Is 8th grade pre-algebra or algebra?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The real problem with Reid's decision to have all 8th graders taking Algebra is the Math 7 Honors curriculum. It does not adequately prepare the kids for Algebra 1 in 8th grade (at least not the Honors track). At least half of the kids in my kid's Honors Algebra have dropped down to non-Honors because they are not understanding the Honors curriculum. Algebra is way too important for future math to have kids not get it.

If you look at the Math 7 Honors curriculum it incorporates all the grade 8 mathematics standards (which should prepare students for Algebra 1). The problem with many students who struggle in the course is that they are coming from a previous Math 6 course from the previous year and they have never been taught the grade 7 mathematics standards. They are "skipping" a year of mathematics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real problem with Reid's decision to have all 8th graders taking Algebra is the Math 7 Honors curriculum. It does not adequately prepare the kids for Algebra 1 in 8th grade (at least not the Honors track). At least half of the kids in my kid's Honors Algebra have dropped down to non-Honors because they are not understanding the Honors curriculum. Algebra is way too important for future math to have kids not get it.

If you look at the Math 7 Honors curriculum it incorporates all the grade 8 mathematics standards (which should prepare students for Algebra 1). The problem with many students who struggle in the course is that they are coming from a previous Math 6 course from the previous year and they have never been taught the grade 7 mathematics standards. They are "skipping" a year of mathematics.

+1

If they are going from Math 6 (not 6 Adv?) to Algebra 1, aren’t they skipping 7 and 8?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No one with plans to go to college should be on the standard track.

Oh, come on. Get your head out of Northern Virginia. TONS of kids all over the country are taking "standard track" everything and going to college. You do realize there are still a fair number of schools/school systems out there that do not have the same class offerings we have here, right?

This is just such small thinking.

I want my kids to get into UVA, VT, JMU, William & Mary. If you're okay with Christopher Newport or Radford or paying twice as much for a "good" school out of state that's fine. I'm not. Our kids have to compete with the other Northern Virginia kids for spots. There may or may not be official quotas at the state schools, but the admissions office definitely compares applicants against all the other applicants from the same school and county. If one kid has a less rigorous course load they aren't getting in.

This is exactly us too.

[Anonymous]

One of my older kids did Algebra in 7th and the other in 8th. This was about ten years ago in FCPS. Most of the students in their classes took in it 8th.

It was the same as when I was in MS, in the late seventies in Massachusetts.

People like to say it is advanced to take Algebra in 8th, but students have been doing it for decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No one with plans to go to college should be on the standard track.

Oh, come on. Get your head out of Northern Virginia. TONS of kids all over the country are taking "standard track" everything and going to college. You do realize there are still a fair number of schools/school systems out there that do not have the same class offerings we have here, right?

This is just such small thinking.

I want my kids to get into UVA, VT, JMU, William & Mary. If you're okay with Christopher Newport or Radford or paying twice as much for a "good" school out of state that's fine. I'm not. Our kids have to compete with the other Northern Virginia kids for spots. There may or may not be official quotas at the state schools, but the admissions office definitely compares applicants against all the other applicants from the same school and county. If one kid has a less rigorous course load they aren't getting in.

This is exactly us too.

What happens if they don't make it into one of them? Game over at 17-18 years old?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No one with plans to go to college should be on the standard track.

Oh, come on. Get your head out of Northern Virginia. TONS of kids all over the country are taking "standard track" everything and going to college. You do realize there are still a fair number of schools/school systems out there that do not have the same class offerings we have here, right?

This is just such small thinking.

I want my kids to get into UVA, VT, JMU, William & Mary. If you're okay with Christopher Newport or Radford or paying twice as much for a "good" school out of state that's fine. I'm not. Our kids have to compete with the other Northern Virginia kids for spots. There may or may not be official quotas at the state schools, but the admissions office definitely compares applicants against all the other applicants from the same school and county. If one kid has a less rigorous course load they aren't getting in.

This is exactly us too.

What career does your child want? Is that why you are set on those schools? Do many 8th graders even know at that point?
I’m just trying to understand this mindset.

[Anonymous]

Can we go back to the original question - do kids go from REGULAR MATH 7 to ALGEBRA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we go back to the original question - do kids go from REGULAR MATH 7 to ALGEBRA?

They absolutely can. They may have to work harder but they can definitely do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No one with plans to go to college should be on the standard track.

Oh, come on. Get your head out of Northern Virginia. TONS of kids all over the country are taking "standard track" everything and going to college. You do realize there are still a fair number of schools/school systems out there that do not have the same class offerings we have here, right?

This is just such small thinking.

I want my kids to get into UVA, VT, JMU, William & Mary. If you're okay with Christopher Newport or Radford or paying twice as much for a "good" school out of state that's fine. I'm not. Our kids have to compete with the other Northern Virginia kids for spots. There may or may not be official quotas at the state schools, but the admissions office definitely compares applicants against all the other applicants from the same school and county. If one kid has a less rigorous course load they aren't getting in.

This is exactly us too.

What career does your child want? Is that why you are set on those schools? Do many 8th graders even know at that point?
I’m just trying to understand this mindset.

Career? Are you nuts? No one knows what career they want at that age. People just want the good schools in state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No one with plans to go to college should be on the standard track.

Oh, come on. Get your head out of Northern Virginia. TONS of kids all over the country are taking "standard track" everything and going to college. You do realize there are still a fair number of schools/school systems out there that do not have the same class offerings we have here, right?

This is just such small thinking.

I want my kids to get into UVA, VT, JMU, William & Mary. If you're okay with Christopher Newport or Radford or paying twice as much for a "good" school out of state that's fine. I'm not. Our kids have to compete with the other Northern Virginia kids for spots. There may or may not be official quotas at the state schools, but the admissions office definitely compares applicants against all the other applicants from the same school and county. If one kid has a less rigorous course load they aren't getting in.

This is exactly us too.

What happens if they don't make it into one of them? Game over at 17-18 years old?

They would have to go to a lesser school. Obviously it wouldn’t be game over you idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No one with plans to go to college should be on the standard track.

Oh, come on. Get your head out of Northern Virginia. TONS of kids all over the country are taking "standard track" everything and going to college. You do realize there are still a fair number of schools/school systems out there that do not have the same class offerings we have here, right?

This is just such small thinking.

I want my kids to get into UVA, VT, JMU, William & Mary. If you're okay with Christopher Newport or Radford or paying twice as much for a "good" school out of state that's fine. I'm not. Our kids have to compete with the other Northern Virginia kids for spots. There may or may not be official quotas at the state schools, but the admissions office definitely compares applicants against all the other applicants from the same school and county. If one kid has a less rigorous course load they aren't getting in.

This is exactly us too.

What career does your child want? Is that why you are set on those schools? Do many 8th graders even know at that point?
I’m just trying to understand this mindset.

Career? Are you nuts? No one knows what career they want at that age. People just want the good schools in state.

No, I don’t think 8th graders know what they want to do for careers, but I’m not the one strategizing to get my 8th grader into one of 4 specific schools. We’d rather have our child take math classes appropriate for them, then look at schools in a couple of years that fit their interests. Maybe it is in state, maybe OOS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No one with plans to go to college should be on the standard track.

Oh, come on. Get your head out of Northern Virginia. TONS of kids all over the country are taking "standard track" everything and going to college. You do realize there are still a fair number of schools/school systems out there that do not have the same class offerings we have here, right?

This is just such small thinking.

I want my kids to get into UVA, VT, JMU, William & Mary. If you're okay with Christopher Newport or Radford or paying twice as much for a "good" school out of state that's fine. I'm not. Our kids have to compete with the other Northern Virginia kids for spots. There may or may not be official quotas at the state schools, but the admissions office definitely compares applicants against all the other applicants from the same school and county. If one kid has a less rigorous course load they aren't getting in.

This is exactly us too.

What happens if they don't make it into one of them? Game over at 17-18 years old?

They would have to go to a lesser school. Obviously it wouldn’t be game over you idiot.

But you wouldn’t be ok with your child attending Christopher Newport? Doesn’t it have pretty strong science and tech programs? What about the nursing program at Radford? What is your criteria line for schools that are acceptable vs not acceptable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No one with plans to go to college should be on the standard track.

Oh, come on. Get your head out of Northern Virginia. TONS of kids all over the country are taking "standard track" everything and going to college. You do realize there are still a fair number of schools/school systems out there that do not have the same class offerings we have here, right?

This is just such small thinking.

I want my kids to get into UVA, VT, JMU, William & Mary. If you're okay with Christopher Newport or Radford or paying twice as much for a "good" school out of state that's fine. I'm not. Our kids have to compete with the other Northern Virginia kids for spots. There may or may not be official quotas at the state schools, but the admissions office definitely compares applicants against all the other applicants from the same school and county. If one kid has a less rigorous course load they aren't getting in.

This is exactly us too.

What happens if they don't make it into one of them? Game over at 17-18 years old?

They would have to go to a lesser school. Obviously it wouldn’t be game over you idiot.

But you wouldn’t be ok with your child attending Christopher Newport? Doesn’t it have pretty strong science and tech programs? What about the nursing program at Radford? What is your criteria line for schools that are acceptable vs not acceptable?

Radford takes just about anyone and is known as a party school. No, my child would absolutely not fit in there nor would I want them to go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The real problem with Reid's decision to have all 8th graders taking Algebra is the Math 7 Honors curriculum. It does not adequately prepare the kids for Algebra 1 in 8th grade (at least not the Honors track). At least half of the kids in my kid's Honors Algebra have dropped down to non-Honors because they are not understanding the Honors curriculum. Algebra is way too important for future math to have kids not get it.

Really? 50% + left the Honors class? I find that hard to believe. Then you would have an Honors class that is very small and still allowed to exist with small numbers AND the school was able to find seats in existing non-Honors classrooms for 15-20 students on the fly. Just very hard to believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my older kids did Algebra in 7th and the other in 8th. This was about ten years ago in FCPS. Most of the students in their classes took in it 8th.

It was the same as when I was in MS, in the late seventies in Massachusetts.

People like to say it is advanced to take Algebra in 8th, but students have been doing it for decades.

It was Advanced in the 80s to take Algebra in 8th grade, most were taking it in High School.