Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.

Maybe up through basic multiple and division. But passed that, math does need to be actively taught as there are many formulas, theories and such that need to be learned and memorized for more advanced math.

Yes but some kids see a problem demonstrated or solved and just get it. They don’t need practice or review

Not many like that. Feynman's books make it clear he had to practice math, even the path integral, and Feynman was probably 2nd best (right behind Einstein) in 20th century Physics.

We are talking about kids in early elementary school. My kid at 6 could look at big brother’s HW ask once what the multiplication sign meant and then do 3rd grade level things with it. That doesn’t mean he is smarter than Feynman, it means multiplication is easier than integrals.

Multiplication is a memorization skill isn’t it?

A very small portion of what is taught related to multiplication should be memorizing the fact. Fluency is important, don't get me wrong, but it's also really important that kids have a deep understanding of the process, that they can use the properties of multiplication flexibly, and move back and forth between multiplication and division, and solve word problems, and factor numbers, and do all sorts of other things that will set them up for success and true understanding when they get to concepts like fractions with unlike denominators, and ratios, and interpreting data, and algebra.

DP and I think you're underestimating the extent to which sheer memorization can help get you to the deep understanding of the process and the properties of multiplication. I grew up with Saxon Math, which is the epitome of drill and kill. By working a bajillion multiplication problems over and over again, in speed drills once I was good enough at them, I learned all the things you were talking about well enough to minor in math in college.

Facts before expecting critical application of those facts always, in every discipline. It's how the human brain learns - neuroscience has proven that.

This. Ans I so totally wish FCPS would adopt Saxon Math. It will not happen, of course, and the ones who suffer most will be those from less well off households. Rich people will keep supplementing outside school, but the less well off are unable to do so.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.

I tried. My DH was a math major at an Ivy League school, but my kids are average in math.

Intelligence is inherited through the mother!

While there's a common misconception that intelligence is primarily inherited from the mother, the reality is that intelligence is a complex trait influenced by many genes from both parents, and environmental factors play a significant role as well.

Not in our case! My kids are several yrs ahead in math and I’m terrible at math. I took pre-calc in grade 12 and barely got a C. I’ve had two kids take pre-calc in 8th grade successfully. Their father is very good at math.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.

Maybe up through basic multiple and division. But passed that, math does need to be actively taught as there are many formulas, theories and such that need to be learned and memorized for more advanced math.

Yes but some kids see a problem demonstrated or solved and just get it. They don’t need practice or review

Not many like that. Feynman's books make it clear he had to practice math, even the path integral, and Feynman was probably 2nd best (right behind Einstein) in 20th century Physics.

We are talking about kids in early elementary school. My kid at 6 could look at big brother’s HW ask once what the multiplication sign meant and then do 3rd grade level things with it. That doesn’t mean he is smarter than Feynman, it means multiplication is easier than integrals.

Multiplication is a memorization skill isn’t it?

A very small portion of what is taught related to multiplication should be memorizing the fact. Fluency is important, don't get me wrong, but it's also really important that kids have a deep understanding of the process, that they can use the properties of multiplication flexibly, and move back and forth between multiplication and division, and solve word problems, and factor numbers, and do all sorts of other things that will set them up for success and true understanding when they get to concepts like fractions with unlike denominators, and ratios, and interpreting data, and algebra.

DP and I think you're underestimating the extent to which sheer memorization can help get you to the deep understanding of the process and the properties of multiplication. I grew up with Saxon Math, which is the epitome of drill and kill. By working a bajillion multiplication problems over and over again, in speed drills once I was good enough at them, I learned all the things you were talking about well enough to minor in math in college.

Facts before expecting critical application of those facts always, in every discipline. It's how the human brain learns - neuroscience has proven that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child attends public school and has many classmates that are 2 years (or more) ahead in math.

Did your child get there because you personally tutored them, or did they go to something like AOPS or Russian School of math to get ahead several grade levels?

We taught them from an early age.

Everything has math.

Are your children in 4th grade or above though?

Anonymous wrote:My child attends public school and has many classmates that are 2 years (or more) ahead in math.

Did your child get there because you personally tutored them, or did they go to something like AOPS or Russian School of math to get ahead several grade levels?

We taught them from an early age.

Everything has math.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.

Maybe up through basic multiple and division. But passed that, math does need to be actively taught as there are many formulas, theories and such that need to be learned and memorized for more advanced math.

Yes but some kids see a problem demonstrated or solved and just get it. They don’t need practice or review

Not many like that. Feynman's books make it clear he had to practice math, even the path integral, and Feynman was probably 2nd best (right behind Einstein) in 20th century Physics.

We are talking about kids in early elementary school. My kid at 6 could look at big brother’s HW ask once what the multiplication sign meant and then do 3rd grade level things with it. That doesn’t mean he is smarter than Feynman, it means multiplication is easier than integrals.

Multiplication is a memorization skill isn’t it?

A very small portion of what is taught related to multiplication should be memorizing the fact. Fluency is important, don't get me wrong, but it's also really important that kids have a deep understanding of the process, that they can use the properties of multiplication flexibly, and move back and forth between multiplication and division, and solve word problems, and factor numbers, and do all sorts of other things that will set them up for success and true understanding when they get to concepts like fractions with unlike denominators, and ratios, and interpreting data, and algebra.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.

I tried. My DH was a math major at an Ivy League school, but my kids are average in math.

Intelligence is inherited through the mother!

While there's a common misconception that intelligence is primarily inherited from the mother, the reality is that intelligence is a complex trait influenced by many genes from both parents, and environmental factors play a significant role as well.

Virginia's educational standards specify a minimum acceptable, not best practice, and not a maximum. FCPS selects the actual curriculum.

Anonymous wrote:My child attends public school and has many classmates that are 2 years (or more) ahead in math.

Did your child get there because you personally tutored them, or did they go to something like AOPS or Russian School of math to get ahead several grade levels?

Mine just felt that his math assignments were too easy and boring hence begged his teacher to give him challenging assignments. We didn't even know and had nothing to with it. He never attended any math classes, competitions nor had access to anything math related. He stayed ahead in maths, did college math in high school, took math adjacent major and field but never did any math related extracurricular or hung with mathy kids. Just an artsy kid who is hood at math.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is 2 grades ahead bc they watered the math program down. I went through the same public school system as my kid and what they are learning as a 3rd grader, I was taught in 1st grade. During covid, when we largely had to teach our own kids, I started my kid on what i thought was on‐level math. Turns out it was 2 grade levels ahead.

FCPS has massively diminished educational standards, in the name of “equity” (DEI).

Hope they make the smart move and disband their 60+ DEIA department, or the school system will lose federal educational funding (and it will be the disadvantaged / FARMS kids who will be harmed the most if FCPS keeps it up with their DEI obsession).

FCPS uses the math standards developed by the State of Virginia, the standards are changed every 7 years. This year new standards went into place and are the math requirements are far les demanding. The County can only do so much to push past those standards.

FCPS chooses its own math curriculum. Most recently, FCPS chose E3 math; the E is for equity.

The “standard” is the SOL, which is developed by the Commonwealth

By the way, Virginia is a commonwealth, not a state, but the PP likely did not grow up in Virginia or she would have known that.

The E is not, and has never been, for equity. There were 3 Es. Enriching and extending were two of them and I forget the third. The idea was to offer advanced math standards to all kids who could take them, but practically they did water down the advanced math standards for 3rd grade quite a bit as part of the E3 rollout to the entire county.

It's not a curriculum. It's something the math department in FCPS developed based on state standards. You can't find a E3 textbook published by any company anywhere.

The misinformation about E3 is staggering. I think E3 is a terrible decision but people have shared absolute falsehoods about it on here. Go look up the original DCUM threads about E3 from 3 years ago if you want the truth.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.

I tried. My DH was a math major at an Ivy League school, but my kids are average in math.

Intelligence is inherited through the mother!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is 2 grades ahead bc they watered the math program down. I went through the same public school system as my kid and what they are learning as a 3rd grader, I was taught in 1st grade. During covid, when we largely had to teach our own kids, I started my kid on what i thought was on‐level math. Turns out it was 2 grade levels ahead.

FCPS has massively diminished educational standards, in the name of “equity” (DEI).

Hope they make the smart move and disband their 60+ DEIA department, or the school system will lose federal educational funding (and it will be the disadvantaged / FARMS kids who will be harmed the most if FCPS keeps it up with their DEI obsession).

FCPS uses the math standards developed by the State of Virginia, the standards are changed every 7 years. This year new standards went into place and are the math requirements are far les demanding. The County can only do so much to push past those standards.

FCPS chooses its own math curriculum. Most recently, FCPS chose E3 math; the E is for equity.

The “standard” is the SOL, which is developed by the Commonwealth

By the way, Virginia is a commonwealth, not a state, but the PP likely did not grow up in Virginia or she would have known that.

Commonwealth = State legally, I lived here as a child and in a different Commonwealth but nice try and a ridiculous argument.

The Curriculum standards are set by the State, and the Counties are responsible for following those standards. The SOL measures how well kids have learned the standards set by the State. It is clear that that FCPS curriculum shifted this year, and it goes back to what the VDOE changed. It is true that FCPS has made statements that they are trying to get more students into Algebra 1 by 8th grade and the County has changed the threshold need to take Algebra 1 H in 7th grade. Next years Algebra 1 SOLs should be interesting to see.

Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.

I tried. My DH was a math major at an Ivy League school, but my kids are average in math.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is 2 grades ahead bc they watered the math program down. I went through the same public school system as my kid and what they are learning as a 3rd grader, I was taught in 1st grade. During covid, when we largely had to teach our own kids, I started my kid on what i thought was on‐level math. Turns out it was 2 grade levels ahead.

FCPS has massively diminished educational standards, in the name of “equity” (DEI).

Hope they make the smart move and disband their 60+ DEIA department, or the school system will lose federal educational funding (and it will be the disadvantaged / FARMS kids who will be harmed the most if FCPS keeps it up with their DEI obsession).

FCPS uses the math standards developed by the State of Virginia, the standards are changed every 7 years. This year new standards went into place and are the math requirements are far les demanding. The County can only do so much to push past those standards.

FCPS chooses its own math curriculum. Most recently, FCPS chose E3 math; the E is for equity.

The “standard” is the SOL, which is developed by the Commonwealth

By the way, Virginia is a commonwealth, not a state, but the PP likely did not grow up in Virginia or she would have known that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is 2 grades ahead bc they watered the math program down. I went through the same public school system as my kid and what they are learning as a 3rd grader, I was taught in 1st grade. During covid, when we largely had to teach our own kids, I started my kid on what i thought was on‐level math. Turns out it was 2 grade levels ahead.

FCPS has massively diminished educational standards, in the name of “equity” (DEI).

Hope they make the smart move and disband their 60+ DEIA department, or the school system will lose federal educational funding (and it will be the disadvantaged / FARMS kids who will be harmed the most if FCPS keeps it up with their DEI obsession).

FCPS uses the math standards developed by the State of Virginia, the standards are changed every 7 years. This year new standards went into place and are the math requirements are far les demanding. The County can only do so much to push past those standards.