Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know the reqs for pre-algebra in seventh? I also wonder when you find out what math your child is in.

I don’t think the decision for 7th grade math is as test dependent as the 6th grade recommendation. The teacher recommendation carries more weight.

Last year the placement letter was posted on ParentVUE at the beginning of July.

Agree, it's a holistic recommendation. Tests scores are only one factor.

Not in our experience… it was all about the MI & SOL cut-offs, with no regard for how the kid performed in the 6th grade math class. The past few years, they are really trying to limit the number of kids who take algebra in 7th grade. That said, you can try to parent place your kid, which may or may not work.

What school and when was this? This was only a few years ago, I think the first year they limited the numbers on the most advanced track and it was most definitely a holistic process based on all factors, not just a cutoff on SOLs and MI.

Anonymous wrote:SOL data show the kids taking 7th grade Algebra 1 do well on their SOLs for Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2, with large shares scoring pass advanced. It's the kids starting Algebra 1 in later years that struggle more.

Interesting. That is the opposite message our elementary was pushing when discussing pre-algebra for 6th graders.

Anonymous wrote:FCPS and LCPS use SOL and Iowa data for accelerated math consideration and families know the threshold needed ahead of time. Transparency is good.

IOWA scores are worthless. They aren’t accurate at all. Why does FCPS use them?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The MI benchmark was 1140 a few years ago. I looked up the email. Why is it so much lower now?

Was that the 3.1 or an earlier MI?

I’m pretty sure it’s the same scale… it used to be 1030, then was raised to 1139, I think, then maybe they went back to using 1030? I think they raised it in an effort to let very few kids take algebra in 7th… for example, fewer than 5 kids at my kid’s school initially qualified that year. Why they want to reduce the numbers, I’m not sure.

Anonymous wrote:FCPS and LCPS use SOL and Iowa data for accelerated math consideration and families know the threshold needed ahead of time. Transparency is good.

APS just makes up the target during the summer. Maybe that is more equitable?

FCPS and LCPS use SOL and Iowa data for accelerated math consideration and families know the threshold needed ahead of time. Transparency is good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The MI benchmark was 1140 a few years ago. I looked up the email. Why is it so much lower now?

Was that the 3.1 or an earlier MI?

I don't know. Has the scale changed? This was 4/5 years ago.

SOL data show the kids taking 7th grade Algebra 1 do well on their SOLs for Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2, with large shares scoring pass advanced. It's the kids starting Algebra 1 in later years that struggle more.

Anonymous wrote:The MI benchmark was 1140 a few years ago. I looked up the email. Why is it so much lower now?

Was that the 3.1 or an earlier MI?

Anonymous wrote:Any idea why APS would set a higher bar than the company that wrote the test for Algebra Readiness?

Maybe they looked at data from previous years that showed in reality those students below weren’t ready?

Any idea why APS would set a higher bar than the company that wrote the test for Algebra Readiness?

The MI benchmark was 1140 a few years ago. I looked up the email. Why is it so much lower now?

You need over 900

Interesting. My son's middle of the year MI score was just below 900 and his teacher's thought he would likely be recommended for accelerated math. I assume by EOY it would be over 1000, but his math is in Spanish so I wonder if that is taken into account too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know the reqs for pre-algebra in seventh? I also wonder when you find out what math your child is in.

I don’t think the decision for 7th grade math is as test dependent as the 6th grade recommendation. The teacher recommendation carries more weight.

Last year the placement letter was posted on ParentVUE at the beginning of July.

Agree, it's a holistic recommendation. Tests scores are only one factor.

Not in our experience… it was all about the MI & SOL cut-offs, with no regard for how the kid performed in the 6th grade math class. The past few years, they are really trying to limit the number of kids who take algebra in 7th grade. That said, you can try to parent place your kid, which may or may not work.