Reply to Algebra I - 7th grade expectations

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Lots of posts blaming the teachers. There are bad apples in every profession, but this is also such a reflection of our times.

Taking Alegebra I Honors in 7th is an accelerated path. It’s not for everyone. I’m sure your child is very bright, but that doesn’t mean this level of acceleration is appropriate for them. It’s a high school level class and things get real at that point… it’s a big departure from elementary school whether you were doing well in AAP LIV or not.

This is not a humble brag, but my 8th grade DC has a 100 in that class. They feel bad about themselves that they waited until 8th, but they also see most of the 7th graders in the class struggling, as it’s the first time those kids have had to really work at something. You can be very smart and not ready to take a high school credit class your first year out of ES. And that’s okay. The math only gets much harder from here. [/quote]

Some teachers are just bad. Our MS has two teachers covering Algebra for 7th graders, one teacher with an amazing reputation and one who is nice but teaches nothing. If you get the latter and can't transfer, you either teach your kid algebra or get a tutor. [/quote]
Which i acknowledged. But in many cases, this isn’t the issue. Honors algebra in 7th (or earlier) is a rigorous path.lots of kids aren’t ready for that. It’s not the teacher’s job to make sure most kids are ready for that level of acceleration. There’s a curriculum designed to prepare kids for algebra and if you skip, you need to be gifted, enriched, or ready to work really hard to do well. 
In my DC’s honors algebra class, the 8th graders are crushing it and most of the 7th graders are struggling. Only the very bright math 7th grade kids are doing well, or those that had outside enrichment. That’s not an individual teacher issue, that’s an issue with kids not being ready to skip steps and dive into more advanced math. 
I skipped chemistry in high school and went to AP Chem directly because my gifted friend did. I was a top student, but not exceptional and certainly wasn’t doing chemistry enrichment outside of school. I ended up doing very well in the class and on the exam, but I had to work really hard for it because I didn’t have the building block knowledge of chemistry as a foundation. Wasn’t the teacher’s job to get me there, I had chosen to skip a step. [/quote]

NP here. These AAP kids who qualified for algebra 1 honors didn’t skip anything, they’ve been accelerated since 5th and took 7H curriculum last year. You’re telling me a child with 99% IAAT and perfect score on 7th grade SOL isn’t ready? Please. The teacher’s job is to teach the current curriculum, not skip over and/or barely cover material because their expectation is that most of these kids are taking enrichment and learning it elsewhere. The gifted students still need to be taught. They get it quickly when they are, but teaching still needs to happen. [/quote]
You’re completely missing my point. And conveniently glossing over several of my points to make your argument. Bottom line, moving from an elementary school class to a high school class is a big jump. Of course it’s the teacher’s job to teach! But it’s not their job to teach in a manner that accommodates the kids that made that jump too early. LIV AAP isn’t that advanced; it’s still elementary school. If you’re going to take algebra in 7th, you need to be ready to move at a different pace and rigor than elementary school. [/quote]

6th grade advanced math (which the liv kids take) is the same as math honors 7. In addition, the kids need a pass advanced on the 7th grade SOL and a high enough IAAT (neither of which are required for 8th graders). The kids aren't skipping anything. [/quote]

That's incorrect.  M7H takes the 8th grade math SOL at the end of the year, while AAP 6th grade math takes the 7th grade one.  They are somewhat skipping a year, but keep in mind that the curriculum spirals and M7H will be a lot of the same material that is covered in AAP 6th grade math, but just a little deeper.

The PP quoted before you is also incorrect, though.  Going from AAP 6th grade math to Honors Algebra I should not be viewed as a skip from elementary school math to high school math.  The AAP 6th grade math teacher *should be* preparing kids for the rigors of Algebra I, including the organizational skills, note taking, homework load, extending beyond simple use of algorithms, etc.  If the jump from AAP 6th grade math to Honors Algebra feels huge, then the 6th grade teacher really dropped the ball.  [/quote]

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