Supplementing math is becoming the norm now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In many other developed countries, the standard math curriculum has the equivalent of Algebra 1 in the equivalent of 7th/8th grade.

That the same is not standard here speaks to our poor quality math instruction.

The students on that trak are the kids who tested into those schools, a large percentage of kids end up at schools that are votech in nature where the kids are not doing algebra 1 in 7th or 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In many other developed countries, the standard math curriculum has the equivalent of Algebra 1 in the equivalent of 7th/8th grade.

That the same is not standard here speaks to our poor quality math instruction.

The students on that trak are the kids who tested into those schools, a large percentage of kids end up at schools that are votech in nature where the kids are not doing algebra 1 in 7th or 8th grade.

DP. But algebra I in 8th is not hard. If kids were getting quality math instruction starting in K and through 7th this could easily be the standard and achievable by kids with normal ability and intelligence without afterschool supplement. But kids aren’t getting quality instruction- which is a huge problem and why parents that care out their child’s future opportunities have to provide real math instruction outside of school hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're in a Catholic middle school. Math instruction varies. One teacher is pretty good, the other not as much. My younger kid is good at math and can keep up, on track to take Algebra 1 in 8th. My other doesn't like math and we've realized the instruction is inadequate, which kind of surprised me. We do get a lot of paper: worksheets, workbooks, etc so we can see where she struggles. We're not supplementing but thank goodness my husband has a degree in the sciences and can basically teach her the math instruction she's not getting. But it does beg the question--what exactly is the tuition for if the parents have to teach the math?

So your husband is supplementing with his own knowledge.

Which is what all parents should be doing. If you went to college for 4+ yrs you can do elementary math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In many other developed countries, the standard math curriculum has the equivalent of Algebra 1 in the equivalent of 7th/8th grade.

That the same is not standard here speaks to our poor quality math instruction.

The students on that track are the kids who tested into those schools, a large percentage of kids end up at schools that are votech in nature where the kids are not doing algebra 1 in 7th or 8th grade.

DP. But algebra I in 8th is not hard. If kids were getting quality math instruction starting in K and through 7th this could easily be the standard and achievable by kids with normal ability and intelligence without afterschool supplement. But kids aren’t getting quality instruction- which is a huge problem and why parents that care out their child’s future opportunities have to provide real math instruction outside of school hours.

Algebra in 9th grade was hard for me, I have learning disabilities. I believe that 20% of the population has learning disabilities that make learning more challenging. Math is a subject with a huge variation in ability and that is fine.

Algebra in 8th grade is hard for plenty of kids in Asia, which is why the kids that don’t score high enough on the 6th grade test are sent to votech school and take a very different math track. There are documentaries on one such school in Singapore on YouTube. Check it out.

[Anonymous]

Math,
Science,
Foreign Language.

And for ES - lots of reading and writing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're in a Catholic middle school. Math instruction varies. One teacher is pretty good, the other not as much. My younger kid is good at math and can keep up, on track to take Algebra 1 in 8th. My other doesn't like math and we've realized the instruction is inadequate, which kind of surprised me. We do get a lot of paper: worksheets, workbooks, etc so we can see where she struggles. We're not supplementing but thank goodness my husband has a degree in the sciences and can basically teach her the math instruction she's not getting. But it does beg the question--what exactly is the tuition for if the parents have to teach the math?

So your husband is supplementing with his own knowledge.

Which is what all parents should be doing. If you went to college for 4+ yrs you can do elementary math

I supplemented with the amazing textbooks that I bought on Amazon.

[Anonymous]

When did this change and why? We did not supplement in the aughts and certainly not in the 90s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When did this change and why? We did not supplement in the aughts and certainly not in the 90s.

Because parents are generally way more anxious these days about college admissions, which is what is driving ALL of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When did this change and why? We did not supplement in the aughts and certainly not in the 90s.

There are no textbooks. The teachers teach to the SOL. They follow disconnected strands bc of the SOL. They cram info into Sept-April bc they reserve the end of April and May for SOL review and test. Many of the teachers are young and inexperienced. They teach math off of poorly formatted Google slides. It’s all very poorly taught.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When did this change and why? We did not supplement in the aughts and certainly not in the 90s.

People supplemented. My brothers went to academic summer camps for more advanced math and science. Sylvan was starting to be a thing when I was in HS. There were workbooks and tutors and the like. I would guess that the foreign language schools on the weekend were there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did this change and why? We did not supplement in the aughts and certainly not in the 90s.

There are no textbooks. The teachers teach to the SOL. They follow disconnected strands bc of the SOL. They cram info into Sept-April bc they reserve the end of April and May for SOL review and test. Many of the teachers are young and inexperienced. They teach math off of poorly formatted Google slides. It’s all very poorly taught.

This. I went to a middle class pubic school (mostly white). We had Alg I in 8th as the advanced option. Many kids took it, it was common. No one supplemented, that I recall. There definitely weren’t Kumon, RSM, and the like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did this change and why? We did not supplement in the aughts and certainly not in the 90s.

People supplemented. My brothers went to academic summer camps for more advanced math and science. Sylvan was starting to be a thing when I was in HS. There were workbooks and tutors and the like. I would guess that the foreign language schools on the weekend were there.

Are you Asian? I had no idea academic summer camps even existed. I can’t think of anyone I knew that went to one. I went to an excellent public school where many classmates went on to great colleges- no one was doing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did this change and why? We did not supplement in the aughts and certainly not in the 90s.

People supplemented. My brothers went to academic summer camps for more advanced math and science. Sylvan was starting to be a thing when I was in HS. There were workbooks and tutors and the like. I would guess that the foreign language schools on the weekend were there.

Dp. Yeah, the rich kids I knew supplemented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never assumed the school would be enough.i went to private growing up and everyone had a tutor. We picked a good public school to allow for supplementation. My K is doing 100 lessons to learn reading with me (so I do phonics with her) and she went to Mathnesium- I wasn’t happy with that so we are doing private tutoring. I plan to ramp this up once my youngest is out of daycare. It’s on me as a parent to make sure my kids are prepped- not the school.

I think your experience growing up is coloring your expectations, which I think are off.

My kid went to public and learned to read there. I did buy that 100 lessons book and she hated it, so I held off, and then she became a great reader in K and it didn't matter.

We supplement with resources and I pay close attention to where she is at so if I think there are deficits, I can help meet them. But we have yet to do any tutoring. I don't think they read enough full books at school and definitely not enough classic literature, so she does lots of that outside of school. I have bought Beast Academy books for math supplementing and she does an after school math club provided by the school. I see no point in doing Mathnasium or Kumon or RSM at this point.

I would get tutors if she was falling behind and I'd definitely get tutors/therapists for LDs. But my kid is learning in school. Above grade level in everything, self-motivated. After school is for playing, sports, and ballet. Balance.

If I truly thought the school wasn't teaching her, we'd put her in private or find a way to homeschool and focus "supplementing" on the social side. But it's not the case.

And, apparently, supplementing with Beast Academy books and after-school math club. Wish our local school offered an after-school math club. Sounds cheaper than RSM.

After school math club will not replace RSM. It is not long enough and would not provide the homework or support that RSM does. My kid loves his math club but it is not even close to RSM.

What’s the goal in regular kids going to math class after they’ve been in a class all day? It’s hard to believe that every poster lives in a district with poorly performing schools.

As for supplementing reading, what happened to reading books starting as babies on a daily basis? I could tell when my first grader was progressing when I was reading chapter books to her and she read along with me and speak up whenever I skipped a word, which was often. Schools use phonics and reading vocabulary increases every year. Some quickly, some slower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did this change and why? We did not supplement in the aughts and certainly not in the 90s.

People supplemented. My brothers went to academic summer camps for more advanced math and science. Sylvan was starting to be a thing when I was in HS. There were workbooks and tutors and the like. I would guess that the foreign language schools on the weekend were there.

Are you Asian? I had no idea academic summer camps even existed. I can’t think of anyone I knew that went to one. I went to an excellent public school where many classmates went on to great colleges- no one was doing this.

My 7th grader went to an enrichment program for math and English. She’s an average student I just wanted to have her ready for 8th grade math. The majority of kids were Asian.