Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing wrong with getting a three on the exam. However, I think the previous poster is noting that students who get a three on the exam junior year might be better served waiting to take the class until senior year.

There is no reason to take BC calculus junior year not learn it at all that well and then go into multivariable calculus senior year.

Feels like over acceleration

A 3 means you learned the material perfectly well.

No it doesn't.

.

And these are the “accelerated” kids taking the more advanced course their junior year.

Whatever, in Arlington, all the kids are geniuses and should be accelerated in everything and don’t let anyone tell you differently.

Amen. Your kid doesn't have to be the tippy top in everything. I have a kid who is a very good, but not great, instrumental player. I am not trying to "parent place" him into making Honors Band because I think regular Wind Ensemble isn't "fast enough" for him. Please accept that there are kids within APS who are truly accelerated in math and they need a faster paced middle school math program. These are the kids who are going to hit 5s on all their math AP exams and likely go on to pursue advanced math in college. APS has slowed down the middle school math program for these kids by allowing so many parent placements. The 7th Grade Algebra 1 Intensified class should be offering extension work that gets into Algebra 2 concepts, but instead the teacher has to re-review content for the kids who don't belong in the class. That means the other half of the kids are bored out of their minds. Your kid is still above average in math if they go from Math 6 to Pre-Algebra to Algebra 1 Intensified in 8th Grade. Don't ruin the math experience for the kids who truly need acceleration.

This is a ridiculous statement. The Algebra I teacher should be making sure the kids learn all of the topics in Algebra I as thoroughly as possible, not teaching topics for a class that will be taken two years later.

Extension activities make sense when you have all ability groupings. Advanced classes with intensive requirements don't offer further extension. That's not how it works in high school and Algebra I is a high school course. Any challenge problems would be reinforcing Algebra I concepts, not pushing kids further ahead.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing wrong with getting a three on the exam. However, I think the previous poster is noting that students who get a three on the exam junior year might be better served waiting to take the class until senior year.

There is no reason to take BC calculus junior year not learn it at all that well and then go into multivariable calculus senior year.

Feels like over acceleration

A 3 means you learned the material perfectly well.

No it doesn't.

.

And these are the “accelerated” kids taking the more advanced course their junior year.

Whatever, in Arlington, all the kids are geniuses and should be accelerated in everything and don’t let anyone tell you differently.

Amen. Your kid doesn't have to be the tippy top in everything. I have a kid who is a very good, but not great, instrumental player. I am not trying to "parent place" him into making Honors Band because I think regular Wind Ensemble isn't "fast enough" for him. Please accept that there are kids within APS who are truly accelerated in math and they need a faster paced middle school math program. These are the kids who are going to hit 5s on all their math AP exams and likely go on to pursue advanced math in college. APS has slowed down the middle school math program for these kids by allowing so many parent placements. The 7th Grade Algebra 1 Intensified class should be offering extension work that gets into Algebra 2 concepts, but instead the teacher has to re-review content for the kids who don't belong in the class. That means the other half of the kids are bored out of their minds. Your kid is still above average in math if they go from Math 6 to Pre-Algebra to Algebra 1 Intensified in 8th Grade. Don't ruin the math experience for the kids who truly need acceleration.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing wrong with getting a three on the exam. However, I think the previous poster is noting that students who get a three on the exam junior year might be better served waiting to take the class until senior year.

There is no reason to take BC calculus junior year not learn it at all that well and then go into multivariable calculus senior year.

Feels like over acceleration

A 3 means you learned the material perfectly well.

No it doesn't.

.

And these are the “accelerated” kids taking the more advanced course their junior year.

Whatever, in Arlington, all the kids are geniuses and should be accelerated in everything and don’t let anyone tell you differently.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing wrong with getting a three on the exam. However, I think the previous poster is noting that students who get a three on the exam junior year might be better served waiting to take the class until senior year.

There is no reason to take BC calculus junior year not learn it at all that well and then go into multivariable calculus senior year.

Feels like over acceleration

A 3 means you learned the material perfectly well.

No it doesn't.

Anonymous wrote:Well I promise to do my best to remember to come back in a year. So far he is doing really well. He scored well on the MAP and on the 8th grade VGA so hopefully no issue! He is really enjoying the pace of the class and actually told me it's one of his favorite classes because people actually do the work.

For what it's worth I know a handful of folks who requested placement for their kids and all are doing well in intensified geometry now and encouraged me to request his placement (he was just under the cut off).

This was my kid too (did great & said algebra in 7th was his favorite class because of the quick pace & the teacher actually teaching them stuff)… he didn’t make the test score cut-off. We had to fight to get him in that class, and it was absolutely the right decision.

To the other PP, way more than 1% of kids belong in advanced/accelerated math. It’s good to have options. I don’t think your doom & gloom statements about high school math bear out, but perhaps you can show some solid dating showing otherwise?

Anonymous wrote:I have seen a large number of students take algebra one in seventh grade. And then burn out in high school. They then end up not taking any math junior and/or senior year.

Again, this seems like over acceleration. And it seems like the students would have been better off waiting to take algebra one in eighth grade.

I have to question this. Colleges want to see math all the way through high school. This is well known. So I doubt there are tons of advanced math students who take no math at all their last two years of HS.

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing wrong with getting a three on the exam. However, I think the previous poster is noting that students who get a three on the exam junior year might be better served waiting to take the class until senior year.

There is no reason to take BC calculus junior year not learn it at all that well and then go into multivariable calculus senior year.

Feels like over acceleration

You don’t have to take multivariable after Calc BC. Many kids take AP Statistics senior year. Also AP Physics which is very math heavy.

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing wrong with getting a three on the exam. However, I think the previous poster is noting that students who get a three on the exam junior year might be better served waiting to take the class until senior year.

There is no reason to take BC calculus junior year not learn it at all that well and then go into multivariable calculus senior year.

Feels like over acceleration

A 3 means you learned the material perfectly well.

Anonymous wrote:I have seen a large number of students take algebra one in seventh grade. And then burn out in high school. They then end up not taking any math junior and/or senior year.

Again, this seems like over acceleration. And it seems like the students would have been better off waiting to take algebra one in eighth grade.

Same.

Algebra 1 in 8th seems like the best option for most of the kids.

I have seen a large number of students take algebra one in seventh grade. And then burn out in high school. They then end up not taking any math junior and/or senior year.

Again, this seems like over acceleration. And it seems like the students would have been better off waiting to take algebra one in eighth grade.

There is nothing wrong with getting a three on the exam. However, I think the previous poster is noting that students who get a three on the exam junior year might be better served waiting to take the class until senior year.

There is no reason to take BC calculus junior year not learn it at all that well and then go into multivariable calculus senior year.

Feels like over acceleration

Anonymous wrote:I hate the pressure to accelerate in math early common in APS. It does not serve 99% of the student body long term. How many 3s are there in the BC Calc exam junior year? How many quit this path? How many take advanced math in college? How do they do? The students would be much better served with a stronger base and get to advanced math — if they ever do — in college with a stronger base. This is the track at all the fancy private schools fwiw. APS cannot actually accelerate the 1% who actually do need it and are truly bored without parents screaming about their special kid as well. And of course — equity — APS gives in.

What's wrong with getting a 3 on Calc BC junior year?

I hate the pressure to accelerate in math early common in APS. It does not serve 99% of the student body long term. How many 3s are there in the BC Calc exam junior year? How many quit this path? How many take advanced math in college? How do they do? The students would be much better served with a stronger base and get to advanced math — if they ever do — in college with a stronger base. This is the track at all the fancy private schools fwiw. APS cannot actually accelerate the 1% who actually do need it and are truly bored without parents screaming about their special kid as well. And of course — equity — APS gives in.

Well I promise to do my best to remember to come back in a year. So far he is doing really well. He scored well on the MAP and on the 8th grade VGA so hopefully no issue! He is really enjoying the pace of the class and actually told me it's one of his favorite classes because people actually do the work.

For what it's worth I know a handful of folks who requested placement for their kids and all are doing well in intensified geometry now and encouraged me to request his placement (he was just under the cut off).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea. BUT I will say my kid missed the cut off and I asked him to be placed in pre-algebra anyway. He was placed and his grade for Q1 is 98% and it's his favorite class. So, the cut offs aren't the best predicators for success in the class IMO.

There isn't much difference between Math 6 and Pre-Alg 6-7-8. The big difference happens in 7th grade, when the Pre-Alg 6-7-8 kids move to Intensified Algebra in 7th grade -- which is a high school credit class. In my experience, a lot of the parents who pushed their kids into Pre-Alg 6-7-8 in 6th grade were the same parents who ended up hiring math tutors in 7th grade. APS has the score cutoffs for a reason.

Do not assume that a family has a math tutor when their child is in advanced math since the child is struggling. It is just as likely that it is an overcrowded class with an over worked teacher who is also dealing with various students of different abilities and disabilities. We want our DC to have a strong basis in their math knowledge.

Well, that’s kind of the point. The advanced math class shouldn’t be full of kids with different abilities. It should be full of the kids who have an extremely high math aptitude, who tested there without parents needing to appeal their placement. Sorry, but kids who need a tutor to handle Algebra 1 in 7th grade shouldn’t be in that class. It’s depriving the top math students in APS from having a chance to accelerate their own learning.

No, it’s not slowing anyone down. They have a predefined, tight schedule.

It sucks for the kids who shouldn’t be in the class, but the kids who can keep up are fine. There are always extension activities available as well.

But it does slow them down because they have to take time to re-teach then they have to rush later on

They don’t spend significant time reteaching because they have tight timeline. If kids are struggling in Alg 1 (or 6/7/8, etc) they are expected to come see teachers during wolf time/study hall or after school.

That hasn't been our experience