Craziness of Compacted Math!

[Anonymous]

Can someone please explain to me the big deal regarding compacted math. Reading and hearing other parents you would think that this one program is the difference between world domination or ultimate academic
failure! My understanding is that that a compacted math student will be exactly 1 class ahead of normal math pathway when they graduate high school correct? Is that one class really going to make that much of a
difference?

[Anonymous]

It is one class ahead. I think maybe some parents feel like if they don't get, and the kid doesn't take an additional yr of math in HS, then it may impact their chances of getting into a top tier univ. I know this is not true, but maybe there's some fear way back in their heads?

[Anonymous]

People need to get a grip. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

recent thread on this very topic

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/535931.page

[Anonymous]

Parental frustration comes from the fact that the child's math path for the rest of their time in MCPS is being decided based on a mysterious evaluation done when the kid is 8 years old. Now, in some clusters, they apparently will skip kids up into the advanced pathway in middle school. But in many clusters, the kid's math path is set at the end of third grade.
When I was a kid, the last chance for acceleration didn't happen until the end of 7th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parental frustration comes from the fact that the child's math path for the rest of their time in MCPS is being decided based on a mysterious evaluation done when the kid is 8 years old. Now, in some clusters, they apparently will skip kids up into the advanced pathway in middle school. But in many clusters, the kid's math path is set at the end of third grade.
When I was a kid, the last chance for acceleration didn't happen until the end of 7th grade.

Can anyone speak the RM cluster (Julius West), and whether anyone's math "path" has been adjusted after the 3rd grade eval?

[Anonymous]

Yes definitely yes at JW.

[Anonymous]

You talk to the math teacher ahead of time, he or she will test your child, and your child may move up a group. To ensure that happens easily, I would prepare that child with a workbook or extra lessons.

We may do this in the future, but for right now DS is happy and doing well in non-compacted math. His need for acceleration is in reading/writing, and that's where I'm fighting right now! You've got to go with the skills and talents your child has.

[Anonymous]

Question: Where are parents even talking about this? In our ES, parents seem to be content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question: Where are parents even talking about this? In our ES, parents seem to be content.

good question - I am not hearing about it either but I don't talk to every parent at the school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question: Where are parents even talking about this? In our ES, parents seem to be content.

I'm guessing at a W cluster. I find that they obsess a bit more about these things than most of the other clusters.

[Anonymous]

It doesn't become an issue until 3rd grade when you take the test.

[Anonymous]

Usually when you deconstruct it, it's just a matter of pure petty parental competitiveness. It kills some to think another kid is at a higher level than theirs in anything.

[Anonymous]

For myself I did not find out that my daughter was in Compacted Math until late August, there was a miscommunication. But I will say now that she is in it, thank goodness! It is that or else she would be bored beyond belief. I have twins in 2nd grade and I will push for one of them to get into it (I presume he will) since he already dislikes school and finds it "boring", especially math. It is for this reason that I assume some parents want their children selected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For myself I did not find out that my daughter was in Compacted Math until late August, there was a miscommunication. But I will say now that she is in it, thank goodness! It is that or else she would be bored beyond belief. I have twins in 2nd grade and I will push for one of them to get into it (I presume he will) since he already dislikes school and finds it "boring", especially math. It is for this reason that I assume some parents want their children selected.

+1. MY DC finds the current 3rd grade math homework to be boring, and finishes in 2 minutes. So I assume that DC could qualify for CM. However, if there are tons of kids that are even more advanced than my DC, there would presumably not be room for my DC. So this is my concern. I am not worried about my DC being better than the rest. Only that DC is challenged rather than bored.