Reply to Algebra 1 in 6th grade, followed by normal pace

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]from another thread....

To take Algebra I in 6th grade, the kid must:
Score 145 or higher on the CogAT Quant section
Score a 575 or higher on their 4th grade SOL
have the support of their 4th grade AAP/advanced math teacher.

Then, if they meet all of these at the end of 4th grade, Gatehouse will conduct additional testing. Kids who meet those benchmarks will be jumped up to 6th grade AAP math when in 5th grade.

In 5th grade, they need a 91st percentile or higher score on the IAAT as well as a pass advanced on the 7th grade Math SOL to be eligible for Algebra in 6th grade.
report
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How on earth would URM parents know about this convoluted process? [/quote]

Every FCPS student takes all of these tests.  No parent involvement required. Or wanted.[/quote]
without knowing the process, how would URM parents know there is incentive to help their child after school to do well on 4th grade SOL? [/quote]

The kid also needs to have a 145+ on the CogAT Q, pass the gatehouse testing triggered by the CogAT and SOL, and then reach the IAAT 91st percentile benchmark as well as the 7th grade math SOL benchmark.  The kids who meet all of these criteria don't need parental support.  A kid who needs informed parents who support them through meeting these benchmarks doesn't belong in 6th grade Algebra.

If a child needs any help to do well on the 4th grade SOL, there's no way that the child should be skipping 6th grade math (AAP 5th grade) altogether and jumping up to 7th grade math (AAP 6th).  The kid has too many gaps in their foundation to do well.

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[b]This is the very definition of systemic barriers against URMs. [/b] Here the college-educated, [b]white-collar parents understand the intricacies of accelerated math pathways[/b], and create a home and after-school environment that optimally prepares their child to take advantage of these opportunities. On the other hand, URM parents who merely inquire about these accelerated math pathways are being told that their inquiries to gather info about those pathways is an indication their child doesn't belong in such advanced pathways.  Why cant this information be published and put on a webpage for everyone to get familiar?[/quote]

OMG.  For the millionth time, it's not a systemic barrier, because very few white and Asian parents know about these pathways, either.  FCPS doesn't publish them, because they don't want a bunch of people trying to prep and push their unready children into 6th grade Algebra.  [b]The overwhelming majority of parents of all colors in FCPS do not understand the accelerated math pathways and how to access them[/b].  This is fine, because parents aren't supposed to do anything at all to push their kid onto an accelerated path.

Also, I have no idea [b]why you think that publishing the pathway would lead to a bunch of URMs qualifying[/b].  FCPS already publishes the criteria for 7th grade Algebra, and very few lower income or disadvantaged students qualify for 7th grade Algebra.  [b]Why would parents who aren't taking steps [/b]to nurture their kids into 7th grade Algebra make even more Herculean efforts to get their kids into 6th grade Algebra?
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[b]The overwhelming majority of parents of all colors in FCPS do not understand the accelerated math pathways and how to access them[/b].  I bet URM parents are the majority that are kept in the dark.  You want us to rely on disingenuous and phony equity activists who treat us like perennial victims?
[b]why you think that publishing the pathway would lead to a bunch of URMs qualifying[/b] Information is power, and by making it public, are you afraid URM students will learn advanced math more than the usual students? 
[b]Why would parents who aren't taking steps to nurture their kids into 7th grade [/b] Generalization? so, not a single URM parent is taking steps to nurture their kids?[/quote]

You're insane or a troll.  I don't know why I'm still bothering.  URM parents are not the majority kept in the dark.  Basically everyone is kept in the dark by design.  It's not like they're sending out a memo to the white and Asian families.  Heck, a lot of FCPS teachers and even principals seem to be in the dark. FCPS does not want to facilitate people pushing their under-prepared kids into early Algebra.  They don't want early Algebra to even come across as a goal or prize rather than as an accommodation for kids who are already far ahead.

You also keep conflating URM parents and disadvantaged parents.  I fully believe that URM parents with college degrees are every bit as capable of enriching and advocating for their children as their white and Asian counterparts.  They don't need special coddling, and to suggest that they do is offensive.

If we're really talking about disadvantaged kids, among disadvantaged FCPS 7th graders in Algebra I, 41 Asian kids, 7 Black, 8 Hispanic, and 9 White kids got pass advanced.  Among the 6th grade Algebra I cohort, 4 out of the 31 test takers were disadvantaged, with 2 earning pass advanced and 2 earning pass proficient.  While the numbers are too small to determine, the vdoe site has listings for hispanic and two-or-more-races among the 6th grade Algebra cohort.  FCPS seems to be doing fine with ensuring that outlier children, even if they are disadvantaged, have access to advanced opportunities.

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