Reply to What pathway after Honors Geometry in 8th grade?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]NP here, but interested in this topic.  DC in 7th is struggling but hanging on in Algebra.  Is there a point where students 'back off' this track?   Or it is just a given that all but the best math minds will have a tutor?  It seems like once you're on the accelerated track, it's very hard to change without repeating a year (like Geometry, as noted above).  
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My kid struggled a bit. We don't believe in hiring tutors; if he can't do the work, then he shouldn't be in the class. That being said, he had a great teacher who would answer questions during lunch and with that extra time to check in with his teacher, his grades went back up. There were just a few units where it took longer to "click." I would chat with the teacher and see what he/she thinks. [/quote]

This is teacher dependent. I didn’t believe in hiring tutors either until Alg2 H when my kid’s teacher did a “flipped classroom” - so the learning is done at home. My kid and every other kid in the class has a tutor. [/quote]

Tutors for everyone in a class?  That's not what public education is supposed to be about.  Nor is ensuring everyone gets an A.

System-provided tutoring to make up for lost learning is an important idea.  Tutoring employed directly by families is an option for those with means, and shouldn't be forbidden or anything, but certainly shouldn't be needed this way -- even forgetting about the equity issue.

A class should be constructed/instructed such that those having successfully completed prerequisites have a reasonable chance to absorb the material via classroom instruction and a not-too-great amount of homework.  Honors versions or others that might be more challenging should be the same, given a student's higher demonstration of capability & interest, perhaps with more homework/study expected.

It sounds like either 1) this class has enrolled students who did not successfully complete prerequisites, 2) the class was poorly constructed, 3) the teacher is failing to provide adequate instruction (a flipped classroom isn't necessarily at fault, there, though it can present more of a challenge when the style is first encountered -- I'd employ/advocate for grading flexibility during the outset to balance that), 4) the students are not applying themselves independently or 5) too many are expecting to get an A, and their families have the means to employ tutors to ensure this.[/quote]

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