6th Grade Math Options

[Anonymous]

Eastern had a placement test for Algebra (a few years ago anyway). I didn’t receive any notification from the school, but my kid told me at the beginning of school she could take a placement test the next day. I think Algebra in 7th is already advanced, so she didn’t take the test. I don’t the numbers but know of at least six kids that did take Algebra in sixth that year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eastern had a placement test for Algebra (a few years ago anyway). I didn’t receive any notification from the school, but my kid told me at the beginning of school she could take a placement test the next day. I think Algebra in 7th is already advanced, so she didn’t take the test. I don’t the numbers but know of at least six kids that did take Algebra in sixth that year.

Its interesting how different each school is. Ours just had it on the registration form and we checked Algebra. No test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eastern had a placement test for Algebra (a few years ago anyway). I didn’t receive any notification from the school, but my kid told me at the beginning of school she could take a placement test the next day. I think Algebra in 7th is already advanced, so she didn’t take the test. I don’t the numbers but know of at least six kids that did take Algebra in sixth that year.

Ya but I think parents needed to request that their students take it. It wasn't triggered by test scores.Seems like a big disparity between the haves and have nots.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Well, the more information the post the more nervous I get about accidentally IDing him, but he has been taking higher level math classes outside of school and doing well, which is both good for him (it's challenging, keeps him humble, and teaches him how to work) and contributing to the boredom problem at school big time. He's slated for Lakelands.

I’m sorry. So you are sending him to an outside math school that exposes him to untaught content and then bragging about a map score that reflects access to advanced/untaught content? And that you say is directly contributing to his boredom in school? It is not a race to skip foundational levels of math at age 9. It’s fine if he enjoys the outside math but I think it’s a stretch to say his map score indicates he’s an extreme outlier especially since he’s being tutored in the content outside of school.

What are you sorry about? No, I'm not bragging about his MAP score, I'm not even sure what it is, I don't even know what that test covers. I provided it to the best of my recollection because a PP specifically asked. I don't care about how he does on a standardized multiple choice math test and I totally agree it's not evidence that he's an extreme outlier. He's not skipping anything foundational, he's just already done everything he's doing now and I think has already done nearly everything he's slated to do in 5th grade compacted, and by the end of this year will probably have already done everything covered in AIM. He enjoys the outside work; I won't stop him from doing it just so he won't be quite as bored in school. It's very obviously good for him, you'll have to take my word for it. But if there's another way to be less bored in school, that would be good because he's getting more and more upset about it.

Kids in Algebra in 6th don't do AIM. However, its school specific on what their criteria is and if they offer it. And, not all schools offer Algebra 2 so your child may be sent to a high school.

I've seen you post a number of times about this same topic and you always assume your child's experience is the same as everyone else's. It's getting annoying because your information is confusing people. I know a child that did do AIM before going to Alg in 6th. Every school does it differently in terms of allowing exceptions or not and in terms of the procedures they use for those exceptions if they allow them.

+1 I've been around MCPS for a while, and have seen several different models in the age range OP is talking about. There are probably even more, because I'm not presumptuous enough to assume I've seen them all.

1) Kid starts 4/5 in 4th and gets moved to 5/6 in 4th grade, then does AIM in 5th at a nearby MS and Algebra in 6th.

2) Kid finishes Math 4/5 and moves directly to AIM in 5th at a nearby MS, then does Algebra in 6th.

3) Kid finishes Math 5/6, never takes AIM, and takes a placement test to get into Algebra in 6th.

4) Finally, there's at least one school in MCPS flat-out teaching AIM to 5th graders inside the ES building. Those kids would also do Algebra in 6th.

The reason I'm bothering to list all of this out is because the best use of DCUM is to educate one another about what is possible. Princpals will tell you something "cannot be done" but what they actually mean is that "it's complicated and we don't normally do it here."

The more information we have as parents, particualrly those of us at schools where the administration is not necessarily focused on the highest fliers, the better chance we have of giving our kids the same advantages they would get in another part of the county.

Why keep it a secret? Let us know which one so we can reference it for interactions with other schools.

Otherwise, it just sounds like someone drumming up discontent on a rumor. Sheesh!

First rule of W feeders is you do not talk about W feeders.

It may not be a W school, but that's great if they teach AIM in 5th. Otherwise kids just skip AIM.

The only schools I know of that offer AIM in 5th are W feeders kids who show up at TPMS already having taken AIM at least before the lottery now it's not so common.

[Anonymous]

It was never common even before the lottery.

None of you actually seem to have a child at TPMS because there are still only a very small number of kids in this situation and they come from all over. I do think there's a child from Frost but most of the rest are not from Ws. Many of the kids who were accelerated when they used the Cogat were not getting offers from TPMS anyway. Once your child goes to Blair it won't matter anyway. The most advanced kids take a special class in 9th/10th and often kids go "backwards" in order to take it. Backwards is really the wrong term but I can't think of a better one but the kids who skipped a year end up in the same class as the ones who did not. You can't predict who does well in that class based on their previous math path either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was never common even before the lottery.

None of you actually seem to have a child at TPMS because there are still only a very small number of kids in this situation and they come from all over. I do think there's a child from Frost but most of the rest are not from Ws. Many of the kids who were accelerated when they used the Cogat were not getting offers from TPMS anyway. Once your child goes to Blair it won't matter anyway. The most advanced kids take a special class in 9th/10th and often kids go "backwards" in order to take it. Backwards is really the wrong term but I can't think of a better one but the kids who skipped a year end up in the same class as the ones who did not. You can't predict who does well in that class based on their previous math path either.

Not really. TPMS outright refuses to let anyone take Algebra in 6th unless they took AIM in 5th and the kids that meet that criteria don't come from all over but one or two specific schools that allow this. However, MS's like Frost however allow anyone who scores over 250 on their map-m to take Algebra in 6th at least I've read this here. My children went through TPMS.

[Anonymous]

If your child "went" through TPMS your child was under the old application system in which most of the kids at TPMS came from a few schools. The current TPMS 8th and 7th grade were selected under universal screening with Cogat. In that group right now there are very few kids who are in a higher math and they are from all many schools in the county mostly non Ws. I think they may all be from different schools.

[Anonymous]

Typically AIM is only offered in 6th grade. Other students who take pre-Algebra in 6th take a different course - often the typical 7th grade math with 7th graders- used to be called IM. AIM is one of the "Accelerated and Enriched" courses that is offered to kids who made the lottery but weren't selected for Takoma Park/Clemente. It has some parts that are integrated with other 6th grade curriculum and supposedly has more critical thinking, math contests, and a strong cohort of kids. Skipping ahead beyond this typically doesn't give you the cohort of similar kids - you can be a year ahead, but in a class with a wider range of students. At least this is what I've understood reading what has come out at board meetings, from the math department and from AEI. But, as some have pointed out, it seems some schools do their own thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Typically AIM is only offered in 6th grade. Other students who take pre-Algebra in 6th take a different course - often the typical 7th grade math with 7th graders- used to be called IM. AIM is one of the "Accelerated and Enriched" courses that is offered to kids who made the lottery but weren't selected for Takoma Park/Clemente. It has some parts that are integrated with other 6th grade curriculum and supposedly has more critical thinking, math contests, and a strong cohort of kids. Skipping ahead beyond this typically doesn't give you the cohort of similar kids - you can be a year ahead, but in a class with a wider range of students. At least this is what I've understood reading what has come out at board meetings, from the math department and from AEI. But, as some have pointed out, it seems some schools do their own thing.

PP here - I meant to say students who move to pre-algebra before 6th grade typically take a different course - not in 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child "went" through TPMS your child was under the old application system in which most of the kids at TPMS came from a few schools. The current TPMS 8th and 7th grade were selected under universal screening with Cogat. In that group right now there are very few kids who are in a higher math and they are from all many schools in the county mostly non Ws. I think they may all be from different schools.

There are very few slots in TPMS and many kids who are smart and should go don't get offered slots. It is the other school's way of enticing kids to stay at the home school or offer more advanced as they don't have "honors" or "gifted" classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Typically AIM is only offered in 6th grade. Other students who take pre-Algebra in 6th take a different course - often the typical 7th grade math with 7th graders- used to be called IM. AIM is one of the "Accelerated and Enriched" courses that is offered to kids who made the lottery but weren't selected for Takoma Park/Clemente. It has some parts that are integrated with other 6th grade curriculum and supposedly has more critical thinking, math contests, and a strong cohort of kids. Skipping ahead beyond this typically doesn't give you the cohort of similar kids - you can be a year ahead, but in a class with a wider range of students. At least this is what I've understood reading what has come out at board meetings, from the math department and from AEI. But, as some have pointed out, it seems some schools do their own thing.

PP here - I meant to say students who move to pre-algebra before 6th grade typically take a different course - not in 6th grade.

Many schools don't offer pre-algebra and just offer compacted math. So, for us, our kids just skip AIM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child "went" through TPMS your child was under the old application system in which most of the kids at TPMS came from a few schools. The current TPMS 8th and 7th grade were selected under universal screening with Cogat. In that group right now there are very few kids who are in a higher math and they are from all many schools in the county mostly non Ws. I think they may all be from different schools.

There are very few slots in TPMS and many kids who are smart and should go don't get offered slots. It is the other school's way of enticing kids to stay at the home school or offer more advanced as they don't have "honors" or "gifted" classes.

Correct Universal screening resulted in a much higher caliber student than the old system that typically only had 800 applicants whose parents knew to apply.

[Anonymous]

My child is on universal screening group but I'm not sure. I guess it depends on how to define higher caliber. I think the motivation was probably higher with application groups. They self-selected to do the application which was complicated so many wanted to be there badly or their parents did.

With universal screening you do pick out more outliers and you also get a more diverse group all around which includes kids who may not love science or math or writing. i think there are good and bad aspects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Typically AIM is only offered in 6th grade. Other students who take pre-Algebra in 6th take a different course - often the typical 7th grade math with 7th graders- used to be called IM. AIM is one of the "Accelerated and Enriched" courses that is offered to kids who made the lottery but weren't selected for Takoma Park/Clemente. It has some parts that are integrated with other 6th grade curriculum and supposedly has more critical thinking, math contests, and a strong cohort of kids. Skipping ahead beyond this typically doesn't give you the cohort of similar kids - you can be a year ahead, but in a class with a wider range of students. At least this is what I've understood reading what has come out at board meetings, from the math department and from AEI. But, as some have pointed out, it seems some schools do their own thing.

PP here - I meant to say students who move to pre-algebra before 6th grade typically take a different course - not in 6th grade.

There used to be IM and AIM and now there is only AIM. Its very rare a ES would offer IM or AIM. Now in 6th kids take AIM. They switched it a year ago for "equity."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child "went" through TPMS your child was under the old application system in which most of the kids at TPMS came from a few schools. The current TPMS 8th and 7th grade were selected under universal screening with Cogat. In that group right now there are very few kids who are in a higher math and they are from all many schools in the county mostly non Ws. I think they may all be from different schools.

There are very few slots in TPMS and many kids who are smart and should go don't get offered slots. It is the other school's way of enticing kids to stay at the home school or offer more advanced as they don't have "honors" or "gifted" classes.

Correct Universal screening resulted in a much higher caliber student than the old system that typically only had 800 applicants whose parents knew to apply.

Some parents also choose not to apply. Our child had no interest in going and the commute was an issue so we would not have applied.