Applied Investigation into Mathematics 6

[Anonymous]

Algebra 1 and Geometry a separate whole-year subjects is completely idiotic, and I don't understand why it was ever created. Something to do with assembly line mix and match high school scheduling, no doubt.

Algebra 2 and Precalculus are barely better, but at least conics and trig provide some connections.

It's like it's designed specifically to trip students up and make them fail high school math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got into aim but i don't know if it would be harder like I might do some 7th grade math but i am not 100% sure.

AIM will cover content of both 7th and 8th grade math, which finish up the important foundational Math concepts before taking Algebra. You'd take that the following year (7th grade), as long as you & your teacher felt you had progressed well in AIM.

You don't need to get As in every quarter or on all your tests, but you should feel comfortable with the material after the class has covered it. If not, you might take Math 8 in 7th grade, allowing you to cover the material again to get to that comfort level before taking Algebra in 8th.

That said, because it covers two grades of material in one year, AIM will be harder than the other typical 6th-grade options for someone like you who has been suggested for AIM. Those would be AMP 6+ or Math 7, depending on whether you are coming from Math 5 or Math 5/6. If you took Math 5, AMP 6+ would cover all of the 6th grade material and half of the 7th, leading to AMP 7+, which covers the other half of 7th plus 8th. If tou took Math 5/6, Math 7 in 6th grade still would leave you a year ahead of grade-level Math, leading to Math 8 in 7th grade, but with a single year's material to cover each year. Either way would have you taking Algebra in 8th grade.

Whatever year you take Algebra, you'll take the MD state test for that subject. Passing that is, in essence, required to graduate from high school. The typical sequence of courses after Algebra is Geometry and then Algebra 2, followed by Pre-Calculus and then, often, Calculus (AP for college credit or otherwise), although Statistics (also available as an AP class) might be chosen.

If you end up going with AIM -> Algebra -> Geometry in middle school, you'd probably be taking that Calculus course in your Junior year of high school. Since the state requires you to take a full credit of math in each year your enrolled, that means in your Senior year you'd choose from a second Calculus course (you can stretch that out over two years, essentially), the Statistics mentioned above or a more advanced college-level course.

There are other options, but these are the most common. As far as your decision right now, I wouldn't worry too much about effect during high school. Instead, ask yourself:

"Do I enjoy Math?" (as a subject -- not necessarily whether you liked your Math class this year, since that can be different based on your experience with your 5th-grade teacher or if you felt things went too slowly)

"Do I feel comfortable with the Math material I just learned during 5th grade?"

"Would I prefer more of a challenge (or to continue the challenge, if you enjoyed the pace of Math 4/5 & 5/6)?"

Even, "Do I want to keep learning with friends/classmates who also are going to take AIM?"

If you answer yes to some or all of these, you might want to take AIM. Be sure to discuss with your family, and you can always ask your teacher for their thoughts, too. Hope you enjoy whichever you choose!

The problem is they didn’t create a path that kept a similar pacing as compacted for those students. Instead they further accelerated them by taking all of 7th and 8th in a single year. Unfortunately this is not leading to a solid foundation for most and kids are struggling when they get to upper level math. Should have gone:
• 6th grade - All of Math 7 and 1/2 Math 8
•7th grade - 1/2 Math 8 and a Spiral of Alg 1/Geometry
•8th grade - Continue Spiral of Alg 1 / Geometry. Take Alg 1 exam.

This would ensure the kids have a good foundation for Honors Alg2.

AIM seemed like a waste of time and was even more slow and painful than compacted. Maybe have kids skip all that and take Algebra. That prepares them adequately for Algebra 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got into aim but i don't know if it would be harder like I might do some 7th grade math but i am not 100% sure.

AIM will cover content of both 7th and 8th grade math, which finish up the important foundational Math concepts before taking Algebra. You'd take that the following year (7th grade), as long as you & your teacher felt you had progressed well in AIM.

You don't need to get As in every quarter or on all your tests, but you should feel comfortable with the material after the class has covered it. If not, you might take Math 8 in 7th grade, allowing you to cover the material again to get to that comfort level before taking Algebra in 8th.

That said, because it covers two grades of material in one year, AIM will be harder than the other typical 6th-grade options for someone like you who has been suggested for AIM. Those would be AMP 6+ or Math 7, depending on whether you are coming from Math 5 or Math 5/6. If you took Math 5, AMP 6+ would cover all of the 6th grade material and half of the 7th, leading to AMP 7+, which covers the other half of 7th plus 8th. If tou took Math 5/6, Math 7 in 6th grade still would leave you a year ahead of grade-level Math, leading to Math 8 in 7th grade, but with a single year's material to cover each year. Either way would have you taking Algebra in 8th grade.

Whatever year you take Algebra, you'll take the MD state test for that subject. Passing that is, in essence, required to graduate from high school. The typical sequence of courses after Algebra is Geometry and then Algebra 2, followed by Pre-Calculus and then, often, Calculus (AP for college credit or otherwise), although Statistics (also available as an AP class) might be chosen.

If you end up going with AIM -> Algebra -> Geometry in middle school, you'd probably be taking that Calculus course in your Junior year of high school. Since the state requires you to take a full credit of math in each year your enrolled, that means in your Senior year you'd choose from a second Calculus course (you can stretch that out over two years, essentially), the Statistics mentioned above or a more advanced college-level course.

There are other options, but these are the most common. As far as your decision right now, I wouldn't worry too much about effect during high school. Instead, ask yourself:

"Do I enjoy Math?" (as a subject -- not necessarily whether you liked your Math class this year, since that can be different based on your experience with your 5th-grade teacher or if you felt things went too slowly)

"Do I feel comfortable with the Math material I just learned during 5th grade?"

"Would I prefer more of a challenge (or to continue the challenge, if you enjoyed the pace of Math 4/5 & 5/6)?"

Even, "Do I want to keep learning with friends/classmates who also are going to take AIM?"

If you answer yes to some or all of these, you might want to take AIM. Be sure to discuss with your family, and you can always ask your teacher for their thoughts, too. Hope you enjoy whichever you choose!

The problem is they didn’t create a path that kept a similar pacing as compacted for those students. Instead they further accelerated them by taking all of 7th and 8th in a single year. Unfortunately this is not leading to a solid foundation for most and kids are struggling when they get to upper level math. Should have gone:
• 6th grade - All of Math 7 and 1/2 Math 8
•7th grade - 1/2 Math 8 and a Spiral of Alg 1/Geometry
•8th grade - Continue Spiral of Alg 1 / Geometry. Take Alg 1 exam.

This would ensure the kids have a good foundation for Honors Alg2.

Interesting thought. They'd have to procure or create a curriculum that supported that path, and have it cleared with the state (or have state statute altered). MD requires taking the Algebra exam in the year Algebra is taken; they'd have to allow for it to be the year that Algebra content is completed. It also requires a year of aligned Geometry; they'd have to allow for that content to be split over two years.

For the student with the question, there aren't these options, though -- that would be years away -- so the questions posed previously are probably the relevant ones to ask.

Would making this plan really be that difficult? I’m seriously asking. You pull up the Alg1 and Geo curriculums which are probably separated into about 30-36 lessons each. You determine which lessons from Alg1 and Geo to do in which order based on necessary prerequisite knowledge and use of application and boom combined curriculum created. You don’t even have to create new materials as you just use the materials from each curriculum. Send the new curriculum and a request for waiver/change or whatever is needed to MSDE along with justification on how this will meet the needs of students and ensure a better math foundation for future math and college/career readiness.

Am I simplifying this too much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our school they just renamed regular IM to this class. Everyone that would have been IM is in this class instead.

In terms of long term this path gets kids to calculus in 11th grade. Remains to be seen how that will all pan out. From talking to some HS math teachers sounds like not well....

+1
This is what happens at Pyle. There's no regular IM. It's just AIM. Class was not difficult for my non-math kid. It got harder in Algebra, Geometry and Algebra II

MCPS is no longer offering IM as of next year. The three math pathways are:

Regular path (no compaction):
math 6 - math 7- math 8

Advanced path (compacting 6-8-8 into two years):
6+ - 7+ - alg

Extra advanced path (compacts 7-8 into one year - only for kids who have successfully completed math 6 in ES):
AIM - alg 1 - hon geo

Kids in 7th grade no longer have the option to compact 7 and 8, as they did when IM was offered; only 6th graders can take AIM. They can take 7+, which compacts half of 7th and all of 8th into one year, if they took 6+, which compacts all of 6th and half of 7th into a year).

But these paths force the already compacted kids from ES to speed up even more and I don’t understand why that’s necessary or thought to be beneficial?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone here know if Hoover is offering both IM and AIM? I had older DS's go through Hoover so didn't go to Parent night and was surprised when DD was recommended for AIM instead of IM. It seems like schools are handling the course differently so wondering if Hoover admins said anything about it.

My child takes AIM 6 which is the path for compacted math students in MS.My kid got As in 5th grade compact math too but was never the best math student, more middle of the pack. Yes, it goes fast. You don't touch on the topics long enough to get a deep understanding of it. She's a B student now but truthfully I do think she needs a tutor and sometimes I wonder if it will serve her better to go down a level. Also consider that this path is to take Algebra 1 by next year and that grade starts counting towards HS GPA. I would say that if your child doesn't need a lot of time to understand the topics, doesn't need extra help then absolutely go for it, otherwise really consider a supplementary math class over the summer and/or during the school year to help reinforce the topics learned. And no, there are no textbooks or workbooks in MS and to top it all off, your kid will be going to multiple classes daily and will really need to be organized in tracking when is homework due and when quizzes are given. Part of the struggle my daughter is experiencing too which has led to her not doing well in some of her math tests.

The default sixth grade math course for students that finished compact 5/6 in in grade 5 is supposed to be IM - not AIM. Students are generally supposed to be selected for AIM through the magnet admissions process. Unfortunately some schools are replacing IM with AIM, but if your DD's school has IM, that might be a better fit. If not, you might want to bring this up with the math teachers or the principal.

IM was a compact 7/8 class for 7th graders. MCPS has retired that course for next year. AIM is a compacted 7/8 course for 6th graders. They were never supposed to take IM. AIM is supposed to be offered to qualifying 6th graders in all middle schools next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our school they just renamed regular IM to this class. Everyone that would have been IM is in this class instead.

In terms of long term this path gets kids to calculus in 11th grade. Remains to be seen how that will all pan out. From talking to some HS math teachers sounds like not well....

+1
This is what happens at Pyle. There's no regular IM. It's just AIM. Class was not difficult for my non-math kid. It got harder in Algebra, Geometry and Algebra II

MCPS is no longer offering IM as of next year. The three math pathways are:

Regular path (no compaction):
math 6 - math 7- math 8

Advanced path (compacting 6-8-8 into two years):
6+ - 7+ - alg

Extra advanced path (compacts 7-8 into one year - only for kids who have successfully completed math 6 in ES):
AIM - alg 1 - hon geo

Kids in 7th grade no longer have the option to compact 7 and 8, as they did when IM was offered; only 6th graders can take AIM. They can take 7+, which compacts half of 7th and all of 8th into one year, if they took 6+, which compacts all of 6th and half of 7th into a year).

But these paths force the already compacted kids from ES to speed up even more and I don’t understand why that’s necessary or thought to be beneficial?

It's not about the system forcing students to speed up. It's an option offered that can meet a child where they are at the moment. If they only offer them content that is too easy for them to master or a pace that is too slow, the kids who need that stretch to stay engaged lose interst in the subject, which is the last thing we want (or among the last things).

If anyone is forcing students to speed up, it's parents who put kids who are not attuned to Math into outside enrichment. Their reasons for doing so may include a greater liklihood of getting into lotteries for MCPS's somewhat-artificially scarce advanced programs (at least based on current criteria), but I wouldn't heavily classify that as MCPS forcing things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got into aim but i don't know if it would be harder like I might do some 7th grade math but i am not 100% sure.

AIM will cover content of both 7th and 8th grade math, which finish up the important foundational Math concepts before taking Algebra. You'd take that the following year (7th grade), as long as you & your teacher felt you had progressed well in AIM.

You don't need to get As in every quarter or on all your tests, but you should feel comfortable with the material after the class has covered it. If not, you might take Math 8 in 7th grade, allowing you to cover the material again to get to that comfort level before taking Algebra in 8th.

That said, because it covers two grades of material in one year, AIM will be harder than the other typical 6th-grade options for someone like you who has been suggested for AIM. Those would be AMP 6+ or Math 7, depending on whether you are coming from Math 5 or Math 5/6. If you took Math 5, AMP 6+ would cover all of the 6th grade material and half of the 7th, leading to AMP 7+, which covers the other half of 7th plus 8th. If tou took Math 5/6, Math 7 in 6th grade still would leave you a year ahead of grade-level Math, leading to Math 8 in 7th grade, but with a single year's material to cover each year. Either way would have you taking Algebra in 8th grade.

Whatever year you take Algebra, you'll take the MD state test for that subject. Passing that is, in essence, required to graduate from high school. The typical sequence of courses after Algebra is Geometry and then Algebra 2, followed by Pre-Calculus and then, often, Calculus (AP for college credit or otherwise), although Statistics (also available as an AP class) might be chosen.

If you end up going with AIM -> Algebra -> Geometry in middle school, you'd probably be taking that Calculus course in your Junior year of high school. Since the state requires you to take a full credit of math in each year your enrolled, that means in your Senior year you'd choose from a second Calculus course (you can stretch that out over two years, essentially), the Statistics mentioned above or a more advanced college-level course.

There are other options, but these are the most common. As far as your decision right now, I wouldn't worry too much about effect during high school. Instead, ask yourself:

"Do I enjoy Math?" (as a subject -- not necessarily whether you liked your Math class this year, since that can be different based on your experience with your 5th-grade teacher or if you felt things went too slowly)

"Do I feel comfortable with the Math material I just learned during 5th grade?"

"Would I prefer more of a challenge (or to continue the challenge, if you enjoyed the pace of Math 4/5 & 5/6)?"

Even, "Do I want to keep learning with friends/classmates who also are going to take AIM?"

If you answer yes to some or all of these, you might want to take AIM. Be sure to discuss with your family, and you can always ask your teacher for their thoughts, too. Hope you enjoy whichever you choose!

The problem is they didn’t create a path that kept a similar pacing as compacted for those students. Instead they further accelerated them by taking all of 7th and 8th in a single year. Unfortunately this is not leading to a solid foundation for most and kids are struggling when they get to upper level math. Should have gone:
• 6th grade - All of Math 7 and 1/2 Math 8
•7th grade - 1/2 Math 8 and a Spiral of Alg 1/Geometry
•8th grade - Continue Spiral of Alg 1 / Geometry. Take Alg 1 exam.

This would ensure the kids have a good foundation for Honors Alg2.

Interesting thought. They'd have to procure or create a curriculum that supported that path, and have it cleared with the state (or have state statute altered). MD requires taking the Algebra exam in the year Algebra is taken; they'd have to allow for it to be the year that Algebra content is completed. It also requires a year of aligned Geometry; they'd have to allow for that content to be split over two years.

For the student with the question, there aren't these options, though -- that would be years away -- so the questions posed previously are probably the relevant ones to ask.

Would making this plan really be that difficult? I’m seriously asking. You pull up the Alg1 and Geo curriculums which are probably separated into about 30-36 lessons each. You determine which lessons from Alg1 and Geo to do in which order based on necessary prerequisite knowledge and use of application and boom combined curriculum created. You don’t even have to create new materials as you just use the materials from each curriculum. Send the new curriculum and a request for waiver/change or whatever is needed to MSDE along with justification on how this will meet the needs of students and ensure a better math foundation for future math and college/career readiness.

Am I simplifying this too much?

Simplifying too much? No. And yes. Ideal world vs. the one in which we live. The latter holds a lot of gates/gatekeepers, not all of whom would be moved by the argument, reasonable as it is.

And some in-between, I think, as my understanding is that there's a lot more to a curriculum than content sequencing. There's also the teacher angle -- familiarity and training considerations, which are perfectly appropriate.

So I think it really would be that hard. May be worth pursuing, though -- most advances come with some pain (and lots of resistance).

[Anonymous]

Do any teachers know whether AIM will be switching to illustrative Mathematics from 2.0? At the parent open house the math specialist said that was supposed to happen for 2023-2024, but she was skeptical about whether it would actually happen.

[Anonymous]

So is AIM still the most advanced 6th grade math class leading to Algebra in 7th, or is it only AMP7+ now?

Is AMP 7+ offered at Eastern?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So is AIM still the most advanced 6th grade math class leading to Algebra in 7th, or is it only AMP7+ now?

Is AMP 7+ offered at Eastern?

Depends on the school which one is offered in 6th grade. It is supposed to be AIM but some schools only offer 7+. Scheduling-wise that is easier because they can combine 6th and 7th graders in 7+.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do any teachers know whether AIM will be switching to illustrative Mathematics from 2.0? At the parent open house the math specialist said that was supposed to happen for 2023-2024, but she was skeptical about whether it would actually happen.

No - it is still using 2.0.

[Anonymous]

Does AIM=AMP 7+ ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So is AIM still the most advanced 6th grade math class leading to Algebra in 7th, or is it only AMP7+ now?

Is AMP 7+ offered at Eastern?

AMP6+ and AMP7+ are part of the purchased MS curriculum (Illustrative Math). They combine/compact 6th, 7th & 8th grade Math into 2 years of instruction. It is not entirely linear, with modules from the different grades being moved around a bit to help with that compaction, but, to some degree at least, one can think of 6+ as all of 6th and half of 7th and 7+ as the rest of 7th and all of 8th. These courses are better aligned with both the ES curriculum (Eureka; "Compacted" Math 5/6 takes from both Eureka and Illustrative Math), and the Algebra 1 course (also Illustrative Math, IIRC) that meets the current standard.

AIM combined/compacted 7th and 8th grade Math frombthe old MCPS proprietary C2.0 that no longer aligns with the current standard. Though its pace is greater and one might think it would cover all of the material between Math 5/6 and Algebra 1, it leaves out elements that the current Algebra 1 course would expect to have been covered.

Schools were left to choose AIM or AMP7+ as alternatives to get students in 6th from Math 5/6 in 5th to Algebra 1 in 7th. As they were all implementing AMP6+ and 7+ anyway for those starting acceleration in 6th, and as there were discontinuities whether one chose 7+ ("missing" that "first half" of 7th, though note the compaction rearrangement of modules) or AIM (curriculum not aligned/missing coverage of certain concepts), many middle schools chose to go with the former.

So...the answer is either one could be considered the most advanced of the standard offerings for 6th, each leading to Algebra 1 in 7th.

Here's hoping nobody jumps in with what have become overplayed, unhelpful insinuations in this forum related to grade skipping for even greater acceleration. That exists, and may not be equitably accessible, but are not exactly germane to your question and are portrayed here in jaundiced tones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does AIM=AMP 7+ ?

AIM compacts 7th and 8th grade standards.

7+ is the 2nd half of 7th and 8th.

So for 7+ you are not getting a half-year of 7th. 7+ is supposed to be for 7th graders who completed 6+ in 6th (which is all of 6th and the first half of 7th).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does AIM=AMP 7+ ?

AIM compacts 7th and 8th grade standards.

7+ is the 2nd half of 7th and 8th.

So for 7+ you are not getting a half-year of 7th. 7+ is supposed to be for 7th graders who completed 6+ in 6th (which is all of 6th and the first half of 7th).

See the post inmediately prior. Each option, AIM or AMP7+, with their different curricular origin, ends up missing some things on the way to Algebra.