Anonymous
Post 01/02/2015 09:19     Subject: Re:Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
IMO the kids who take seventh grade algebra should be the ones who are lightyears ahead and can handle extremely difficult material. I think it is a matter of development and maturity, too=--not just intelligence.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2015 07:07     Subject: Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have a DC met the 91 percentile IAAT requirement, but not the 500 on SOL (or vice versa)? Did your DC get into Honors Algebra?


It is far more common to get a 500+ on the SOL than a 91% on the IAAT. PP shows that it is not universally true.

FWIW, both tests can be studied for. My DD just missed the 91, but scored 520. I did not think she was ready for Algebra though.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2015 00:21     Subject: Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have a DC met the 91 percentile IAAT requirement, but not the 500 on SOL (or vice versa)? Did your DC get into Honors Algebra?


99 on the IAAT and 490 on the SOL (two years ago) -- did not get in to Algebra I Honors in 7th grade.
Anonymous
Post 01/01/2015 22:07     Subject: Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
Does anyone have a DC met the 91 percentile IAAT requirement, but not the 500 on SOL (or vice versa)? Did your DC get into Honors Algebra?
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2014 20:48     Subject: Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So, what is this magical Algebra 1 that is only taught at Longellow? I'm curious what the content is that makes it unique.


They use a textbook from the 1980s that is out of print- that they have deemed the best one ever. They do the same with the Honors Geometry, using an out of date textbook from 1972.


How is that inherently "better" or more difficult?
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2014 17:06     Subject: Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
Anonymous wrote:So, what is this magical Algebra 1 that is only taught at Longellow? I'm curious what the content is that makes it unique.


They use a textbook from the 1980s that is out of print- that they have deemed the best one ever. They do the same with the Honors Geometry, using an out of date textbook from 1972.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2014 16:04     Subject: Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
So, what is this magical Algebra 1 that is only taught at Longellow? I'm curious what the content is that makes it unique.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2014 15:57     Subject: Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What is so unique about Algebra at Longfellow?

My dc took 7th grade Algebra honors at Kilmer and was frequently completing work from Algebra 2 that didn't exist in the Algebra 1 honors FCPS standards. This was fine for most of the class, because many of them told my dc that they had already taken Algebra (CTY online, Kumon, tutors, etc)...


My kid must be even smarter than I think she is....she aced Algebra 1 despite not doing any prep work before walking in the classroom the first day of school. Or maybe I'm just a negligent mother thinking that she will actually learn at school without any extra help at home.


That all depends on whether she had a teacher that taught, or a teacher that gave one half-assed example and then let them work on homework the rest of the period.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2014 15:49     Subject: Re:Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
Anonymous wrote:Your post is interesting because I hear (other places) people holding up the Longfellow (Vern Williams) Algebra 1 as a model.


Wow! Vern Williams was my 7th grade math teacher back in the 1970s at the Glasgow GT (now AAP) center. I've always wished my DC had a teacher like him. He was an awesome math teacher who knew how to build a strong foundation for more advanced math later. The great leap forward he taught me was to make the transition from arithmetic to math as a language and thought/logic system. He was a tough grader and disciplinarian so some kids had a hard time with him. After a year in his class, I was able to blow through the rest of pre-calculus over the summer. As an added bonus, much as I benefited from his math teaching, I also learned a great deal from arguing with his conservative politics.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2014 14:59     Subject: Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
Anonymous wrote:What is so unique about Algebra at Longfellow?

My dc took 7th grade Algebra honors at Kilmer and was frequently completing work from Algebra 2 that didn't exist in the Algebra 1 honors FCPS standards. This was fine for most of the class, because many of them told my dc that they had already taken Algebra (CTY online, Kumon, tutors, etc)...


My kid must be even smarter than I think she is....she aced Algebra 1 despite not doing any prep work before walking in the classroom the first day of school. Or maybe I'm just a negligent mother thinking that she will actually learn at school without any extra help at home.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2014 14:50     Subject: Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
What is so unique about Algebra at Longfellow?

My dc took 7th grade Algebra honors at Kilmer and was frequently completing work from Algebra 2 that didn't exist in the Algebra 1 honors FCPS standards. This was fine for most of the class, because many of them told my dc that they had already taken Algebra (CTY online, Kumon, tutors, etc)...but the kids who hadn't already taken it were struggling to teach themselves the content that the teacher didn't feel like bothering with.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2014 14:35     Subject: Re:Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
Did you consider this Honors Algebra class for your DD?


We are not at Longfellow. But I know at least 2 people who have moved so their kids could take Vern Williams' classes!

Like the PP said, in my DD's 7th grade Algebra 1 Honors class there was 7th and 8th graders. So I think it would be fine for her to take that class.

If it were me, I would e-mail the teacher, cc the counselor and school psychologist, and say you are planning to ask for those accommodations in his upcoming 504, and would he mind doing that now.

But if you think the other class is a better anyway, then I would just go ahead and ask for the switch. Kids change classes all the time, especially in MS. Schools don't advertise it, but I've learned that this is just not that uncommon. ES seems to be very against it, but I think the scheduling in MS makes it much easier to do.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2014 14:33     Subject: Re:Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
Anonymous wrote:I have a child in Honors Algebra 1 at Longfellow. Longfellow's class includes more additional enrichment topics than other schools in Fairfax county, per the documentation and verbal exchanges with teachers and parents at other schools. My child is doing "okay" but I think she would be doing well if there was an option to take an Honors Algebra 1 class that matches the other middle schools. I'm considering switching my child to the Honors Algebra I class taken by 8th graders because I have heard that it's closer to what other schools offer to 7th graders. Of course, the other option is to switch my child to Math 7 Honors. I do not want to continue with the 7th grade Honors Algebra 1 class because I prefer to focus more on the Algebra topics than is currently in the Longfellow syllabus. Our child has ADHD which also affects our decision. We are not interested in TJ, so our decision really comes down to where our child can get the best foundation in Algebra--honors algebra 1 for 8th graders now or wait until next year for honors algebra 1. Our child completes the homework given by a Vienna middle school for this class without any problem, so it seems like shame for her to wait a full year to take it as an 8th grader at Longfellow.

I welcome your input, especially if your child has ADHD and you have information on their experience with this class.


There are other Algebra I teachers at Longfellow with different teaching styles. I think it is perfectly acceptable to ask for a different teacher. That is what we did. Like any teacher, Mr. Williams teaching style is perfect for some students but not others. I know just as many parents who have requested Mr Williams as who have requested to not have Mr. Williams. It is a hard class regardless of the teacher though.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2014 14:25     Subject: Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
I don't have any experience with Longfellow, but my DD attends a non-AAP middle school in FCPS. She took Honors Algebra 1 last year as a 7th grader with mostly 8th graders in the class. She had no trouble at all in the class. This year, she is in Geometry (with only other 8th graders). I'm not sure why your DS could not take the 8th grade class if that would work better for him--that is what happens at most Middle Schools. And the overlap between Algebra and Geometry is not that much--so being prepared for the next class might not come into play that much. And by the time he takes Algebra 2 in HS, he will be mixed with kids from other schools, correct? So not everyone will have had the same experience in MS. Good luck.
Anonymous
Post 09/23/2014 14:22     Subject: Re:Algebra 1 honors in 7th grade
Yes, he has a 504 plan but they would only let me carry over the ES accommodations until they were ready for this year's 504 meeting. It's in 2 weeks and, unfortunately, too late to help with this class. I was planning to ask for the teacher's notes or permission to make an audio recording of the daily instruction.

I'm also surprised that Longfellow can offer this unique version of Honors Algebra without offering a class that matches the honors Algebra classes taught at other schools. Otherwise, kids like my son miss out because they go to Longfellow whereas they could have taken the class if we lived elsewhere. He catches on so quickly to most of the instruction that it's disappointing to fall through this loophole.

Did you consider this Honors Algebra class for your DD?