Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents should take this decision seriously. You now have lesser qualified teachers teaching a foundational algebra class without any prior pre algebra prep. You may get by now but the gaps will show up. They will show up in 2-3 yrs time. Opt out unless your kid is truly a math genius

I'm actually very confident in our teacher--he has high level math courses on his resume and an undergrad degree in a technical field. I realize we are extremely fortunate in that.

I'm worried that our children are locked into 2 years of post calculus math, like it or not, if we get on this train. There's no clear off ramp if our kid turns into a future humanities major. There's no guarantee that there will be in person dual enrollment options junior/senior year, so we are potentially pushing our kids into online math in the evenings or commuting to GMU. The presenters couldn't explain the difference between calc ab and calc bc or how ap precalc prepared for the two (they didn't even know what high school our elementary fed to), yet assured us there would be plenty of dual enrollment options by the time our children got to high school...but the former makes it hard to trust the latter.

This is the perspective that parents are lacking right now. Some kids try to slow the track down in high school because it gets overwhelming quick and it doesn’t look good to do Calc AB then Calc BC for STEM because it’s basically the same class at a faster pace.

I realize that at the end of the day life is not a race and if taking calc ab/bc is what restores my child's sanity in 5 years then oh well if that takes MIT off the table. If he needed things slowed down that much MIT probably wasn't a good fit to begin with.

But it's just crummy that we are being asked to make a choice without a clear path forward. I think what they *wanted* to say was the program should be open to genius math students and highly prepped/accelerated kids at all schools instead of a few schools but since there was no clear way to identify those kids they just mass enrolled tons based on minimum criteria. (But she repeatedly said our kids aren't guinea pigs, hah)

When asked if any other school systems have implemented such a program, our county presenters said they weren't aware of any, but as many as 50 kids a year did this in FCPS successfully each year before. 50 out of ~14000 students in 6th grade each year is basically zero though.

SOL numbers point to 30 kids, either their numbers are wrong or a lot of the kids didn't take the Algebra 1 SOL.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI, since this seems to be misunderstood on this thread: when you expunge a middle school grade, you do not have to retake the course. You may choose to, but you don’t have to.

So you get the credit (if you pass) but you don't get to see the grade--is this what you mean? Because you'd need the credit from the class, so just want to make sure we understand this.

Colleges will know that means it wasn’t a good grade

Colleges are not going to care about any grades from middle school. Heck, a lot of colleges discount grades from 9th grade when they recompute GPAs.

The bigger issue is that if the grade is poor enough to expunge, the kid will struggle in Algebra II or pre-calc. I'm not sure that I would place a child in FCPS 6th grade Algebra without also having the kid take Algebra through RSM or AoPS.

I agree with your second part, but I know for fact the colleges care. It is absolutely a red flag to not have a grade for a math class. They look very closely at course selection, grades for all high school courses. Expunge at your own risk.

I have a current 12th grader and have spent a lot of time talking to college counselors. Colleges really, truly don't care about grades from elementary or middle school, no matter the class. If a kid had a low or expunged grade in Algebra I as a 6th grader, but later had As in algebra II, pre-calc, and Calc, colleges will not care at all about the Algebra I grade. Most colleges re-compute a kid's GPA based on their own weighting system, and classes taken in middle school (and sometimes 9th grade) are not considered in this.

The issue here isn't some sort of "red flag" based on a missing Algebra I grade from elementary school. The issue is that a kid with a low enough grade in Algebra I is unlikely to have As in algebra II, pre-calc, and Calc. Theoretically, if a kid were to expunge Algebra I, get some heavy tutoring, and then earn As for all remaining math classes, they'll be fine for college admissions. As in AP Calculus and DE post-calc math would outweigh any Algebra I grade or lack thereof.

Realistically, what is going to happen with most of the kids who aren't taking outside enrichment classes is that kid will get an A or A- in 6th grade Algebra I due to lowered expectations and watered down content, and then get much lower grades in later math classes due to having a poor foundation.

Anonymous wrote:AAP Math teacher not in pilot. Home sick. This pilot is stupid, rushed, and disorganized. I am certified to teach Algebra 1 and my school is not piloting it because most admin agree that very few kids should be taking a high school level class at 11/12 years old.

With that being said, I think most of my AAP 6th graders could handle the 8th grade math curriculum. 7th grade standards have been dumbed down. I would be more on board wirth offering 8th grade math(Pre Algebra) in 6th vs Algebra.

Former MS math teacher and i totally agree with this. I wish this is the sequence they had chosen or that it was even an option anywhere. Math 7 is way too simplistic for my kid but algebra has too many long term implications to feel comfortable with it.

Well if they won't let them take algebra 1 you can do geometry in 7th then algebra 1 honors in 8th and switch the order?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents should take this decision seriously. You now have lesser qualified teachers teaching a foundational algebra class without any prior pre algebra prep. You may get by now but the gaps will show up. They will show up in 2-3 yrs time. Opt out unless your kid is truly a math genius

I'm actually very confident in our teacher--he has high level math courses on his resume and an undergrad degree in a technical field. I realize we are extremely fortunate in that.

I'm worried that our children are locked into 2 years of post calculus math, like it or not, if we get on this train. There's no clear off ramp if our kid turns into a future humanities major. There's no guarantee that there will be in person dual enrollment options junior/senior year, so we are potentially pushing our kids into online math in the evenings or commuting to GMU. The presenters couldn't explain the difference between calc ab and calc bc or how ap precalc prepared for the two (they didn't even know what high school our elementary fed to), yet assured us there would be plenty of dual enrollment options by the time our children got to high school...but the former makes it hard to trust the latter.

This is the perspective that parents are lacking right now. Some kids try to slow the track down in high school because it gets overwhelming quick and it doesn’t look good to do Calc AB then Calc BC for STEM because it’s basically the same class at a faster pace.

I realize that at the end of the day life is not a race and if taking calc ab/bc is what restores my child's sanity in 5 years then oh well if that takes MIT off the table. If he needed things slowed down that much MIT probably wasn't a good fit to begin with.

But it's just crummy that we are being asked to make a choice without a clear path forward. I think what they *wanted* to say was the program should be open to genius math students and highly prepped/accelerated kids at all schools instead of a few schools but since there was no clear way to identify those kids they just mass enrolled tons based on minimum criteria. (But she repeatedly said our kids aren't guinea pigs, hah)

When asked if any other school systems have implemented such a program, our county presenters said they weren't aware of any, but as many as 50 kids a year did this in FCPS successfully each year before. 50 out of ~14000 students in 6th grade each year is basically zero though.

AAP Math teacher not in pilot. Home sick. This pilot is stupid, rushed, and disorganized. I am certified to teach Algebra 1 and my school is not piloting it because most admin agree that very few kids should be taking a high school level class at 11/12 years old.

With that being said, I think most of my AAP 6th graders could handle the 8th grade math curriculum. 7th grade standards have been dumbed down. I would be more on board wirth offering 8th grade math(Pre Algebra) in 6th vs Algebra.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents should take this decision seriously. You now have lesser qualified teachers teaching a foundational algebra class without any prior pre algebra prep. You may get by now but the gaps will show up. They will show up in 2-3 yrs time. Opt out unless your kid is truly a math genius

I'm actually very confident in our teacher--he has high level math courses on his resume and an undergrad degree in a technical field. I realize we are extremely fortunate in that.

I'm worried that our children are locked into 2 years of post calculus math, like it or not, if we get on this train. There's no clear off ramp if our kid turns into a future humanities major. There's no guarantee that there will be in person dual enrollment options junior/senior year, so we are potentially pushing our kids into online math in the evenings or commuting to GMU. The presenters couldn't explain the difference between calc ab and calc bc or how ap precalc prepared for the two (they didn't even know what high school our elementary fed to), yet assured us there would be plenty of dual enrollment options by the time our children got to high school...but the former makes it hard to trust the latter.

This is the perspective that parents are lacking right now. Some kids try to slow the track down in high school because it gets overwhelming quick and it doesn’t look good to do Calc AB then Calc BC for STEM because it’s basically the same class at a faster pace.

Anonymous wrote:But they won't know if you took it it first time
In 6th grade if you then take it in 7th again if it is expunged. They don't see elementary school transcripts.

You're not understanding what the poster is noting. You WILL NOT be allowed to "take it again" in 7th grade unless they make an exception to their current requirement of needing a 7th grade SOL score on file. Whether you take it in 6th grade or 7th grade or even 8th grade, the grade will matter for colleges. The issue the poster is pointing out is that if you decide to take it again in 7th grade becasue you didn't like the grade or your kid felt that they need more foundation, unless FCPS changes their requirement, they will NOT be allowed to take the class in 7th grade and have to wait for 8th grade.

Anonymous wrote:But they won't know if you took it it first time
In 6th grade if you then take it in 7th again if it is expunged. They don't see elementary school transcripts.

Algebra 1 is a high school class and appears on the HS transcript, regardless of when we you take it. Colleges will see that the Algebra 1 grade was expunged and then Geometry and assume that your child did not do well in Algebra 1. If you expunge the grade and retake it, Colleges will see Algebra 1 with a grade.

Anonymous wrote:Parents should take this decision seriously. You now have lesser qualified teachers teaching a foundational algebra class without any prior pre algebra prep. You may get by now but the gaps will show up. They will show up in 2-3 yrs time. Opt out unless your kid is truly a math genius

I'm actually very confident in our teacher--he has high level math courses on his resume and an undergrad degree in a technical field. I realize we are extremely fortunate in that.

I'm worried that our children are locked into 2 years of post calculus math, like it or not, if we get on this train. There's no clear off ramp if our kid turns into a future humanities major. There's no guarantee that there will be in person dual enrollment options junior/senior year, so we are potentially pushing our kids into online math in the evenings or commuting to GMU. The presenters couldn't explain the difference between calc ab and calc bc or how ap precalc prepared for the two (they didn't even know what high school our elementary fed to), yet assured us there would be plenty of dual enrollment options by the time our children got to high school...but the former makes it hard to trust the latter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI, since this seems to be misunderstood on this thread: when you expunge a middle school grade, you do not have to retake the course. You may choose to, but you don’t have to.

Yeah, but it looks really bad on a transcript, especially for students planning to pursue STEM majors. Also, if the grade is bad enough that you need to expunge, then the student should probably repeat the course bc they lack fundamental understanding of the content, which will cause problems in more advanced math courses.

Some parents will expung a B+ because it is not an A. The student probably learned the material well enough but they think the B+ will hurt their GPA. I don't think that they fully understand that expunging a grade makes it seem like the child had a much lower grade.

Anonymous wrote:But they won't know if you took it it first time
In 6th grade if you then take it in 7th again if it is expunged. They don't see elementary school transcripts.

They see elementary grades for high school level classes. The previous poster said you can expunge and not retake. I was saying that it’s not a good look to do that. If you retake it, then it’s fine.

But they won't know if you took it it first time
In 6th grade if you then take it in 7th again if it is expunged. They don't see elementary school transcripts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI, since this seems to be misunderstood on this thread: when you expunge a middle school grade, you do not have to retake the course. You may choose to, but you don’t have to.

So you get the credit (if you pass) but you don't get to see the grade--is this what you mean? Because you'd need the credit from the class, so just want to make sure we understand this.

Colleges will know that means it wasn’t a good grade

Colleges are not going to care about any grades from middle school. Heck, a lot of colleges discount grades from 9th grade when they recompute GPAs.

The bigger issue is that if the grade is poor enough to expunge, the kid will struggle in Algebra II or pre-calc. I'm not sure that I would place a child in FCPS 6th grade Algebra without also having the kid take Algebra through RSM or AoPS.

I agree with your second part, but I know for fact the colleges care. It is absolutely a red flag to not have a grade for a math class. They look very closely at course selection, grades for all high school courses. Expunge at your own risk.

I would agree also. There is no admissions team (unless you're looking at schools with above 80% acceptance rates) that doesn't review course selection and grades in math, especially grades for Algebra (presumably the easiest level high school math class).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI, since this seems to be misunderstood on this thread: when you expunge a middle school grade, you do not have to retake the course. You may choose to, but you don’t have to.

So you get the credit (if you pass) but you don't get to see the grade--is this what you mean? Because you'd need the credit from the class, so just want to make sure we understand this.

Colleges will know that means it wasn’t a good grade

Colleges are not going to care about any grades from middle school. Heck, a lot of colleges discount grades from 9th grade when they recompute GPAs.

The bigger issue is that if the grade is poor enough to expunge, the kid will struggle in Algebra II or pre-calc. I'm not sure that I would place a child in FCPS 6th grade Algebra without also having the kid take Algebra through RSM or AoPS.

I think the poster’s point about the conflicting requirement to take Algebra 1 HN in 7th grade is still valid. If, as a parent, you decide your child should retake the class due to their 6th grade performance (with or without outside math enrichment), you may find that option blocked in 7th grade and have to wait until 8th. FCPS needs to provide a clear answer on this. Parents who are considering opting into the program should email their principals and demand clarification. Without a coherent response, families should not assume that expunging the grade provides a true safety net, despite FCPS’s assurances.