,7,8 is extremely repetitive. After Compacted Math 6, when skipping Math 7, they can easily cover the small gaps to Math 8.

I would much rather have them use Illustrative Mathematics materials than 2.0. MCPS seems to just want to shut this class down. I think ultimately they will get rid of compacted and only begin accelerating with 6+ in middle school.

Then MCPS will be very behind compared to rest of the country. My kids feel compacted math is very slow for them and very bored. But it’s already the most advanced track they can get, which is just similar pace compared to rest of the country.

You are out of touch. The rest of the country is not accelerating faster than MCPS. Most kids follow the common core, which has algebra in 9th.

You’re out of touch. Taking algebra at 9th then complain about decent colleges are so hard to get into. Any middle schoolers should be able to handle Algebra if they spend some time studying. It’s not rocket science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The secret is that kids in AIM don't need a detailed Curriculum.

Math 6,7,8 is extremely repetitive. After Compacted Math 6, when skipping Math 7, they can easily cover the small gaps to Math 8.

I would much rather have them use Illustrative Mathematics materials than 2.0. MCPS seems to just want to shut this class down. I think ultimately they will get rid of compacted and only begin accelerating with 6+ in middle school.

Then MCPS will be very behind compared to rest of the country. My kids feel compacted math is very slow for them and very bored. But it’s already the most advanced track they can get, which is just similar pace compared to rest of the country.

You are out of touch. The rest of the country is not accelerating faster than MCPS. Most kids follow the common core, which has algebra in 9th.

Compacted math is in ES. It gets faster in MS depending on the track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The secret is that kids in AIM don't need a detailed Curriculum.

Math 6,7,8 is extremely repetitive. After Compacted Math 6, when skipping Math 7, they can easily cover the small gaps to Math 8.

I would much rather have them use Illustrative Mathematics materials than 2.0. MCPS seems to just want to shut this class down. I think ultimately they will get rid of compacted and only begin accelerating with 6+ in middle school.

Then MCPS will be very behind compared to rest of the country. My kids feel compacted math is very slow for them and very bored. But it’s already the most advanced track they can get, which is just similar pace compared to rest of the country.

You are out of touch. The rest of the country is not accelerating faster than MCPS. Most kids follow the common core, which has algebra in 9th.

You’re out of touch. Taking algebra at 9th then complain about decent colleges are so hard to get into. Any middle schoolers should be able to handle Algebra if they spend some time studying. It’s not rocket science.

Algebra in 9th is fine for majors that aren't math or science related. If they are math or science related, in this area colleges expect a faster track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So pretty much all of on-grade-level 6th, 7th and 8th grade Math is preparation for Algebra. There's a fair amount of year-to-year review/repetition with increasing complexity while folding in certain new concepts. This is pretty much standard across all curricula in the country, not just MCPS, which now utilizes the Illustrative Math curriculum (a.k.a. LearnZillion) for middle school (and Algebra, whether in middle or high).

Where things differentiate is with non-standard curricula, and in MCPS and elsewhere, above-grade-level Math is accomplished via acceleration, mostly with "compacted" courses that combine more than one year's worth of standard curriculum, and rarely by grade-skipping. There's Math 4/5 and Math 5/6 in elementary, for example, getting through 3 years of curriculum in 4th and 5th grade. Discontinuities between the MCPS elementary Eureka curriculum and the middle Illustrative Math (a.k.a. LearnZillion) curriculum presented some challenges when they moved away from the proprietary Curriculum 2.0, which had spanned the entire elementary & secondary grades, but they have been working on that for a couple of years, now.

IM was created with C2.0, combining 7th and 8th grade Math into one year and leading to Algebra in 8th grade (a year ahead). AIM was an adjusted IM for advanced 6th graders who already had completed the 6th grade curriculum via acceleration in elementary once they offered the Compacted 4/5 & 5/6 -- additional content existed in AIM to be sure that the elementary compaction hadn't left anything out, so it was considered more challenging both from an age perspective and from a content perspective; it led to Algebra in 7th (two years ahead).

When MCPS moved on from C2.0 to Eureka & Illustrative Math, the only compacting acceleration that was offered by the vendors was AMP6+ and AMP7+. These combined 6th-, 7th- and 8th- grade Math curricula into two years (AMP6+ is 6th and half of 7th, while AMP7+ is half of 7th and 8th). MCPS had to do their own work to recreate Math 4/5 and Math 5/6, which were hard enough to do, but didn't have confidence that they could do the same for AIM or IM, in good part from the logistics of having teachers trained to deliver multiple versions of middle school content. As there still was demand/need for that acceleration, though, those C2.0 courses stayed on for a bit while they figured things out and trained up on the AMPs. There were inconsistencies introduced, then, with the C2.0 content neither following properly from the new curriculum's 6th-grade content nor fully preparing for the new Algebra course.

Given this and the spiral nature of the curriculum (many concepts revisited again in later grades, with increasing complexity), MCPS may be moving on from AIM & IM by utilizing AMP7+ with Algebra following in either 7th or 8th, depending on prior acceleration. (Yes, there appear to be whole classes in certain schools who get there a full year earlier by skipping a grade in elementary, but that's for another thread.) This would simplify things but leave the first half of the Math 7 curriculum uncovered, so they need to be sure that it really is material that gets repeated from/in other grades (or otherwise covered via extracurriculars) to ensure the associated concepts are absorbed before taking Algebra, passage of which is of high importance, given State of Maryland requirements.

MCPS could write all this down somewhere, but, honestly, most folks don't care about this much detail. What many do want to know is what the options for acceleration are, how and to whom those are offered, how articulation happens from grade to grade or school to school, and what, if any, curriculum supports (at home or otherwise) might be needed/advised. The downstream consequences (i.e., paths/courses available after Algebra, impact on college admissions, etc.) are also of interest -- those have been discussed in yet other threads

All MCPS needs to do is create classes specifically for those that took Compacted math in ES. This can be accomplished by offer a bridge summer class that covers the first half of 7th grade content that is taught in AMP6+, OR create IM 1(All of 7th & first half 8th) and IM2/Alg1(key topics from 2nd half of 8th and all of Alg 1)OR Accelerated AMP7++(All of 7th and 8th)

I personally like to ensure that the all kids have a strong foundation for taking Alg so don’t recommend skipping 7th.

MCPS has an advanced track. It is algebra in 7th or 6th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So pretty much all of on-grade-level 6th, 7th and 8th grade Math is preparation for Algebra. There's a fair amount of year-to-year review/repetition with increasing complexity while folding in certain new concepts. This is pretty much standard across all curricula in the country, not just MCPS, which now utilizes the Illustrative Math curriculum (a.k.a. LearnZillion) for middle school (and Algebra, whether in middle or high).

Where things differentiate is with non-standard curricula, and in MCPS and elsewhere, above-grade-level Math is accomplished via acceleration, mostly with "compacted" courses that combine more than one year's worth of standard curriculum, and rarely by grade-skipping. There's Math 4/5 and Math 5/6 in elementary, for example, getting through 3 years of curriculum in 4th and 5th grade. Discontinuities between the MCPS elementary Eureka curriculum and the middle Illustrative Math (a.k.a. LearnZillion) curriculum presented some challenges when they moved away from the proprietary Curriculum 2.0, which had spanned the entire elementary & secondary grades, but they have been working on that for a couple of years, now.

IM was created with C2.0, combining 7th and 8th grade Math into one year and leading to Algebra in 8th grade (a year ahead). AIM was an adjusted IM for advanced 6th graders who already had completed the 6th grade curriculum via acceleration in elementary once they offered the Compacted 4/5 & 5/6 -- additional content existed in AIM to be sure that the elementary compaction hadn't left anything out, so it was considered more challenging both from an age perspective and from a content perspective; it led to Algebra in 7th (two years ahead).

When MCPS moved on from C2.0 to Eureka & Illustrative Math, the only compacting acceleration that was offered by the vendors was AMP6+ and AMP7+. These combined 6th-, 7th- and 8th- grade Math curricula into two years (AMP6+ is 6th and half of 7th, while AMP7+ is half of 7th and 8th). MCPS had to do their own work to recreate Math 4/5 and Math 5/6, which were hard enough to do, but didn't have confidence that they could do the same for AIM or IM, in good part from the logistics of having teachers trained to deliver multiple versions of middle school content. As there still was demand/need for that acceleration, though, those C2.0 courses stayed on for a bit while they figured things out and trained up on the AMPs. There were inconsistencies introduced, then, with the C2.0 content neither following properly from the new curriculum's 6th-grade content nor fully preparing for the new Algebra course.

Given this and the spiral nature of the curriculum (many concepts revisited again in later grades, with increasing complexity), MCPS may be moving on from AIM & IM by utilizing AMP7+ with Algebra following in either 7th or 8th, depending on prior acceleration. (Yes, there appear to be whole classes in certain schools who get there a full year earlier by skipping a grade in elementary, but that's for another thread.) This would simplify things but leave the first half of the Math 7 curriculum uncovered, so they need to be sure that it really is material that gets repeated from/in other grades (or otherwise covered via extracurriculars) to ensure the associated concepts are absorbed before taking Algebra, passage of which is of high importance, given State of Maryland requirements.

MCPS could write all this down somewhere, but, honestly, most folks don't care about this much detail. What many do want to know is what the options for acceleration are, how and to whom those are offered, how articulation happens from grade to grade or school to school, and what, if any, curriculum supports (at home or otherwise) might be needed/advised. The downstream consequences (i.e., paths/courses available after Algebra, impact on college admissions, etc.) are also of interest -- those have been discussed in yet other threads

All MCPS needs to do is create classes specifically for those that took Compacted math in ES. This can be accomplished by offer a bridge summer class that covers the first half of 7th grade content that is taught in AMP6+, OR create IM 1(All of 7th & first half 8th) and IM2/Alg1(key topics from 2nd half of 8th and all of Alg 1)OR Accelerated AMP7++(All of 7th and 8th)

I personally like to ensure that the all kids have a strong foundation for taking Alg so don’t recommend skipping 7th.

MCPS has an advanced track. It is algebra in 7th or 6th.

Detail would be helpful, as the question posed by the poster to whom you responded was, essentially, "How will the bridge from the 6th-grade curriculum (whenever that is covered) to Algebra in one year manifest without IM/AIM (which were the old Curriculum 2.0 courses that covered 7th- & 8th-grade content)?" Of the available Illustrative Math courses, Math 7 and Math 8 would take two years, while AMP7+ leaves out instruction of the first half of the 7th-grade curriculum.

The "tracks" have already been discussed, including 6th-grade Algebra, which is a red herring to this discussion. MCPS doesn't say anything about that publicly -- where it is commonly implemented, where entire classes might be created, how/where prerequisite curriculum is covered before 6th, how/where later coursework (e.g., Algebra 2 in 8th) is provided, what criteria are used to determine placement (or offering), etc. -- other than to note course advancement as the pinnacle enrichment option. It is known to happen. This reticence, then, is a basis of information-based inequity of opportunity, engenders mistrust of the school system and causes speculation, here and elsewhere.

However, it is not really germaine to this thread or the many others that folks routinely bomb with claims of special treatment for W/Potomac-area feeders. Start a separate thread, if needed, or resurrect an old one that focuses specifically on that.

#Poe'sLaw #DCUMgonnaDCUM

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So pretty much all of on-grade-level 6th, 7th and 8th grade Math is preparation for Algebra. There's a fair amount of year-to-year review/repetition with increasing complexity while folding in certain new concepts. This is pretty much standard across all curricula in the country, not just MCPS, which now utilizes the Illustrative Math curriculum (a.k.a. LearnZillion) for middle school (and Algebra, whether in middle or high).

Where things differentiate is with non-standard curricula, and in MCPS and elsewhere, above-grade-level Math is accomplished via acceleration, mostly with "compacted" courses that combine more than one year's worth of standard curriculum, and rarely by grade-skipping. There's Math 4/5 and Math 5/6 in elementary, for example, getting through 3 years of curriculum in 4th and 5th grade. Discontinuities between the MCPS elementary Eureka curriculum and the middle Illustrative Math (a.k.a. LearnZillion) curriculum presented some challenges when they moved away from the proprietary Curriculum 2.0, which had spanned the entire elementary & secondary grades, but they have been working on that for a couple of years, now.

IM was created with C2.0, combining 7th and 8th grade Math into one year and leading to Algebra in 8th grade (a year ahead). AIM was an adjusted IM for advanced 6th graders who already had completed the 6th grade curriculum via acceleration in elementary once they offered the Compacted 4/5 & 5/6 -- additional content existed in AIM to be sure that the elementary compaction hadn't left anything out, so it was considered more challenging both from an age perspective and from a content perspective; it led to Algebra in 7th (two years ahead).

When MCPS moved on from C2.0 to Eureka & Illustrative Math, the only compacting acceleration that was offered by the vendors was AMP6+ and AMP7+. These combined 6th-, 7th- and 8th- grade Math curricula into two years (AMP6+ is 6th and half of 7th, while AMP7+ is half of 7th and 8th). MCPS had to do their own work to recreate Math 4/5 and Math 5/6, which were hard enough to do, but didn't have confidence that they could do the same for AIM or IM, in good part from the logistics of having teachers trained to deliver multiple versions of middle school content. As there still was demand/need for that acceleration, though, those C2.0 courses stayed on for a bit while they figured things out and trained up on the AMPs. There were inconsistencies introduced, then, with the C2.0 content neither following properly from the new curriculum's 6th-grade content nor fully preparing for the new Algebra course.

Given this and the spiral nature of the curriculum (many concepts revisited again in later grades, with increasing complexity), MCPS may be moving on from AIM & IM by utilizing AMP7+ with Algebra following in either 7th or 8th, depending on prior acceleration. (Yes, there appear to be whole classes in certain schools who get there a full year earlier by skipping a grade in elementary, but that's for another thread.) This would simplify things but leave the first half of the Math 7 curriculum uncovered, so they need to be sure that it really is material that gets repeated from/in other grades (or otherwise covered via extracurriculars) to ensure the associated concepts are absorbed before taking Algebra, passage of which is of high importance, given State of Maryland requirements.

MCPS could write all this down somewhere, but, honestly, most folks don't care about this much detail. What many do want to know is what the options for acceleration are, how and to whom those are offered, how articulation happens from grade to grade or school to school, and what, if any, curriculum supports (at home or otherwise) might be needed/advised. The downstream consequences (i.e., paths/courses available after Algebra, impact on college admissions, etc.) are also of interest -- those have been discussed in yet other threads

All MCPS needs to do is create classes specifically for those that took Compacted math in ES. This can be accomplished by offer a bridge summer class that covers the first half of 7th grade content that is taught in AMP6+, OR create IM 1(All of 7th & first half 8th) and IM2/Alg1(key topics from 2nd half of 8th and all of Alg 1)OR Accelerated AMP7++(All of 7th and 8th)

I personally like to ensure that the all kids have a strong foundation for taking Alg so don’t recommend skipping 7th.

MCPS has an advanced track. It is algebra in 7th or 6th.

Detail would be helpful, as the question posed by the poster to whom you responded was, essentially, "How will the bridge from the 6th-grade curriculum (whenever that is covered) to Algebra in one year manifest without IM/AIM (which were the old Curriculum 2.0 courses that covered 7th- & 8th-grade content)?" Of the available Illustrative Math courses, Math 7 and Math 8 would take two years, while AMP7+ leaves out instruction of the first half of the 7th-grade curriculum.

The "tracks" have already been discussed, including 6th-grade Algebra, which is a red herring to this discussion. MCPS doesn't say anything about that publicly -- where it is commonly implemented, where entire classes might be created, how/where prerequisite curriculum is covered before 6th, how/where later coursework (e.g., Algebra 2 in 8th) is provided, what criteria are used to determine placement (or offering), etc. -- other than to note course advancement as the pinnacle enrichment option. It is known to happen. This reticence, then, is a basis of information-based inequity of opportunity, engenders mistrust of the school system and causes speculation, here and elsewhere.

However, it is not really germaine to this thread or the many others that folks routinely bomb with claims of special treatment for W/Potomac-area feeders. Start a separate thread, if needed, or resurrect an old one that focuses specifically on that.

#Poe'sLaw #DCUMgonnaDCUM

The 6th grade Algebra is not just for W schools but you keep believing that. We are not in a W school area and never have been. My child did it in 6th. We've listed the schools many times. Our kids at our school skipped AIM and went from compacted math to Algebra. The issue becomes what happens with Algebra 2, and the kids either take it at their MS or are bused/driven to the HS. Really, it's not any big deal.

They are just changing the names to go along with the curriculum names. Its not all that big of a deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So pretty much all of on-grade-level 6th, 7th and 8th grade Math is preparation for Algebra. There's a fair amount of year-to-year review/repetition with increasing complexity while folding in certain new concepts. This is pretty much standard across all curricula in the country, not just MCPS, which now utilizes the Illustrative Math curriculum (a.k.a. LearnZillion) for middle school (and Algebra, whether in middle or high).

Where things differentiate is with non-standard curricula, and in MCPS and elsewhere, above-grade-level Math is accomplished via acceleration, mostly with "compacted" courses that combine more than one year's worth of standard curriculum, and rarely by grade-skipping. There's Math 4/5 and Math 5/6 in elementary, for example, getting through 3 years of curriculum in 4th and 5th grade. Discontinuities between the MCPS elementary Eureka curriculum and the middle Illustrative Math (a.k.a. LearnZillion) curriculum presented some challenges when they moved away from the proprietary Curriculum 2.0, which had spanned the entire elementary & secondary grades, but they have been working on that for a couple of years, now.

IM was created with C2.0, combining 7th and 8th grade Math into one year and leading to Algebra in 8th grade (a year ahead). AIM was an adjusted IM for advanced 6th graders who already had completed the 6th grade curriculum via acceleration in elementary once they offered the Compacted 4/5 & 5/6 -- additional content existed in AIM to be sure that the elementary compaction hadn't left anything out, so it was considered more challenging both from an age perspective and from a content perspective; it led to Algebra in 7th (two years ahead).

When MCPS moved on from C2.0 to Eureka & Illustrative Math, the only compacting acceleration that was offered by the vendors was AMP6+ and AMP7+. These combined 6th-, 7th- and 8th- grade Math curricula into two years (AMP6+ is 6th and half of 7th, while AMP7+ is half of 7th and 8th). MCPS had to do their own work to recreate Math 4/5 and Math 5/6, which were hard enough to do, but didn't have confidence that they could do the same for AIM or IM, in good part from the logistics of having teachers trained to deliver multiple versions of middle school content. As there still was demand/need for that acceleration, though, those C2.0 courses stayed on for a bit while they figured things out and trained up on the AMPs. There were inconsistencies introduced, then, with the C2.0 content neither following properly from the new curriculum's 6th-grade content nor fully preparing for the new Algebra course.

Given this and the spiral nature of the curriculum (many concepts revisited again in later grades, with increasing complexity), MCPS may be moving on from AIM & IM by utilizing AMP7+ with Algebra following in either 7th or 8th, depending on prior acceleration. (Yes, there appear to be whole classes in certain schools who get there a full year earlier by skipping a grade in elementary, but that's for another thread.) This would simplify things but leave the first half of the Math 7 curriculum uncovered, so they need to be sure that it really is material that gets repeated from/in other grades (or otherwise covered via extracurriculars) to ensure the associated concepts are absorbed before taking Algebra, passage of which is of high importance, given State of Maryland requirements.

MCPS could write all this down somewhere, but, honestly, most folks don't care about this much detail. What many do want to know is what the options for acceleration are, how and to whom those are offered, how articulation happens from grade to grade or school to school, and what, if any, curriculum supports (at home or otherwise) might be needed/advised. The downstream consequences (i.e., paths/courses available after Algebra, impact on college admissions, etc.) are also of interest -- those have been discussed in yet other threads

All MCPS needs to do is create classes specifically for those that took Compacted math in ES. This can be accomplished by offer a bridge summer class that covers the first half of 7th grade content that is taught in AMP6+, OR create IM 1(All of 7th & first half 8th) and IM2/Alg1(key topics from 2nd half of 8th and all of Alg 1)OR Accelerated AMP7++(All of 7th and 8th)

I personally like to ensure that the all kids have a strong foundation for taking Alg so don’t recommend skipping 7th.

MCPS has an advanced track. It is algebra in 7th or 6th.

Detail would be helpful, as the question posed by the poster to whom you responded was, essentially, "How will the bridge from the 6th-grade curriculum (whenever that is covered) to Algebra in one year manifest without IM/AIM (which were the old Curriculum 2.0 courses that covered 7th- & 8th-grade content)?" Of the available Illustrative Math courses, Math 7 and Math 8 would take two years, while AMP7+ leaves out instruction of the first half of the 7th-grade curriculum.

The "tracks" have already been discussed, including 6th-grade Algebra, which is a red herring to this discussion. MCPS doesn't say anything about that publicly -- where it is commonly implemented, where entire classes might be created, how/where prerequisite curriculum is covered before 6th, how/where later coursework (e.g., Algebra 2 in 8th) is provided, what criteria are used to determine placement (or offering), etc. -- other than to note course advancement as the pinnacle enrichment option. It is known to happen. This reticence, then, is a basis of information-based inequity of opportunity, engenders mistrust of the school system and causes speculation, here and elsewhere.

However, it is not really germaine to this thread or the many others that folks routinely bomb with claims of special treatment for W/Potomac-area feeders. Start a separate thread, if needed, or resurrect an old one that focuses specifically on that.

#Poe'sLaw #DCUMgonnaDCUM

The 6th grade Algebra is not just for W schools but you keep believing that. We are not in a W school area and never have been. My child did it in 6th. We've listed the schools many times. Our kids at our school skipped AIM and went from compacted math to Algebra. The issue becomes what happens with Algebra 2, and the kids either take it at their MS or are bused/driven to the HS. Really, it's not any big deal.

I think you misread my post. I wasn't claiming it was exclusive to Ws, but that some folks, here, routinely bomb any thread related to advanced math with that hyperbolic claim.

There's nothing wrong with your ES/MS offering it, and it's good to know the particular path (Math 5/6 straight to Algebra) that facilitated it. MCPS, however, doesn't make that information available, and the result is that only communities which are aware, from prior experience or otherwise, even get a realistic chance to ask/advocate for it. It certainly isn't right for all students, but all students should have an equal opportunity of access.

They are just changing the names to go along with the curriculum names. Its not all that big of a deal.

It's more than just a name change. AMP7+ still gets a student to Algebra next, but the half-year curricular gap it presents has the potential to be greater than the C2.0 AIM discontinuities with the Illustrative Math curriculum. Still, it's really good to know that whole groups students were able to perform well in Algebra when skipping the entire 7th & 8th curriculum (at least in class).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So pretty much all of on-grade-level 6th, 7th and 8th grade Math is preparation for Algebra. There's a fair amount of year-to-year review/repetition with increasing complexity while folding in certain new concepts. This is pretty much standard across all curricula in the country, not just MCPS, which now utilizes the Illustrative Math curriculum (a.k.a. LearnZillion) for middle school (and Algebra, whether in middle or high).

Where things differentiate is with non-standard curricula, and in MCPS and elsewhere, above-grade-level Math is accomplished via acceleration, mostly with "compacted" courses that combine more than one year's worth of standard curriculum, and rarely by grade-skipping. There's Math 4/5 and Math 5/6 in elementary, for example, getting through 3 years of curriculum in 4th and 5th grade. Discontinuities between the MCPS elementary Eureka curriculum and the middle Illustrative Math (a.k.a. LearnZillion) curriculum presented some challenges when they moved away from the proprietary Curriculum 2.0, which had spanned the entire elementary & secondary grades, but they have been working on that for a couple of years, now.

IM was created with C2.0, combining 7th and 8th grade Math into one year and leading to Algebra in 8th grade (a year ahead). AIM was an adjusted IM for advanced 6th graders who already had completed the 6th grade curriculum via acceleration in elementary once they offered the Compacted 4/5 & 5/6 -- additional content existed in AIM to be sure that the elementary compaction hadn't left anything out, so it was considered more challenging both from an age perspective and from a content perspective; it led to Algebra in 7th (two years ahead).

When MCPS moved on from C2.0 to Eureka & Illustrative Math, the only compacting acceleration that was offered by the vendors was AMP6+ and AMP7+. These combined 6th-, 7th- and 8th- grade Math curricula into two years (AMP6+ is 6th and half of 7th, while AMP7+ is half of 7th and 8th). MCPS had to do their own work to recreate Math 4/5 and Math 5/6, which were hard enough to do, but didn't have confidence that they could do the same for AIM or IM, in good part from the logistics of having teachers trained to deliver multiple versions of middle school content. As there still was demand/need for that acceleration, though, those C2.0 courses stayed on for a bit while they figured things out and trained up on the AMPs. There were inconsistencies introduced, then, with the C2.0 content neither following properly from the new curriculum's 6th-grade content nor fully preparing for the new Algebra course.

Given this and the spiral nature of the curriculum (many concepts revisited again in later grades, with increasing complexity), MCPS may be moving on from AIM & IM by utilizing AMP7+ with Algebra following in either 7th or 8th, depending on prior acceleration. (Yes, there appear to be whole classes in certain schools who get there a full year earlier by skipping a grade in elementary, but that's for another thread.) This would simplify things but leave the first half of the Math 7 curriculum uncovered, so they need to be sure that it really is material that gets repeated from/in other grades (or otherwise covered via extracurriculars) to ensure the associated concepts are absorbed before taking Algebra, passage of which is of high importance, given State of Maryland requirements.

MCPS could write all this down somewhere, but, honestly, most folks don't care about this much detail. What many do want to know is what the options for acceleration are, how and to whom those are offered, how articulation happens from grade to grade or school to school, and what, if any, curriculum supports (at home or otherwise) might be needed/advised. The downstream consequences (i.e., paths/courses available after Algebra, impact on college admissions, etc.) are also of interest -- those have been discussed in yet other threads

All MCPS needs to do is create classes specifically for those that took Compacted math in ES. This can be accomplished by offer a bridge summer class that covers the first half of 7th grade content that is taught in AMP6+, OR create IM 1(All of 7th & first half 8th) and IM2/Alg1(key topics from 2nd half of 8th and all of Alg 1)OR Accelerated AMP7++(All of 7th and 8th)

I personally like to ensure that the all kids have a strong foundation for taking Alg so don’t recommend skipping 7th.

MCPS has an advanced track. It is algebra in 7th or 6th.

Detail would be helpful, as the question posed by the poster to whom you responded was, essentially, "How will the bridge from the 6th-grade curriculum (whenever that is covered) to Algebra in one year manifest without IM/AIM (which were the old Curriculum 2.0 courses that covered 7th- & 8th-grade content)?" Of the available Illustrative Math courses, Math 7 and Math 8 would take two years, while AMP7+ leaves out instruction of the first half of the 7th-grade curriculum.

The "tracks" have already been discussed, including 6th-grade Algebra, which is a red herring to this discussion. MCPS doesn't say anything about that publicly -- where it is commonly implemented, where entire classes might be created, how/where prerequisite curriculum is covered before 6th, how/where later coursework (e.g., Algebra 2 in 8th) is provided, what criteria are used to determine placement (or offering), etc. -- other than to note course advancement as the pinnacle enrichment option. It is known to happen. This reticence, then, is a basis of information-based inequity of opportunity, engenders mistrust of the school system and causes speculation, here and elsewhere.

However, it is not really germaine to this thread or the many others that folks routinely bomb with claims of special treatment for W/Potomac-area feeders. Start a separate thread, if needed, or resurrect an old one that focuses specifically on that.

#Poe'sLaw #DCUMgonnaDCUM

The 6th grade Algebra is not just for W schools but you keep believing that. We are not in a W school area and never have been. My child did it in 6th. We've listed the schools many times. Our kids at our school skipped AIM and went from compacted math to Algebra. The issue becomes what happens with Algebra 2, and the kids either take it at their MS or are bused/driven to the HS. Really, it's not any big deal.

I think you misread my post. I wasn't claiming it was exclusive to Ws, but that some folks, here, routinely bomb any thread related to advanced math with that hyperbolic claim.

There's nothing wrong with your ES/MS offering it, and it's good to know the particular path (Math 5/6 straight to Algebra) that facilitated it. MCPS, however, doesn't make that information available, and the result is that only communities which are aware, from prior experience or otherwise, even get a realistic chance to ask/advocate for it. It certainly isn't right for all students, but all students should have an equal opportunity of access.

They are just changing the names to go along with the curriculum names. Its not all that big of a deal.

It's more than just a name change. AMP7+ still gets a student to Algebra next, but the half-year curricular gap it presents has the potential to be greater than the C2.0 AIM discontinuities with the Illustrative Math curriculum. Still, it's really good to know that whole groups students were able to perform well in Algebra when skipping the entire 7th & 8th curriculum (at least in class).

Nothing is skipped. Everything in Math 6/7/8 is covered in Algebra and Geometry.

Math 6/7/8 exists just to slowly ease kids into Algebra.

That's why precocious kids can go from 5th grade to Algebra in 6th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So pretty much all of on-grade-level 6th, 7th and 8th grade Math is preparation for Algebra. There's a fair amount of year-to-year review/repetition with increasing complexity while folding in certain new concepts. This is pretty much standard across all curricula in the country, not just MCPS, which now utilizes the Illustrative Math curriculum (a.k.a. LearnZillion) for middle school (and Algebra, whether in middle or high).

Where things differentiate is with non-standard curricula, and in MCPS and elsewhere, above-grade-level Math is accomplished via acceleration, mostly with "compacted" courses that combine more than one year's worth of standard curriculum, and rarely by grade-skipping. There's Math 4/5 and Math 5/6 in elementary, for example, getting through 3 years of curriculum in 4th and 5th grade. Discontinuities between the MCPS elementary Eureka curriculum and the middle Illustrative Math (a.k.a. LearnZillion) curriculum presented some challenges when they moved away from the proprietary Curriculum 2.0, which had spanned the entire elementary & secondary grades, but they have been working on that for a couple of years, now.

IM was created with C2.0, combining 7th and 8th grade Math into one year and leading to Algebra in 8th grade (a year ahead). AIM was an adjusted IM for advanced 6th graders who already had completed the 6th grade curriculum via acceleration in elementary once they offered the Compacted 4/5 & 5/6 -- additional content existed in AIM to be sure that the elementary compaction hadn't left anything out, so it was considered more challenging both from an age perspective and from a content perspective; it led to Algebra in 7th (two years ahead).

When MCPS moved on from C2.0 to Eureka & Illustrative Math, the only compacting acceleration that was offered by the vendors was AMP6+ and AMP7+. These combined 6th-, 7th- and 8th- grade Math curricula into two years (AMP6+ is 6th and half of 7th, while AMP7+ is half of 7th and 8th). MCPS had to do their own work to recreate Math 4/5 and Math 5/6, which were hard enough to do, but didn't have confidence that they could do the same for AIM or IM, in good part from the logistics of having teachers trained to deliver multiple versions of middle school content. As there still was demand/need for that acceleration, though, those C2.0 courses stayed on for a bit while they figured things out and trained up on the AMPs. There were inconsistencies introduced, then, with the C2.0 content neither following properly from the new curriculum's 6th-grade content nor fully preparing for the new Algebra course.

Given this and the spiral nature of the curriculum (many concepts revisited again in later grades, with increasing complexity), MCPS may be moving on from AIM & IM by utilizing AMP7+ with Algebra following in either 7th or 8th, depending on prior acceleration. (Yes, there appear to be whole classes in certain schools who get there a full year earlier by skipping a grade in elementary, but that's for another thread.) This would simplify things but leave the first half of the Math 7 curriculum uncovered, so they need to be sure that it really is material that gets repeated from/in other grades (or otherwise covered via extracurriculars) to ensure the associated concepts are absorbed before taking Algebra, passage of which is of high importance, given State of Maryland requirements.

MCPS could write all this down somewhere, but, honestly, most folks don't care about this much detail. What many do want to know is what the options for acceleration are, how and to whom those are offered, how articulation happens from grade to grade or school to school, and what, if any, curriculum supports (at home or otherwise) might be needed/advised. The downstream consequences (i.e., paths/courses available after Algebra, impact on college admissions, etc.) are also of interest -- those have been discussed in yet other threads

All MCPS needs to do is create classes specifically for those that took Compacted math in ES. This can be accomplished by offer a bridge summer class that covers the first half of 7th grade content that is taught in AMP6+, OR create IM 1(All of 7th & first half 8th) and IM2/Alg1(key topics from 2nd half of 8th and all of Alg 1)OR Accelerated AMP7++(All of 7th and 8th)

I personally like to ensure that the all kids have a strong foundation for taking Alg so don’t recommend skipping 7th.

MCPS has an advanced track. It is algebra in 7th or 6th.

Detail would be helpful, as the question posed by the poster to whom you responded was, essentially, "How will the bridge from the 6th-grade curriculum (whenever that is covered) to Algebra in one year manifest without IM/AIM (which were the old Curriculum 2.0 courses that covered 7th- & 8th-grade content)?" Of the available Illustrative Math courses, Math 7 and Math 8 would take two years, while AMP7+ leaves out instruction of the first half of the 7th-grade curriculum.

The "tracks" have already been discussed, including 6th-grade Algebra, which is a red herring to this discussion. MCPS doesn't say anything about that publicly -- where it is commonly implemented, where entire classes might be created, how/where prerequisite curriculum is covered before 6th, how/where later coursework (e.g., Algebra 2 in 8th) is provided, what criteria are used to determine placement (or offering), etc. -- other than to note course advancement as the pinnacle enrichment option. It is known to happen. This reticence, then, is a basis of information-based inequity of opportunity, engenders mistrust of the school system and causes speculation, here and elsewhere.

However, it is not really germaine to this thread or the many others that folks routinely bomb with claims of special treatment for W/Potomac-area feeders. Start a separate thread, if needed, or resurrect an old one that focuses specifically on that.

#Poe'sLaw #DCUMgonnaDCUM

The 6th grade Algebra is not just for W schools but you keep believing that. We are not in a W school area and never have been. My child did it in 6th. We've listed the schools many times. Our kids at our school skipped AIM and went from compacted math to Algebra. The issue becomes what happens with Algebra 2, and the kids either take it at their MS or are bused/driven to the HS. Really, it's not any big deal.

I think you misread my post. I wasn't claiming it was exclusive to Ws, but that some folks, here, routinely bomb any thread related to advanced math with that hyperbolic claim.

There's nothing wrong with your ES/MS offering it, and it's good to know the particular path (Math 5/6 straight to Algebra) that facilitated it. MCPS, however, doesn't make that information available, and the result is that only communities which are aware, from prior experience or otherwise, even get a realistic chance to ask/advocate for it. It certainly isn't right for all students, but all students should have an equal opportunity of access.

They are just changing the names to go along with the curriculum names. Its not all that big of a deal.

It's more than just a name change. AMP7+ still gets a student to Algebra next, but the half-year curricular gap it presents has the potential to be greater than the C2.0 AIM discontinuities with the Illustrative Math curriculum. Still, it's really good to know that whole groups students were able to perform well in Algebra when skipping the entire 7th & 8th curriculum (at least in class).

Nothing is skipped. Everything in Math 6/7/8 is covered in Algebra and Geometry.

Math 6/7/8 exists just to slowly ease kids into Algebra.

That's why precocious kids can go from 5th grade to Algebra in 6th.

I don’t really understand why prealgebra needs to be learned in 3 years. It seems painfully slow. Afterwards everything just crammed into high school math curriculum and kids lose interest in math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So pretty much all of on-grade-level 6th, 7th and 8th grade Math is preparation for Algebra. There's a fair amount of year-to-year review/repetition with increasing complexity while folding in certain new concepts. This is pretty much standard across all curricula in the country, not just MCPS, which now utilizes the Illustrative Math curriculum (a.k.a. LearnZillion) for middle school (and Algebra, whether in middle or high).

Where things differentiate is with non-standard curricula, and in MCPS and elsewhere, above-grade-level Math is accomplished via acceleration, mostly with "compacted" courses that combine more than one year's worth of standard curriculum, and rarely by grade-skipping. There's Math 4/5 and Math 5/6 in elementary, for example, getting through 3 years of curriculum in 4th and 5th grade. Discontinuities between the MCPS elementary Eureka curriculum and the middle Illustrative Math (a.k.a. LearnZillion) curriculum presented some challenges when they moved away from the proprietary Curriculum 2.0, which had spanned the entire elementary & secondary grades, but they have been working on that for a couple of years, now.

IM was created with C2.0, combining 7th and 8th grade Math into one year and leading to Algebra in 8th grade (a year ahead). AIM was an adjusted IM for advanced 6th graders who already had completed the 6th grade curriculum via acceleration in elementary once they offered the Compacted 4/5 & 5/6 -- additional content existed in AIM to be sure that the elementary compaction hadn't left anything out, so it was considered more challenging both from an age perspective and from a content perspective; it led to Algebra in 7th (two years ahead).

When MCPS moved on from C2.0 to Eureka & Illustrative Math, the only compacting acceleration that was offered by the vendors was AMP6+ and AMP7+. These combined 6th-, 7th- and 8th- grade Math curricula into two years (AMP6+ is 6th and half of 7th, while AMP7+ is half of 7th and 8th). MCPS had to do their own work to recreate Math 4/5 and Math 5/6, which were hard enough to do, but didn't have confidence that they could do the same for AIM or IM, in good part from the logistics of having teachers trained to deliver multiple versions of middle school content. As there still was demand/need for that acceleration, though, those C2.0 courses stayed on for a bit while they figured things out and trained up on the AMPs. There were inconsistencies introduced, then, with the C2.0 content neither following properly from the new curriculum's 6th-grade content nor fully preparing for the new Algebra course.

Given this and the spiral nature of the curriculum (many concepts revisited again in later grades, with increasing complexity), MCPS may be moving on from AIM & IM by utilizing AMP7+ with Algebra following in either 7th or 8th, depending on prior acceleration. (Yes, there appear to be whole classes in certain schools who get there a full year earlier by skipping a grade in elementary, but that's for another thread.) This would simplify things but leave the first half of the Math 7 curriculum uncovered, so they need to be sure that it really is material that gets repeated from/in other grades (or otherwise covered via extracurriculars) to ensure the associated concepts are absorbed before taking Algebra, passage of which is of high importance, given State of Maryland requirements.

MCPS could write all this down somewhere, but, honestly, most folks don't care about this much detail. What many do want to know is what the options for acceleration are, how and to whom those are offered, how articulation happens from grade to grade or school to school, and what, if any, curriculum supports (at home or otherwise) might be needed/advised. The downstream consequences (i.e., paths/courses available after Algebra, impact on college admissions, etc.) are also of interest -- those have been discussed in yet other threads

All MCPS needs to do is create classes specifically for those that took Compacted math in ES. This can be accomplished by offer a bridge summer class that covers the first half of 7th grade content that is taught in AMP6+, OR create IM 1(All of 7th & first half 8th) and IM2/Alg1(key topics from 2nd half of 8th and all of Alg 1)OR Accelerated AMP7++(All of 7th and 8th)

I personally like to ensure that the all kids have a strong foundation for taking Alg so don’t recommend skipping 7th.

MCPS has an advanced track. It is algebra in 7th or 6th.

Detail would be helpful, as the question posed by the poster to whom you responded was, essentially, "How will the bridge from the 6th-grade curriculum (whenever that is covered) to Algebra in one year manifest without IM/AIM (which were the old Curriculum 2.0 courses that covered 7th- & 8th-grade content)?" Of the available Illustrative Math courses, Math 7 and Math 8 would take two years, while AMP7+ leaves out instruction of the first half of the 7th-grade curriculum.

The "tracks" have already been discussed, including 6th-grade Algebra, which is a red herring to this discussion. MCPS doesn't say anything about that publicly -- where it is commonly implemented, where entire classes might be created, how/where prerequisite curriculum is covered before 6th, how/where later coursework (e.g., Algebra 2 in 8th) is provided, what criteria are used to determine placement (or offering), etc. -- other than to note course advancement as the pinnacle enrichment option. It is known to happen. This reticence, then, is a basis of information-based inequity of opportunity, engenders mistrust of the school system and causes speculation, here and elsewhere.

However, it is not really germaine to this thread or the many others that folks routinely bomb with claims of special treatment for W/Potomac-area feeders. Start a separate thread, if needed, or resurrect an old one that focuses specifically on that.

#Poe'sLaw #DCUMgonnaDCUM

The 6th grade Algebra is not just for W schools but you keep believing that. We are not in a W school area and never have been. My child did it in 6th. We've listed the schools many times. Our kids at our school skipped AIM and went from compacted math to Algebra. The issue becomes what happens with Algebra 2, and the kids either take it at their MS or are bused/driven to the HS. Really, it's not any big deal.

I think you misread my post. I wasn't claiming it was exclusive to Ws, but that some folks, here, routinely bomb any thread related to advanced math with that hyperbolic claim.

There's nothing wrong with your ES/MS offering it, and it's good to know the particular path (Math 5/6 straight to Algebra) that facilitated it. MCPS, however, doesn't make that information available, and the result is that only communities which are aware, from prior experience or otherwise, even get a realistic chance to ask/advocate for it. It certainly isn't right for all students, but all students should have an equal opportunity of access.

They are just changing the names to go along with the curriculum names. Its not all that big of a deal.

It's more than just a name change. AMP7+ still gets a student to Algebra next, but the half-year curricular gap it presents has the potential to be greater than the C2.0 AIM discontinuities with the Illustrative Math curriculum. Still, it's really good to know that whole groups students were able to perform well in Algebra when skipping the entire 7th & 8th curriculum (at least in class).

Nothing is skipped. Everything in Math 6/7/8 is covered in Algebra and Geometry.

Math 6/7/8 exists just to slowly ease kids into Algebra.

That's why precocious kids can go from 5th grade to Algebra in 6th.

Sure, and everything in K-5 gets recovered later in one way or the other, too. Kids still go through those curricula to build foundation, just as most do with 6/7/8, and it has little to do with none of these students being precocious.

Per MCPS, grade acceleration (skipping of a year or more) is limited to one-off cases here and there, only after other enrichments/standard compaction-based acceleration have been employed and proven too limited for the subject students. One wonders, how do the few schools facilitating groups of students going straight from Math 5/6 to Algebra identify all of those precocious kids as ready to do so?