The kids are learning algebra with tutors in 5th grade and not retaining it. They just aren’t. It’s not really the point of the tutoring. The point is to make kid look advanced for school placement. They will relearn it again in school but will never be as engaged with the proper instruction in school as they would have been without tutoring. This is done in FCPS specifically to be one of the handful chosen to skip into algebra in 6th. If not 6th, 7th. It’s entirely parent driven. I’m laughing at the thought of a child wanting to learn “next year’s curriculum this year after school!” AOPS and RSM are doing this under the guise of enrichment. Parents talk and spread info about which schools are doing this and they move to where they are accepted. I’ve also seen the actual test used being passed around. It’s mostly Asian but also white families. If you sit outside a tutoring center all the info is shared. I’ve said this before. The tutoring center is just the gateway. I’ve met more tutors with inside knowledge in those waiting rooms.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don’t care about pp’s gifted child, but cut the crap about “slow” math, and sixth grade algebra being no big deal. Just shut up already.

Your umbrage over math acceleration only makes sense if there actually is a school in the DC metro area in which more than a handful of kids are taking 6th grade algebra, and those kids are only qualifying due to excessive tutoring. Where is this happening? Where is this school? Many of us think this school only exists in your imagination, and you're creating some Asian tutoring boogeyman because you can't accept that some kids are brighter than yours.

We’ll find out in 8 or so years where my kid falls. I don’t for one second think this an Asian problem. This is an insufferable DC problem.
Just remember that Algebra 1 has traditionally been grade 9. Sixth grade algebra is very accelerated, and that’s great.
But stuff it with your la-di-da 99.9 is nothing special, “practicality every kid in our school is doing this stuff”. It’s boring.

Anonymous wrote:

1. The standard math sequence is not very slow.
2. The kids in your AAP school are not 99.9 percentile kids. OMG you are delusional.

This right here x 10 or so other parents in a grade changes the culture of the school. I’m sure this parent thinks her kid is 99.9 and will be in this class too. And I’m sure her kid does one of the many strip mall math classes.

There are 120 kids per grade in the AAP center. You don't think it's plausible that 5 of them are 99.9th percentile? Nope. My 6th grader is not in algebra and will take it in 7th or 8th. I'm just not at all bothered by the handful of kids who are in algebra. They're all much brighter in math than my kid, so they would be bored if they were in the same prealgebra class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade Algebra hardly qualifies as "radical STEM acceleration." It's only mildly faster than an already very slow math program, and it should be well within the reach of highly gifted children. The handful of "radically accelerated" kids taking Algebra in 6th at my AAP center are all 99.9th percentile kids. None of them are there because they're spending hours on prep classes or have overly pushy parents.

Again, where are any of these alleged schools with large percentages of Asians taking cram school? I agree that having 10% or so of your student body doing hours of tutoring every night would lead to problematic school culture. I just don't believe that it's actually happening in any of the DMV public schools.

You are exactly who I’m trying to avoid.

+1

1. The standard math sequence is not very slow.
2. The kids in your AAP school are not 99.9 percentile kids. OMG you are delusional.

This right here x 10 or so other parents in a grade changes the culture of the school. I’m sure this parent thinks her kid is 99.9 and will be in this class too. And I’m sure her kid does one of the many strip mall math classes.

Anonymous wrote:
We left our kid's school because it felt weird not to be able to afford public school -- but when your kids teacher calls you and says that your kid is the only kid in the class who isn't being tutored outside of class, and she can't "slow down" the class for your child and here is the number of a tutor, then essentially you've just made public school unaffordable for our family and presumably lots of others.

Which school had every kid in the class receiving outside tutoring? Name names, or it didn't happen.

FCPS has math pacing guides for each grade level, and they stick pretty strongly to them.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I cared when my kids were this age because with three children, hours of outside specialized math tutoring was unaffordable for us.

And if you get enough kids in a class claiming to be bored and already knowing the material, then the teacher basically rushes through it, reviewing it rather than teaching it.

We left our kid's school because it felt weird not to be able to afford public school -- but when your kids teacher calls you and says that your kid is the only kid in the class who isn't being tutored outside of class, and she can't "slow down" the class for your child and here is the number of a tutor, then essentially you've just made public school unaffordable for our family and presumably lots of others.

but no, that's not limited to math. IF only kids taking private music lessons get into the orchestra, then it's possible that you can't really afford that PUBLIC SCHOOL if you can't afford the private sports coaching, the private music lessons and the private tutoring. We had been so excited to be able to afford the house in the 'good neighborhood" but we actually couldn't afford to hang in our neighborhood elementary school in Northern Virginia.

Which is likely how the FARMS parents in our school feel ...

Anonymous wrote:

I don’t care about pp’s gifted child, but cut the crap about “slow” math, and sixth grade algebra being no big deal. Just shut up already.

Your umbrage over math acceleration only makes sense if there actually is a school in the DC metro area in which more than a handful of kids are taking 6th grade algebra, and those kids are only qualifying due to excessive tutoring. Where is this happening? Where is this school? Many of us think this school only exists in your imagination, and you're creating some Asian tutoring boogeyman because you can't accept that some kids are brighter than yours.

Honestly, I cared when my kids were this age because with three children, hours of outside specialized math tutoring was unaffordable for us.

And if you get enough kids in a class claiming to be bored and already knowing the material, then the teacher basically rushes through it, reviewing it rather than teaching it.

We left our kid's school because it felt weird not to be able to afford public school -- but when your kids teacher calls you and says that your kid is the only kid in the class who isn't being tutored outside of class, and she can't "slow down" the class for your child and here is the number of a tutor, then essentially you've just made public school unaffordable for our family and presumably lots of others.

but no, that's not limited to math. IF only kids taking private music lessons get into the orchestra, then it's possible that you can't really afford that PUBLIC SCHOOL if you can't afford the private sports coaching, the private music lessons and the private tutoring. We had been so excited to be able to afford the house in the 'good neighborhood" but we actually couldn't afford to hang in our neighborhood elementary school in Northern Virginia.

Anonymous wrote:
I don’t care about pp’s gifted child, but cut the crap about “slow” math, and sixth grade algebra being no big deal. Just shut up already.

It really, truly, is not a big deal that a handful of kids in the 99.9th percentile are taking Algebra in 6th grade. You need some serious help if you're that upset by highly gifted kids accelerating a year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade Algebra hardly qualifies as "radical STEM acceleration." It's only mildly faster than an already very slow math program, and it should be well within the reach of highly gifted children. The handful of "radically accelerated" kids taking Algebra in 6th at my AAP center are all 99.9th percentile kids. None of them are there because they're spending hours on prep classes or have overly pushy parents.

Again, where are any of these alleged schools with large percentages of Asians taking cram school? I agree that having 10% or so of your student body doing hours of tutoring every night would lead to problematic school culture. I just don't believe that it's actually happening in any of the DMV public schools.

You are exactly who I’m trying to avoid.

\

?? Why are you so threatened by a handful of kids who are, as OP says, mildly advanced in math? How does this offend you so much?

I don’t care about pp’s gifted child, but cut the crap about “slow” math, and sixth grade algebra being no big deal. Just shut up already.

I still honestly don't get why you even care. Can you explain?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade Algebra hardly qualifies as "radical STEM acceleration." It's only mildly faster than an already very slow math program, and it should be well within the reach of highly gifted children. The handful of "radically accelerated" kids taking Algebra in 6th at my AAP center are all 99.9th percentile kids. None of them are there because they're spending hours on prep classes or have overly pushy parents.

Again, where are any of these alleged schools with large percentages of Asians taking cram school? I agree that having 10% or so of your student body doing hours of tutoring every night would lead to problematic school culture. I just don't believe that it's actually happening in any of the DMV public schools.

You are exactly who I’m trying to avoid.

\

?? Why are you so threatened by a handful of kids who are, as OP says, mildly advanced in math? How does this offend you so much?

I don’t care about pp’s gifted child, but cut the crap about “slow” math, and sixth grade algebra being no big deal. Just shut up already.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade Algebra hardly qualifies as "radical STEM acceleration." It's only mildly faster than an already very slow math program, and it should be well within the reach of highly gifted children. The handful of "radically accelerated" kids taking Algebra in 6th at my AAP center are all 99.9th percentile kids. None of them are there because they're spending hours on prep classes or have overly pushy parents.

Again, where are any of these alleged schools with large percentages of Asians taking cram school? I agree that having 10% or so of your student body doing hours of tutoring every night would lead to problematic school culture. I just don't believe that it's actually happening in any of the DMV public schools.

You are exactly who I’m trying to avoid.

\

?? Why are you so threatened by a handful of kids who are, as OP says, mildly advanced in math? How does this offend you so much?

Anonymous wrote:6th grade Algebra hardly qualifies as "radical STEM acceleration." It's only mildly faster than an already very slow math program, and it should be well within the reach of highly gifted children. The handful of "radically accelerated" kids taking Algebra in 6th at my AAP center are all 99.9th percentile kids. None of them are there because they're spending hours on prep classes or have overly pushy parents.

Again, where are any of these alleged schools with large percentages of Asians taking cram school? I agree that having 10% or so of your student body doing hours of tutoring every night would lead to problematic school culture. I just don't believe that it's actually happening in any of the DMV public schools.

You are exactly who I’m trying to avoid.

6th grade Algebra hardly qualifies as "radical STEM acceleration." It's only mildly faster than an already very slow math program, and it should be well within the reach of highly gifted children. The handful of "radically accelerated" kids taking Algebra in 6th at my AAP center are all 99.9th percentile kids. None of them are there because they're spending hours on prep classes or have overly pushy parents.

Again, where are any of these alleged schools with large percentages of Asians taking cram school? I agree that having 10% or so of your student body doing hours of tutoring every night would lead to problematic school culture. I just don't believe that it's actually happening in any of the DMV public schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Stop with the “it’s only an hour a week”. If it is you aren't the problem.

Where are these groups kids who are doing hours of tutoring every night to the point that entire school cultures are changed? My kids attend a somewhat competitive AAP center with a decently high percentage of Asians in the middle of the county. I don't think there's a single kid there who is doing cram school. None of the kids who are taking Algebra in 6th or who are winning the math contests are doing more than taking a 2 hour/week class at RSM or AoPS. Do you actually know that a bunch of kids at your school are doing cram school and asking for special privileges, or are you assuming that any Asian kid who is decently above grade level must be a prep robot?

In the imagination of people in denial about their child being merely average in this region ...

In a STEM magnet across the river, the magnet asian kids are on many sports team in school. Many of the best players are the magnet Asian kids. Accusing academically prepared Asian kids for being robots or damaging school culture is nonsense. If you want your DC to spend 20 hours on sports or travel team but ignore academic performance, it is the route you and your DC take . Don't blame others run too fast if you don't want or cannot keep up the speed.

But where are kids running to? STEM acceleration is an absolute necessity for brilliant kids who will become Davidson Fellows and win the major science competitions one day. As a high school student, you need to be doing graduate-school level math for some of those contests. If a kid doesn't accelerate, he won't be anywhere near ready to apply. And TJ will always have a few prodigies like that. But for the other 99.9999 percent of kids, radical STEM acceleration isn't a necessity, and it can mean fewer opportunities rather than more. Parents who feel a tremendous sense of pride when their kid is tapped for 6th grade algebra may not comprehend that the "B" from that one class with the disorganized teacher will disqualify that kid from admission to the most elite colleges. They may not know that high schools typically won't allow ninth graders to take high level math, and that online courses or commuting to other schools during the day aren't workable options. And wouldn't you rather your kid learn very advanced math from a full professor at an Ivy League school than from a high school teacher? By all means, let's run fast, but if we're not to break both legs along the way we need to know why we're running at that pace and where we're trying to get to.