Anonymous wrote:On the bright side now students can do pre cal at 9th grade and no need to go to high school for Algebra2 at 8th grade. A terrific news for advanced kids.
Anonymous wrote:If you have a gifted or advanced kid, MCPS is basically telling you that it no longer will serve them. Math acceleration will now be within a heterogenous class just like model 2 of the CKLA enrichment this year. And they are getting rid of homogenous groups for CkLA enrichment next year. If you care at all, write to the board today before they discuss this this afternoon: Here is the deck for today’s presentation to the board on math. It looks like they are getting rid of compacted math all together and doing “acceleration” in mixed classrooms (however that will work). 5th graders are going to end up repeating content. They’re also proposing to get rid of cohorted enrichment for ELC. If you are concerned about this like I am, please reach out to the board today before they discuss this afternoon:
https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DTUE6G38E612/$file/Accelerate%20Enrich%20Learn%20Literacy%20Math%20260507%20PPT.pdf
Anonymous wrote:Are we going to talk about that we cluster math kids into these groups 5 levels total, 3 levels per class, then we're going to have the "smart class" and the "dumb class" in the same grade?
That's going to make English/science look different.
Sounds like tracking!
Anonymous wrote:The whole point of cluster grouping is that you *don't* have a group of gifted kids in every classroom! You clump or cluster them into one or a few classrooms to get to critical mass! They have no idea of what they're doing, or else they're lying...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So admittedly I am far removed from my own high school experience and my kids are still in ES, but the MS/HS math pathways surprised me a bit- do kids no longer take geometry and trig?
Pre-calc in 9th also seems a bit crazy to me (again this is coming from someone who graduated in the 90s where "accelerated" meant pre-calc in 11th and AP Calc in 12th). But I don't understand what some of these students are meant to take in 12th if they've already had two years of calculus by then.
Acceleration looks like this:
Alg 7th
Geometry 8th
Alg2/Trig 9th
Precalc 10th
Calc 11th
MVC/Diffeq/Stats 12th
That's the route both my kids took (now in college, one about to go). The one in college is a dual math major. They easily passed all their accelerated math classes including MVC/Diffeq. MAPS scores always at highest %ile, PARCC scores always exceeding expectations, 5 on AP cal, 800 on SAT math. Kid would've been incredibly bored in ES without HGC (former name of CES) and compacted math. No, we did not ever tutor DC.
There are a lot of highly educated parents around here, so it's no surprise that there are a lot advanced learners here.
MCPS really is racing to the bottom. We had intentionally moved here for the magnets and acceleration programs. So glad to be done with MCPS before they killed every program that made it great.
On the link provided in the OP, it looks like starting in 2027-2028, there are three potential math pathways students will take (slide 14) where pre-calc may be taken anywhere from 9th-11 grade. Am I understanding this correctly? What is the difference between Math 6, Accel Math 6, and Grade 6 Pre-Alg?
I am partly asking this because we are currently overseas and I've been trying to keep track of where my kids (who currently attend an international school) will land when we return in a couple years. Which is hard when MCPS keeps making changes!
Math 6 = 6th grade math, on track to start algebra in 9th
Accel Math 6/AMP 6+ = 6th & half of 7th grade math (with the other half of 7th+8th taken in 7th grade), on track to start algebra in 8th-- for strong kids in grade-level 5th grade math or kids who did compacted 5/6 who could use a slowdown/reinforcement
Grade 6 Pre-Alg = 7th & 8th grade math (with 6th grade math completed in grade 5 as part of compacted math), on track to start algebra in 7th
Algebra in..
7th - advanced
8th - on track
9th - behind
It’s this message that continues to cause problems. Algebra is a HS math course. MCPS (and other districts) altered pacing to allow for more kids getting to Algebra by 8th and thus Calculus by 12th. This is an acceleration, it’s just more broadly applied.
Lids taking Algebra in 9th are not behind and could actually go on to take Honors Math every year thereafter.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Is it really true that compacted (advanced in 4th and 5th grade) math is going away?
Yes. Did you not bother to read any of this thread?
I did. I just didn’t want to believe it![]()
This is really depressing.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Is it really true that compacted (advanced in 4th and 5th grade) math is going away?
Yes. Did you not bother to read any of this thread?
Anonymous wrote:Is it really true that compacted (advanced in 4th and 5th grade) math is going away?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So admittedly I am far removed from my own high school experience and my kids are still in ES, but the MS/HS math pathways surprised me a bit- do kids no longer take geometry and trig?
Pre-calc in 9th also seems a bit crazy to me (again this is coming from someone who graduated in the 90s where "accelerated" meant pre-calc in 11th and AP Calc in 12th). But I don't understand what some of these students are meant to take in 12th if they've already had two years of calculus by then.
Acceleration looks like this:
Alg 7th
Geometry 8th
Alg2/Trig 9th
Precalc 10th
Calc 11th
MVC/Diffeq/Stats 12th
That's the route both my kids took (now in college, one about to go). The one in college is a dual math major. They easily passed all their accelerated math classes including MVC/Diffeq. MAPS scores always at highest %ile, PARCC scores always exceeding expectations, 5 on AP cal, 800 on SAT math. Kid would've been incredibly bored in ES without HGC (former name of CES) and compacted math. No, we did not ever tutor DC.
There are a lot of highly educated parents around here, so it's no surprise that there are a lot advanced learners here.
MCPS really is racing to the bottom. We had intentionally moved here for the magnets and acceleration programs. So glad to be done with MCPS before they killed every program that made it great.
On the link provided in the OP, it looks like starting in 2027-2028, there are three potential math pathways students will take (slide 14) where pre-calc may be taken anywhere from 9th-11 grade. Am I understanding this correctly? What is the difference between Math 6, Accel Math 6, and Grade 6 Pre-Alg?
I am partly asking this because we are currently overseas and I've been trying to keep track of where my kids (who currently attend an international school) will land when we return in a couple years. Which is hard when MCPS keeps making changes!
Math 6 = 6th grade math, on track to start algebra in 9th
Accel Math 6/AMP 6+ = 6th & half of 7th grade math (with the other half of 7th+8th taken in 7th grade), on track to start algebra in 8th-- for strong kids in grade-level 5th grade math or kids who did compacted 5/6 who could use a slowdown/reinforcement
Grade 6 Pre-Alg = 7th & 8th grade math (with 6th grade math completed in grade 5 as part of compacted math), on track to start algebra in 7th
Algebra in..
7th - advanced
8th - on track
9th - behind
No.
9th - on-level
8th - advanced / gifted&talented, including most of "selective college" prep.
7th - highly advanced, likely STEM-focused, "UMC" stereotype
6th - math-contest culture, "Asian immigrant scientist parent" stereotype
I don't disagree that Algebra I is a high school level course and some of it may be a result of the current curriculum.
But students taking Algebra I in high school are likely struggling students.
Just look at the MCAP Algebra I proficiency rates on mdreportcard for MCPS. Middle schools top the list.
The highest high school is Churchill, ranked at number 32 out of schools listed with Algebra I test takers, and with a proficiency of 22.2 percent. Followed by Poolesville at 20.8 percent, Whitman is two spots below that with 16.5 percent.
Students are capable of taking Algebra I in middle school and students will raise to the level they're pushed to.
Look at the charter school in DC that won the math competition recently:
https://wtop.com/dc/2026/03/how-students-in-southeast-outperformed-peers-in-some-of-dcs-wealthiest-neighborhoods-on-citywide-math-test/
And it's what the main character was saying in the film Stand and Deliver, which is based on a true story.
There's nothing wrong with taking Algebra I in high school and I believe that students should be placed appropriately at their level to make sure they fully learn what's being taught.
But it seems like MCPS's solution is to try to lower the bar instead of raising the bottom to reach the bar.
At our MS you can't even get into AMP 6+ (which would get you to Algebra in 8th) unless you completed compacted math at your ES. So my 80th percentile MAP-M kid and her similarly scoring peers will all be taking Algebra 1 in 9th.
Is this common?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So admittedly I am far removed from my own high school experience and my kids are still in ES, but the MS/HS math pathways surprised me a bit- do kids no longer take geometry and trig?
Pre-calc in 9th also seems a bit crazy to me (again this is coming from someone who graduated in the 90s where "accelerated" meant pre-calc in 11th and AP Calc in 12th). But I don't understand what some of these students are meant to take in 12th if they've already had two years of calculus by then.
Acceleration looks like this:
Alg 7th
Geometry 8th
Alg2/Trig 9th
Precalc 10th
Calc 11th
MVC/Diffeq/Stats 12th
That's the route both my kids took (now in college, one about to go). The one in college is a dual math major. They easily passed all their accelerated math classes including MVC/Diffeq. MAPS scores always at highest %ile, PARCC scores always exceeding expectations, 5 on AP cal, 800 on SAT math. Kid would've been incredibly bored in ES without HGC (former name of CES) and compacted math. No, we did not ever tutor DC.
There are a lot of highly educated parents around here, so it's no surprise that there are a lot advanced learners here.
MCPS really is racing to the bottom. We had intentionally moved here for the magnets and acceleration programs. So glad to be done with MCPS before they killed every program that made it great.
On the link provided in the OP, it looks like starting in 2027-2028, there are three potential math pathways students will take (slide 14) where pre-calc may be taken anywhere from 9th-11 grade. Am I understanding this correctly? What is the difference between Math 6, Accel Math 6, and Grade 6 Pre-Alg?
I am partly asking this because we are currently overseas and I've been trying to keep track of where my kids (who currently attend an international school) will land when we return in a couple years. Which is hard when MCPS keeps making changes!
Math 6 = 6th grade math, on track to start algebra in 9th
Accel Math 6/AMP 6+ = 6th & half of 7th grade math (with the other half of 7th+8th taken in 7th grade), on track to start algebra in 8th-- for strong kids in grade-level 5th grade math or kids who did compacted 5/6 who could use a slowdown/reinforcement
Grade 6 Pre-Alg = 7th & 8th grade math (with 6th grade math completed in grade 5 as part of compacted math), on track to start algebra in 7th
Algebra in..
7th - advanced
8th - on track
9th - behind
No.
9th - on-level
8th - advanced / gifted&talented, including most of "selective college" prep.
7th - highly advanced, likely STEM-focused, "UMC" stereotype
6th - math-contest culture, "Asian immigrant scientist parent" stereotype
I don't disagree that Algebra I is a high school level course and some of it may be a result of the current curriculum.
But students taking Algebra I in high school are likely struggling students.
Just look at the MCAP Algebra I proficiency rates on mdreportcard for MCPS. Middle schools top the list.
The highest high school is Churchill, ranked at number 32 out of schools listed with Algebra I test takers, and with a proficiency of 22.2 percent. Followed by Poolesville at 20.8 percent, Whitman is two spots below that with 16.5 percent.
Students are capable of taking Algebra I in middle school and students will raise to the level they're pushed to.
Look at the charter school in DC that won the math competition recently:
https://wtop.com/dc/2026/03/how-students-in-southeast-outperformed-peers-in-some-of-dcs-wealthiest-neighborhoods-on-citywide-math-test/
And it's what the main character was saying in the film Stand and Deliver, which is based on a true story.
There's nothing wrong with taking Algebra I in high school and I believe that students should be placed appropriately at their level to make sure they fully learn what's being taught.
But it seems like MCPS's solution is to try to lower the bar instead of raising the bottom to reach the bar.
At our MS you can't even get into AMP 6+ (which would get you to Algebra in 8th) unless you completed compacted math at your ES. So my 80th percentile MAP-M kid and her similarly scoring peers will all be taking Algebra 1 in 9th.
Is this common?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There's an election in a matter of weeks, and Board of Ed seats are on there. As they are non-partisan, they are on every ballot, regardless of party affiliation. Remember to vote.
Montoya is the only incumbent running, and she is unopposed.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So admittedly I am far removed from my own high school experience and my kids are still in ES, but the MS/HS math pathways surprised me a bit- do kids no longer take geometry and trig?
Pre-calc in 9th also seems a bit crazy to me (again this is coming from someone who graduated in the 90s where "accelerated" meant pre-calc in 11th and AP Calc in 12th). But I don't understand what some of these students are meant to take in 12th if they've already had two years of calculus by then.
Acceleration looks like this:
Alg 7th
Geometry 8th
Alg2/Trig 9th
Precalc 10th
Calc 11th
MVC/Diffeq/Stats 12th
That's the route both my kids took (now in college, one about to go). The one in college is a dual math major. They easily passed all their accelerated math classes including MVC/Diffeq. MAPS scores always at highest %ile, PARCC scores always exceeding expectations, 5 on AP cal, 800 on SAT math. Kid would've been incredibly bored in ES without HGC (former name of CES) and compacted math. No, we did not ever tutor DC.
There are a lot of highly educated parents around here, so it's no surprise that there are a lot advanced learners here.
MCPS really is racing to the bottom. We had intentionally moved here for the magnets and acceleration programs. So glad to be done with MCPS before they killed every program that made it great.
On the link provided in the OP, it looks like starting in 2027-2028, there are three potential math pathways students will take (slide 14) where pre-calc may be taken anywhere from 9th-11 grade. Am I understanding this correctly? What is the difference between Math 6, Accel Math 6, and Grade 6 Pre-Alg?
I am partly asking this because we are currently overseas and I've been trying to keep track of where my kids (who currently attend an international school) will land when we return in a couple years. Which is hard when MCPS keeps making changes!
Math 6 = 6th grade math, on track to start algebra in 9th
Accel Math 6/AMP 6+ = 6th & half of 7th grade math (with the other half of 7th+8th taken in 7th grade), on track to start algebra in 8th-- for strong kids in grade-level 5th grade math or kids who did compacted 5/6 who could use a slowdown/reinforcement
Grade 6 Pre-Alg = 7th & 8th grade math (with 6th grade math completed in grade 5 as part of compacted math), on track to start algebra in 7th
Algebra in..
7th - advanced
8th - on track
9th - behind
No.
9th - on-level
8th - advanced / gifted&talented, including most of "selective college" prep.
7th - highly advanced, likely STEM-focused, "UMC" stereotype
6th - math-contest culture, "Asian immigrant scientist parent" stereotype
I don't disagree that Algebra I is a high school level course and some of it may be a result of the current curriculum.
But students taking Algebra I in high school are likely struggling students.
Just look at the MCAP Algebra I proficiency rates on mdreportcard for MCPS. Middle schools top the list.
The highest high school is Churchill, ranked at number 32 out of schools listed with Algebra I test takers, and with a proficiency of 22.2 percent. Followed by Poolesville at 20.8 percent, Whitman is two spots below that with 16.5 percent.
Students are capable of taking Algebra I in middle school and students will raise to the level they're pushed to.
Look at the charter school in DC that won the math competition recently:
https://wtop.com/dc/2026/03/how-students-in-southeast-outperformed-peers-in-some-of-dcs-wealthiest-neighborhoods-on-citywide-math-test/
And it's what the main character was saying in the film Stand and Deliver, which is based on a true story.
There's nothing wrong with taking Algebra I in high school and I believe that students should be placed appropriately at their level to make sure they fully learn what's being taught.
But it seems like MCPS's solution is to try to lower the bar instead of raising the bottom to reach the bar.
At our MS you can't even get into AMP 6+ (which would get you to Algebra in 8th) unless you completed compacted math at your ES. So my 80th percentile MAP-M kid and her similarly scoring peers will all be taking Algebra 1 in 9th.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So admittedly I am far removed from my own high school experience and my kids are still in ES, but the MS/HS math pathways surprised me a bit- do kids no longer take geometry and trig?
Pre-calc in 9th also seems a bit crazy to me (again this is coming from someone who graduated in the 90s where "accelerated" meant pre-calc in 11th and AP Calc in 12th). But I don't understand what some of these students are meant to take in 12th if they've already had two years of calculus by then.
Acceleration looks like this:
Alg 7th
Geometry 8th
Alg2/Trig 9th
Precalc 10th
Calc 11th
MVC/Diffeq/Stats 12th
That's the route both my kids took (now in college, one about to go). The one in college is a dual math major. They easily passed all their accelerated math classes including MVC/Diffeq. MAPS scores always at highest %ile, PARCC scores always exceeding expectations, 5 on AP cal, 800 on SAT math. Kid would've been incredibly bored in ES without HGC (former name of CES) and compacted math. No, we did not ever tutor DC.
There are a lot of highly educated parents around here, so it's no surprise that there are a lot advanced learners here.
MCPS really is racing to the bottom. We had intentionally moved here for the magnets and acceleration programs. So glad to be done with MCPS before they killed every program that made it great.
On the link provided in the OP, it looks like starting in 2027-2028, there are three potential math pathways students will take (slide 14) where pre-calc may be taken anywhere from 9th-11 grade. Am I understanding this correctly? What is the difference between Math 6, Accel Math 6, and Grade 6 Pre-Alg?
I am partly asking this because we are currently overseas and I've been trying to keep track of where my kids (who currently attend an international school) will land when we return in a couple years. Which is hard when MCPS keeps making changes!
Math 6 = 6th grade math, on track to start algebra in 9th
Accel Math 6/AMP 6+ = 6th & half of 7th grade math (with the other half of 7th+8th taken in 7th grade), on track to start algebra in 8th-- for strong kids in grade-level 5th grade math or kids who did compacted 5/6 who could use a slowdown/reinforcement
Grade 6 Pre-Alg = 7th & 8th grade math (with 6th grade math completed in grade 5 as part of compacted math), on track to start algebra in 7th
Algebra in..
7th - advanced
8th - on track
9th - behind
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think this is overall a good thing. Compacted Math was pretty much a scam that just made parents feel good that their kid was getting “advanced math” when, in reality, the classes simply glossed over a skipped a lot of content so they could plow through the material. Maybe now the curriculum will allow for the depth that will pay off in the long term for kids.
I don't agree. Your "nuanced analysis" of calling something a scam does not make it so. My kid was so bored in grade 3 math. She finds Compacted Math 4/5 much more interesting with a cohorted group and a faster pace, I am dreading if MCPS keeps this crap decision and she has to go back to the old pace (plus repeat the stuff she already learned from 5th grade math.)
Could it possibly be that the eureka math was the slow paced, teach them the 5 ways to do something with long word problems that made lots of kids super bored? I’m hoping the Desmos stuff is better but gosh my kid (not in compacted) could not get thru Eureka homework most nights because of all the round about ways they had to show to get to the same damn answer. I felt it was not good for kids with attention issues. I think that’s why the kids who are naturally good at math would get so bored. Meanwhile the module tests are nothing like the homework, no long word problems or tedious stuff. But I’m not a teacher so I have no idea what their thoughts are on teaching the curriculum