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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't understand the "only Algebra I" mentality.  Isn't that where most 8th graders are?  If they're in Algebra II it's because they have passed the Iowa test, correct?  My understanding is that the Iowa was a quick test that required them to face time constraints that were new to most kids.  Mine fell just short of the threshold score, and because of that, could not jump ahead to anything more challenging - and finds that Algebra I really offered nothing new.  It is quite the disappointment that so much weight was placed on that one test.  So are we saying that now these kids in Algebra I are at a marked disadvantage at TJ? How unfortunate that one 20-min (or whatever it is) test would be the decider in how well they can do at a school, especially if they are naturally gifted in math. My DC has taken no outside math courses - just has been doing the curriculum presented in school and excelling.[/quote]

Probably 20% of the 7th graders are taking Algebra 1 Honors and will have Geometry by the end of 8th grade. That puts them on track to take Calculus in 11th grade and leaves a year for a DE math class, like multivariate calculus. They could also be taking Physics C in 11th grade. The more ahead they are in math, the more access they have to the classes that are only offered at TJ because of those require Calculus. A student taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade will take Calculus as a senior and not be able to participate in many of the unique offerings at TJ.

The kids in Algebra II are kids who took Algebra in 6th grade or took Geometry the summer between 7th and 8th grade.

And it was not one test, kids needed the IAAT and to pass advanced on the SOL. Kids who missed on one or the other test but were close were allowed to take Algebra 1 H if they wanted to. Actually, any kid could take Algebra 1 H in 7th grade if their parents pushed for it, it just wasn't recommended for the majority of the kids. The IAAT is easy, my son was nervous the night before the test so we looked up a YouTube video on the test and the questions were a joke. Kids in Advanced Math should have been able to fly through them. The vast majority of the kids at my sons ES meet the threshold with a good number choosing not to take Algebra 1 H because they don't like math that much and their parents didn't think they needed to be taking DE math as seniors.

It used to be rare that kids who had completed Algebra 1 H in 8th grade attended TJ, that changed a few years ago. I have no clue how those kids feel about TJ, how many stayed and how many returned to their base school. We have not heard much on how they feel being there.

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