Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of the crazy acceleration stops if there is a change at TJ that the mandatory Freshman math course for all students (no exceptions) is Algebra 2 (or some version of it).

Learning should not be a race through skills and courses. In depth learning and problem solving is missing.

Not every kid in A1H is racing ahead. There were more then 30 kids who were ready for A1H in 6th grade but probably far less then 500 kids at 20 schools. I would guess that the kids who are able to handle A1H in sixth probably could have done so without AoPS or RSM.

We did not ask about our son taking A1H in 6th because we did not like the option of attending the MS or virtual but he could have handled it just fine. We didn’t ask him if he wanted to take Geometry in the summer and when he mentioned some of his classmates were it was clear he wanted nothing to do with a math class int he summer. He is going to be fine taking Calc as a Junior and with whatever math he takes as a senior. Would we have let him take A1H as a 6th grader if it was offered as a class at his school? Yes. Was it so important that we tried to push it? No.

[Anonymous]

In the Video Conference with FAQs for the 6th grade Algebra program they made it sound like there were important deadlines you had to meet to drop out of it, if it is not working for your children. But I cannot find those anywhere else and I think one is coming up this week. Does anyone know the dates for dropping the class/opting out without penalty?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the Video Conference with FAQs for the 6th grade Algebra program they made it sound like there were important deadlines you had to meet to drop out of it, if it is not working for your children. But I cannot find those anywhere else and I think one is coming up this week. Does anyone know the dates for dropping the class/opting out without penalty?

Dropping without it showing up as withdrawn on the high school transcript (as if it was never taken): end of 1st quarter

Expunging and retaking: end of first quarter of 9th grade

[Anonymous]

I’m grateful for this opportunity. My “I hate school” child looks forward to going to school this year for the first time ever, because they are finally learning something new. I just wish the roll out had been better and teachers actually had a full curriculum to teach from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m grateful for this opportunity. My “I hate school” child looks forward to going to school this year for the first time ever, because they are finally learning something new. I just wish the roll out had been better and teachers actually had a full curriculum to teach from.

So they already knew 5th grade math in K? They've never learned anything new in math in school? Then where are they learning it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m grateful for this opportunity. My “I hate school” child looks forward to going to school this year for the first time ever, because they are finally learning something new. I just wish the roll out had been better and teachers actually had a full curriculum to teach from.

So they already knew 5th grade math in K? They've never learned anything new in math in school? Then where are they learning it?

The kids who learn math concepts the first time they are introduced are bored to tears in math in ES. They are the kids who don't need the 2-3 other ways to visualize the concept, and they don't need to have the class material summarized for weeks on end. Other kids do, that is why they teach 3-4 methods for visualizing the concept because not every kid can do math in their head.

The only math concept that was mind blowing for my kid that was introduced to at school was in LIII were bases and the Teacher didn't even label it in the class. DS came home excitedly talking about how they did math using base 3, only he described it with examples from class. I said "Oh, you were using base 3." My son was confucsed, my husband jumped in and gave him examples in base 4-9. After that, DS spent a week coming up with math problems that required switching from one base to another to answer the questions. He had a blast.

Yes, we enrolled DS in AoPS, and then moved to RSM because it was closer, after that. He was so excited to learn a new math concept, it was fun to watch. He loves the math competition class and the problems that they do in that class. He loves discussing the different solutions and breaking the problems a part. School math remained boring but he was learning new skills and more challenging skills at RSM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m grateful for this opportunity. My “I hate school” child looks forward to going to school this year for the first time ever, because they are finally learning something new. I just wish the roll out had been better and teachers actually had a full curriculum to teach from.

So they already knew 5th grade math in K? They've never learned anything new in math in school? Then where are they learning it?

The kids who learn math concepts the first time they are introduced are bored to tears in math in ES. They are the kids who don't need the 2-3 other ways to visualize the concept, and they don't need to have the class material summarized for weeks on end. Other kids do, that is why they teach 3-4 methods for visualizing the concept because not every kid can do math in their head.

The only math concept that was mind blowing for my kid that was introduced to at school was in LIII were bases and the Teacher didn't even label it in the class. DS came home excitedly talking about how they did math using base 3, only he described it with examples from class. I said "Oh, you were using base 3." My son was confucsed, my husband jumped in and gave him examples in base 4-9. After that, DS spent a week coming up with math problems that required switching from one base to another to answer the questions. He had a blast.

Yes, we enrolled DS in AoPS, and then moved to RSM because it was closer, after that. He was so excited to learn a new math concept, it was fun to watch. He loves the math competition class and the problems that they do in that class. He loves discussing the different solutions and breaking the problems a part. School math remained boring but he was learning new skills and more challenging skills at RSM.

So he didn't learn anything "new" in school because you did out of school enrichment. He was learning "new" stuff previously, just not at a pace that you were happy with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m grateful for this opportunity. My “I hate school” child looks forward to going to school this year for the first time ever, because they are finally learning something new. I just wish the roll out had been better and teachers actually had a full curriculum to teach from.

So they already knew 5th grade math in K? They've never learned anything new in math in school? Then where are they learning it?

The kids who learn math concepts the first time they are introduced are bored to tears in math in ES. They are the kids who don't need the 2-3 other ways to visualize the concept, and they don't need to have the class material summarized for weeks on end. Other kids do, that is why they teach 3-4 methods for visualizing the concept because not every kid can do math in their head.

The only math concept that was mind blowing for my kid that was introduced to at school was in LIII were bases and the Teacher didn't even label it in the class. DS came home excitedly talking about how they did math using base 3, only he described it with examples from class. I said "Oh, you were using base 3." My son was confucsed, my husband jumped in and gave him examples in base 4-9. After that, DS spent a week coming up with math problems that required switching from one base to another to answer the questions. He had a blast.

Yes, we enrolled DS in AoPS, and then moved to RSM because it was closer, after that. He was so excited to learn a new math concept, it was fun to watch. He loves the math competition class and the problems that they do in that class. He loves discussing the different solutions and breaking the problems a part. School math remained boring but he was learning new skills and more challenging skills at RSM.

Your kid had sabretooth parents who taught him math way ahead of school. Then you complain school is boring. This is not advanced, this is just accelerated.

[Anonymous]

I’m the one who said my kid is finally learning something new.

We’ve never done enrichment math class or summer workbooks. He picks stuff up with a single example the first time. “Here’s how you multiple 2 digit by 2 digit numbers.”

Okay, then the next 3 years of math are basically just review because they introduce 2 digit by 3 digit, 2 digit by 2 digit with decimals, 2 digit by 3 digit with decimals, etc. If a student understands what they are doing, introducing decimals to multiplication is a quick side note, not a week of lessons and practice.

So sure, there is 10 minutes of learning, and then 2 weeks each of the following years where it is repetitive.

Same thing with fractions. He’s literally been adding and subtracting unlike denominators since Montessori kindergarten with little manipulatives. Every year they add a small additional layer, but to a kid who understands the concept of fractions it’s not new, it’s just a variation on the skill he is already fluent in.

So yes, “he learned nothing” is hyperbole. But really, its been review each year since joining AAP in 3rd grade. (I don’t know if anything better/more appropriate since I can’t/wont homeschool, so I never complained…I was just really grateful when this pilot rolled out and we could forgo another year of spiraling old topics.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m grateful for this opportunity. My “I hate school” child looks forward to going to school this year for the first time ever, because they are finally learning something new. I just wish the roll out had been better and teachers actually had a full curriculum to teach from.

So they already knew 5th grade math in K? They've never learned anything new in math in school? Then where are they learning it?

The kids who learn math concepts the first time they are introduced are bored to tears in math in ES. They are the kids who don't need the 2-3 other ways to visualize the concept, and they don't need to have the class material summarized for weeks on end. Other kids do, that is why they teach 3-4 methods for visualizing the concept because not every kid can do math in their head.

The only math concept that was mind blowing for my kid that was introduced to at school was in LIII were bases and the Teacher didn't even label it in the class. DS came home excitedly talking about how they did math using base 3, only he described it with examples from class. I said "Oh, you were using base 3." My son was confucsed, my husband jumped in and gave him examples in base 4-9. After that, DS spent a week coming up with math problems that required switching from one base to another to answer the questions. He had a blast.

Yes, we enrolled DS in AoPS, and then moved to RSM because it was closer, after that. He was so excited to learn a new math concept, it was fun to watch. He loves the math competition class and the problems that they do in that class. He loves discussing the different solutions and breaking the problems a part. School math remained boring but he was learning new skills and more challenging skills at RSM.

Your kid had sabretooth parents who taught him math way ahead of school. Then you complain school is boring. This is not advanced, this is just accelerated.

Those are basically the same thing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m the one who said my kid is finally learning something new.

We’ve never done enrichment math class or summer workbooks. He picks stuff up with a single example the first time. “Here’s how you multiple 2 digit by 2 digit numbers.”

Okay, then the next 3 years of math are basically just review because they introduce 2 digit by 3 digit, 2 digit by 2 digit with decimals, 2 digit by 3 digit with decimals, etc. If a student understands what they are doing, introducing decimals to multiplication is a quick side note, not a week of lessons and practice.

So sure, there is 10 minutes of learning, and then 2 weeks each of the following years where it is repetitive.

Same thing with fractions. He’s literally been adding and subtracting unlike denominators since Montessori kindergarten with little manipulatives. Every year they add a small additional layer, but to a kid who understands the concept of fractions it’s not new, it’s just a variation on the skill he is already fluent in.

So yes, “he learned nothing” is hyperbole. But really, its been review each year since joining AAP in 3rd grade. (I don’t know if anything better/more appropriate since I can’t/wont homeschool, so I never complained…I was just really grateful when this pilot rolled out and we could forgo another year of spiraling old topics.)

It'll probably feel a bit like this for your kid: https://youtu.be/IWwCj-GPel0?si=tYlVQudB7o6Yadma

Unless you give him access to self paced math (e.g. AoPS, mathacademy), he'll quickly get bored with algebra as well.

[Anonymous]

Our school keeps adding students into algebra class? Why would this happen this late in the game?

[Anonymous]

Our school is opposite. The kids keep withdrawing from Algebra 1 and taking Math 7.

[Anonymous]

I am guessing that Navy has parents pushing to add kids to Algebra, based on reputation of Navy parents and comments about not liking the AAP Math teacher, and maybe a few other ES that feed TJ feeder MS. I would guess the other ES have parents who are less worried about their kid taking Calculus as soon as humanly possible.

The high SES schools were AAP is about prestige and TJ prep are likely to have the parents pushing for kids who didn’t make the cut off for A1H to be placed in the class. That is my guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am guessing that Navy has parents pushing to add kids to Algebra, based on reputation of Navy parents and comments about not liking the AAP Math teacher, and maybe a few other ES that feed TJ feeder MS. I would guess the other ES have parents who are less worried about their kid taking Calculus as soon as humanly possible.

The high SES schools were AAP is about prestige and TJ prep are likely to have the parents pushing for kids who didn’t make the cut off for A1H to be placed in the class. That is my guess.

I find it odd that admin would bend the rules for some like that.