Anonymous wrote:

20:54: 5th grade parent here. The first year of the selection, the test was given at home schools, but the decision was made a the MCPS level, looking at the test scores.

Different schools administered the test differently. Some schools administered to all children, some schools selected students based on their schoolwork. Some schools administered the first two portions to students and then decided, based on results, who should take remaining portions. The testing wasn't all at one time.

I was surprised at how low the MCPS score was on the test for kids to be accepted into the class. Don't know if they changed that for the 2nd year.

PP, thanks for this information. Do you mind telling us how you learned this? Do you know if parents were notified that their students were being tested?

I hate to say this, but I have to wonder if there has been some gender or racial bias in who was selected for testing. Why the heck didn't they just give the same test to every kid?

20:54: 5th grade parent here. The first year of the selection, the test was given at home schools, but the decision was made a the MCPS level, looking at the test scores.

Different schools administered the test differently. Some schools administered to all children, some schools selected students based on their schoolwork. Some schools administered the first two portions to students and then decided, based on results, who should take remaining portions. The testing wasn't all at one time.

I was surprised at how low the MCPS score was on the test for kids to be accepted into the class. Don't know if they changed that for the 2nd year.

Anonymous wrote:20:54: 5th grade parent here. The first year of the selection, the test was given at home schools, but the decision was made a the MCPS level, looking at the test scores.

Different schools administered the test differently. Some schools administered to all children, some schools selected students based on their schoolwork. Some schools administered the first two portions to students and then decided, based on results, who should take remaining portions. The testing wasn't all at one time.

I was surprised at how low the MCPS score was on the test for kids to be accepted into the class. Don't know if they changed that for the 2nd year.

Personally, I've been underwhelmed with the compacted implementation. It crunches 3 years of the curriculum into 2, but it doesn't seem to dig deeper. My son is "fine" with most of it b/c he doesn't have to wait around as much to move on to the next concept. But he's not inspired by it. He's much more engaged with math at the dinner table, where his older brother loves to show off the latest thing he learned in Algebra.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to the helpful PP(s) who posted the link to the curriculum and explanation. I have found the school's communication re compacted math to be dismal. As in: last year, I discovered the existence of compacted math from my 4th grade DD who mentioned that there was an advanced math class. No notification of the existence of this class to parents of children who were not selected.

My daughter is a good, solid math student (with several ESs in math topics on her report card and scoring advanced on standardized tests). No teacher has mentioned compacted math for her. I decided that I did not want to push it. I looked at the "standard" common core progression, and in my opinion, that actually *is* an accelerated track already! I was an advanced math student myself, above grade level in a competitive private school, and followed the exact progression of the standard common core track (AP Calc in my senior year). This was an appropriately challenging speed for me. I was a really good math student, but not headed to study math in college. I think that the number of students who are truly ready to do AP Calc in Jr year of high school are very few.

This year in my daughter's school, more than 1/4 of the class is in the compacted math class. It is the largest math class (by number of students). I'm feeling pretty comfortable with my daughter's placement at the moment. I completely understand/relate to the OP's concern. Lack of transparency by the school exacerbates those worries!

Anonymous wrote:I have a fifth grader in this program and am not thrilled with how they are implementing CM4/5 in our school. It seems like a lot of hoo ha just to make sure our student is "tracked" one level higher when she gets to MS. The fourth graders have to go to a nearby middle school for a one hour class before elementary school starts every day. Then the CM kids sit out in the hallway for an hour during the school day while the rest of the class does math, supposedly to do homework. But that takes five minutes, so what are they doing for the rest of the period?

For the fifth grade it's even more impactful to the school day. The kids take a bus to another ES during the morning, so the miss about 1.75 hours of in-class time in order to take a 60 minute class.

Honestly, I think the program is of dubious merit.

Anonymous wrote:Not sure how people don't know about this. I researched what options were out there for my good math student and confirmed at the teacher conferences in 3rd grade that my child was being tested.

Anonymous wrote:

I'm curious. Did your child's teacher propose that your child be tested? Or did you propose it in the teacher conference?

And when you say "teacher conferences" (plural), what do you mean? The one teacher conference scheduled in mid-October? So, in early fall of 3rd grade you asked about testing for math for 4th grade placement? Or do you routinely schedule additional teacher conferences, even when your "good math student" is not having any problems?

Anonymous wrote:Because if you don't have an older child or friends with older kids and it would never occur to you to do research that there are other options b.c MCPS says there is no differentiation, and no one has ever used the term "compacted math" before

Not sure how people don't know about this. I researched what options were out there for my good math student and confirmed at the teacher conferences in 3rd grade that my child was being tested.