When does advanced math start in AAP? CURRENT PARENTS ONLY

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

Tiger parents? That implies others are Mule parents? LOL!

FCPS wants parents to be involved in raising high achieving kids, and provides tutor list for those who want academic enrichment just like sports enrichment. They even give good old parenting a fancy name: Family Academy!

https://www.fcps.edu/family-academy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

Tiger parents? That implies others are Mule parents? LOL!

FCPS wants parents to be involved in raising high achieving kids, and provides tutor list for those who want academic enrichment just like sports enrichment. They even give good old parenting a fancy name: Family Academy!

https://www.fcps.edu/family-academy

So FCPS provides a list of tutors that families can hire to provide the instruction that their students no longer receive at school? Education for those who can pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

Tiger parents? That implies others are Mule parents? LOL!

FCPS wants parents to be involved in raising high achieving kids, and provides tutor list for those who want academic enrichment just like sports enrichment. They even give good old parenting a fancy name: Family Academy!

https://www.fcps.edu/family-academy

So FCPS provides a list of tutors that families can hire to provide the instruction that their students no longer receive at school? Education for those who can pay.

yes, if parents want their kids to learn beyond what public school budget allows, they can do it on their own time and dime. Some parents choose to spend their time and money on sports, some on academics, and some on other things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

Tiger parents? That implies others are Mule parents? LOL!

FCPS wants parents to be involved in raising high achieving kids, and provides tutor list for those who want academic enrichment just like sports enrichment. They even give good old parenting a fancy name: Family Academy!

https://www.fcps.edu/family-academy

So FCPS provides a list of tutors that families can hire to provide the instruction that their students no longer receive at school? Education for those who can pay.

yes, if parents want their kids to learn beyond what public school budget allows, they can do it on their own time and dime. Some parents choose to spend their time and money on sports, some on academics, and some on other things.

It is great if families want to pursue enrichment outside of school. The point above is that public education used to provide accelerated content beginning in 3rd grade for all students but now does not; students whose families can't afford to make up that lost instruction outside of school end up worse off. That goes against FCPS's equity focus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

I remember that post, but I didn't think the teacher was an advanced teacher. I thought she was a regular level 5th grade teacher who said that her non advanced math students were performing better under E3. My Google-fu is also too poor to find the original post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

PP here and no argument. I have disliked the idea of E3 since it surfaced in 2022. Will be interesting to see in 4 years if the number of kids qualifying for Algebra 1 H goes down, stays the same, or goes up.

And before everyone cries "but ENRICHMENT!" that only is a big thing at select centers. Filter out your "TJ mania" middle schools and look at the numbers for the rest of the centers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

I remember that post, but I didn't think the teacher was an advanced teacher. I thought she was a regular level 5th grade teacher who said that her non advanced math students were performing better under E3. My Google-fu is also too poor to find the original post.

Might be right, but I though E3 was basically new local level IV classes at the pilot schools? So yes, probably her comparison was non-level IV kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

PP here and no argument. I have disliked the idea of E3 since it surfaced in 2022. Will be interesting to see in 4 years if the number of kids qualifying for Algebra 1 H goes down, stays the same, or goes up.

And before everyone cries "but ENRICHMENT!" that only is a big thing at select centers. Filter out your "TJ mania" middle schools and look at the numbers for the rest of the centers.

I assume that the goal is to suppress the number of kids taking Algebra I honors in 7th and greatly boost the number taking Algebra I, Honors or regular, in 8th by gaining some of the kids who would have taken it in 7th and a lot of kids who wouldn't have taken it until 9th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

I remember that post, but I didn't think the teacher was an advanced teacher. I thought she was a regular level 5th grade teacher who said that her non advanced math students were performing better under E3. My Google-fu is also too poor to find the original post.

Might be right, but I though E3 was basically new local level IV classes at the pilot schools? So yes, probably her comparison was non-level IV kids?

I thought E3 was rolled out to all kids, whether gen ed or advanced, at the pilot schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

PP here and no argument. I have disliked the idea of E3 since it surfaced in 2022. Will be interesting to see in 4 years if the number of kids qualifying for Algebra 1 H goes down, stays the same, or goes up.

And before everyone cries "but ENRICHMENT!" that only is a big thing at select centers. Filter out your "TJ mania" middle schools and look at the numbers for the rest of the centers.

I assume that the goal is to suppress the number of kids taking Algebra I honors in 7th and greatly boost the number taking Algebra I, Honors or regular, in 8th by gaining some of the kids who would have taken it in 7th and a lot of kids who wouldn't have taken it until 9th.

Could see that given the Algebra 1 in 8th push across the county.

But that said, wouldn't that reduce the kids who get that coveted "most rigorous" check from the schools on their college applications? That...seems unwise. Or will they determine calculus in 12th qualifies as "most rigorous?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

PP here and no argument. I have disliked the idea of E3 since it surfaced in 2022. Will be interesting to see in 4 years if the number of kids qualifying for Algebra 1 H goes down, stays the same, or goes up.

And before everyone cries "but ENRICHMENT!" that only is a big thing at select centers. Filter out your "TJ mania" middle schools and look at the numbers for the rest of the centers.

I assume that the goal is to suppress the number of kids taking Algebra I honors in 7th and greatly boost the number taking Algebra I, Honors or regular, in 8th by gaining some of the kids who would have taken it in 7th and a lot of kids who wouldn't have taken it until 9th.

Yes, agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

PP here and no argument. I have disliked the idea of E3 since it surfaced in 2022. Will be interesting to see in 4 years if the number of kids qualifying for Algebra 1 H goes down, stays the same, or goes up.

And before everyone cries "but ENRICHMENT!" that only is a big thing at select centers. Filter out your "TJ mania" middle schools and look at the numbers for the rest of the centers.

I assume that the goal is to suppress the number of kids taking Algebra I honors in 7th and greatly boost the number taking Algebra I, Honors or regular, in 8th by gaining some of the kids who would have taken it in 7th and a lot of kids who wouldn't have taken it until 9th.

Could see that given the Algebra 1 in 8th push across the county.

But that said, wouldn't that reduce the kids who get that coveted "most rigorous" check from the schools on their college applications? That...seems unwise. Or will they determine calculus in 12th qualifies as "most rigorous?"

If they keep reducing 7th grade Algebra 1, it may go away entirely as a dedicated class. (Students could still accelerate individually.) Then, calculus in 12th is "most rigorous".

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

PP here and no argument. I have disliked the idea of E3 since it surfaced in 2022. Will be interesting to see in 4 years if the number of kids qualifying for Algebra 1 H goes down, stays the same, or goes up.

And before everyone cries "but ENRICHMENT!" that only is a big thing at select centers. Filter out your "TJ mania" middle schools and look at the numbers for the rest of the centers.

I assume that the goal is to suppress the number of kids taking Algebra I honors in 7th and greatly boost the number taking Algebra I, Honors or regular, in 8th by gaining some of the kids who would have taken it in 7th and a lot of kids who wouldn't have taken it until 9th.

Could see that given the Algebra 1 in 8th push across the county.

But that said, wouldn't that reduce the kids who get that coveted "most rigorous" check from the schools on their college applications? That...seems unwise. Or will they determine calculus in 12th qualifies as "most rigorous?"

If they keep reducing 7th grade Algebra 1, it may go away entirely as a dedicated class. (Students could still accelerate individually.) Then, calculus in 12th is "most rigorous".

I can't imagine it EVER going away at the TJ mania schools. But RSM, AoPS, and Kumon will continue to thrive in those areas!