Anonymous wrote:Do you have to have done 5/6 to get into AIM, or could kids who completed math 5 do it if they are able to get up to speed and scored high enough on the MAP?

If a student qualifies for the math/science/computer science lottery pool (1st-quarter As in science and whichever Math they are in, whether Math 5 or Math 5/6, on- or above-grade reading level on the same report card, and locally-normed national 85th %ile on the fall MAP-M), then they are guaranteed placement in AIM if they want it -- families may ask for different placement if they feel it would be better. Middle school principals can place additional students in AIM to round out class numbers, typically relying on similar criteria (grades, MAP, district assessments, etc.) and the 5th-grade teacher recommendation that typically is limited to Math 6 or Math 6+ (taking from those recommended for 6+). Again, families may ask for AIM placement, but it isn't guaranteed without meeting the pool criteria.

So, no, you don't have to have done 5/6 to get into AIM, though it helps with preparation, and having taken 4/5 the year before would help get a highr MAP-M score. And, yes, a Math 5 student can get into AIM if the other criteria are met or if there is room, a Principal who wishes to move numbers that way and a favorable determination.

Do you have to have done 5/6 to get into AIM, or could kids who completed math 5 do it if they are able to get up to speed and scored high enough on the MAP?

My concern with AIM is that it is based on 2.0. Why can’t they use lessons from Illustrative Mathematics like AMP6+/7+ do?

Anonymous wrote:I have been thinking about this for my own daughter. I am inlined to encourage her to go into AIM, knowing that she can always drop the next year to AMP 7+ and repeat content. It's not like doing AIM means you can never drop down.

same thinking i have for my daughter. my first two did the advanced track with no problem but I am not sure if it is covid related or what but my third kid needs more hand holding and it will not be sustainable on this track for long so we shall see how she ends up. I would rather start her on the track and pull back if necessary than the other way around.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Calculus junior year is not advanced. My child and many others took algebra 1 in 6th. Some ended up taking Algebra 2 summer after 7th and then Precalculus in 8th. They took calculus in 9th.

Nice brag. Also very irrelevant. Your definition of many is ... questionable. ~15 RM Magnet kids take Calc in 10th, and a similar number at Poolesville SMCS.

OP - it is better to be solid in your math than push the boundaries of advancing as fast as you can. AP BC Calculus in 12th grade is plenty advanced for a non-STEM kid.

Not the PP you responded to, but the first poster is right in the sense that AIM is really not "advanced", and the track that follows it isn't anything special. Regular calculus isn't difficult either. My son has dyscalculia, a specific learning disability in math (similar to dyslexia for language), and the only time he struggled was this year as a senior, in AP Calculus BC. He took the equivalent of 6th grade AIM at the time, no problem. This is not a boast, but an effort to reframe the situation.

I commend OP's awareness of the college admissions situation. I hear you about the need to balance a somewhat not-crazily intense high school life yet present one's best effort in the application. This will vary from kid to kid, but to be frank: unless your child has STELLAR executive functioning skills, high school will be intense regardless, if you're aiming for good, selective, non-Ivy universities. The competition is SO intense, because there are so many more candidates than in previous generations. UVA and UMD have become way more selective than before. Getting accepted into your own state U, with the financial discounts it provides, isn't easy anymore.

So with this in mind, I'd encourage your child to always try the hardest class in middle school. It's excellent preparation for what high school will be like, and you'll have a more realistic assessment of your child's potential if you do that.

A few thoughts.
To get recommended for AIM at many middle schools you have to be in the lottery pool for the math/sci/computer sci magnet, so you might not have a choice. Depending on your school, the students who get recommended could be a mixed bag. If your MS pulls from elementary schools with varying farms rates, the span of MAP scores qualifying will be greater and there could be kids from math 5 and math 5/6.

I'd pick the course that is right for your child now (if you have a choice). Both courses are accelerated and strong courses. AMP 6+ will give a better foundation and may fill in some of the holes you mention and give your child independence.

I've been told there is not really a good off ramp from AIM. There is more repeat of topics going from AIM into AMP7+ than going from 5/6 to AMP6+.

I would wait for the results letters before. having conversations with kids, but then if both are options talk to them.
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