6th grade math placement letters posted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to the chart in the letter, 1046 on MI is the highest you can get on Math Inventory but it's the requirement to be placed in pre-algebra? This seems like a way to get rid of the advanced track in Math.

Yes, I wonder if it’s even possible to score higher than 1046 in 5th grade?
My rising 5th DD got 930 in EOY and I’m wondering if that means she answered all the questions correct (she thinks she did). It would be really nice if we could review the questions on those assessments including SOLs.

No, you can score higher than 930 as a 5th grader. I have had students score 1046 but I am not sure if it’s possible to go higher than that in 5th. New test next year so who knows. This year I had multiple students score above 930 but my highest score was 1020. (5th grade teacher)

Pp who was quoted. Sorry it wasn’t clear. 930 was EOY score of my then 4th grader.

I think that might be correct. My kid went from a 930 in 4th right to 1046 in 5th and his teacher made a comment about how he may have maxed out in the previous year

[Anonymous]

Any idea what % of APS 6th grade students are in PreAlgebra? Does this go down in 7th for Algebra? Probably around 30%??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any idea what % of APS 6th grade students are in PreAlgebra? Does this go down in 7th for Algebra? Probably around 30%??

I think it is only one class of 6th grade pre-algebra per school. But I assume most of those kids go on to algebra, intensified in 7th.

[Anonymous]

OMG people. Parent of a senior in high school here. She was put in advanced math in 6 and in the Intensified Algebra class in 7th. By Intensified Algebra 2 in 9th grade, she was off the math wagon but it was too late to get her moved into regular Algebra 2 that year. Her grade suffered and her motivation suffered. "Regular" pre-calc in 10th grade was a joy after that. She had to talk Calc AB this year and it was painful, but much less so than BC would have been.

Don't push too hard.

[Anonymous]

12:06 here. I remember she had a 600 on the Math SOL for 5th grade, hence the push. (we were pretty surprised that year with the SOL score -- she was in the 500s previously). And she was identified as gifted in all areas earlier. It's a lot for them in middle school, especially with all of the other drama.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:12:06 here. I remember she had a 600 on the Math SOL for 5th grade, hence the push. (we were pretty surprised that year with the SOL score -- she was in the 500s previously). And she was identified as gifted in all areas earlier. It's a lot for them in middle school, especially with all of the other drama.

I understand where you're coming from. I am not pushing at all. My kid just loves math. I am not concerned about trying advanced math but in our case they have always had perfect scores in math or within 10 points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm I wasn't going to email to ask for placement but seems like my kid needs to take Algebra intensified or geometry to have a shot at TJHSST, which is his dream. No idea if he can even get in given he didn't get placed initially but also don't want to reduce his chances already in 6th. Again I know it's a long shot school, he is just so obsessed with science

Wow. He’s in fifth grade and he’s dreaming of TJ? My kid didn’t even know what that was…

Yeah he wants to go into chemistry and we went to the science fair at TJ and he fell in love with the School. I think he felt like he found his people? None of his friends are interested in science so he gets bummed out.

APS middle schools offer some fun science extension work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm I wasn't going to email to ask for placement but seems like my kid needs to take Algebra intensified or geometry to have a shot at TJHSST, which is his dream. No idea if he can even get in given he didn't get placed initially but also don't want to reduce his chances already in 6th. Again I know it's a long shot school, he is just so obsessed with science

Wow. He’s in fifth grade and he’s dreaming of TJ? My kid didn’t even know what that was…

Yeah he wants to go into chemistry and we went to the science fair at TJ and he fell in love with the School. I think he felt like he found his people? None of his friends are interested in science so he gets bummed out.

APS middle schools offer some fun science extension work.

That is great to hear. I think at this point he will be excited if they can do something more than watch videos on the ipad which has been the entirety of his elementary science education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm I wasn't going to email to ask for placement but seems like my kid needs to take Algebra intensified or geometry to have a shot at TJHSST, which is his dream. No idea if he can even get in given he didn't get placed initially but also don't want to reduce his chances already in 6th. Again I know it's a long shot school, he is just so obsessed with science

Wow. He’s in fifth grade and he’s dreaming of TJ? My kid didn’t even know what that was…

Yeah he wants to go into chemistry and we went to the science fair at TJ and he fell in love with the School. I think he felt like he found his people? None of his friends are interested in science so he gets bummed out.

APS middle schools offer some fun science extension work.

That is great to hear. I think at this point he will be excited if they can do something more than watch videos on the ipad which has been the entirety of his elementary science education.

Too bad he wasn’t at one of the science ESs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm I wasn't going to email to ask for placement but seems like my kid needs to take Algebra intensified or geometry to have a shot at TJHSST, which is his dream. No idea if he can even get in given he didn't get placed initially but also don't want to reduce his chances already in 6th. Again I know it's a long shot school, he is just so obsessed with science

Wow. He’s in fifth grade and he’s dreaming of TJ? My kid didn’t even know what that was…

Yeah he wants to go into chemistry and we went to the science fair at TJ and he fell in love with the School. I think he felt like he found his people? None of his friends are interested in science so he gets bummed out.

APS middle schools offer some fun science extension work.

That is great to hear. I think at this point he will be excited if they can do something more than watch videos on the ipad which has been the entirety of his elementary science education.

Too bad he wasn’t at one of the science ESs.

I know 😞 he has been pretty vocal about his dislike of the science curriculum. He even brought it up with the principal lol. Luckily he has enrichment opportunities but science is so easy to make fun for school it is disappointing that school managed to turn a bunch of kids off from it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to the chart in the letter, 1046 on MI is the highest you can get on Math Inventory but it's the requirement to be placed in pre-algebra? This seems like a way to get rid of the advanced track in Math.

Yes, I wonder if it’s even possible to score higher than 1046 in 5th grade?
My rising 5th DD got 930 in EOY and I’m wondering if that means she answered all the questions correct (she thinks she did). It would be really nice if we could review the questions on those assessments including SOLs.

My seventh grader got a 1142 on mi. It’s definitely possible. We supplemented during covid so she was very ahead. 1040 is the algebra readiness level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to the chart in the letter, 1046 on MI is the highest you can get on Math Inventory but it's the requirement to be placed in pre-algebra? This seems like a way to get rid of the advanced track in Math.

Yes, I wonder if it’s even possible to score higher than 1046 in 5th grade?
My rising 5th DD got 930 in EOY and I’m wondering if that means she answered all the questions correct (she thinks she did). It would be really nice if we could review the questions on those assessments including SOLs.

My seventh grader got a 1142 on mi. It’s definitely possible. We supplemented during covid so she was very ahead. 1040 is the algebra readiness level.

PP is asking if there is a cap by grade (930 for 4th, 1046 for 5th potentially)

[Anonymous]

Have had two kids go through the advanced track. One scored off the charts on the MI and excelled all the way through high school taking Calc BC junior year with a high score on the AP exam.

The other had a lower score on MI but was still recommended for the advanced track. This kid had a harder time. It may have been because of the pandemic. School closed during their math 678 year so they only got 3/4 of that course and then Algebra was online. It’s been a struggle to eke out a low B with the help of a tutor. I look back and wonder if the kid wasn’t ready for the advanced track or if the pandemic screwed it all up, and I really don’t know the answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to the chart in the letter, 1046 on MI is the highest you can get on Math Inventory but it's the requirement to be placed in pre-algebra? This seems like a way to get rid of the advanced track in Math.

Yes, I wonder if it’s even possible to score higher than 1046 in 5th grade?
My rising 5th DD got 930 in EOY and I’m wondering if that means she answered all the questions correct (she thinks she did). It would be really nice if we could review the questions on those assessments including SOLs.

My seventh grader got a 1142 on mi. It’s definitely possible. We supplemented during covid so she was very ahead. 1040 is the algebra readiness level.

PP is asking if there is a cap by grade (930 for 4th, 1046 for 5th potentially)

So no there isn’t. My now seventh grader got an 1142 (maxed it out) when she was in fifth grade.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had though at some point folks said that the score needed to get into Algebra 1 was 1046. And that pre algebra was in the 900s. MAYBE 940 but I may have made that up.

To get into pre Algebra 7 the you need a 475 on the SOL and a 785 on MI. So it seems weird to me that you need a lower score to get into that when it comes 7/8 grade math.

Where did you get the numbers for Algebra 7, they seem low

DP. Its detailed on the letter to rising 7th grade parents. FWIW there is definitely teacher input. My DD scored very low on the MI which was weird b/c she's an A student. The teacher worked with her to see what was wrong and looks like it had to do with something that one of new 5th grade teachers at the elementary school didn't teach last year (she said she had multiple kids with the same issue and same 5th grade teacher). But then DD score very high on the Math SOL. She was put in Pre-Alg 7.

My kid is the opposite. High MI, just missed the cut off for SOL, and recommended for math 7. Kid goofs off in class so that’s probably why. Debating whether we should push it or not…

I wouldn’t put a kid who goofs off in an accelerated class like this. It’s not fair to them or the other kids.

+1 and sounds like mom is already making excuses for him. (He rushed the SOL…)

Excuses? No, I’m explaining why I think the teacher input factored in - because the kid goofs off and doesn’t take it seriously. Even though kid clearly knows the content.

And pre-alg for 7th really is not all that accelerated. I have older kids who’ve taken more accelerated paths. Part of why kid goofed off is that math 6 is boring AF.

Can’t speak to “Math 6 is boring AF”, since, you know, I’m an adult and not actually in the room.

I know many kids who’ve done math 6 & kids who did pre-alg for 6th (math 6/7/8). Consensus is that math 6 is boring AF. Have you seen the syllabus? Very, very little new material after 5th.

I know kids, too. It’s not like a twelve-year-old to say math is boring! Your kid didn’t get in- because he didn't get in. I think you should trust the process and let him solidify his math skills. He’ll be ok.

Parent of a kid who just finished middle school here. No, do not blindly “trust the process” if you think your kid belongs in the higher math class. They have raised the cutoff scores in recent years in an effort to have fewer kids on the advanced track, for whatever reason. We had to push back to get our kid into the advanced class. He just finished geometry, and had no trouble earning all As all 3 years of MS math. Math ended up his favorite subject, too.

Recent education theories argue that pushing kids into an advance track too early causes them to grow too dislike math. Not saying it's right or wrong but there is an anti acceleration movement out there.

https://robertkaplinsky.com/the-case-against-acceleration/

https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/how-much-math-too-much

It seems many are pushing back on this now - the data isn't bearing out positive results and in CA making the achievement gap worse. San Fran has been in the news lately on this and Boaler was pulled from the CA Math standards development committee I believe. I think Boaler may be math's Lucy Caulkins. Just found this article and wow. I hope APS isn't being guided by her recommendations. "'Can we please stop talking about so-called learning loss?' Boaler pleads. In her view, learning loss isn't the problem. The problem is that we care about it in the first place. Boaler asks why we are concerned about the drop in test scores when there was no such downturn 'in terms of student problem-solving or thought processes'?

In a particularly sophistic passage, Boaler asks, 'Did students lose learning during the pandemic?' Or did those students replace that learning 'with knowledge and insights about the world, health challenges, global upheaval, exponential growth, technology, and ways to help their families and navigate complex social situations?'

'I think it’s quite clear that they did all of these things,' she neatly concludes."

Was she really pulled? She should have been:
https://edsource.org/2022/californias-math-framework-lacks-research-to-justify-its-progressive-agenda/670470

But I think so far they haven't excluded her, they were just forced to remove her boldest lies about San Francisco's experiment after parent groups exposed them.

Boaler was a co-author of the first and second versions of the CA Math Framework. After the second draft met with such large public pushback, CA assigned DOE staff to author the third version that was just released. However, DOE staff essentially kept Boaler's product intact with only a few changes, so the draft Framework still reflects her ideas. APS is a big fan of Boaler and her ideas on math.

The head of APS' math department was on the committee that wrote VMPI, that was based on Boaler's research and was going to delay everyone to be in heterogenous classes through Grade 10 with no ability to take advanced classes until Grade 11. The Northam admin quickly rolled that back, making those changes "optional" for school districts.

The APS math placement letters are simply recommendations, not requirements. If you want to follow their recommendation, you can. But you're not required to do so and keep in mind the people setting the scores are the same people who wanted to a statewide standard that would have no kids accelerated in middle school