Reply to IAAT test no longer required for Algebra 1 honors

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Algebra I in 7th grade is a terrible idea for most kids. Even the smart ones.[/quote]
More anecdata.  My older kid who is bright at math but not at all a math genius took 7th grade algebra.  Kid is now in 11th grade BC calc, has had straight As, and will almost certainly get a 5 on the AP exam.  [b]This kid did take 2 years of in person AoPS classes (BA 5 and pre-algebra), but did not spend significant time on the material.  She felt that she learned more in one 2 hour enrichment class than she learned in an entire month of regular school. [/b]

Bright kids who are well prepared are perfectly capable of Algebra in 7th.  If a school system is finding that a significant number aren't ready, then the problem is that their curriculum is too weak and too rigid.  [/quote]

Way to bury the lede.

This is why there inequities persist in many cases. Instead of paying for so many wasted programs, the district should pay for free AOPS classes to any student who wants to enroll who is on free and reduced meals (FARM). They waste so much money and can't figure out why there is such a big difference in math scores between certain populations. So many white and Asian students are getting tutoring / enrolling in enrichment classes. If the student doesn't attend or do the work they get dropped. There are so many kids who would love to have the opportunity for math enrichment in high FARM schools. It is tragic because so much time and effort are going toward the lowest performing kids at these school the high performing kids are ignored and aren't pushed ahead. [/quote]

AoPS is for a very specific type of kid, one who is ahead in math and picks up math concepts quickly. DS took an AoPS class in 3rd grade, it was online because of COVID. There were several kids who were clearly struggling and needed to have extra time with the Teacher after class because the kid was not grasping the concept while the other kids got it the first time and were discussing how to apply the concept for the rest of the class. AoPS is great for kids who are strong at math, it is not for kids who are on grade level or struggling.

AoPS and RSM offer scholarships for kids who cannot afford their program, but parents have to 1) know they exist 2) be willing to apply 3) be able to get their kids to the class. That means either transporting them to the physical building or have the ability to get online. Impoverished families are less likely to have the ability to get a kid to the physical building (lack of transportation, lack of public transportation ear the location, and/or lack of time to get the kid to the class) and they are less likely to have reliable WiFi/Cell Service for online classes, this was one of the big issues with online learning during COVID. Counties had to invest in WiFi spots for families who could not afford WiFI.

I have no clue of Mathnasium, Kumon, or Sylvan offer scholarships.

Finally, all of these programs have homework. One of the reasons there is an education gap is that we have generations fo families were the parents have not graduated from high school. Those parents cannot help their kids with homework. The likelihood that the parents cannot help their kids with their school homwork is already high, never mind math homework from the program.

If we want to help kids at Title 1 schools we need to pay for tutors who are there every day after school and find a way to encourage parents to allow their kids to stay after school for an hour or two and work with tutors in small groups. We cannot be doing things that require the parents to help with school work, we know that they can't, or adds transportation and time burdens to the parents.

It is different when you talk about families who have chosen to immigrate to the US to improve their kids' futures, and the parents have attended high school or college in their home countries. That is a diferent profile family then the generational poor families typically found at Title 1 schools. Immigrants coming to the US for minimum wage jobs to send money home to family in an impoverished country who have not attended schools themselves are not here to improve their kids' educational futures.

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