Center School, 90% of AAP Class Opted into Algebra 1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to the internet, you are ready for Algebra 1 with 238 MAP and Pre-Calculus with 255 MAP.

So I don't see what is crazy about these kids taking Algebra 1 in 6th.

It’s not just about 6th grade A1H, it’s about the high school math sequence this sets them up for. That’s why it’s crazy to us and why we opted out for DC.

My 5th grade DC pass advanced the SOL and scored 253 on MAP. Per your google search, she is “ready,” and I’m sure she likely could handle the watered down 6th grade A1H curriculum, with extra credit built in to inflate the grade. However, we prefer the true honors curriculum, with extensions, taught at our middle school. We also don’t want her skipping 2 years of math that we’ll have to teach to catch her up. We want DC to have a strong foundation for higher level coursework in high school and beyond.

Further to this point, we don’t want DC on a high school sequence that is far more accelerated and difficult than necessary for any top tier school admissions. High school is hard enough juggling all the other APs, and she will still have advanced rigor with A1H in 7th. I know kids on the super advanced sequence, who qualified under the former stringent standards, and were truly were advanced and prepared to accelerate at that level. And yet, many of those kids are struggling now in high school, when grades matter. Under the new policy, anyone in 5th AAP can super accelerate w/o any guidelines for preparedness, and DC knows kids who struggled all year in math class enrolling next year. Those kids are going to have a very tough time in HS. Some students need this level of acceleration, most do not.

Everything you wrote is spot on.

[Anonymous]

This would be a good question to ask your school administrators instead of randos on the internet, OP.

[Anonymous]

One big reason that I chose not to opt my child in is because the math curriculum has not been chosen for next year yet. It's a big experiment to put 6th graders with brand new algebra teachers and potentially a brand new curriculum. I think it's a bad idea, personally.

[Anonymous]

I don't think Algebra 1 is as complex as it is being made out to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We took Algebra 1 Honors in 6th grade because the teacher is by far the best teacher we encountered in FCPS. We also have a child who graduated HS from FCPS.

There were no bonus points, not one and grading was pretty strict. Too strict I thought.

The teacher told us that she got the course materials from another MS teacher who taught the Algebra 1 honors class for several years. That seems to be the norm.

And we had fantastic experience with Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

Agreed. I taught A1H in the middle school for years before moving up to high school (and now teach A2-Calc). What my 6th grade algebra child did this year was above and beyond anything I ever pushed to my middle school honors students--much of it was the kind of extensions my A2H kids see. I don't see how you can make any general statements when every teacher is making up their own materials or sourcing them independently. FCPS does not provide anything to the teachers, so every school is going to look different.

[Anonymous]

Just do it little Sheep-ple. They will get the best foundation in Algebra this way. They can accelerate like never before. It will be easy-peasy. It will be watered to their extra credit of understanding.

[Anonymous]

I heard parents discussing it this weekend. One Mom was saying how it was great for her kid even though the kid melted down when doing all the homework. The Dad was commenting that he thought the homework was going to be too much but maybe the kid would do it on their own.

Sounds like it was working well and the kids were totally ready for a HS level course in 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Algebra II is a beast. Ugh. These poor kids.

+1

I took honors Algebra II at age 13/14 after years of easily doing well in math and doing very well in honors Algebra I the year prior. I wasn't ready for it. The concepts were somehow easy to me going back to them two years later after a year of Geometry. I think I just wasn't ready. Algebra II is a big jump, Algebra I is pretty straightforward though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Algebra II is a beast. Ugh. These poor kids.

+1

I took honors Algebra II at age 13/14 after years of easily doing well in math and doing very well in honors Algebra I the year prior. I wasn't ready for it. The concepts were somehow easy to me going back to them two years later after a year of Geometry. I think I just wasn't ready. Algebra II is a big jump, Algebra I is pretty straightforward though.

Have you looked at the current algebra 2 standards? They aren't nearly what they were 20-30 years ago. No matrices, no conic sections, nothing wildly beyond algebra 1. It's transformations of parent functions and solving quadratics/radical/rational functions. That's it. It is also extremely straight forward.

My current algebra 2 students' grades almost universally mirror their algebra 1 grades. A few move up/down a letter, but for the most part if they got As in algebra 1 honors they end up with As in algebra 2 honors as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Algebra II is a beast. Ugh. These poor kids.

+1

I took honors Algebra II at age 13/14 after years of easily doing well in math and doing very well in honors Algebra I the year prior. I wasn't ready for it. The concepts were somehow easy to me going back to them two years later after a year of Geometry. I think I just wasn't ready. Algebra II is a big jump, Algebra I is pretty straightforward though.

Have you looked at the current algebra 2 standards? They aren't nearly what they were 20-30 years ago. No matrices, no conic sections, nothing wildly beyond algebra 1. It's transformations of parent functions and solving quadratics/radical/rational functions. That's it. It is also extremely straight forward.

My current algebra 2 students' grades almost universally mirror their algebra 1 grades. A few move up/down a letter, but for the most part if they got As in algebra 1 honors they end up with As in algebra 2 honors as well.[/

Are you teaching 8th graders? Or HS?

2025-2026 is the first year of the pilot. These kids are not going to be in Algebra 2 until 2027-2028.

It is not just about 6th grade. It is about the next 6 years of math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Algebra II is a beast. Ugh. These poor kids.

+1

I took honors Algebra II at age 13/14 after years of easily doing well in math and doing very well in honors Algebra I the year prior. I wasn't ready for it. The concepts were somehow easy to me going back to them two years later after a year of Geometry. I think I just wasn't ready. Algebra II is a big jump, Algebra I is pretty straightforward though.

Have you looked at the current algebra 2 standards? They aren't nearly what they were 20-30 years ago. No matrices, no conic sections, nothing wildly beyond algebra 1. It's transformations of parent functions and solving quadratics/radical/rational functions. That's it. It is also extremely straight forward.

My current algebra 2 students' grades almost universally mirror their algebra 1 grades. A few move up/down a letter, but for the most part if they got As in algebra 1 honors they end up with As in algebra 2 honors as well.

Are you teaching 8th graders? Or HS?

2025-2026 is the first year of the pilot. These kids are not going to be in Algebra 2 until 2027-2028.

It is not just about 6th grade. It is about the next 6 years of math.

Currently 9th graders. It’s the same curriculum though. I wouldn’t worry about algebra 2 being too difficult in 8th grade, kids have taken summer geometry to get to 8th grade algebra 2 for years.

The real reason to decline is because you don’t see your child wanting to ever go beyond calculus, not because of age of taking algebra 2. Algebra 2 is not a complicated course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Algebra II is a beast. Ugh. These poor kids.

+1

I took honors Algebra II at age 13/14 after years of easily doing well in math and doing very well in honors Algebra I the year prior. I wasn't ready for it. The concepts were somehow easy to me going back to them two years later after a year of Geometry. I think I just wasn't ready. Algebra II is a big jump, Algebra I is pretty straightforward though.

Have you looked at the current algebra 2 standards? They aren't nearly what they were 20-30 years ago. No matrices, no conic sections, nothing wildly beyond algebra 1. It's transformations of parent functions and solving quadratics/radical/rational functions. That's it. It is also extremely straight forward.

My current algebra 2 students' grades almost universally mirror their algebra 1 grades. A few move up/down a letter, but for the most part if they got As in algebra 1 honors they end up with As in algebra 2 honors as well.

Are you teaching 8th graders? Or HS?

2025-2026 is the first year of the pilot. These kids are not going to be in Algebra 2 until 2027-2028.

It is not just about 6th grade. It is about the next 6 years of math.

Currently 9th graders. It’s the same curriculum though. I wouldn’t worry about algebra 2 being too difficult in 8th grade, kids have taken summer geometry to get to 8th grade algebra 2 for years.

The real reason to decline is because you don’t see your child wanting to ever go beyond calculus, not because of age of taking algebra 2. Algebra 2 is not a complicated course.

So as a math teacher, you think a kid who scored a 400 on 6th grade math, won’t struggle? Because there are plenty of kids who just passed that are now being allowed to skip 7th/8th grade math and take Algebra 1 when the data does not support it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Algebra II is a beast. Ugh. These poor kids.

+1

I took honors Algebra II at age 13/14 after years of easily doing well in math and doing very well in honors Algebra I the year prior. I wasn't ready for it. The concepts were somehow easy to me going back to them two years later after a year of Geometry. I think I just wasn't ready. Algebra II is a big jump, Algebra I is pretty straightforward though.

Have you looked at the current algebra 2 standards? They aren't nearly what they were 20-30 years ago. No matrices, no conic sections, nothing wildly beyond algebra 1. It's transformations of parent functions and solving quadratics/radical/rational functions. That's it. It is also extremely straight forward.

My current algebra 2 students' grades almost universally mirror their algebra 1 grades. A few move up/down a letter, but for the most part if they got As in algebra 1 honors they end up with As in algebra 2 honors as well.

Are you teaching 8th graders? Or HS?

2025-2026 is the first year of the pilot. These kids are not going to be in Algebra 2 until 2027-2028.

It is not just about 6th grade. It is about the next 6 years of math.

Currently 9th graders. It’s the same curriculum though. I wouldn’t worry about algebra 2 being too difficult in 8th grade, kids have taken summer geometry to get to 8th grade algebra 2 for years.

The real reason to decline is because you don’t see your child wanting to ever go beyond calculus, not because of age of taking algebra 2. Algebra 2 is not a complicated course.

So as a math teacher, you think a kid who scored a 400 on 6th grade math, won’t struggle? Because there are plenty of kids who just passed that are now being allowed to skip 7th/8th grade math and take Algebra 1 when the data does not support it.

No, I think open enrollment is dumb (I think open enrollment algebra in 7th and 8th is dumb too). If your kid isn’t finding 6th grade math easy, getting 500+ on the SOL and easily getting 90 - 100s on the county wide assessments they shouldn’t take algebra 1, because they clearly haven’t mastered the math 6 standards that are repeated in 7th and 8th grade math and would probably benefit from more time with them.

But I also think people are overstating the difficulty of algebra 2. If your child is truly ready for algebra 1 in 6th grade, they will be fine in algebra 2 in 8th. Fear mongering the difficulty of algebra 2 is silly. Hold your capable student back because you want them to have a straight forward math sequence in high school without dual enrollment courses, not because you think they’ll be fine in 6th grade algebra and struggle in 8th grade algebra 2–that’s not reality IME.

[Anonymous]

Parents who have opted out of Algebra 1 in 6th grade are desperately trying to discourage others from opting in so that relatively their child would not be behind the most rigorous track.

When the current cohort graduates HS, there would be lots of students who would have completed advanced math courses and those not taking Algebra 1 in 6th are going to be behind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents who have opted out of Algebra 1 in 6th grade are desperately trying to discourage others from opting in so that relatively their child would not be behind the most rigorous track.

When the current cohort graduates HS, there would be lots of students who would have completed advanced math courses and those not taking Algebra 1 in 6th are going to be behind.

You realize this is insane thinking, right? I have zero concerns about my child falling behind because we’ve opted her out of A1H in 6th grade. Frankly, her gpa will likely be higher than the many parents who rushed it before their kids were ready, but I don’t care about that either. We’re running our own race over here. You should too.