Center School, 90% of AAP Class Opted into Algebra 1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Algebra II is a beast. Ugh. These poor kids.

+1

I took honors Algebra II at age 13/14 after years of easily doing well in math and doing very well in honors Algebra I the year prior. I wasn't ready for it. The concepts were somehow easy to me going back to them two years later after a year of Geometry. I think I just wasn't ready. Algebra II is a big jump, Algebra I is pretty straightforward though.

Have you looked at the current algebra 2 standards? They aren't nearly what they were 20-30 years ago. No matrices, no conic sections, nothing wildly beyond algebra 1. It's transformations of parent functions and solving quadratics/radical/rational functions. That's it. It is also extremely straight forward.

My current algebra 2 students' grades almost universally mirror their algebra 1 grades. A few move up/down a letter, but for the most part if they got As in algebra 1 honors they end up with As in algebra 2 honors as well.

Are you teaching 8th graders? Or HS?

2025-2026 is the first year of the pilot. These kids are not going to be in Algebra 2 until 2027-2028.

It is not just about 6th grade. It is about the next 6 years of math.

Currently 9th graders. It’s the same curriculum though. I wouldn’t worry about algebra 2 being too difficult in 8th grade, kids have taken summer geometry to get to 8th grade algebra 2 for years.

The real reason to decline is because you don’t see your child wanting to ever go beyond calculus, not because of age of taking algebra 2. Algebra 2 is not a complicated course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Algebra II is a beast. Ugh. These poor kids.

+1

I took honors Algebra II at age 13/14 after years of easily doing well in math and doing very well in honors Algebra I the year prior. I wasn't ready for it. The concepts were somehow easy to me going back to them two years later after a year of Geometry. I think I just wasn't ready. Algebra II is a big jump, Algebra I is pretty straightforward though.

Have you looked at the current algebra 2 standards? They aren't nearly what they were 20-30 years ago. No matrices, no conic sections, nothing wildly beyond algebra 1. It's transformations of parent functions and solving quadratics/radical/rational functions. That's it. It is also extremely straight forward.

My current algebra 2 students' grades almost universally mirror their algebra 1 grades. A few move up/down a letter, but for the most part if they got As in algebra 1 honors they end up with As in algebra 2 honors as well.

Are you teaching 8th graders? Or HS?

2025-2026 is the first year of the pilot. These kids are not going to be in Algebra 2 until 2027-2028.

It is not just about 6th grade. It is about the next 6 years of math.

Currently 9th graders. It’s the same curriculum though. I wouldn’t worry about algebra 2 being too difficult in 8th grade, kids have taken summer geometry to get to 8th grade algebra 2 for years.

The real reason to decline is because you don’t see your child wanting to ever go beyond calculus, not because of age of taking algebra 2. Algebra 2 is not a complicated course.

So as a math teacher, you think a kid who scored a 400 on 6th grade math, won’t struggle? Because there are plenty of kids who just passed that are now being allowed to skip 7th/8th grade math and take Algebra 1 when the data does not support it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Algebra II is a beast. Ugh. These poor kids.

+1

I took honors Algebra II at age 13/14 after years of easily doing well in math and doing very well in honors Algebra I the year prior. I wasn't ready for it. The concepts were somehow easy to me going back to them two years later after a year of Geometry. I think I just wasn't ready. Algebra II is a big jump, Algebra I is pretty straightforward though.

Have you looked at the current algebra 2 standards? They aren't nearly what they were 20-30 years ago. No matrices, no conic sections, nothing wildly beyond algebra 1. It's transformations of parent functions and solving quadratics/radical/rational functions. That's it. It is also extremely straight forward.

My current algebra 2 students' grades almost universally mirror their algebra 1 grades. A few move up/down a letter, but for the most part if they got As in algebra 1 honors they end up with As in algebra 2 honors as well.

Are you teaching 8th graders? Or HS?

2025-2026 is the first year of the pilot. These kids are not going to be in Algebra 2 until 2027-2028.

It is not just about 6th grade. It is about the next 6 years of math.

Currently 9th graders. It’s the same curriculum though. I wouldn’t worry about algebra 2 being too difficult in 8th grade, kids have taken summer geometry to get to 8th grade algebra 2 for years.

The real reason to decline is because you don’t see your child wanting to ever go beyond calculus, not because of age of taking algebra 2. Algebra 2 is not a complicated course.

So as a math teacher, you think a kid who scored a 400 on 6th grade math, won’t struggle? Because there are plenty of kids who just passed that are now being allowed to skip 7th/8th grade math and take Algebra 1 when the data does not support it.

No, I think open enrollment is dumb (I think open enrollment algebra in 7th and 8th is dumb too). If your kid isn’t finding 6th grade math easy, getting 500+ on the SOL and easily getting 90 - 100s on the county wide assessments they shouldn’t take algebra 1, because they clearly haven’t mastered the math 6 standards that are repeated in 7th and 8th grade math and would probably benefit from more time with them.

But I also think people are overstating the difficulty of algebra 2. If your child is truly ready for algebra 1 in 6th grade, they will be fine in algebra 2 in 8th. Fear mongering the difficulty of algebra 2 is silly. Hold your capable student back because you want them to have a straight forward math sequence in high school without dual enrollment courses, not because you think they’ll be fine in 6th grade algebra and struggle in 8th grade algebra 2–that’s not reality IME.

[Anonymous]

Parents who have opted out of Algebra 1 in 6th grade are desperately trying to discourage others from opting in so that relatively their child would not be behind the most rigorous track.

When the current cohort graduates HS, there would be lots of students who would have completed advanced math courses and those not taking Algebra 1 in 6th are going to be behind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents who have opted out of Algebra 1 in 6th grade are desperately trying to discourage others from opting in so that relatively their child would not be behind the most rigorous track.

When the current cohort graduates HS, there would be lots of students who would have completed advanced math courses and those not taking Algebra 1 in 6th are going to be behind.

You realize this is insane thinking, right? I have zero concerns about my child falling behind because we’ve opted her out of A1H in 6th grade. Frankly, her gpa will likely be higher than the many parents who rushed it before their kids were ready, but I don’t care about that either. We’re running our own race over here. You should too.

[Anonymous]

Will this cause more teachers to want to leave if having to teach math at accelerated level to this broader group of students? Will Reid want to water down the classes to ensure higher grades?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will this cause more teachers to want to leave if having to teach math at accelerated level to this broader group of students? Will Reid want to water down the classes to ensure higher grades?

Teachers leave, FCPS goes down, families leave the area, real estate goes down, people become rush to sell, the entire DMV goes into a tailspin.

We are doomed. All because of some kids taking Algebra 1 in 6th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents who have opted out of Algebra 1 in 6th grade are desperately trying to discourage others from opting in so that relatively their child would not be behind the most rigorous track.

When the current cohort graduates HS, there would be lots of students who would have completed advanced math courses and those not taking Algebra 1 in 6th are going to be behind.

You realize this is insane thinking, right? I have zero concerns about my child falling behind because we’ve opted her out of A1H in 6th grade. Frankly, her gpa will likely be higher than the many parents who rushed it before their kids were ready, but I don’t care about that either. We’re running our own race over here. You should too.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Just because you struggled with algebra doesnt mean the current kids thriving in A1H would. If calculus in 10th grade was hard for you, has it ever occurred to you that it's your own personal limitation? Have you consulted a therapist?

DP. Well, there are a good chunk of kids who take Algebra 1 in 7th who struggle in HS so I would expect those same kids, who will now take it a year earlier, to later struggle as well. We have an older kid and he has multiple kids who went down to non-honors, Calc AB or applied etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you share which center school you're at? We are at Churchill and this is making me wonder what the % breakdown is there. How did you get that number at your school?

We are a 5th grade AAP family at Churchill too. I am sure some parents selected to do Algebra I next year. However, every parent I spoke directly (10+) says they are not doing Algebra I next year.

On another note, I saw a parent of a 6th grader this week at school and they said their child is repeating Algebra I next year in 7th because their child does not feel ready to go to the next math class. The kid is a good student.

We are AAP family at Churchill too. DS and almost all his friends except one are taking Algebra 1 next year.

Did you get a chance to talk to the CRS 6th Grade Algebra 1 HN parents? If the teacher is good, and students are well prepared, it shouldn't be a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Algebra II is a beast. Ugh. These poor kids.

+1

I took honors Algebra II at age 13/14 after years of easily doing well in math and doing very well in honors Algebra I the year prior. I wasn't ready for it. The concepts were somehow easy to me going back to them two years later after a year of Geometry. I think I just wasn't ready. Algebra II is a big jump, Algebra I is pretty straightforward though.

Have you looked at the current algebra 2 standards? They aren't nearly what they were 20-30 years ago. No matrices, no conic sections, nothing wildly beyond algebra 1. It's transformations of parent functions and solving quadratics/radical/rational functions. That's it. It is also extremely straight forward.

My current algebra 2 students' grades almost universally mirror their algebra 1 grades. A few move up/down a letter, but for the most part if they got As in algebra 1 honors they end up with As in algebra 2 honors as well.

Ah well then maybe it is fine. When do concepts like matrices and conic sections get covered then? Pre-calc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents who have opted out of Algebra 1 in 6th grade are desperately trying to discourage others from opting in so that relatively their child would not be behind the most rigorous track.

When the current cohort graduates HS, there would be lots of students who would have completed advanced math courses and those not taking Algebra 1 in 6th are going to be behind.

Respectfully...I don't give a crap what you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dumb. It is not that Algebra 1 in 6th grade will be hard. It is that Calculus in 10th grade will be hard. Or Algebra 2 in 8th. Or Precalc in 9th.

Algebra II is a beast. Ugh. These poor kids.

+1

I took honors Algebra II at age 13/14 after years of easily doing well in math and doing very well in honors Algebra I the year prior. I wasn't ready for it. The concepts were somehow easy to me going back to them two years later after a year of Geometry. I think I just wasn't ready. Algebra II is a big jump, Algebra I is pretty straightforward though.

Have you looked at the current algebra 2 standards? They aren't nearly what they were 20-30 years ago. No matrices, no conic sections, nothing wildly beyond algebra 1. It's transformations of parent functions and solving quadratics/radical/rational functions. That's it. It is also extremely straight forward.

My current algebra 2 students' grades almost universally mirror their algebra 1 grades. A few move up/down a letter, but for the most part if they got As in algebra 1 honors they end up with As in algebra 2 honors as well.

Ah well then maybe it is fine. When do concepts like matrices and conic sections get covered then? Pre-calc?

Yes, they are part of the AP precalc curriculum, in the optional 4th unit. If your school separates AP precalculus into AB/BC, it will be covered in the BC course but not AB.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for all the responses. I found out the official number is 42/50 kids opted into Algebra 1. To answer how I found out, people love to talk at PTES about everyone else's business hehe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for all the responses. I found out the official number is 42/50 kids opted into Algebra 1. To answer how I found out, people love to talk at PTES about everyone else's business hehe.

So how will the 8 not taking Algebra but ahead of other 6th graders be handled?