Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dd was above 91 on Iowa and one point off SOL. We received a letter from the school providing a deadline to request an appeal to consider her for Algebra 1. We weren't interested in appealing. But receiving the letter was evidence that the school would consider it.

I call BS on this and if you are coming from and AAP center school and this is being offered to you there is a problem. My GE kid missed one question on the 7th grade SOL and a 90 on the IOWA. NO offer of appeal was sent.

[Anonymous]

Algebra I Honors is a high school credit course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don't think it is a good idea to take Algebra in 7. However, I'm pretty sure the reason so many parents demand it is so that their kid will get into TJ.

+1

Everything related to AAP -- including prepping Kindergarten students for the NNAT -- is based on getting kids into TJ.

One of the saddest posts I've read--and true.

True, just remember "the clock is ticking and we're keeping score."

I have some good places you could store that score for safe keeping!

[Anonymous]

My son is taking algebra I Honors in sixth grade - he aced the SOL and received a 99 percent on the Iowa test. Don't think it would have been right to hold him back and have him retake a subject that he has so obviously mastered. Is it to get into TJ? No, but it won't hurt. It is so he feels engaged at school and not wasting his own time....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd was above 91 on Iowa and one point off SOL. We received a letter from the school providing a deadline to request an appeal to consider her for Algebra 1. We weren't interested in appealing. But receiving the letter was evidence that the school would consider it.

I call BS on this and if you are coming from and AAP center school and this is being offered to you there is a problem. My GE kid missed one question on the 7th grade SOL and a 90 on the IOWA. NO offer of appeal was sent.

Not the PP, but in the past we also received a letter detailing the IAAT score and the SOL score, and if we wanted to appeal placement, how we could do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd was above 91 on Iowa and one point off SOL. We received a letter from the school providing a deadline to request an appeal to consider her for Algebra 1. We weren't interested in appealing. But receiving the letter was evidence that the school would consider it.

I call BS on this and if you are coming from and AAP center school and this is being offered to you there is a problem. My GE kid missed one question on the 7th grade SOL and a 90 on the IOWA. NO offer of appeal was sent.

Not the PP, but in the past we also received a letter detailing the IAAT score and the SOL score, and if we wanted to appeal placement, how we could do so.

Is this from regular GE schools because I received the scores but no appeal information and understood it was basically not an option. I even inquired with the vice principal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd was above 91 on Iowa and one point off SOL. We received a letter from the school providing a deadline to request an appeal to consider her for Algebra 1. We weren't interested in appealing. But receiving the letter was evidence that the school would consider it.

I call BS on this and if you are coming from and AAP center school and this is being offered to you there is a problem. My GE kid missed one question on the 7th grade SOL and a 90 on the IOWA. NO offer of appeal was sent.

Not the PP, but in the past we also received a letter detailing the IAAT score and the SOL score, and if we wanted to appeal placement, how we could do so.

Is this from regular GE schools because I received the scores but no appeal information and understood it was basically not an option. I even inquired with the vice principal.

Yes, from a regular GE school.

[Anonymous]

Sine there seems to be a multiple postings about how the poster's kid(s) took Algebra and Geometry in 7th and 8th grade and had no interest in attending TJ, I wanted to say my DC took Algebra and Geometry in middle school and he wanted to attend TJ and take advanced math and science classes.

[Anonymous]

Arlington does whatever the parent wants.

[Anonymous]

I have a child in Honors Algebra 1 at Longfellow. Longfellow's class includes more additional enrichment topics than other schools in Fairfax county, per the documentation and verbal exchanges with teachers and parents at other schools. My child is doing "okay" but I think she would be doing well if there was an option to take an Honors Algebra 1 class that matches the other middle schools. I'm considering switching my child to the Honors Algebra I class taken by 8th graders because I have heard that it's closer to what other schools offer to 7th graders. Of course, the other option is to switch my child to Math 7 Honors. I do not want to continue with the 7th grade Honors Algebra 1 class because I prefer to focus more on the Algebra topics than is currently in the Longfellow syllabus. Our child has ADHD which also affects our decision. We are not interested in TJ, so our decision really comes down to where our child can get the best foundation in Algebra--honors algebra 1 for 8th graders now or wait until next year for honors algebra 1. Our child completes the homework given by a Vienna middle school for this class without any problem, so it seems like shame for her to wait a full year to take it as an 8th grader at Longfellow.

I welcome your input, especially if your child has ADHD and you have information on their experience with this class.

[Anonymous]

Can she take a Geometry class next year that doesn't assume she knows the additional material from the "advanced" 7th grade Algebra 1? If so, then I would personally switch her to the Algebra 1 Honors for 8th graders. Did the school have any suggestions? This must happen every year?

Your post is interesting because I hear (other places) people holding up the Longfellow (Vern Williams) Algebra 1 as a model. I don't hear people talking about what happens to the kids who aren't ready for that additional material.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much for your response. I don't know yet if he would be able to take Honors Geometry next year after taking Honors Algebra I for 8th graders this year. It would be tough to hold him back at Honors Math 7 when he can do the Honors Algebra I at other middle schools. We are meeting with the school later this week and I'll ask.

Mr. Williams is indeed an excellent math teacher. Our struggle is that he doesn't use Blackboard and his homework is handwritten and doesn't include an instruction. Our child takes notes but it would be helpful to have typed questions with the problems. Plus, it is hard to know what portion of the test will be on Algebra and how much will be on contest math.

Most people I have encountered don't talk about their struggles and I don't know anyone else who's child has ADHD and is taking this course. At orientation, the principal mentioned that a handful of kids switch to another course and another handful repeat the course after taking it for the full year. I think there is a fair amount of focus on contest math which may trip up the kids in those two groups.

[Anonymous]

Sounds to me like your child should be taking math 7H. I think the standards are too low for taking algebra I and don't really reflect readiness for the high school level math class.

[Anonymous]

11:54 again. To the PP, the Vern Williams Algebra 1 at Longfellow is unique. It sounds like the PP's DS (sorry I said DD) is ready for "regular" Algebra 1 Honors, but not the high intensity version.

My child also has ADHD. Does your son have a 504 or an IEP? If so, you could ask for teacher notes as an accommodation. My child does not get that, but she does get homework agenda checks and additional time if needed. FWIW, she never needed accommodations in elementary school, but in MS, she definitely needed them. She also has another diagnosis and because of that she has an IEP and gets a special class during the day that is essentially a study skills class that helps kids stay organized.

I don't really understand how Longfellow can get away with calling this "Algebra 1 Honors" when it clearly doesn't follow the same curriculum as the rest of FCPS. Maybe "Algebra 1 with Advanced Special Topics".

[Anonymous]

11:54 again. To the PP, the Vern Williams Algebra 1 at Longfellow is unique. It sounds like the PP's DS (sorry I said DD) is ready for "regular" Algebra 1 Honors, but not the high intensity version.

My child also has ADHD. Does your son have a 504 or an IEP? If so, you could ask for teacher notes as an accommodation. My child does not get that, but she does get reduced homework, homework agenda checks, and additional time if needed. FWIW, she never needed accommodations in elementary school, but in MS, she definitely needed them. She also has another diagnosis and because of that she has an IEP and gets a special class during the day that is essentially a study skills class that helps kids stay organized.

I don't really understand how Longfellow can get away with calling this "Algebra 1 Honors" when it clearly doesn't follow the same currciculum as the rest of FCPS. Maybe "Algebra 1 with Advanced Special Topics".