When does advanced math start in AAP? CURRENT PARENTS ONLY

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

PP here and no argument. I have disliked the idea of E3 since it surfaced in 2022. Will be interesting to see in 4 years if the number of kids qualifying for Algebra 1 H goes down, stays the same, or goes up.

And before everyone cries "but ENRICHMENT!" that only is a big thing at select centers. Filter out your "TJ mania" middle schools and look at the numbers for the rest of the centers.

I assume that the goal is to suppress the number of kids taking Algebra I honors in 7th and greatly boost the number taking Algebra I, Honors or regular, in 8th by gaining some of the kids who would have taken it in 7th and a lot of kids who wouldn't have taken it until 9th.

Could see that given the Algebra 1 in 8th push across the county.

But that said, wouldn't that reduce the kids who get that coveted "most rigorous" check from the schools on their college applications? That...seems unwise. Or will they determine calculus in 12th qualifies as "most rigorous?"

If they keep reducing 7th grade Algebra 1, it may go away entirely as a dedicated class. (Students could still accelerate individually.) Then, calculus in 12th is "most rigorous".

I can't imagine it EVER going away at the TJ mania schools. But RSM, AoPS, and Kumon will continue to thrive in those areas!

But yet there has been no outcry over losing accelerated 3rd and 4th grade math this year, even in those schools. Given that, FCPS has every incentive to continue taking gradual, quiet steps to get rid of 7th grade Algebra 1 as an offered class, aided by the fact that fewer students will qualify based on more aggressive compaction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

PP here and no argument. I have disliked the idea of E3 since it surfaced in 2022. Will be interesting to see in 4 years if the number of kids qualifying for Algebra 1 H goes down, stays the same, or goes up.

And before everyone cries "but ENRICHMENT!" that only is a big thing at select centers. Filter out your "TJ mania" middle schools and look at the numbers for the rest of the centers.

I assume that the goal is to suppress the number of kids taking Algebra I honors in 7th and greatly boost the number taking Algebra I, Honors or regular, in 8th by gaining some of the kids who would have taken it in 7th and a lot of kids who wouldn't have taken it until 9th.

Could see that given the Algebra 1 in 8th push across the county.

But that said, wouldn't that reduce the kids who get that coveted "most rigorous" check from the schools on their college applications? That...seems unwise. Or will they determine calculus in 12th qualifies as "most rigorous?"

If they keep reducing 7th grade Algebra 1, it may go away entirely as a dedicated class. (Students could still accelerate individually.) Then, calculus in 12th is "most rigorous".

I can't imagine it EVER going away at the TJ mania schools. But RSM, AoPS, and Kumon will continue to thrive in those areas!

But yet there has been no outcry over losing accelerated 3rd and 4th grade math this year, even in those schools. Given that, FCPS has every incentive to continue taking gradual, quiet steps to get rid of 7th grade Algebra 1 as an offered class, aided by the fact that fewer students will qualify based on more aggressive compaction.

The bolded baffles me. At least as evidenced by discussion here, some people noticed. But no one started an outcry. Not that you can get one in most area media, but not even on DCUM!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

PP here and no argument. I have disliked the idea of E3 since it surfaced in 2022. Will be interesting to see in 4 years if the number of kids qualifying for Algebra 1 H goes down, stays the same, or goes up.

And before everyone cries "but ENRICHMENT!" that only is a big thing at select centers. Filter out your "TJ mania" middle schools and look at the numbers for the rest of the centers.

I assume that the goal is to suppress the number of kids taking Algebra I honors in 7th and greatly boost the number taking Algebra I, Honors or regular, in 8th by gaining some of the kids who would have taken it in 7th and a lot of kids who wouldn't have taken it until 9th.

Could see that given the Algebra 1 in 8th push across the county.

But that said, wouldn't that reduce the kids who get that coveted "most rigorous" check from the schools on their college applications? That...seems unwise. Or will they determine calculus in 12th qualifies as "most rigorous?"

If they keep reducing 7th grade Algebra 1, it may go away entirely as a dedicated class. (Students could still accelerate individually.) Then, calculus in 12th is "most rigorous".

I can't imagine it EVER going away at the TJ mania schools. But RSM, AoPS, and Kumon will continue to thrive in those areas!

But yet there has been no outcry over losing accelerated 3rd and 4th grade math this year, even in those schools. Given that, FCPS has every incentive to continue taking gradual, quiet steps to get rid of 7th grade Algebra 1 as an offered class, aided by the fact that fewer students will qualify based on more aggressive compaction.

The bolded baffles me. At least as evidenced by discussion here, some people noticed. But no one started an outcry. Not that you can get one in most area media, but not even on DCUM!

FCPS has been clever in implementing it, leaving families uncertain what the current state of play is. By following the original VMPI plan to implement E3 with the 2023 SOL changes, FCPS made it hard for families to decipher whether observed curricular changes were an FCPS policy decision or not; families are likely hoping that the old advanced math path is still in effect since they haven't heard anything to the contrary. People will eventually figure it out, but by then E3 will be engrained. Also by then, FCPS may well have moved on and begun scaling back 5/6 compaction quietly in order to shrink 7th grade Algebra 1 more. The stealth approach has been far more effective for them than the well publicized VMPI. They have learned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

PP here and no argument. I have disliked the idea of E3 since it surfaced in 2022. Will be interesting to see in 4 years if the number of kids qualifying for Algebra 1 H goes down, stays the same, or goes up.

And before everyone cries "but ENRICHMENT!" that only is a big thing at select centers. Filter out your "TJ mania" middle schools and look at the numbers for the rest of the centers.

I assume that the goal is to suppress the number of kids taking Algebra I honors in 7th and greatly boost the number taking Algebra I, Honors or regular, in 8th by gaining some of the kids who would have taken it in 7th and a lot of kids who wouldn't have taken it until 9th.

Could see that given the Algebra 1 in 8th push across the county.

But that said, wouldn't that reduce the kids who get that coveted "most rigorous" check from the schools on their college applications? That...seems unwise. Or will they determine calculus in 12th qualifies as "most rigorous?"

If they keep reducing 7th grade Algebra 1, it may go away entirely as a dedicated class. (Students could still accelerate individually.) Then, calculus in 12th is "most rigorous".

I can't imagine it EVER going away at the TJ mania schools. But RSM, AoPS, and Kumon will continue to thrive in those areas!

But yet there has been no outcry over losing accelerated 3rd and 4th grade math this year, even in those schools. Given that, FCPS has every incentive to continue taking gradual, quiet steps to get rid of 7th grade Algebra 1 as an offered class, aided by the fact that fewer students will qualify based on more aggressive compaction.

The bolded baffles me. At least as evidenced by discussion here, some people noticed. But no one started an outcry. Not that you can get one in most area media, but not even on DCUM!

I have a child ar an AAP center in 4th grade, they are doing 5th grade math. The worksheets say 5th grade math. Also, we get the agenda for the grade with what is covered in AAP math and what is covered in regular math. The topics are very different, it is not even close the same curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS website has the same pacing across all 3rd Grade (AAP has extensions for some topics), which seems to align with a broad E3 implementation that has been adopted with the new SOL in 2024-2025.

IMO, combining E3 for the entire grade level seems absurd. There’s better ways to offer flexible entry points into advanced math for those who acquire the knowledge in later years, without holding back AAP students that have demonstrated proficiency at least 1-2 grade levels higher than the new SOL for math.

Well, if so, FCPS's strategy of providing no information on E3 during its pilot stages paid off; they were able to end accelerated pacing of math in grades 3 and 4 without any public uproar. They learned from VMPI. Sneak it in slowly and people won't notice. Why isn't this a bigger issue at the centers in particular?

Probably because most people are fine with kids taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, like the vast majority of the Country, and there is still a path for kids to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. It's a big nothing burger except for a few Type A tiger parents who think that their kid is falling behind because they are not taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

This is about students being able to take and thrive in 7th grade Algebra 1. Compaction for them will come later and be more rushed. Those student that prepare outside of school will be fine; those that rely on school for acceleration will likely qualify in fewer numbers. Families may not realize that FCPS has made this change and unfortunately may not find it out until their students take an SOL in 5th grade.

I'm the PP who mentioned above that a 5th grade advanced teacher said anecdotally her E3 kids were better prepared than in prior years. If they are around would love them to weigh in because I don't think my Google-fu is good enough to find the post. Want to say it was on the main FCPS forum.

It would be interesting to hear how that would be as E3 does not seem like an improvement to dedicated advanced math classes. E3 puts students of all abilities into the same, heterogenous math class for 3rd and 4th grade, class instruction is at grade level, with advanced math kids getting an additional worksheet/app to go deeper into grade level content. It is hard to see how students would have covered all of 5th grade content (as they do now) by the end of 4th grade. Rather, it seems likely that they will be on grade level at the end of 4th and will take compacted 5/6 as 5th graders. This approach compacts more content into a fixed period of time which makes it a harder lift for students and teachers than the current, more gradual compaction schedule.

PP here and no argument. I have disliked the idea of E3 since it surfaced in 2022. Will be interesting to see in 4 years if the number of kids qualifying for Algebra 1 H goes down, stays the same, or goes up.

And before everyone cries "but ENRICHMENT!" that only is a big thing at select centers. Filter out your "TJ mania" middle schools and look at the numbers for the rest of the centers.

I assume that the goal is to suppress the number of kids taking Algebra I honors in 7th and greatly boost the number taking Algebra I, Honors or regular, in 8th by gaining some of the kids who would have taken it in 7th and a lot of kids who wouldn't have taken it until 9th.

Could see that given the Algebra 1 in 8th push across the county.

But that said, wouldn't that reduce the kids who get that coveted "most rigorous" check from the schools on their college applications? That...seems unwise. Or will they determine calculus in 12th qualifies as "most rigorous?"

If they keep reducing 7th grade Algebra 1, it may go away entirely as a dedicated class. (Students could still accelerate individually.) Then, calculus in 12th is "most rigorous".

I can't imagine it EVER going away at the TJ mania schools. But RSM, AoPS, and Kumon will continue to thrive in those areas!

But yet there has been no outcry over losing accelerated 3rd and 4th grade math this year, even in those schools. Given that, FCPS has every incentive to continue taking gradual, quiet steps to get rid of 7th grade Algebra 1 as an offered class, aided by the fact that fewer students will qualify based on more aggressive compaction.

The bolded baffles me. At least as evidenced by discussion here, some people noticed. But no one started an outcry. Not that you can get one in most area media, but not even on DCUM!

I have a child ar an AAP center in 4th grade, they are doing 5th grade math. The worksheets say 5th grade math. Also, we get the agenda for the grade with what is covered in AAP math and what is covered in regular math. The topics are very different, it is not even close the same curriculum.

It would be this year's third grade cohort that is affected - fourth grade would be on the old system.

[Anonymous]

Okay y’all, I’m a 5th grade center teacher. Here’s what I know. Fair warning— I don’t know anything about E3. My school doesn’t use it, and no one I know teaches at a school that uses it.

A number crunching 3rd grade teacher friend of mine figured out the following comparing old to new scope and sequence for 3rd grade advanced.

Old: 3rd advanced covered 3rd grade standards and about 80 percent of the 4th grade standards.
New: 3rd advanced covers 3rd grade standards and about 50% of the 4th grade standards through the extensions. 3rd advanced is on the same general sequence as 3rd regular, but they have different tests.

Next year, 4th advanced will be responsible for teaching the rest of the 4th grade standards and the 5th grade standards. They’re going to tweak the pacing so that, like 3rd grade this year, Gen Ed and advanced will have the same general sequence of topics.

I have been told by people at the AAP office that there are no plans to change 5th or 6th, because they’ll still be taking the SOL a year up.

What I think will happen: the 4th grade advanced math teachers are going to have a big adjustment next year with the added material that 3rd advanced used to teach. Topics will fall through the cracks, and 5th advanced is going to have to pick up the slack to get everybody caught up and ready for the 6th grade SOL.

Why did they do this? This is what I’ve been told. YMMV.
1) They wanted the advanced math teachers to plan with Gen Ed and have the Gen Ed kids get more of the advanced topics. This hasn’t actually worked for anyone I’ve spoken to. I don’t think it’ll happen for 4th either.
2) Kids who join advanced math after 3rd grade DO currently have an uphill battle. Spreading the 4th grade topics between 3rd adv and 4th adv more evenly means that kids who join advanced math in 4th are at less of a disadvantage.

Basically, they want more kids to be able to do advanced math, whether from more kids qualifying for the advanced math class in 4th or from the advanced teachers sharing planning with Gen Ed. Will this be effective is the question.

But it IS going to be easier for a kid who was not in 3rd advanced math to jump into 4th advanced and not be as behind.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your feedback. Under the old system, how was was the 80% of 4th grade content taught in 3rd grade classrooms? Was it taught through whole-class instruction or was it done through individual extensions?

This year, it sounds like 3rd grade is currently receiving class-wide instruction on 3rd grade content and then the 50% of 4th grade content is delivered individually via extensions. Is that right?

[Anonymous]

Nobody cares about 3rd grade math. My kid is probably going to be your kid's boss because he will be better at dealing with a more diverse population and challenging situations instead of your baby who has been coddled his whole life.

[Anonymous]

Thank you 5th grade teacher PP. What you described tracks with what E3 pilot teachers were describing both in the concept AND in the why. So the idea that this is the rollout of E3 to all schools sounds correct.

I'm sorry you'll be dealing with a wave of less prepared kids in a couple of years and I hope it works well for you.

I'm also sorry for the 3rd graders who came in truly needing the old pace (my oldest was absolutely one of these, though they're in 7th now so this doesn't directly impact them) and who are still bored. That must be so frustrating for those families.

And I'm skeptical it really will let more kids push into advanced math later and do as well, but maybe? If it does, great...

[Anonymous]

Yes, what the 5th grade teacher described is exactly how E3 works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for your feedback. Under the old system, how was was the 80% of 4th grade content taught in 3rd grade classrooms? Was it taught through whole-class instruction or was it done through individual extensions?

This year, it sounds like 3rd grade is currently receiving class-wide instruction on 3rd grade content and then the 50% of 4th grade content is delivered individually via extensions. Is that right?

I had kids who did the old track (kids are currently 5th and 7th) and it was whole class instruction. Occasionally at our center a kid ahead of even the AAP standards would get push in extensions delivered via the math resource teacher, but only if she was available. Kids who struggled to keep up with the advanced math standards would get push in help from the math resource teacher, and that also happened sometimes. Generally the regular classroom teachers were very prepared to help, but if there was a whole group that needed extra it was sometimes more efficient to have the math resource teacher push in.

But most often things were (are) just taught via whole class instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for your feedback. Under the old system, how was was the 80% of 4th grade content taught in 3rd grade classrooms? Was it taught through whole-class instruction or was it done through individual extensions?

This year, it sounds like 3rd grade is currently receiving class-wide instruction on 3rd grade content and then the 50% of 4th grade content is delivered individually via extensions. Is that right?

I had kids who did the old track (kids are currently 5th and 7th) and it was whole class instruction. Occasionally at our center a kid ahead of even the AAP standards would get push in extensions delivered via the math resource teacher, but only if she was available. Kids who struggled to keep up with the advanced math standards would get push in help from the math resource teacher, and that also happened sometimes. Generally the regular classroom teachers were very prepared to help, but if there was a whole group that needed extra it was sometimes more efficient to have the math resource teacher push in.

But most often things were (are) just taught via whole class instruction.

Thanks. It sounds like that model is changing for 3rd grade this year. Grade level content is being covered in class-wide instruction, but accelerated 4th grade content is being delivered in extensions. Hard to see how students will learn the accelerated content as well via the current 3rd grade/E3 method.