I don't think it is a good idea to take Algebra in 7. However, I'm pretty sure the reason so many parents demand it is so that their kid will get into TJ.

I wish we could find out how many students who take Algebra I Honors in 7th wash out - in 7th, 8th (Geometry), and 9th (Algebra II)

Does anybody know if a student may be allowed to take Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade if they fall in either one of these scenarios:
a) Pass Advanced on SOL but below 91 percentile on IAAT
b) At or above 91 percentile on IAAT but only pass on SOL

My friend's son missed one or both of these cutoffs and the middle school placed in in Algebra I HN in 7th grade without asking what the family wanted. (he is in AAP and might have had a teacher recommendation). She had to go back to the school to request that he NOT take it. My son had a 98% on the IAAT and a 590 or higher on the SOL (he's not in AAP). We received a letter asking whether we wanted him to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. He's currently breezing through Math 7 HN but hopefully learning the skills he'll need for next year.

The elementary school compacted math curriculum does NOT prepare most kids to take Algebra I HN in 7th grade. If your child does extra math enrichment or is simply exceptional at math, maybe he or she could handle it. It seems like a lot of kids end up dropping down to Math 7 HN or repeating Algebra I in 8th grade. I wish the school offered 7th graders who pass the IAAT and SOL requirements the option to take regular Algebra 1, and then Honors Algebra in 8th. The honors class assumes that the kids already have most of the knowledge that's taught in regular Algebra.

Agree with posters saying not to push. Not just because the scores are slightly low, because you know your child's capabilities. But because of the long term result of taking algebra honors in 7th grade. There are very few kids who NEED to get to calculus bc as a junior. And the algebra honors class is more challenging than you might expect, even for very talented math students. Having had one child do algebra honors in 7th and one do math 7 honors, I'd never do the algebra honors again, not because they couldn't handle it, because where did it get us? Into this super crazy track that is unnecessary and stressful unless your kid is going to TJ for sure & a true math standout.

Anonymous wrote:Don't do it.
And if you do, strongly consider the prospect of repeating it in 8th. Our dc's algebra teacher strongly recommends everyone with lower than a B+ (excluding retakes) to retake Algebra in 8th.

All higher math is dependent on a thorough understanding of Algebra. It's important to make sure it's done right.

Unless your kid plans on being a mathematician, it's just not necessary. My dc has sights set on med school and not one requires college math past calculus and statistics.

+1. I am a computational physicist. Algebra is the first *real* math class kids take. It is the first time the math is abstracted in a manner which allows for more than accounting.

Work backwards. What might your student take in 12th?, 11th? 10th? Make sure you are at peace with this before pushing ahead.

The reason I usually wanted to fight-for-my-kid was when DC was denied an opportunity given to someone else with equal or less benchmark scores. If that has changed that's a good thing.

BUT having said that, by 11th & 12th many students had crashed and burned in the advanced math classes.

Don't do it.
And if you do, strongly consider the prospect of repeating it in 8th. Our dc's algebra teacher strongly recommends everyone with lower than a B+ (excluding retakes) to retake Algebra in 8th.

All higher math is dependent on a thorough understanding of Algebra. It's important to make sure it's done right.

Unless your kid plans on being a mathematician, it's just not necessary. My dc has sights set on med school and not one requires college math past calculus and statistics.

Anonymous wrote:Does anybody know if a student may be allowed to take Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade if they fall in either one of these scenarios:
a) Pass Advanced on SOL but below 91 percentile on IAAT
b) At or above 91 percentile on IAAT but only pass on SOL

If it's possible to take Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade based on one of the above, what else could be taken into consideration?

Depends on your school district. I assume you are not in Arlington, since you know all the test scores...

In Arlington, you can tell THEM what your kid should be in, after the recommendations. I would, however, listen closely to the reasons why your child was not recommended.

My son's year, they tried to cut back significantly on who was recommended for advanced math in 6th. A number of parents put their kids in anyway, and my bet is you can't tell who is who at this point.

8:32 here - forgot to mention that also we've seen many get lost further down the road as the math gets even more challenging. The effects can arise and be seen a few years later.

I agree with 7:36 and 8:30 based on what we've seen with 14 yo AAP DD and 12 yo AAP DS and their peers.

Except for truly exceptional students, I think that 7th grade algebra is a big mistake.

My understanding is it is up to the middle school principal....in most cases the appeals are denied. But there are cases when the appeal is approved. But it would have yo deal with something to make the test invalid.

My dd was above 91 on Iowa and one point off SOL. We received a letter from the school providing a deadline to request an appeal to consider her for Algebra 1. We weren't interested in appealing. But receiving the letter was evidence that the school would consider it.

No, for once they have set a line and stick with it.

IME (talking with my DCs's cohort's parents), the kids that get 95-99th percentiles do fine in Algebra Honors in 7th. The ones who get 94-91st are a mixed bag. I have two DC's, one just missed the cut off and one got a 98th percentile. The one who just missed the cut off needed 7th grade Honors and was ready to be successful taking Algebra Honors in 8th grade. The one who scored a 98th percentile was ready in 7th (and perhaps before) and has been successful in math. The first is now a junior taking Precalc and the second is now a freshman taking Algebra II. (When I say succussful I mean A's, in this case but I would have included Bs)

If you really want your child to take AP Calc BC junior year, you can have the child take geometry in the summer between 8th and 9th grade. Geometry should be the summer course (if you must), algebra needs to be learned over a longer time and is much more important to future math success. Give your child the time to get the foundation s/he needs to be successful.

The SOL standard was lowered from an 8th grade pass to a 7th grade pass advance a few years ago- something about a technicality with the state regulations. A pass advanced in 7th grade SOL math is below where FCPS wanted to set the bar.

Does anybody know if a student may be allowed to take Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade if they fall in either one of these scenarios:
a) Pass Advanced on SOL but below 91 percentile on IAAT
b) At or above 91 percentile on IAAT but only pass on SOL

If it's possible to take Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade based on one of the above, what else could be taken into consideration?