Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OPP you have to take Honors Algebra 2 to be in Honors PreCal next at our school (Poolesville). If you take regular then you either take regular Pre Cal or Honors Algebra 2 the following year.

I don't think this is correct, the prerequisite is algebra 2 and teacher recommendation, if the teacher is recommending switching to honors mid year, odds are good the second semester alg 2 teacher would also recommend honors pre cacl. Check with the counselor. Anyway, no one would take honors algebra 2 after successfully completing algebra 2.

Thanks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OPP you have to take Honors Algebra 2 to be in Honors PreCal next at our school (Poolesville). If you take regular then you either take regular Pre Cal or Honors Algebra 2 the following year.

I don't think this is correct, the prerequisite is algebra 2 and teacher recommendation, if the teacher is recommending switching to honors mid year, odds are good the second semester alg 2 teacher would also recommend honors pre cacl. Check with the counselor. Anyway, no one would take honors algebra 2 after successfully completing algebra 2.

Anonymous wrote:
I have a child with special needs who is allowed study guides/notes on his IEP. In his MCPS middle school, every core teacher works with study guides. Thanks for pointing out that in high school he may want to be proactive and explain his needs to every teacher at the beginning of the year.

Anonymous wrote:Frustratingly, they can't go over the test afterward to even see what they messed up on and how/why. I work hard on telling my kid who leans to perfectionism that grades/scores on assignments are all about showing what they know at that point. A low grade points to where they should study and that the important thing is learning the material (even if that learning happens after the "big test").

It is annoying that these tests give no opportunity to learn from them.

Anonymous wrote:OPP you have to take Honors Algebra 2 to be in Honors PreCal next at our school (Poolesville). If you take regular then you either take regular Pre Cal or Honors Algebra 2 the following year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that my dd had the same (Algebra II county exam) last week. (I'd assume they'd schedule on the same week, county-wide.)

I think the idea is to ensure that teachers cover the relevant material so on this one exam, teachers can't write their own test.

You should have your dc study all of the material from this quarter -- the test will go all the way back to the beginning, which makes it difficult since they haven't seen that material in a few months.

My dd does very well in math, but this was her lowest grade this term. I think it's because she didn't study (since she has a high A and this couldn't compromise the grade). But I was surprised by her low score considering her strength in math, even if she didn't study. (So have your dc study!)

I wouldn't be so quick to say it was your daughter's fault. My middle school kid took a county math exam last semester and it was also his lowest score (also high A and does very well in math). The teacher told the kids that she didn't know what was on the test and it was a computer version. We asked to see my son's test in person and was surprised by how poorly the exam was written. My husband, a statistician, pointed out numerous mistakes in the wording of the questions and poorly applied math concepts. I wouldn't be surprised if the Alg II test was also a problem.

My daughter took the Precalc mid term recently and she also reported that the had trouble with the questions because she didn't understand what they were asking...they were unclear. And, she is an A student, too, and did not do well on this test. This seems to be a wider spread problem than just Honors Alg 2 with poorly written tests.

Same, DC didn't do well on the county pre-calc test. I think the thing is the classroom teachers sort of disown the county tests, they say it should be easier than what everyone's used to, but otherwise offer nothing specific. I don't know what these tests are called now, last year they were "required quarterly assessments," so more than the material for a unit test, but only half the semester's topics--a midterm as long as the "term" is a semester, not a final.

Would you mind sharing how your DC did on Pre-Cal county exam? B or C etc?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that my dd had the same (Algebra II county exam) last week. (I'd assume they'd schedule on the same week, county-wide.)

I think the idea is to ensure that teachers cover the relevant material so on this one exam, teachers can't write their own test.

You should have your dc study all of the material from this quarter -- the test will go all the way back to the beginning, which makes it difficult since they haven't seen that material in a few months.

My dd does very well in math, but this was her lowest grade this term. I think it's because she didn't study (since she has a high A and this couldn't compromise the grade). But I was surprised by her low score considering her strength in math, even if she didn't study. (So have your dc study!)

I wouldn't be so quick to say it was your daughter's fault. My middle school kid took a county math exam last semester and it was also his lowest score (also high A and does very well in math). The teacher told the kids that she didn't know what was on the test and it was a computer version. We asked to see my son's test in person and was surprised by how poorly the exam was written. My husband, a statistician, pointed out numerous mistakes in the wording of the questions and poorly applied math concepts. I wouldn't be surprised if the Alg II test was also a problem.

My daughter took the Precalc mid term recently and she also reported that the had trouble with the questions because she didn't understand what they were asking...they were unclear. And, she is an A student, too, and did not do well on this test. This seems to be a wider spread problem than just Honors Alg 2 with poorly written tests.

Same, DC didn't do well on the county pre-calc test. I think the thing is the classroom teachers sort of disown the county tests, they say it should be easier than what everyone's used to, but otherwise offer nothing specific. I don't know what these tests are called now, last year they were "required quarterly assessments," so more than the material for a unit test, but only half the semester's topics--a midterm as long as the "term" is a semester, not a final.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that my dd had the same (Algebra II county exam) last week. (I'd assume they'd schedule on the same week, county-wide.)

I think the idea is to ensure that teachers cover the relevant material so on this one exam, teachers can't write their own test.

You should have your dc study all of the material from this quarter -- the test will go all the way back to the beginning, which makes it difficult since they haven't seen that material in a few months.

My dd does very well in math, but this was her lowest grade this term. I think it's because she didn't study (since she has a high A and this couldn't compromise the grade). But I was surprised by her low score considering her strength in math, even if she didn't study. (So have your dc study!)

I wouldn't be so quick to say it was your daughter's fault. My middle school kid took a county math exam last semester and it was also his lowest score (also high A and does very well in math). The teacher told the kids that she didn't know what was on the test and it was a computer version. We asked to see my son's test in person and was surprised by how poorly the exam was written. My husband, a statistician, pointed out numerous mistakes in the wording of the questions and poorly applied math concepts. I wouldn't be surprised if the Alg II test was also a problem.

My daughter took the Precalc mid term recently and she also reported that the had trouble with the questions because she didn't understand what they were asking...they were unclear. And, she is an A student, too, and did not do well on this test. This seems to be a wider spread problem than just Honors Alg 2 with poorly written tests.