Anonymous wrote:I teach 8th grade algebra (different county). Please don't push kids if they aren't ready. Every fall I have hours of phone calls and conferences with families showing them that their kids are going to struggle due to major deficiencies that taking the "normal" tracked math would solve. Every year, those parents push back, saying their child is capable, they will help him/her, and they want him there.

Every year in June, I fill out forms for the same kids, so that they are eligible to retake algebra because they got D's/F's and didn't pass their state tests. They will now have to retake algebra in high school, with many of the same deficiencies they had before (we don't have time to focus on integer operations when we're solving equations, so unless I can convince the child to stay after school or come in at lunch, they rarely get better at it).

The difference is, the kids now hate math, think they suck at it, and believe they are dumb and can't learn while their friends move forward.

If your child is showing aptitude and their teachers from prior years strongly recommend it, great. But if there's any hesitation, it's so much better to shore up the foundation than to push forward and watch their confidence and determination crumble.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach 8th grade algebra (different county). Please don't push kids if they aren't ready. Every fall I have hours of phone calls and conferences with families showing them that their kids are going to struggle due to major deficiencies that taking the "normal" tracked math would solve. Every year, those parents push back, saying their child is capable, they will help him/her, and they want him there.

Every year in June, I fill out forms for the same kids, so that they are eligible to retake algebra because they got D's/F's and didn't pass their state tests. They will now have to retake algebra in high school, with many of the same deficiencies they had before (we don't have time to focus on integer operations when we're solving equations, so unless I can convince the child to stay after school or come in at lunch, they rarely get better at it).

The difference is, the kids now hate math, think they suck at it, and believe they are dumb and can't learn while their friends move forward.

If your child is showing aptitude and their teachers from prior years strongly recommend it, great. But if there's any hesitation, it's so much better to shore up the foundation than to push forward and watch their confidence and determination crumble.

Wow, you sound like a real positive influence to our children. Maybe you are why they lost the confidence.

If I was a teacher and had lots of students that now hate math, I would not think I did a very good job.
Sounded like good advice to me.

Sounds like good advice to me too - can u tell us a brief summary of what kids should know before taking algebra? Tks

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach 8th grade algebra (different county). Please don't push kids if they aren't ready. Every fall I have hours of phone calls and conferences with families showing them that their kids are going to struggle due to major deficiencies that taking the "normal" tracked math would solve. Every year, those parents push back, saying their child is capable, they will help him/her, and they want him there.

Every year in June, I fill out forms for the same kids, so that they are eligible to retake algebra because they got D's/F's and didn't pass their state tests. They will now have to retake algebra in high school, with many of the same deficiencies they had before (we don't have time to focus on integer operations when we're solving equations, so unless I can convince the child to stay after school or come in at lunch, they rarely get better at it).

The difference is, the kids now hate math, think they suck at it, and believe they are dumb and can't learn while their friends move forward.

If your child is showing aptitude and their teachers from prior years strongly recommend it, great. But if there's any hesitation, it's so much better to shore up the foundation than to push forward and watch their confidence and determination crumble.

Wow, you sound like a real positive influence to our children. Maybe you are why they lost the confidence.

Sounded like good advice to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach 8th grade algebra (different county). Please don't push kids if they aren't ready. Every fall I have hours of phone calls and conferences with families showing them that their kids are going to struggle due to major deficiencies that taking the "normal" tracked math would solve. Every year, those parents push back, saying their child is capable, they will help him/her, and they want him there.

Every year in June, I fill out forms for the same kids, so that they are eligible to retake algebra because they got D's/F's and didn't pass their state tests. They will now have to retake algebra in high school, with many of the same deficiencies they had before (we don't have time to focus on integer operations when we're solving equations, so unless I can convince the child to stay after school or come in at lunch, they rarely get better at it).

The difference is, the kids now hate math, think they suck at it, and believe they are dumb and can't learn while their friends move forward.

If your child is showing aptitude and their teachers from prior years strongly recommend it, great. But if there's any hesitation, it's so much better to shore up the foundation than to push forward and watch their confidence and determination crumble.

Wow, you sound like a real positive influence to our children. Maybe you are why they lost the confidence.

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, the standard Math path under 2.0 eliminates Math 7 (it just goes into effect for current 4th graders). Only kids on a path to take Math 8 in 8th grade take Math 7th after the 2016-2017 school year. Go look at the website.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/math

This whole process sounds so juvenile and silly. These are not 40 and 50 year-old turtles like the MCPS leadership. These are 8 to 13 year olds for whom there can be huge changes and growth (mental and physical). Why keep an 8-year-old or 10-year-old in a math track fixed for the next 3-7 years? Allow the few capable burgeoning kids the opportunity and pathway to change tracks if they prove their mettle (demonstrate proficiency).

This happens in music and sports. And we are number 1 in the world.

Anonymous wrote:I teach 8th grade algebra (different county). Please don't push kids if they aren't ready. Every fall I have hours of phone calls and conferences with families showing them that their kids are going to struggle due to major deficiencies that taking the "normal" tracked math would solve. Every year, those parents push back, saying their child is capable, they will help him/her, and they want him there.

Every year in June, I fill out forms for the same kids, so that they are eligible to retake algebra because they got D's/F's and didn't pass their state tests. They will now have to retake algebra in high school, with many of the same deficiencies they had before (we don't have time to focus on integer operations when we're solving equations, so unless I can convince the child to stay after school or come in at lunch, they rarely get better at it).

The difference is, the kids now hate math, think they suck at it, and believe they are dumb and can't learn while their friends move forward.

If your child is showing aptitude and their teachers from prior years strongly recommend it, great. But if there's any hesitation, it's so much better to shore up the foundation than to push forward and watch their confidence and determination crumble.

Yes, the standard Math path under 2.0 eliminates Math 7 (it just goes into effect for current 4th graders). Only kids on a path to take Math 8 in 8th grade take Math 7th after the 2016-2017 school year. Go look at the website.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/math

Except that MoCo has a record of pushing reading by the end of K, IM and algebra before kids have the basics down. So while it doesn't have any bearing on those few kids who are truly ready for advanced level work, there is no long term benefit for having kids "reading" that early or doing higher level math before they are ready. And if you think that the average child is reading with full fluency (encoding, decoding, comprehension) by K, it's just not true. Memorization is very different from actual literacy.

Anonymous wrote:My son just got a form for entrance into middle school recommending Math 7, so I don't think that's being eliminated. The handbook that came home with him indicates that he would then take IM in 7th and algebra in 8th. I thought the goal was to have all students take algebra in 8th, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Behind in what way? There is quite a bit of research showing the disadvantages of pushing kids ahead in math when they aren't ready for it. I have two in private and one in public. Our oldest is taking Algebra I in 9th, and she is doing well. She was not ready for it in 8th grade, and would have ultimately fallen behind. This way she has a solid foundation for upper level math courses. Our DS is in 6th in MoCo MS and is taking IM, which pushes him into Algebra next year and Honors Geometry in 8th. I'm not convinced this is the best path, especially because Algebra I is taken for HS credit. But he is thriving, and would be bored taking a lower level class. They will get to the same place eventually, just differently. My 6th grader may or may not opt for higher level math classes in HS, but he and his sister will have the basically the same options.

Can be said for most things besides math!