Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS said they will use a vendor called “EdOptions Academy” to deliver the virtual lessons. Our school will put the kids in a separate room for their Algebra 1 HN virtual lessons. Our AART teacher will be the facilitator to ensure the smooth learning process. We only have 9 kids eligible for this pilot program at our school. Not sure all of them will take this. But I am confident that 4 of us will take the chance and let the kids try at first. If it turns out to be not a good fit, our kids can withdraw and go back to the 7 Grade Math. During the webinar last night, FCPS said that there were kids doing this before. Are there any parents willing to share their experience? Thanks!

There were about 30 kids taking Algebra 1 every year, using a selection method that was not shared and only at schools where the Principal was willing to suggest it. I want to say that there were 10 or so schools that regularly had kids in Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

Do SOL scores show this? Where does FCPs have data to see how many 6th graders were taking before?

There are kids who are ready for Algebra 1 in 6th grade, the SOL scores remain strong in Geometry and Algebra 2 for the kids taking Algebra 1 early. The reality is that the kids taking these classes earlier are ready for them. We had DS in math enrichment because ES math was easy for him and he liked math. He was in the 95th percentile on the AMC 8 as a 6th grader. He could handle more complex math.

The SOL scores from 2021-2024 show:

Sixth grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 22 (0 student failed the SOL, 21 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 31 (1 student failed the SOL, 26 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 25 (0 student failed the SOL, 24 Passed Advanced)

Seventh grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 1,503 (4 students failed the SOL, 1,050 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 1,680 (8 students failed the SOL, 1,158 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 1,829 (6 students failed the SOL, 1,243 Passed Advanced)

Eighth grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 6,045 (367 students failed the SOL, 1,332 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 6,635 (447 students failed the SOL, 1,538 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 6,766 (329 students failed the SOL, 1,458 Passed Advanced)

Ninth grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 5,595 (1,096 students failed the SOL, 153 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 5,908 (994 students failed the SOL, 207 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 5,374 (802 students failed the SOL, 147 Passed Advanced)

I did a little bit of good old-fashioned Google searching yesterday. The core issue is the FCPS 2023-2030 Strategic Plan (Goal 1 and Goal 3). Isn't this Reid's doing?

https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/leadership/strategic-plan/goal-3-academic-growth-and-excellence

Does anyone know how many students were invited per participating elementary school? I am reluctant to ask other parents.

Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th AAP teacher here. Some schools are piloting this. Some are doing virtual and some are making teachers teach it and they have a year to get certified. It is a mix of all school types doing this. I teach AAP math and am certified in Algebra 1 but our school is not a pilot.

Personally, I don’t agree with this pilot. Are there kids ready to tackle Algebra 1 as a 6th grader? Yes, but the percentage is very small. Not enough to warrant this full blown pilot in 15-20 schools.

I posted my kids scores, he should have had the chance to take Algebra in 6th grade but it wasn’t an option. I think that having the class as an option at Center schools where there are enough kids to make a class is appropriate. My concern is that parents will push to get their kid in the class when they are not ready. I wish this had been an option for my kid.

DP
My concern is that FCPS will push students into it when they are not already. They are already doing that in MS. My spouse teaches in a MS and there are a lot of parents expressing concern because their child’s schedule was changed from Math 7 HN to Algebra 1 HN.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:…

It was also pretty clear that Dr. Reilly likely didn’t support this either. Her body language, along with how she answered the “why one week before the start of school” question, spoke volumes—she essentially said the decision was above her pay grade and pivoted to “the Board’s decision.”

Since she is Asst Superintendent, only one higher than her is Reid. So she’s saying Reid and School Board is forcing this?

I also got the sense that they were being told to make this happen. So those who are in charge of the implementation may not necessarily think it's a good idea.

I can't find any research that supports this much acceleration. And I'm not aware of this happening in other districts, so there's nothing to model it on.

I don't understand why there's a need for this pilot. Clearly there are some kids who need the challenge, but a much smaller number than was selected for the pilot. All of these kids are going to be guinea pigs, and it will have a long-term impact on their math experiences. I'm sure many can handle Algebra 1 in 6th, but can they handle the future high level courses when they'll now be taking them? I don't want to push now only to have struggles later.

Anonymous wrote:

There were about 30 kids taking Algebra 1 every year, using a selection method that was not shared and only at schools where the Principal was willing to suggest it. I want to say that there were 10 or so schools that regularly had kids in Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

Where can I find out more about this existing program?

Anonymous wrote:
So are all ES doing virtual or are there any ES doing in person with physical teacher in classroom class?

My internet went down during the last part of Q&A session of the webinar. But according to the older messages on this topic, there are 20 ES schools offer in-person classes. And the rest of ES pilot schools will be using EdOptions Academy online platforms “ Extended Path”. I hope to receive the recording and will post more infos.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS said they will use a vendor called “EdOptions Academy” to deliver the virtual lessons. Our school will put the kids in a separate room for their Algebra 1 HN virtual lessons. Our AART teacher will be the facilitator to ensure the smooth learning process. We only have 9 kids eligible for this pilot program at our school. Not sure all of them will take this. But I am confident that 4 of us will take the chance and let the kids try at first. If it turns out to be not a good fit, our kids can withdraw and go back to the 7 Grade Math. During the webinar last night, FCPS said that there were kids doing this before. Are there any parents willing to share their experience? Thanks!

So are all ES doing virtual or are there any ES doing in person with physical teacher in classroom class?

The webinar yesterday mentioned there are 11 schools participating in the program. As someone noted earlier, Dr. Reilly confirmed that these 11 schools will have licensed, in-person Algebra 1 teachers delivering the content. However, this does not necessarily mean the teachers have previously taught Algebra 1 or know how to effectively teach the material.

I’m a different poster than the person who mentioned the teacher from Haycock, but my child was also accepted into the program. I spoke with the assigned teacher yesterday and can confirm he is unfamiliar with the specific Algebra 1 content requirements, has never taught the course before, recently graduated from a teaching program, and was unable to answer questions about math pacing. The previous AART was in the room and repeatedly tried to deflect questions directed at him onto herself. She admitted she didn’t have many answers either, as they had only received this information two weeks ago.

Anonymous wrote:…

It was also pretty clear that Dr. Reilly likely didn’t support this either. Her body language, along with how she answered the “why one week before the start of school” question, spoke volumes—she essentially said the decision was above her pay grade and pivoted to “the Board’s decision.”

Since she is Asst Superintendent, only one higher than her is Reid. So she’s saying Reid and School Board is forcing this?

The thing I worry about is the grading. It sounded like the tests were going to be developed by the instructional design team at Gatehouse and then provided to the elementary teachers. For schools that used this last year, it was all multiple choice questions on Performance Matters or Google Forms. It didn't allow for partial credit in math, which I think is a key part of math testing. And also it is pretty clear that most teachers who are going to teach this class in elementary school, while they're licensed to teach it, will lack the ability to teach it because they've never taught it before (unless you happen to be a math teacher from middle or high school who transferred into an elementary school--how many of those do we have in FCPS elementary schools???).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS said they will use a vendor called “EdOptions Academy” to deliver the virtual lessons. Our school will put the kids in a separate room for their Algebra 1 HN virtual lessons. Our AART teacher will be the facilitator to ensure the smooth learning process. We only have 9 kids eligible for this pilot program at our school. Not sure all of them will take this. But I am confident that 4 of us will take the chance and let the kids try at first. If it turns out to be not a good fit, our kids can withdraw and go back to the 7 Grade Math. During the webinar last night, FCPS said that there were kids doing this before. Are there any parents willing to share their experience? Thanks!

There were about 30 kids taking Algebra 1 every year, using a selection method that was not shared and only at schools where the Principal was willing to suggest it. I want to say that there were 10 or so schools that regularly had kids in Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

Do SOL scores show this? Where does FCPs have data to see how many 6th graders were taking before?

Is 500 a lot? How many 7th graders used to take Algebra under old system when IAAT was part of the selection criteria? How many more will take this year with IAAT scores not needed? And how many 8th graders took Algebra 2 this year? Was it about 500? More? Less?

Anonymous wrote:FCPS said they will use a vendor called “EdOptions Academy” to deliver the virtual lessons. Our school will put the kids in a separate room for their Algebra 1 HN virtual lessons. Our AART teacher will be the facilitator to ensure the smooth learning process. We only have 9 kids eligible for this pilot program at our school. Not sure all of them will take this. But I am confident that 4 of us will take the chance and let the kids try at first. If it turns out to be not a good fit, our kids can withdraw and go back to the 7 Grade Math. During the webinar last night, FCPS said that there were kids doing this before. Are there any parents willing to share their experience? Thanks!

So are all ES doing virtual or are there any ES doing in person with physical teacher in classroom class?

Anonymous wrote:FCPS said they will use a vendor called “EdOptions Academy” to deliver the virtual lessons. Our school will put the kids in a separate room for their Algebra 1 HN virtual lessons. Our AART teacher will be the facilitator to ensure the smooth learning process. We only have 9 kids eligible for this pilot program at our school. Not sure all of them will take this. But I am confident that 4 of us will take the chance and let the kids try at first. If it turns out to be not a good fit, our kids can withdraw and go back to the 7 Grade Math. During the webinar last night, FCPS said that there were kids doing this before. Are there any parents willing to share their experience? Thanks!

There were about 30 kids taking Algebra 1 every year, using a selection method that was not shared and only at schools where the Principal was willing to suggest it. I want to say that there were 10 or so schools that regularly had kids in Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

FCPS said they will use a vendor called “EdOptions Academy” to deliver the virtual lessons. Our school will put the kids in a separate room for their Algebra 1 HN virtual lessons. Our AART teacher will be the facilitator to ensure the smooth learning process. We only have 9 kids eligible for this pilot program at our school. Not sure all of them will take this. But I am confident that 4 of us will take the chance and let the kids try at first. If it turns out to be not a good fit, our kids can withdraw and go back to the 7 Grade Math. During the webinar last night, FCPS said that there were kids doing this before. Are there any parents willing to share their experience? Thanks!