Reply to Algebra I - 7th grade expectations

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DS is taking Algebra in 7th and not having issues. His friends who worked hard in 6th grade are working hard for Bs this year in Algebra. It is a high school class that moves at a fast pace. It is an honors class so there are extensions. It could be that it is a stretch for your child. It is a stretch my kids friends but they don’t seem upset by it. You can get a tutor or the answer might be to move to 7th H. [/quote]

Many of kids in class had already taken Algebra prior to start of class so the MS math was review and afterschool they were taking next level course (so next year math in school will also be review for those students). The other half had tutors for most part. The teacher also addressed class as review as it was a review for majority there. Was odd.[/quote]

There are kids who love math and are really good at it that have been attending outside math programs because FCPS does not have resources in place to handle kids who are even farther ahead in math then the AAP/Advanced Math acceleration. There are kids who have been in said programs because their parents think that acceleration is important, see the repeated threads on how to get 5th and 6th graders into Algebra on this forum. So yes, there are a good number of kids who have been exposed to Algebra before and find the material this year to be less challenging than other students. DS has taken a math competition class since 4th grade, he loves the class. He has been finding Algebra 1 to be not easy but not challenging either. The pacing of the class is fine for him. He has not had much homework and does not feel stressed by the tests. But he is used to timed tests and having to explain his answers because he has been doing that since 4th grade.

I doubt Teachers are skimming through work because some kids are farther ahead. I think they are sticking to a curriculum that has been approved by the school. I think the curriculum is supposed to move at this pace. The Honors class has extensions that the normal Algebra class does not have. They are covering a lot of material that is more complicated, is demanding, and they are expected to pick it up quickly.  [/quote]

I went to TJ in the late '90s/early '00s. Teachers absolutely will teach in less depth if the class is more ahead. Doesn't matter if the teacher is amazing or terrible (and I had both), they all teach to the top if they have a top.

That said, at our mid-SES AAP center I only knew of 2 or 3 kids in outside math enrichment and many more who made Algebra 1 Honors. Find me a middle school where more than 50% of the 7th graders in Algebra have done AOPS or RSM. I bet it doesn't exist. Too many other possible extracurriculars for kids to do. The people who post on here as if it's every kid are suffering from serious selection bias in their circles.

And FTR my kid is fine in Algebra 1 as a 7th grader without outside math enrichment.[/quote]

I would bet that Carson has over 50% of the kids in Algebra 1 in 7th grade who have been involved in math enrichment, which does not have to mean AoPS or RSM. Enrichment could be Mathnasium, Sylvian, Curie, language school (I know some cover math in the native language) or individual tutoring. There are about 1,600 kids taking Algebra 1 H in 7th grade, if the numbers are similar this year as the past few years. It is not hard for me to believe that 800 of those kids have participated in some form of math enrichment program across the county. I can easily get to 150 kids through the known classes at RSM's FCPS locations and AoPS, never mind the other options. DS has friends from a rec sport he plays who were in his class because their parents wanted to make sure their kid was in Algebra in 7th, they dropped the class this year after getting into Algebra.

I have no doubt that there are kids doing well in Algebra 1 H at 7th graders who have no outside enrichment, we know plenty of kids who did well in the class without enrichment. We know other kids who participated in enrichment and found the class easy. We know people whose kids are in an Algebra class while taking the class to make sure that they get an A. [/quote]

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