We know two girls who started Algebra 1 in 6th this past year and they both requested to drop it. They are obviously very bright students who qualified for it. Both parents said it was too much and didn't make sense to push their kids into it.

As an aside, we are in full time AAP in 6th grade currently. My DD's teacher is having them work on pre-geometry and we just finished pre-alegrba last block. It is all just too much and my kid is learning from the firehose. -If she were to go into Algebra 1 now, I don't think she would retain or fully comprehend a lot of the material that would be beneficial down the line.

What I meant to add is that I would be hesitant for my kid to miss that year altogether though. Both of mine had high test scores, and I still don’t think algebra in 6th would have been the right call

My oldest took 7H, my middle took algebra in 7th. 7H was a review of AAP 6th, and it was great for my oldest who had a terrible 6th grade math teacher.
My middle had a great 6th grade teacher and has sailed through algebra as a 7th grader (so far). I don’t think 7H is necessary, unless there are holes. Neither did any outside enrichment

They just went by SOL scores to pick kids for A1H in 6th. There is no assessment whether "kids are good at math and pick up concepts quickly" by teachers or anyone else. This was suddenly sprung upon a week before start of school.

Math 7H is pre-algebra and I am pretty sure that is what they are doing in AAP 6 math. I could wrong, if theya re doing Math 7 then there is some pre-algebra in there.

I am pretty sure they are assuming that the 6th graders being selected for A1H don’t need that years material to succeed because the kids are good at math and pick up concepts quickly. I would guess, and this is pure speculation, that a good number of kids in this years A1H class are kids who supplemented in math outside of school. I would not be hte least bit surprised if a survey of 6th graders in A1H showed that 50% of the kids participated in outside enrichment. It is not a requirement to do well in math in FCPS, plenty of kids do well in math without supplementing, but a higher percentage of the kids in accelerated math probably have been supplementing then not.

For example, RSMs grade 6 math is essentially pre-algebra because the 7th graders take algebra at RSM. We had friends who were using RSM to support a smart kid who didn’t love math and he took 6th grade math as a 7th grader because he was in Math 7H. Saying this only to explain the progression at the programs like AoPS and RSM, their program is set so that kids are in algebra in 7th grade. DS was annoyed that they would not let him move into the algebra class as a 6th grader at RSM, he had been bumped into the next grade level every year at RSM. He didn’t bother with RSM for algebra or geometry.

My 5th grader is strong in math. Pass Advanced on SOLs. 99th percentile on MAP. She loves math and seems to be a good candidate for Algebra I in 6th. Her school is part of the pilot program. How do students make up for skipping Math 7? Is Math 7 extra practice of concepts that have already been taught in 5th grade (6th grade math)? Or is it new material? FWIW, my kid doesn’t do math supplementation. There’s no time in her schedule. All the math instruction she gets is what she learns in school.

Anonymous wrote:My DD is taking Algebra 1H currently as part of the pilot. She loves math and is enjoying it. I don’t remember the cutoff but it was pretty low and 30+ kids met it last Fall. We were notified a week before the school started in August. The school also did a math assessment during the first week for kids and parents to make an informed decision on whether to participate in the pilot. A few kids opted out after the assessment and few more after first quarter. The course itself is pretty doable if kids are committed. Workload is between medium to heavy depending on kids math preparedness (tons of hw, quizzes, assessments, no more missing school). If your kid loves math and doesn’t mind AP Calculus in 10th grade, I would say opt in. Otherwise there is no rush.

what was your DD’s 5th SOL score

No rush. And doesnt make difference.
Ds took Alg in 7th grade, though was offered at 6th, went on to Academies of Loudoun, and is taking Multivariable Calculus BC.

My DD is taking Algebra 1H currently as part of the pilot. She loves math and is enjoying it. I don’t remember the cutoff but it was pretty low and 30+ kids met it last Fall. We were notified a week before the school started in August. The school also did a math assessment during the first week for kids and parents to make an informed decision on whether to participate in the pilot. A few kids opted out after the assessment and few more after first quarter. The course itself is pretty doable if kids are committed. Workload is between medium to heavy depending on kids math preparedness (tons of hw, quizzes, assessments, no more missing school). If your kid loves math and doesn’t mind AP Calculus in 10th grade, I would say opt in. Otherwise there is no rush.

Anonymous wrote:Consider do you want them taking calculus in 10th grade?

My kid could have handled it if Algebra was available in 6th grade. He enjoys math and the challenges it brings so he would probably be happy to have Calc in 10th and then more advanced topics. I am sure that there are families who don’t want that and they can opt their kids out of A1H.

Consider do you want them taking calculus in 10th grade?

Also following. Do parents get notifications after SOL results are released?

Following

Following, anyone know the cutoff score?

My child will most likely qualify to take Algebra 1 in 6th grade next school year based on current MAP scores and teacher feedback. To be clear, we still need to wait for the spring MAP scores and the 6th grade SOL results (taken at the end of 5th grade) to know for sure.
If your child is currently in the pilot program, would you recommend it? What are some things I should know or consider before making a decision for next school year?