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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]High school math teacher again. I just knew that some people would come on and tell me that THEIR kid is doing very well in high school after taking Algebra i in 6th grade, so take that, teacher!

Sigh...

I will reword my statement because there are always exceptions. I should have said the MOST 6th and 7th graders shouldn't be taking Algebra, because they don't understand the concepts well and don't learn the skills well, so the course has to be watered down. (Note: another reason for the "watering down" is so the teacher doesn't end up in trouble for lots of low grades.)

Of course there ARE exceptions, and SOME students, the really good math students, will do well. But trust me, the majority don't. They get pushed by their parents' expectations to take classes they aren't ready for brain-maturity wise or work-ethic wise, and they don't do well and both they - and we - suffer the consequences ("You aren't a very good teacher, are you, because my Larlo got a D- in Algebra!! I'm going to talk to the superintendent!!)

And as for the argument about Asian countries doing so much better - sheesh, not again. it's a different culture, folks. Really it is. Asia is not the USA where political correctness reigns, even in a math class (see California Math Framework); and most anyone who wants to take Algebra in 6th grade gets in, ready and prepared or not; and we can't teach to the rigor needed because the little darlings' feelings might get hurt - or worse, their parents', because they can't boast about their kid being in Calculus in 10th grade; and we have 10+ IEPS in a class of 30 with way too many various and distracting behaviors and way too many accommodations and modifications to handle and still teach effectively; and not enough support from administrators...the list goes on and on.

Give me 6th grade algebra classes where the kids are prepared for that level of math; have the interest, study habits, work ethic, and support from their parents to succeed; a lack of distracting behaviors and only enough modifications and accommodations that it doesn't stop either me from teaching or the rest of the class from learning; if you give me that class, I could produce the type and number of math students the Asian school are producing, too.

Believe me or not, as you choose. I've been teaching a long time and am considered a very effective and well liked teacher. I'm telling you that for the vast majority of kids, taking Algebra in 6th or 7th grade and learning the math well enough to have the knowledge base and skill level to succeed in upper level math courses without extensive review and lots of extra help just isn't happening - and it's getting worse as the years pass. [/quote]

Thank you for your insight and experience.  I do want to follow up on one thing, though.  You state: [i]most anyone who wants to take Algebra in 6th grade gets in[/i]. In our district at least, I know several parents and students who wanted to but didn't get in. I personally felt the standards set to get in were too low, so I'm on your side with this. However, I also observed that teachers and administrators had no problem rejecting parents' requests for their child to get in when it didn't meet the benchmark.  (Actually, in general, I am observing that administrators care very little about parents' input altogether - at least it appears to me this way. They certainly didn't listen to my input when I complained about the elementary school math curriculum. Maybe there are parents with leverage somewhere? What does it actually take for an administrator to listen to you? Do you have to donate to the school board campaigns?) 
Moreover, with respect to grades, our school district has a clear policy that you're in only on probation - if your first quarter grade is below a B you get kicked out.

Also, have you as teachers tried tightening the standards?  You'd be in a much stronger position if you could argue that kids don't get in if they don't meet the standards you as teachers set. Stronger at least as setting lowish standards (such as 91% IAAT percentile) and then wondering why parents insist their kids get in when they meet or exceed the standards that are posted.
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