Anonymous wrote:1090 is threshold this year. And 600 SOL. I heard they are putting very few kids through. Much fewer than past years.

Can anyone with older kids confirm that it used to be if kids did well in the 6th grade advanced math class, they proceeded to algebra in 7th grade, even without a perfect SOL score?

Anonymous wrote:For those who parent-placed your kid into a higher math class, how did it go? Did you receive a lot of pushback? Did your kid do ok in the harder class? Whom did you contact (school, or APS math office?)

We placed my DD in the advanced track in 6th grade through the math coordinator at our MS. There was no pushback after the initial explanation of why she didn't test high enough, etc for the placement. DD was so bored in 5th grade, I thought it was worth a shot to give her a challenge. DD struggled some in pre-algebra, then they pulled the plug for covid in March. She finished the school year working hard at home, and honestly that time to reinforce the concepts (with my help) was huge. Last year (7th grade) at home, she excelled in Alg 1 (with little tutoring from me) and scored high on the SOL. So as much as she hated DL, it made her better at math, and now it's her favorite class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS doesn’t expect your kid to know something they haven’t been taught. But there is a benchmark for algebra readiness which the SMI advertises is 1030 and uothread someone said was 1090 within APS this year (I don’t know if that is true). The SMI is really just a readiness data point and isn’t used for grading. What APS expects students to know is the Virginia Standards of Learning for the specific course they are in.

That score though is for the end of 8th grade, and they're saying that 5th graders need to have reached the end of 8th grade score before they even start pre-algebra? 6th grade pre-algebra is where they teach 6-8th grade math, so if I understand you it's saying that they should actually have mastered 8th grade math before it's taught?

I'm a PP with a 5th grader whose score dropped from January to June but still is in the Advanced level for 6th EOY and Proficient for 7th EOY. In January was Advanced for 6th and 7th EOY and Proficient for 8th EOY. I don't want my rising 6th grader to be totally stressed out next year, but also don't want DC bored to tears in GenEd while teachers continue to focus on bringing back up to grade level those who are still behind due to the pandemic which is what happened this year.

New poster, but your rising 6th grader sounds remarkably similar to mine. Scored in the 900s on math inventory, advanced pass for sols, and is at 140 quantitative on the cogat. A’s in math this year. Placed in math 6. It will be fine, I’m sure they won’t be bored, and I would be worried taking the advanced class this year since it’s still kind of a covid year and there may be things outside of school that might be stressful.

Agree, and I think that how rigorous a course is might depend on the school. So just because and advanced math class might be good for one school, it might not be good for another. And keep tabs on your child and if they are bored, request the teacher give them more challenging work. A teacher might just not know they are bored and happy to help them out.

For what it’s worth, DD was placed in math 6 (I think it was the slightly more advanced math six, but it wasnt the most advanced course available) and was still placed in algebra in 7th. I think it’s very likely your child will be placed in algebra for 7th anyway.

We did not parent place in advanced math. But my children reported that pretty much all the kids struggling in advanced math said their parents insisted on placing them there. They were tutored and still had a lot of difficulty. So think carefully before you ignore the recommendation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS doesn’t expect your kid to know something they haven’t been taught. But there is a benchmark for algebra readiness which the SMI advertises is 1030 and uothread someone said was 1090 within APS this year (I don’t know if that is true). The SMI is really just a readiness data point and isn’t used for grading. What APS expects students to know is the Virginia Standards of Learning for the specific course they are in.

That score though is for the end of 8th grade, and they're saying that 5th graders need to have reached the end of 8th grade score before they even start pre-algebra? 6th grade pre-algebra is where they teach 6-8th grade math, so if I understand you it's saying that they should actually have mastered 8th grade math before it's taught?

I'm a PP with a 5th grader whose score dropped from January to June but still is in the Advanced level for 6th EOY and Proficient for 7th EOY. In January was Advanced for 6th and 7th EOY and Proficient for 8th EOY. I don't want my rising 6th grader to be totally stressed out next year, but also don't want DC bored to tears in GenEd while teachers continue to focus on bringing back up to grade level those who are still behind due to the pandemic which is what happened this year.

New poster, but your rising 6th grader sounds remarkably similar to mine. Scored in the 900s on math inventory, advanced pass for sols, and is at 140 quantitative on the cogat. A’s in math this year. Placed in math 6. It will be fine, I’m sure they won’t be bored, and I would be worried taking the advanced class this year since it’s still kind of a covid year and there may be things outside of school that might be stressful.

For those who parent-placed your kid into a higher math class, how did it go? Did you receive a lot of pushback? Did your kid do ok in the harder class? Whom did you contact (school, or APS math office?)

Thank you, PP. This is very helpful.

That score though is for the end of 8th grade, and they're saying that 5th graders need to have reached the end of 8th grade score before they even start pre-algebra? 6th grade pre-algebra is where they teach 6-8th grade math, so if I understand you it's saying that they should actually have mastered 8th grade math before it's taught?

Well, if you think about nationally (which is how the SMI is normed) many many districts do Algebra 1 standard in 9th grade, not 8th as is APS's norm (and probably the norm in Northern VA as a whole?). Anyhow, The purpose of prealgebra in 6th grade is to master up to the 8th grade standards, take the math 8 SOL and then move on to Algebra. The math 7 and math 8 standards have a lot of overlap and the majority of kids who take Algebra 1 in 8th grade never take standalone math 8. They either take Math 7 and then Algebra 1 or take prealgebra for 7th, which is a combined Math 7/8 class with the Math 8 SOL at the end, and then move on to Algebra 1. The SMI isn't aligned to the VA SOLs. Its a proficiency test but not a standards based test.

I don't know what SMI score is needed for 6th grade pre-algebra. Because that class is designed to make the student ready for algebra so they wouldn't need to have the 1030 or 1090 score prior to the class IMO. But they'd probably need to have a benchmarked score higher than 6th grade just to show they are advanced since it is the advanced track. APS seems to want fewer students to take Algebra in 7th for sure. My son took it and he did well and also did well in 8th Geometry. My older son did Algebra 1 Int. in 8th and he's also done just fine subsequently (rising senior going into Calculus BC).

Middle school is a big transition in itself that requires a lot of maturity for the student. I would go with what was recommended for your child unless you feel it is egregiously wrong.