Compacted Math

[Anonymous]

Parent of a third grader here. How does the process work for compacted math in ES? If you're a candidate, would teacher tell you? We were told that she was doing very well in math at her school conference in November. She sometimes gets extra advanced work.

If you get into compacted math in 4th grade are you with other kids that are good in math for the rest of your classes also? I have no idea how it works but I'm curious. We applied and were rejected for HGC program. Just curious.

[Anonymous]

1. you can ask the teacher if your child will get assessed, and if teacher says no, you can ask the teacher/principal that you want your DC to be assessed
2. CM class is separate from regular math class, so yes, they are separated. Some schools don't have enough CM kids, so they get bussed to the MS for CM, however, there is talk of doing away with MS CM, and providing CM at the home school. The rumor that they are going to do away with CM wholesale is just a rumor.
3. which leads to they are going to change the way kid are assessed for CM. The assessment is called UCARE and is not a standardized test. It is a series of assessments, some verbal.

Also, use the search function on DCUM. This topic has been discussed a lot. MCPS website also has info on CM.

[Anonymous]

Except MCPS is changing the way they do Compacted Math next year. No 4th graders will be bused to a middle school next year.

The rumors were just rumors, but the letter from Bowers that was discussed at the March 8 BOE meeting said MCPS would eliminate the current (i.e., previous) way of identifying students and begin an approach that the school identifies students, presumably to reach a larger group of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Except MCPS is changing the way they do Compacted Math next year. No 4th graders will be bused to a middle school next year.

The rumors were just rumors, but the letter from Bowers that was discussed at the March 8 BOE meeting said MCPS would eliminate the current (i.e., previous) way of identifying students and begin an approach that the school identifies students, presumably to reach a larger group of kids.

So does that mean that compacted math kids will be pulled out and all taught together at their home school? Or does it mean that the teacher differentiates within the classroom (a method I do not see working because it doesn't seem to work for other subjects now).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except MCPS is changing the way they do Compacted Math next year. No 4th graders will be bused to a middle school next year.

The rumors were just rumors, but the letter from Bowers that was discussed at the March 8 BOE meeting said MCPS would eliminate the current (i.e., previous) way of identifying students and begin an approach that the school identifies students, presumably to reach a larger group of kids.

So does that mean that compacted math kids will be pulled out and all taught together at their home school? Or does it mean that the teacher differentiates within the classroom (a method I do not see working because it doesn't seem to work for other subjects now).

I listened to the BOE meeting and I don't think this was addressed. It will definitely occur at the home school but how that is done either hasn't been decided or is up to the individual school so probably best to raise concerns there. Agree it wouldn't make sense to have a teacher cover both classes simultaneously, there's no reason the topics would even remotely coincide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a third grader here. How does the process work for compacted math in ES? If you're a candidate, would teacher tell you? We were told that she was doing very well in math at her school conference in November. She sometimes gets extra advanced work.

If you get into compacted math in 4th grade are you with other kids that are good in math for the rest of your classes also? I have no idea how it works but I'm curious. We applied and were rejected for HGC program. Just curious.

If your kid were being assessed for CM, you would have signed a permission slip earlier this year--in other words, you'd know it. It's probably too late at this point, but if you think your child's math performance warrants it, check with the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except MCPS is changing the way they do Compacted Math next year. No 4th graders will be bused to a middle school next year.

The rumors were just rumors, but the letter from Bowers that was discussed at the March 8 BOE meeting said MCPS would eliminate the current (i.e., previous) way of identifying students and begin an approach that the school identifies students, presumably to reach a larger group of kids.

So does that mean that compacted math kids will be pulled out and all taught together at their home school? Or does it mean that the teacher differentiates within the classroom (a method I do not see working because it doesn't seem to work for other subjects now).

I listened to the BOE meeting and I don't think this was addressed. It will definitely occur at the home school but how that is done either hasn't been decided or is up to the individual school so probably best to raise concerns there. Agree it wouldn't make sense to have a teacher cover both classes simultaneously, there's no reason the topics would even remotely coincide.

I agree. The BOE meeting did discuss needs for better teacher training. My guess is that the teachers at the elementary schools will have 1 or 2 math groups in their class that are doing Compacted Math material and then other math groups for the non CM topics. It seems like the ES model for everything is large group instruction, small group instruction, and then individual/centers.

Sadly, I don't think MCPS has a clue on how they will be implementing this change. Pretty much par for the course for the county.

[Anonymous]

I'm very confused by all the threads on this. Can someone please tell us what they have definitively decided and when the changes are effective?

For the decision about CM placement is it now up to the school to decide? If so what criteria do they use? This would be for rising third graders in the fall for placement in 4th grade right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except MCPS is changing the way they do Compacted Math next year. No 4th graders will be bused to a middle school next year.

The rumors were just rumors, but the letter from Bowers that was discussed at the March 8 BOE meeting said MCPS would eliminate the current (i.e., previous) way of identifying students and begin an approach that the school identifies students, presumably to reach a larger group of kids.

So does that mean that compacted math kids will be pulled out and all taught together at their home school? Or does it mean that the teacher differentiates within the classroom (a method I do not see working because it doesn't seem to work for other subjects now).

I listened to the BOE meeting and I don't think this was addressed. It will definitely occur at the home school but how that is done either hasn't been decided or is up to the individual school so probably best to raise concerns there. Agree it wouldn't make sense to have a teacher cover both classes simultaneously, there's no reason the topics would even remotely coincide.

I agree. The BOE meeting did discuss needs for better teacher training. My guess is that the teachers at the elementary schools will have 1 or 2 math groups in their class that are doing Compacted Math material and then other math groups for the non CM topics. It seems like the ES model for everything is large group instruction, small group instruction, and then individual/centers.

Sadly, I don't think MCPS has a clue on how they will be implementing this change. Pretty much par for the course for the county.

Possibly, except at our, larger, ES compacted math has always been taught as a pullout class. The thing is topics would quickly be out of alignment between the two groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm very confused by all the threads on this. Can someone please tell us what they have definitively decided and when the changes are effective?

For the decision about CM placement is it now up to the school to decide? If so what criteria do they use? This would be for rising third graders in the fall for placement in 4th grade right?

Lifting from the March 8 BOE memo:

...To remove barriers and allow greater access to acceleration in elementary mathematics, the current process used to identify
Grades 4 and 5 students for inclusion in compacted mathematics will be eliminated.

As we make changes in our mathematics program, it is imperative we not accelerate students
beyond their ability to succeed, but that we meet the needs of students where they are and challenge
them to excel. This spring, we will undertake a review of our current mathematics program,
which will include an examination of curriculum, instruction, and assessments. We have requested
additional funding to the FY 2017 Operating Budget to enhance mathematics professional learning
for our school-based staff.

Sounds like they don't have a plan yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a third grader here. How does the process work for compacted math in ES? If you're a candidate, would teacher tell you? We were told that she was doing very well in math at her school conference in November. She sometimes gets extra advanced work.

If you get into compacted math in 4th grade are you with other kids that are good in math for the rest of your classes also? I have no idea how it works but I'm curious. We applied and were rejected for HGC program. Just curious.

If your kid were being assessed for CM, you would have signed a permission slip earlier this year--in other words, you'd know it. It's probably too late at this point, but if you think your child's math performance warrants it, check with the teacher.

That is not true, at least not at our school. The permission slip is only sent to parents after DC is placed in CM, not to be assessed. And we did not receive notification until early June. I don't think kids that were not placed but were assessed were sent notices, but not certain.

[Anonymous]

We had to sign a permission slip in the fall for the CM assessment to be done.

[Anonymous]

DC is in 4th this year and did the testing last year.

We did not sign permission slips to authorize testing. We only knew about the testing because I asked about it at the November conference and the teacher said she'd email me when she knew whether he qualified for testing. Notices came home in the late spring with results. I don't remember a permission slip when he was admitted, but I could have just forgotten about that one.

[Anonymous]

To answer your other question, DC's other classes aren't necessarily with that same group of Compacted Math kids, but because they all have math in rotation 1, they only have rotation 2 and 3 for social studies and reading so he sees a lot of them twice per day.

[Anonymous]

What school has "rotations" for classes in elementary?