Summer program after APS 6th grade pre-algebra

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middle schools do offer regular (not intensified) algebra. Just FYI.

Not for 7th graders.

They can take the class with 8th graders. They mix 7th and 8th graders in language classes.

I don’t get the mindset that it’s better to keep pushing the kid and propping them up to be 2 years ahead in math. What is the end goal? If it’s not a good fit, make the adjustment. These kids struggling already in pre-algebra are really going to get to and tackle Calc BC at the end of all this?

I agree with you that it would make sense, but I've been told that it's not possible. The APS options are to retake prealgebra (which IMO doesn't make sense with a B+) or Intensified Algebra. APS warns you of this before you enter 6th grade prealgebra.

I asked RSOM Arlington and they don't have an algebra class at this location this summer. Maybe they would if they got enough inquiry?

Do their prealgebra class then. It will probably be harder than what they learned in school, anyways

I asked them and they said if your kid did well on pre-algebra, they probably won't get much fromthe pre-algebra prep class. i guess it would reinforce, but not necessarily prepare for alegebra

You could do the lower level algebra for reinforcement of skills as she goes through algebra I

[Anonymous]

OP here - reviving this thread to share that DD did pass the SOL with a decent score so I still don’t have a clear answer on a path forward.

I am talking with her math teacher this week to get her recommendations but if anyone has the more ideas in the meantime, I’m still all ears.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - reviving this thread to share that DD did pass the SOL with a decent score so I still don’t have a clear answer on a path forward.

I am talking with her math teacher this week to get her recommendations but if anyone has the more ideas in the meantime, I’m still all ears.

How do you know her SOL score already?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - reviving this thread to share that DD did pass the SOL with a decent score so I still don’t have a clear answer on a path forward.

I am talking with her math teacher this week to get her recommendations but if anyone has the more ideas in the meantime, I’m still all ears.

How do you know her SOL score already?

The teachers get them immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - reviving this thread to share that DD did pass the SOL with a decent score so I still don’t have a clear answer on a path forward.

I am talking with her math teacher this week to get her recommendations but if anyone has the more ideas in the meantime, I’m still all ears.

How do you know her SOL score already?

The teachers get them immediately.

Some teachers share it, others don’t. Our school hasn’t taken the SOL yet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - reviving this thread to share that DD did pass the SOL with a decent score so I still don’t have a clear answer on a path forward.

I am talking with her math teacher this week to get her recommendations but if anyone has the more ideas in the meantime, I’m still all ears.

She passed the SOL and she has a B/B+ in the class. The way you phrased it makes it sound like she passed but not pass advanced.

What about doing RSM during the school year? That will help reinforce the material she is learning at school and give her some homework, further reinforcing the material. I know kids who are in the middle track at RSM for exactly that reason.

Honestly, it sounds like your child is capable but that this is not easy for her. It doesn't sound like she loves math and really wants to go full in on math. I would see about her getting back on the regular track and take Algebra in 8th grade. The acceleration sounds like it could be a god fit but this isn't something that she is passionate about. We had friends whose kids qualified for Algebra in 7th grade and choose not to place the kid there because the kid had no interest in the class. They looked down the line and knew that math senior year would be problematic because the kid was not a "Math is awesome" kid.

What does your daughter think? I would think you should talk to her before talking to the teacher. Does she want to continue on the accelerated path? Does she think it is too much? Will she be self-conscious if she pulls off the track?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - reviving this thread to share that DD did pass the SOL with a decent score so I still don’t have a clear answer on a path forward.

I am talking with her math teacher this week to get her recommendations but if anyone has the more ideas in the meantime, I’m still all ears.

How do you know her SOL score already?

FCPS is actually posting SOL scores for all students 7 days after the SOL. The onyl exceptions eems to be Algebra 1 for some reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - reviving this thread to share that DD did pass the SOL with a decent score so I still don’t have a clear answer on a path forward.

I am talking with her math teacher this week to get her recommendations but if anyone has the more ideas in the meantime, I’m still all ears.

How do you know her SOL score already?

FCPS is actually posting SOL scores for all students 7 days after the SOL. The onyl exceptions eems to be Algebra 1 for some reason.

This is an APS thread. We won't get SOL scores until July.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - reviving this thread to share that DD did pass the SOL with a decent score so I still don’t have a clear answer on a path forward.

I am talking with her math teacher this week to get her recommendations but if anyone has the more ideas in the meantime, I’m still all ears.

She passed the SOL and she has a B/B+ in the class. The way you phrased it makes it sound like she passed but not pass advanced.

What about doing RSM during the school year? That will help reinforce the material she is learning at school and give her some homework, further reinforcing the material. I know kids who are in the middle track at RSM for exactly that reason.

Honestly, it sounds like your child is capable but that this is not easy for her. It doesn't sound like she loves math and really wants to go full in on math. I would see about her getting back on the regular track and take Algebra in 8th grade. The acceleration sounds like it could be a god fit but this isn't something that she is passionate about. We had friends whose kids qualified for Algebra in 7th grade and choose not to place the kid there because the kid had no interest in the class. They looked down the line and knew that math senior year would be problematic because the kid was not a "Math is awesome" kid.

What does your daughter think? I would think you should talk to her before talking to the teacher. Does she want to continue on the accelerated path? Does she think it is too much? Will she be self-conscious if she pulls off the track?

For my kid, they are plenty busy with assigned math homework from school. There's no way they'd also want to do RSM, which would be covering different topics at different times. If anything, I'd consider a 1:1 tutor who tracks the content being taught in class.

A totally separate, harder math class that's simultaneous with the school class would stress out any student who isn't finding the school math to be easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middle schools do offer regular (not intensified) algebra. Just FYI.

Not for 7th graders.

They can take the class with 8th graders. They mix 7th and 8th graders in language classes.

I don’t get the mindset that it’s better to keep pushing the kid and propping them up to be 2 years ahead in math. What is the end goal? If it’s not a good fit, make the adjustment. These kids struggling already in pre-algebra are really going to get to and tackle Calc BC at the end of all this?

I agree with you that it would make sense, but I've been told that it's not possible. The APS options are to retake prealgebra (which IMO doesn't make sense with a B+) or Intensified Algebra. APS warns you of this before you enter 6th grade prealgebra.

We are an FCPS family. I know plenty of families who have expunged Algebra 1 H or Geometry H after getting a B in the MS class. The reality is that a B shows that kids have some understanding of the material but have some serious gaps in understanding the material. Retaking the class helps to firm up the foundation. That B or B+ leaves enough room for growth that the kids who retook the class did not seem to be bored. I got the distinct impression that the grading might not be as stringent as it would be in a HS version of the class but I could be wrong about that..

The other thing that I have seen is kids with a B+ in Algebra 1 H in 8th grade moving to the non-Honors class in 9th grade. But lots of kids in FCPS will select Math 7H and not Algebra 1H in 7th grade even if they have the test scores for Algebra 1 H. Some because their parents don't think that the kid needs more then Calculus in HS, some because the kid tested in but is not a kid who loves math, some because the kid just really doesn't wnat to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. I would hope that APS allows similar flexibility.

The math pathways are pretty different in APS. There's no math acceleration in APS elementary schools, unlike FCPS, so the first accelerated math a kid can take in Arlington is in 6th grade. The option is to take Math 6 or Pre-algebra, which covers 6th, 7th and 8th grade content with the 8th grade SOL at the end of the year. It is a huge jump from very, very slow elementary math and a lot crammed into a single year. The expectation is that kids who are selected to take pre-algebra in 6th are the most advanced math students who will stay on the most accelerated honors track. They explicitly warn you not to sign up if this isn't your kid and that there isnt an option to step down a level in middle school.

In the end, there aren't EOY test scores yet for OP's child. If they score well enough on MAP and the SOL, APS is going to expect them to move into Intensified Algebra. That's the pathway. If they don't score well enough, they can retake pre-algebra but that's not supposed to happen. Unfortunately there isn't really an option for "my kid passed and doesn't need to retake pre-algebra but also doesn't want to stay on the most advanced and accelerated path." They can step back in 9th grade with regular Algebra 2 instead of intensified, but there aren't other options in MS except to keep taking the intensified versions or to retake a class.

That is crazy. It almost incentivizes parents to tell a kid who is stressed and unhappy to intentionally flunk the SOL so they can drop back. There are some kids who you just don't know how they will respond to a class that moves at that speed. I am not sure why they would include the 8th grade math. My kid would have loved it but I know plenty of kids who would have found it to be too much.

FCPS Advanced Math path has kids taking pre-algebra, but they define that as 7th grade math, and the 7th grade SOL. Kids who pass advanced on the 7th grade SOL are eligible for Algebra 1 H, which I am guessing is similar to Intensified Algebra in APS. The kids who feel it is too much take Math 7th H, which is similar to 8th grade H and then Algebra 1 in 8th grade. The kids who want can take Algebra 1 H. Some kids do have the grade expunged and retake Algebra 1 H in 8th grade.

Good Luck OP!

I don't understand, do kids on FCPS's most advanced track just skip Math 8? How do they get by going to algebra without the math 8 content?

I just saw this, sorry for the delay.

Sixth graders in Advanced Math in FCPS are taking the equivalent of Math 7 and take the 7th grade SOL. If they score high enough on the SOL, passed Advanced, they can choose to take Math 7H, which is the equivalent of Math 8, pretty much pre-Algebra, or Algebra 1 H. So yes, they skip Math 8 and go straight into Algebra 1 H.

Most FCPS students, something like 75%, will complete Algebra 1 in 8th grade, I don't know the percentage break down between Algebra 1 H or Algebra 1, I do know both are offered to 8th graders. Math 8 is for kids a small percentage of kids who are not ready for Algebra by 8th grade. I was a kid who took algebra 1, not honors, in 9th grade so I am not judging.

Last year in FCPS:

1,823 7th graders took the Algebra 1 SOL
6,766 8th graders took the Algebra 1 SOL
29 7th Graders took the Geometry SOL (Algebra 1 in 6th grade)
4,624 8th Graders took the Math 8 SOL (Pre Algebra)

Essentially, 2/3 of FCPS students will take Algebra in MS in some form.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - reviving this thread to share that DD did pass the SOL with a decent score so I still don’t have a clear answer on a path forward.

I am talking with her math teacher this week to get her recommendations but if anyone has the more ideas in the meantime, I’m still all ears.

How do you know her SOL score already?

FCPS is actually posting SOL scores for all students 7 days after the SOL. The onyl exceptions eems to be Algebra 1 for some reason.

This is an APS thread. We won't get SOL scores until July.

I understand that this is an APS thread. FCPS normally didn't release SOLs until July but is releasing them earlier. I wasn't sure if this was a statewide push or not.

[Anonymous]

If your student did well in 6th grade pre algebra but was clearly challenged to keep on top of everything that was being taught, is it still useful to do a class on algebra 1 before 7th for the summer? Or is the pace of algebra I not as bad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my son was in Algebra 1 intensified in 8th grade, there were kids who dropped back mid-year from Geometry intensified to join his class. Not just 1 kid either. Don't mind naming the school it was Swanson.

Clearly kids do get off the super advanced math track some of the time.

Yes, but then they are retaking a class they've already taken. That's the option to step back.

And maybe that’s the best solution for the child.

**If a student cannot earn a solid A in a watered-down middle school Algebra class, he or she is not ready for that class.**

No, algebra offered in middle school is not as rigorous as algebra offered to high schoolers. Same for geometry.

If we drove these same “advanced” students over to the local high school to take the actual class with high schoolers, many of them would drop out the first month.

Yes, there are super advanced mathy kids in middle school who can cut it, but it’s far fewer than the kids enrolled in these middle school classes.

Your kid got a B? They shouldn’t be in that class.

The stats don't support that assumption. MS students take the same Algebra SOL as high schoolers and MS students do better on the SOL.

Yeah, that PP is making stuff up. The middle school intensified algebra class is not “watered down.” It’s a high school level class that counts on the HS transcript, and as noted, those kids so very well on the algebra (& geometry) SOLs.

It counts on the transcript but most HS kids drop the grade, since even an A since weighs down the GPA once AP classes start counting.

OP, I don't think Alg 1 is your problem, instead Alg 2/Trig will be a huge problem if Alg 1 doesn't go well. They learn to factor polynomials in Alg 1 and that is expanded on and applied in Alg 2. So I would keep on the track if it were my kid, and make a decision at the end of the year. If you need a tutor, during the year, just try to get one early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my son was in Algebra 1 intensified in 8th grade, there were kids who dropped back mid-year from Geometry intensified to join his class. Not just 1 kid either. Don't mind naming the school it was Swanson.

Clearly kids do get off the super advanced math track some of the time.

Yes, but then they are retaking a class they've already taken. That's the option to step back.

And maybe that’s the best solution for the child.

**If a student cannot earn a solid A in a watered-down middle school Algebra class, he or she is not ready for that class.**

No, algebra offered in middle school is not as rigorous as algebra offered to high schoolers. Same for geometry.

If we drove these same “advanced” students over to the local high school to take the actual class with high schoolers, many of them would drop out the first month.

Yes, there are super advanced mathy kids in middle school who can cut it, but it’s far fewer than the kids enrolled in these middle school classes.

Your kid got a B? They shouldn’t be in that class.

The stats don't support that assumption. MS students take the same Algebra SOL as high schoolers and MS students do better on the SOL.

Yeah, that PP is making stuff up. The middle school intensified algebra class is not “watered down.” It’s a high school level class that counts on the HS transcript, and as noted, those kids so very well on the algebra (& geometry) SOLs.

It counts on the transcript but most HS kids drop the grade, since even an A since weighs down the GPA once AP classes start counting.

OP, I don't think Alg 1 is your problem, instead Alg 2/Trig will be a huge problem if Alg 1 doesn't go well. They learn to factor polynomials in Alg 1 and that is expanded on and applied in Alg 2. So I would keep on the track if it were my kid, and make a decision at the end of the year. If you need a tutor, during the year, just try to get one early.

Re: your first paragraph, where do you get the idea that “most” kids drop it? That’s not the impression I’ve gotten, nor would it help when colleges recalculate GPAs for consistency across school systems anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my son was in Algebra 1 intensified in 8th grade, there were kids who dropped back mid-year from Geometry intensified to join his class. Not just 1 kid either. Don't mind naming the school it was Swanson.

Clearly kids do get off the super advanced math track some of the time.

Yes, but then they are retaking a class they've already taken. That's the option to step back.

And maybe that’s the best solution for the child.

**If a student cannot earn a solid A in a watered-down middle school Algebra class, he or she is not ready for that class.**

No, algebra offered in middle school is not as rigorous as algebra offered to high schoolers. Same for geometry.

If we drove these same “advanced” students over to the local high school to take the actual class with high schoolers, many of them would drop out the first month.

Yes, there are super advanced mathy kids in middle school who can cut it, but it’s far fewer than the kids enrolled in these middle school classes.

Your kid got a B? They shouldn’t be in that class.

The stats don't support that assumption. MS students take the same Algebra SOL as high schoolers and MS students do better on the SOL.

Yeah, that PP is making stuff up. The middle school intensified algebra class is not “watered down.” It’s a high school level class that counts on the HS transcript, and as noted, those kids so very well on the algebra (& geometry) SOLs.

It counts on the transcript but most HS kids drop the grade, since even an A since weighs down the GPA once AP classes start counting.

OP, I don't think Alg 1 is your problem, instead Alg 2/Trig will be a huge problem if Alg 1 doesn't go well. They learn to factor polynomials in Alg 1 and that is expanded on and applied in Alg 2. So I would keep on the track if it were my kid, and make a decision at the end of the year. If you need a tutor, during the year, just try to get one early.

Re: your first paragraph, where do you get the idea that “most” kids drop it? That’s not the impression I’ve gotten, nor would it help when colleges recalculate GPAs for consistency across school systems anyway.

My DD is a junior, and the counselors have said to drop some middle school grades including Alg 1. DD says it's common, which I never knew until this year.