Reply to Summer program after APS 6th grade pre-algebra

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Middle schools do offer regular (not intensified) algebra.  Just FYI.
[/quote]Not for 7th graders.[/quote]

They can take the class with 8th graders.  They mix 7th and 8th graders in language classes.

I don’t get the mindset that it’s better to keep pushing the kid and propping them up to be 2 years ahead in math.  What is the end goal?  If it’s not a good fit, make the adjustment.  These kids struggling already in pre-algebra are really going to get to and tackle Calc BC at the end of all this?[/quote]I agree with you that it would make sense, but I've been told that it's not possible.  The APS options are to retake prealgebra (which IMO doesn't make sense with a B+) or Intensified Algebra.  APS warns you of this before you enter 6th grade prealgebra.[/quote]

We are an FCPS family. I know plenty of families who have expunged Algebra 1 H or Geometry H after getting a B in the MS class. The reality is that a B shows that kids have some understanding of the material but have some serious gaps in understanding the material. Retaking the class helps to firm up the foundation. That B or B+ leaves enough room for growth that the kids who retook the class did not seem to be bored. I got the distinct impression that the grading might not be as stringent as it would be in a HS version of the class but I could be wrong about that..

The other thing that I have seen is kids with a B+ in Algebra 1 H in 8th grade moving to the non-Honors class in 9th grade. But lots of kids in FCPS will select Math 7H and not Algebra 1H in 7th grade even if they have the test scores for Algebra 1 H. Some because their parents don't think that the kid needs more then Calculus in HS, some because the kid tested in but is not a kid who loves math, some because the kid just really doesn't wnat to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. I would hope that APS allows similar flexibility.[/quote]
The math pathways are pretty different in APS.  There's no math acceleration in APS elementary schools, unlike FCPS, so the first accelerated math a kid can take in Arlington is in 6th grade.  The option is to take Math 6 or Pre-algebra, which covers 6th, 7th and 8th grade content with the 8th grade SOL at the end of the year.  It is a huge jump from very, very slow elementary math and a lot crammed into a single year.  The expectation is that kids who are selected to take pre-algebra in 6th are the most advanced math students who will stay on the most accelerated honors track.  They explicitly warn you not to sign up if this isn't your kid and that there isnt an option to step down a level in middle school.

In the end, there aren't EOY test scores yet for OP's child.  If they score well enough on MAP and the SOL, APS is going to expect them to move into Intensified Algebra.  That's the pathway.  If they don't score well enough, they can retake pre-algebra but that's not supposed to happen.  Unfortunately there isn't really an option for "my kid passed and doesn't need to retake pre-algebra but also doesn't want to stay on the most advanced and accelerated path." They can step back in 9th grade with regular Algebra 2 instead of intensified, but there aren't other options in MS except to keep taking the intensified versions or to retake a class.[/quote]

That is crazy. It almost incentivizes parents to tell a kid who is stressed and unhappy to intentionally flunk the SOL so they can drop back. There are some kids who you just don't know how they will respond to a class that moves at that speed. I am not sure why they would include the 8th grade math. My kid would have loved it but I know plenty of kids who would have found it to be too much.

FCPS Advanced Math path has kids taking pre-algebra, but they define that as 7th grade math, and the 7th grade SOL. Kids who pass advanced on the 7th grade SOL are eligible for Algebra 1 H, which I am guessing is similar to Intensified Algebra in APS. The kids who feel it is too much take Math 7th H, which is similar to 8th grade H and then Algebra 1 in 8th grade. The kids who want can take Algebra 1 H. Some kids do have the grade expunged and retake Algebra 1 H in 8th grade.

Good Luck OP!

[/quote]

I don't understand, do kids on FCPS's most advanced track just skip Math 8? How do they get by going to algebra without the math 8 content? [/quote]

I just saw this, sorry for the delay.

Sixth graders in Advanced Math in FCPS are taking the equivalent of Math 7 and take the 7th grade SOL. If they score high enough on the SOL, passed Advanced, they can choose to take Math 7H, which is the equivalent of Math 8, pretty much pre-Algebra, or Algebra 1 H. So yes, they skip Math 8 and go straight into Algebra 1 H.

Most FCPS students, something like 75%, will complete Algebra 1 in 8th grade, I don't know the percentage break down between Algebra 1 H or Algebra 1, I do know both are offered to 8th graders. Math 8 is for kids a small percentage of kids who are not ready for Algebra by 8th grade. I was a kid who took algebra 1, not honors, in 9th grade so I am not judging.

Last year in FCPS:

1,823 7th graders took the Algebra 1 SOL
6,766 8th graders took the Algebra 1 SOL
29     7th Graders took the Geometry SOL (Algebra 1 in 6th grade)
4,624 8th Graders took the Math 8 SOL (Pre Algebra)

Essentially, 2/3 of FCPS students will take Algebra in MS in some form.

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