Math 678 (Prealgebra for 6th Graders) in APS

[Anonymous]

These are not mutually exclusive. My kid likes the class. Says its the first time that math has been consistently challenging and is in a classroom with kids who feel the same way. The instruction is great and kid is happy. That said, it does feel like a bunch of poorly strung together concepts. Don't care that much so long has child has the instruction, time and ability to grasp each concept and master it. It will hang together in Algebra next year, I assume.

[Anonymous]

My son is enjoying the class. The teacher was honest with me that this first year they are all just muddling through together which is not my ideal but he’s happy and doing well.

[Anonymous]

I would be concerned about a 678 class rushing through material. Or not properly covering enough material. Especially 8th grade math which in my dd’s class (common core) is mostly old algebra I material. It is almost entirely equations/inequalities/functions, geometry including Pythagorean theorem and lots of exponent laws.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:So if a kid takes 678 in 6th, when do they take calculus?

If it is still 11th, then it is just a relabeling of the old class.

Yes, that would put you in Algebra in 7th so Calculus in 11th.

Well, assuming every curriculum is developed with the idea of the best prep for calc in 11th, then on some fundamental level they really are all the same.

Out of 700 APS 7th graders that take Algebra in 7th, only 70 take Calculus in 11th...was something I was told.

The accelerated math plan is shit.

You were "told"? That's a ridiculous stat and cannot be true.

It seems reasonable to me. Not many kids get to take a post calculus class in high school. Usually only 1 or 2 multivariable class sections are offered at good high schools.

The stat presented was 70 out of 700 kids. Are you saying that it appears reasonable that only 10 percent of the kids who were on the advanced math track are capable of staying on that track? Also, some kids take classes like AP Stats in senior year after AP calculus. If Arlington County's math curriculum is so weak that only 10 percent of the advanced students can stay on track, why would they think cramming three years of math into one year is a good idea?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would be concerned about a 678 class rushing through material. Or not properly covering enough material. Especially 8th grade math which in my dd’s class (common core) is mostly old algebra I material. It is almost entirely equations/inequalities/functions, geometry including Pythagorean theorem and lots of exponent laws.

Math 678 already covered Pythagorean’ theorem and exponents. Seemed fine. Not particularly difficult for this advanced cohort. Standard APS math curriculum is pretty darn slow moving.

[Anonymous]

How well did they cover exponents in 678? Is there a syllabus for this class? Do they cover the standards for exponents all at once? Or do trachers teach 6th grade level exponents and return later in the year to cover 7th and 8th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if a kid takes 678 in 6th, when do they take calculus?

If it is still 11th, then it is just a relabeling of the old class.

Yes, that would put you in Algebra in 7th so Calculus in 11th.

Well, assuming every curriculum is developed with the idea of the best prep for calc in 11th, then on some fundamental level they really are all the same.

Out of 700 APS 7th graders that take Algebra in 7th, only 70 take Calculus in 11th...was something I was told.

The accelerated math plan is shit.

You were "told"? That's a ridiculous stat and cannot be true.

It seems reasonable to me. Not many kids get to take a post calculus class in high school. Usually only 1 or 2 multivariable class sections are offered at good high schools.

The stat presented was 70 out of 700 kids. Are you saying that it appears reasonable that only 10 percent of the kids who were on the advanced math track are capable of staying on that track? Also, some kids take classes like AP Stats in senior year after AP calculus. If Arlington County's math curriculum is so weak that only 10 percent of the advanced students can stay on track, why would they think cramming three years of math into one year is a good idea?

This. I have been disappointed with 6th and 7th grade instruction and the over-reliance on videos for instruction.

[Anonymous]

My 678 student has not been taught by instructional videos yet.

[Anonymous]

My 678 student is having trouble in the class because there are so many elementary schools that feed into the middle school so what they all learned in 5th grade in terms of 6th grade content is uneven. In my child's 5th grade class there were some math extensions, but not very deep and lots of behavior interrupting instruction that they never got through all 6th grade concepts. I wish for the old Math 7 for 6th graders back so there's more time to focus on each unit.

[Anonymous]

My DN is in math 8 in another state, and they use Go math as their curriculum. This is their syllabus. Now, in their district accelerated students can take math 7 and 8 together in 6th grade, but they only cover about half of math 8. Seems insane to cover 678 in its entirety. Math 8 alone looks challenging.

Unit 1: Real Numbers, Exponents, and Scientific Notation
Rational and Irrational Numbers, Sets of Real Numbers, Ordering Real Numbers, Integer Exponents, Scientific Notation with Positive and Negative Powers of 10, Operations with Scientific Notation

Unit 2: Proportional and Nonproportional Relationships, Linear Equations and Functions
Representing Proportional and Nonproportional Relationships, Rate of Change and Slope, Interpreting the Unit Rate as Slope, Determining Slope and y-Intercept, Graphing Linear Nonproportional Relationships, Proportional and Nonproportional Situations, Writing Linear Equations from Situations, Graphs, and a Table, Linear Relationships and Bivariate Data, Identifying, Representing, Describing, and Comparing Functions, Analyzing Graphs

Unit 3: Solving Linear Equations, Systems of Linear Equations
Equations with the Variable on Both Sides, with Rational Numbers, with the Distributive Property, with Many Solutions or No Solution, Solving Systems of Linear Equations by Graphing, Substitution, Elimination, and Multiplication, Solving Special Systems

Unit 4: Transformation, Congruence, and Similarity
Properties of Translations, Reflections, Rotations, Algebraic Representations of Transformations, Congruent Figures,
Properties of Dilations, Algebraic Representations of Dilations, Similar Figures

Unit 5: Angle Relationships in Parallel Lines and Triangles, The Pythagorean Theorem, Volume
Parallel Lines Cut by a Transversal, Angle Theorems for Triangles, Angle-Angle Similarity, The Pythagorean Theorem, Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem, Distance Between Two Points, Volume of Cylinders, Cones, Spheres

Unit 6: Scatter Plots, Two-Way Tables
Scatter Plots and Association, Trend Lines and Predictions, Two-Way Frequency Tables, Two-Way Relative Frequency Tables