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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So once you public school/TJ parents see this thread on "Recent Topics" and realize it has NOTHING to do with you, just please go on your merry way. I am not the OP, but your comments do not help that parent at all.... You just post them to makes yourselves feel better about your own decisions. Let's all just respect the choices we all have made.[/quote]

#1. A discussion of whether to [b]delay Algebra[/b] has a lot to do with
Public school parents, who face this decision too

#2.  I'll "go along my merry way" when Jeff says that public school parents can't post here. Until then, this is a public forum.  You know, like public school. Anyone can be here, and you don't get to control it. Sorry, I know it's a shock. If you need to be protected from people who have a different point of view from you, ask your private school to set up a closed discussion forum. In the meantime STFU. [/quote]

Please be forewarned, I am posting about Public content even though this is the Private forum.  Anyone who is bothered by this should stop reading, and the moderator, Jeff(?), should move it if necessary.  This is a LONG post.

I think that what most folks are forgetting, public and private, is that until 5-10 years ago, it was not common for 7th and 8th grade students to take Algebra I in public middle schools.  Any readers who had ms students in public schools 10 years ago will remember this.

So the angst about Alg I, while not new, is involving quite a few more people because there are A LOT more children taking Algebra I in middle school.    Background: until the very recent past, Alg I in public middle schools was reserved for the few, the mighty, the TAG; everyone else took it in 9th grade.  (Side note and editorial:  since most TAG placement testing stops in 4th grade in public, that meant that the determination of a student's math class in 8th grade was/is made by 5th grade placement.  An egalitarian system it is not.)

Those parents of students in Common Core states and districts most likely know that the Common Core is not supportive of Alg I in 7th and 8th grade.  CC documents indicate a preference for Alg I in the 9th grade and are CC documents are becoming more explicit every time they release something.  If you doubt this, please read their documents and then contact [i]them[/i] not me with questions.  There also are some recent articles in WaPo on the subject.

So why are CC areas like Maryland (and the District?) moving Alg 'down'?  It is the observation of many MoCo math teachers that MD joined in the push to teach Alg I earlier because otherwise there would be the perception that the MD students would be comparatively behind.  Behind to whom, you ask?  Virginia.

And, what, pray tell, is driving Virginia?  NCLB.  Here's how.

The NCLB ties pass rates of standardized tests to accreditation and federal funding.  This places great emphasis on SOL scores in Virginia.  5-10 years ago, the 8th grade math SOL pass rates at many Virginia middle schools were low.  Admin of many schools and districts noticed that the pass rate of 8th grade TAG students taking the Alg I SOL was really high and substantially higher than the 8th grade math SOL pass rate.  Admin looked at the tests and recognized that the 8th grade SOL was and IS significantly MORE difficult than the Alg I test.  (If you doubt this, go to the VDOE website and look at the sample tests.)  A couple schools and districts experimented by widening their pool of Alg I students in 8th grade beyond TAG kids.  Those non-TAG students were considerably more successful on the Alg I test than anyone would have predicted in their wildest dreams.  It was startling.

So, then, the big beta.  Some VA schools and/or districts took entire grade levels and shifted them from 8th grade math to Alg I.  The schools and districts 'sold' the concept to teachers with two inalienable truths:
1) The 8th grade math curriculum in VA is a virtual re-hash of 7th grade math, with only a couple small additions.  In order to graduate hs in VA a student must pass the Alg I SOL.  It is better for a student to repeat Alg I in 9th grade and have a much better footing in Alg than it would be to have a student 'repeat' 7th grade math with the 8th grade curriculum in 8th grade.
2) Taking and passing the Alg I SOL in 8th grade means that the student is finished with math earlier in hs, effectively freeing up a year's worth of time for another course whether that be math or not.

The results speak for themselves.  The beta was successful.  Pass rates improved dramatically when students took the Alg I test and not the 8th grade math test.  Middle schools with marginal pass rates, those on the cusp, and those just below the line reaped huge benefits when their overall scores improved.

Does this mean that Alg I is 'easier'?  No, it means that the Virginia SOL for Alg I is easier.

So, why so many 7th grade students now taking Alg I?  Well, primarily, those are the TAG students who, before, were taking it in 8th grade.

So that's it.  Right or wrong, that's how we got to today with almost all public middle schools and districts in VA teaching Alg I as a gen ed curriculum in 8th grade and an accelerated curriculum in 7th grade.  And private schools having the bulk of their students taking Alg I in 9th grade.

Will the public move impact private?  Will the public status quo be affected by the Common Core?  Is it right or wrong to teach Alg I in the 7th or 8th grade?  Are the publics doing the only sensible thing?  Are privates missing the boat?  I don't know but I'm betting that many of you think you do, so have at it.  [/quote]

Thank you for this post. I'm sure everyone appreciates thoughtful, on-topic comments in this forum regardless of school affiliation.[/quote]

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