I wanted to add that if they feel IOWA is not the one then what about all these years who have taken the test and have dine Algebra 1 are they all not qualified .

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone actually been informed about the test not counting yet via your kids’ schools/6th grade teachers? Are they even going to release scores? I’d still like to know how my child did. It’s crazy that there has been zero communication about this change.

DD's counselor yesterday informed the kids that officially they are not gonna consider IOWA for taking Algebra 1 honors . she even gave them theories around it saying that the IOWA is not the appropriate test to take the decision . I wonder just around this year after taking test they would come up with such a great theory .

Anonymous wrote:Oh no, you spent $500 on an IOWA prep class and now it won't even be used!! Poor mommy & daddy!!!

I would be shocked if anyone paid that much to prep for the IAAT. Any outside math enrichment is preparation enough and the families most likely to prep already had kids taking math enrichment. And I am not apologizing for my child participating in math enrichment, the math at school was not engaging him. He understood it quickly and well. We were not going to fight to have him moved up grade levels in math, so we sent him to math enrichment, where he thrives.

There is no reason to take the IAAT if it wasn't going to be used. It was wasted money and it can cause stress for the kids taking it. It is something new and different and some kids worry a lot about things like that. I am less concerned about the parent anxiety; we can control our own emotions and should be doing better to help our kids with theirs. Any parent that was so stressed about the IAAT that they were passing that stress on to their kid has more to think about then one test.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it's going to be all the same kids - if they would let all the kids who get pass advanced on the 6th grade SOL take Algebra, that would be better. My child is doing great in math but couldn't get into AAP in our school full of preppers.

Advanced Math is not determined byt he committee, it is determined by the school. Most schools places kids with high, 95th percentile or higher, iReady scores and a pass advanced ont he grade level SOL in Advanced Math.

The 6th grade SOL is not enough for Algebra 1 H. Sixth grade math is not pre-algebra, which is essentially what Math 7H is. The kids in Advanced Math/AAP are taking Math 7H and take the 7th grade SOL. Passing Advanced on that is a signal that the student is prepared for Algebra 1.

+1. Algebra 1 H is a high school credit bearing class. It goes on the transcript unless you get it expunged. Why walk into that unprepared?

Anonymous wrote:it's going to be all the same kids - if they would let all the kids who get pass advanced on the 6th grade SOL take Algebra, that would be better. My child is doing great in math but couldn't get into AAP in our school full of preppers.

Advanced Math is not determined byt he committee, it is determined by the school. Most schools places kids with high, 95th percentile or higher, iReady scores and a pass advanced ont he grade level SOL in Advanced Math.

The 6th grade SOL is not enough for Algebra 1 H. Sixth grade math is not pre-algebra, which is essentially what Math 7H is. The kids in Advanced Math/AAP are taking Math 7H and take the 7th grade SOL. Passing Advanced on that is a signal that the student is prepared for Algebra 1.

it's going to be all the same kids - if they would let all the kids who get pass advanced on the 6th grade SOL take Algebra, that would be better. My child is doing great in math but couldn't get into AAP in our school full of preppers.

Oh no, you spent $500 on an IOWA prep class and now it won't even be used!! Poor mommy & daddy!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone actually been informed about the test not counting yet via your kids’ schools/6th grade teachers? Are they even going to release scores? I’d still like to know how my child did. It’s crazy that there has been zero communication about this change.

It’s on FCPs website multiple places so guessing will be no other notice.

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/advanced-academic-programs-aap/middle/honors-grades-7-8

https://www.fcps.edu/student-tests-and-assessments/student-assessment-details/iowa-algebra-aptitude

The first link said the scores will be released usually within a month, and it’s been well past that. Anyone know if they are planning to release them at all?

It would be a good data point for myself to determine whether or not to place my child in algebra in 7th even if she scores a 500+ on the math SOLs.

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone actually been informed about the test not counting yet via your kids’ schools/6th grade teachers? Are they even going to release scores? I’d still like to know how my child did. It’s crazy that there has been zero communication about this change.

It’s on FCPs website multiple places so guessing will be no other notice.

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/advanced-academic-programs-aap/middle/honors-grades-7-8

https://www.fcps.edu/student-tests-and-assessments/student-assessment-details/iowa-algebra-aptitude

Probably not enough kids from certain middle schools scored high enough on the IAAT….otherwise they wouldn’t have had kids take the test to begin with.

Has anyone actually been informed about the test not counting yet via your kids’ schools/6th grade teachers? Are they even going to release scores? I’d still like to know how my child did. It’s crazy that there has been zero communication about this change.

Anonymous wrote:This would be the first year of E3 students taking the IAAT. Maybe they did poorly on the test and the pilot is not looking good?

Doubt it. This just has to do with Reid's push to get more kids taking Algebra 1 earlier.

If it really does dumb things down - which remains to be seen - it will make it easier for kids to take Algebra 1 in 8th or earlier in general.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Algebra I in 7th grade is a terrible idea for most kids. Even the smart ones.

More anecdata. My older kid who is bright at math but not at all a math genius took 7th grade algebra. Kid is now in 11th grade BC calc, has had straight As, and will almost certainly get a 5 on the AP exam. This kid did take 2 years of in person AoPS classes (BA 5 and pre-algebra), but did not spend significant time on the material. She felt that she learned more in one 2 hour enrichment class than she learned in an entire month of regular school.

Bright kids who are well prepared are perfectly capable of Algebra in 7th. If a school system is finding that a significant number aren't ready, then the problem is that their curriculum is too weak and too rigid.

+1. I have a 7th grader in Algebra 1 Honors at private after advanced math at an FCPS public. She's doing fine and would be bored in pre-algebra. We've never supplemented math outside of school beyond just following her enjoyment of math topics. No classes of any sort.

And our FCPS MS mentioned (because at the time we didn't know what school we'd chose for MS) that they found kids who had the pass advance on the SOL and got a high enough IAAT score were well-prepared for Honors Algebra 1. It's quite possible that just having the pass advance on the SOL will be good enough as a gate - they'll find out.

Anonymous wrote:Algebra I in 7th grade is a terrible idea for most kids. Even the smart ones.

More anecdata. My older kid who is bright at math but not at all a math genius took 7th grade algebra. Kid is now in 11th grade BC calc, has had straight As, and will almost certainly get a 5 on the AP exam. This kid did take 2 years of in person AoPS classes (BA 5 and pre-algebra), but did not spend significant time on the material. She felt that she learned more in one 2 hour enrichment class than she learned in an entire month of regular school.

Bright kids who are well prepared are perfectly capable of Algebra in 7th. If a school system is finding that a significant number aren't ready, then the problem is that their curriculum is too weak and too rigid.

Anonymous wrote:Algebra I in 7th grade is a terrible idea for most kids. Even the smart ones.

Why? My kid is in Algebra I in 7th right now with all A's on every quiz and test and he's a typical lazy, procrastinating 13 year old. He's a smart kid, but not some genius and has had no outside tutoring for Algebra or any subjects ever.