Compacted Math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Compacted math decisions for next year are going home today if they have not already been sent. All 3rd graders will be given a letter that either says they will be in 4th grade math or compacted math. If you do not agree with the decision, there is a form you can fill out.

Is this a new process? I have a 4th grader this year who is not in compacted math, and we never heard a single thing last year about testing or math placement or anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here - we are confident. Just wanted her to be ahead. Several other families in our ES are also doing this advance work. This is time better spent than soccer or dance on the weekends and after school.

So let me get this straight, you are going to preteach your child the advanced math and then complain that she is not learning anything new or it is moving too slow. Yep, that makes sense!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Compacted math decisions for next year are going home today if they have not already been sent. All 3rd graders will be given a letter that either says they will be in 4th grade math or compacted math. If you do not agree with the decision, there is a form you can fill out.

Is this a new process? I have a 4th grader this year who is not in compacted math, and we never heard a single thing last year about testing or math placement or anything.

Yes, selection and notification processes are new this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here - we are confident. Just wanted her to be ahead. Several other families in our ES are also doing this advance work. This is time better spent than soccer or dance on the weekends and after school.

So this year, she's going to spend her weekends learning the stuff that the math class next year will cover, so that next year, she will sit in class not learning anything new because she already spent the weekends this year learning the stuff -- and this is a good use of time.

How about that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here - we are confident. Just wanted her to be ahead. Several other families in our ES are also doing this advance work. This is time better spent than soccer or dance on the weekends and after school.

So this year, she's going to spend her weekends learning the stuff that the math class next year will cover, so that next year, she will sit in class not learning anything new because she already spent the weekends this year learning the stuff -- and this is a good use of time.

How about that!

Yea, I don't get this logic. People make their kids take afterschool tutoring to be more advanced than the advanced math track that mcps offers, then complain that their kids are bored in class. Good use of logic. Here's how you prevent your "advanced" kids from being bored in math class: stop with the after school tutoring. Yes, actually, a kid being involved in some athletics, art, music, dance, whatever has some value. Or, you could just let the kid be bored at home, you know, let them figure out what to do with themselves at home other than having parents dictate every hour of their lives.

Yes, I know, some kids are very advanced beyond compacted math without the tutoring, but that's probably not most kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here - we are confident. Just wanted her to be ahead. Several other families in our ES are also doing this advance work. This is time better spent than soccer or dance on the weekends and after school.

No, no it is not a better use of your kids time.
Sincerely, an ES math teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Compacted math decisions for next year are going home today if they have not already been sent. All 3rd graders will be given a letter that either says they will be in 4th grade math or compacted math. If you do not agree with the decision, there is a form you can fill out.

Is this a new process? I have a 4th grader this year who is not in compacted math, and we never heard a single thing last year about testing or math placement or anything.

Yes, selection and notification processes are new this year.

Hi PP, if you are the teacher, did they totally do away with the results of the UCARE assessment? Decide to consider every 3rd Grader for 4/5 placement instead of just a select few? Or what? I got the letter out of the backpack just now, and notice that there is no mention of the UCARE testing, cut-off score, etc., as has been standard in past years.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

So just out of curiosity, are there any 3rd graders who were tested for compacted math this year who received a letter not recommending they take compacted math? Or does it seem that under the new system those that were tested with the UCARE screening (which they did do this year at my child's elementary school) were all placed in compacted math?

[Anonymous]

Our school never told parents if the kids were being tested, unless they specifically asked. So, no way to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Compacted math decisions for next year are going home today if they have not already been sent. All 3rd graders will be given a letter that either says they will be in 4th grade math or compacted math. If you do not agree with the decision, there is a form you can fill out.

Is this a new process? I have a 4th grader this year who is not in compacted math, and we never heard a single thing last year about testing or math placement or anything.

Yes, selection and notification processes are new this year.

Hi PP, if you are the teacher, did they totally do away with the results of the UCARE assessment? Decide to consider every 3rd Grader for 4/5 placement instead of just a select few? Or what? I got the letter out of the backpack just now, and notice that there is no mention of the UCARE testing, cut-off score, etc., as has been standard in past years.

Thanks!

It wasn't completely thrown out, just not given the same amount of weight as in past years. We were allowed to look at a wider range of children and include more teacher feedback and Map scores to help us make the decision. To be honest, I think we are going to run into a problem with more kids being allowed in with fewer restrictions. The math gets much faster and much harder quickly (by 6th grade math), so kids that were fine in 3rd grade are really struggling by the second half of 5th grade compacted math. And at that point, there is no slow down through the end of high school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So just out of curiosity, are there any 3rd graders who were tested for compacted math this year who received a letter not recommending they take compacted math? Or does it seem that under the new system those that were tested with the UCARE screening (which they did do this year at my child's elementary school) were all placed in compacted math?

Some were not recommended for compacted math even if they took the UCARE screening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Compacted math decisions for next year are going home today if they have not already been sent. All 3rd graders will be given a letter that either says they will be in 4th grade math or compacted math. If you do not agree with the decision, there is a form you can fill out.

Is this a new process? I have a 4th grader this year who is not in compacted math, and we never heard a single thing last year about testing or math placement or anything.

Yes, selection and notification processes are new this year.

Hi PP, if you are the teacher, did they totally do away with the results of the UCARE assessment? Decide to consider every 3rd Grader for 4/5 placement instead of just a select few? Or what? I got the letter out of the backpack just now, and notice that there is no mention of the UCARE testing, cut-off score, etc., as has been standard in past years.

Thanks!

It wasn't completely thrown out, just not given the same amount of weight as in past years. We were allowed to look at a wider range of children and include more teacher feedback and Map scores to help us make the decision. To be honest, I think we are going to run into a problem with more kids being allowed in with fewer restrictions. The math gets much faster and much harder quickly (by 6th grade math), so kids that were fine in 3rd grade are really struggling by the second half of 5th grade compacted math. And at that point, there is no slow down through the end of high school!

Thanks for responding! That UCARE thing isn't even mentioned on the letter. It's a little odd to go from that assessment being the whole enchilada to not even making the list of "How recommendations were made." Though TBH I doubt that was my DS's strong suit.

[Anonymous]

I'm confudpsed. My son received a letter saying he is in 4/5 Math Curriculum next year. Is that compacted math? The reason I ask is because he said most of the students in his class received the same 4/5 designation, but some received 5/6.

I really wish they would explain this better to parents

[Anonymous]

There are slow downs..your child can do math 6 2x or IM 2x or algebra 2x. Make sure they are ready..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Compacted math decisions for next year are going home today if they have not already been sent. All 3rd graders will be given a letter that either says they will be in 4th grade math or compacted math. If you do not agree with the decision, there is a form you can fill out.

Is this a new process? I have a 4th grader this year who is not in compacted math, and we never heard a single thing last year about testing or math placement or anything.

Yes, selection and notification processes are new this year.

Hi PP, if you are the teacher, did they totally do away with the results of the UCARE assessment? Decide to consider every 3rd Grader for 4/5 placement instead of just a select few? Or what? I got the letter out of the backpack just now, and notice that there is no mention of the UCARE testing, cut-off score, etc., as has been standard in past years.

Thanks!

It wasn't completely thrown out, just not given the same amount of weight as in past years. We were allowed to look at a wider range of children and include more teacher feedback and Map scores to help us make the decision. To be honest, I think we are going to run into a problem with more kids being allowed in with fewer restrictions. The math gets much faster and much harder quickly (by 6th grade math), so kids that were fine in 3rd grade are really struggling by the second half of 5th grade compacted math. And at that point, there is no slow down through the end of high school!

But there are ways to slow down in reality. They may be discouraged by Guidance Counsellors or something. But a child could be placed in 6th Grade math in 6th grade if they were not succeeding in the 2nd half of 5/6. They could repeat Algebra in 8th, if Algebra in 7th didn't work out (and the first grade is expunged from the GPA). I think there are self-esteem issues of thinking "I'm not good at math", peer issues (none of the friends had to slow down), but academically it seems possible to address too kids that may be moving too fast before they get to high school.