Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you had a teacher conference? If not, I would ask for this asap.

OP here. Yes, my kid is a 10th grader. I've been emailing with the teacher and she's been responsive but not particularly helpful (recommended coming in for lunch time help which my kid has done, sent me a list of MCPS teachers who tutor) but isn't treating this like the 5 alarm fire that I feel like it is (which I understand but I guess I expected her to be a little bit more invested in her students' success). If I were to have a meeting with her - what else would I ask for? In 11 years of MCPS - I've never had to request a meeting with a teacher.

To respond to others - I ordered a hard copy of the text book and will sit down with my kid this weekend and look for the right Khan academy videos.

I don't remember if I already said this but on Canvas, in Modules, the teacher doesn't post anything instructional - just problem sets and answer keys - so I'm not even sure what my kid is supposed to reference. The text book I guess? I guess this would be one question for the teacher?

It's five alarm fire for you (I get it - I would freak out, too). But for the teacher, it's just another day in the office. She has hundreds of students and won't be able to help you solve this problem.

Anonymous wrote:My kid was similarly trapped in a math class (AP Calc BC) in his senior year. We hired a tutor at great expense, and he barely survived the year with a C. Thankfully it didn't hurt him too much for college admissions.

I would highly encourage you to invest money in the best tutoring you can find. Your kid still has some years of math to go, and they absolutely need to understand this material. Intensive tutoring with an intelligent teacher is the way to go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you had a teacher conference? If not, I would ask for this asap.

OP here. Yes, my kid is a 10th grader. I've been emailing with the teacher and she's been responsive but not particularly helpful (recommended coming in for lunch time help which my kid has done, sent me a list of MCPS teachers who tutor) but isn't treating this like the 5 alarm fire that I feel like it is (which I understand but I guess I expected her to be a little bit more invested in her students' success). If I were to have a meeting with her - what else would I ask for? In 11 years of MCPS - I've never had to request a meeting with a teacher.

To respond to others - I ordered a hard copy of the text book and will sit down with my kid this weekend and look for the right Khan academy videos.

I don't remember if I already said this but on Canvas, in Modules, the teacher doesn't post anything instructional - just problem sets and answer keys - so I'm not even sure what my kid is supposed to reference. The text book I guess? I guess this would be one question for the teacher?

Do you know any math?

You need to figure out lessons from the practice set you and then go with your kid over lessons and additional problems, watching him as he works through them. You have to identify gaps in previous knowledge to be able to help him. Once the gaps are identified, work on the gaps, then go back to regular (precalculus) work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you had a teacher conference? If not, I would ask for this asap.

OP here. Yes, my kid is a 10th grader. I've been emailing with the teacher and she's been responsive but not particularly helpful (recommended coming in for lunch time help which my kid has done, sent me a list of MCPS teachers who tutor) but isn't treating this like the 5 alarm fire that I feel like it is (which I understand but I guess I expected her to be a little bit more invested in her students' success). If I were to have a meeting with her - what else would I ask for? In 11 years of MCPS - I've never had to request a meeting with a teacher.

To respond to others - I ordered a hard copy of the text book and will sit down with my kid this weekend and look for the right Khan academy videos.

I don't remember if I already said this but on Canvas, in Modules, the teacher doesn't post anything instructional - just problem sets and answer keys - so I'm not even sure what my kid is supposed to reference. The text book I guess? I guess this would be one question for the teacher?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind this level of math is best suited for brains that are 16+ years old. Most who are taking it are not 16+yrs old.

That's not how any of this works. The kids studying it at 16+ are either under challenged but would have been fine earlier, or who are NEVER going to understand it. The average student gets stuck at Algebra 1 level and muddles until they aren't required to sit in math class anymore. Same thing on the English side at ~9th grade reading/writing level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you had a teacher conference? If not, I would ask for this asap.

OP here. Yes, my kid is a 10th grader. I've been emailing with the teacher and she's been responsive but not particularly helpful (recommended coming in for lunch time help which my kid has done, sent me a list of MCPS teachers who tutor) but isn't treating this like the 5 alarm fire that I feel like it is (which I understand but I guess I expected her to be a little bit more invested in her students' success). If I were to have a meeting with her - what else would I ask for? In 11 years of MCPS - I've never had to request a meeting with a teacher.

To respond to others - I ordered a hard copy of the text book and will sit down with my kid this weekend and look for the right Khan academy videos.

I don't remember if I already said this but on Canvas, in Modules, the teacher doesn't post anything instructional - just problem sets and answer keys - so I'm not even sure what my kid is supposed to reference. The text book I guess? I guess this would be one question for the teacher?

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you had a teacher conference? If not, I would ask for this asap.

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind this level of math is best suited for brains that are 16+ years old. Most who are taking it are not 16+yrs old.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind this level of math is best suited for brains that are 16+ years old. Most who are taking it are not 16+yrs old.

Really? My kid took it at 14... it depends on how bright and math oriented a child is.

Ok, that's super nice for your kid but it's not an issue of being "bright." It's an issue of MCPS accelerating half of the current 10th graders onto this path and then just shrugging when they hit a wall.

Yes, it would be good if the kids who are not "math oriented" had the option to take this class in 11th instead of 10th, but that would have meant basically being in remedial math up until now. The die was cast in 4th grade when MCPS re-named remedial "on level" and took basically everyone else into compacted.

Of course they have the option of taking it in 11th or 12th. There are also other math optios as well for kids who aren't able to take it.

What concrete solution would you offer a parent like OP. Their child took and did well in Honors Algebra 2. What are their options this year? Retake a class they already took? Or drop down to on-level Pre-Calculus (if there's even room in the schedule) and then close the door to taking anything but Calculus with Applications next year.

This is an MCPS issue - they need to figure out how to teach the kids in their classrooms.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind this level of math is best suited for brains that are 16+ years old. Most who are taking it are not 16+yrs old.

Really? My kid took it at 14... it depends on how bright and math oriented a child is.

Ok, that's super nice for your kid but it's not an issue of being "bright." It's an issue of MCPS accelerating half of the current 10th graders onto this path and then just shrugging when they hit a wall.

Yes, it would be good if the kids who are not "math oriented" had the option to take this class in 11th instead of 10th, but that would have meant basically being in remedial math up until now. The die was cast in 4th grade when MCPS re-named remedial "on level" and took basically everyone else into compacted.

Of course they have the option of taking it in 11th or 12th. There are also other math optios as well for kids who aren't able to take it.

What concrete solution would you offer a parent like OP. Their child took and did well in Honors Algebra 2. What are their options this year? Retake a class they already took? Or drop down to on-level Pre-Calculus (if there's even room in the schedule) and then close the door to taking anything but Calculus with Applications next year.

This is an MCPS issue - they need to figure out how to teach the kids in their classrooms.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind this level of math is best suited for brains that are 16+ years old. Most who are taking it are not 16+yrs old.

Really? My kid took it at 14... it depends on how bright and math oriented a child is.

Ok, that's super nice for your kid but it's not an issue of being "bright." It's an issue of MCPS accelerating half of the current 10th graders onto this path and then just shrugging when they hit a wall.

Yes, it would be good if the kids who are not "math oriented" had the option to take this class in 11th instead of 10th, but that would have meant basically being in remedial math up until now. The die was cast in 4th grade when MCPS re-named remedial "on level" and took basically everyone else into compacted.

Of course they have the option of taking it in 11th or 12th. There are also other math optios as well for kids who aren't able to take it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Students are lined up for help at school if they can't afford or can't get a tutor. Unacceptable.

Yes. They should be given As like every other previous math class.

Do you not understand that it takes resources to tutor those students who come during lunch time (when are teachers going to eat) or tutor student after school. Who is going to tutor all those students? You?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Students are lined up for help at school if they can't afford or can't get a tutor. Unacceptable.

Yes. They should be given As like every other previous math class.

Anonymous wrote:Students are lined up for help at school if they can't afford or can't get a tutor. Unacceptable.