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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 4,053 Likes: 1
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Joined: Apr 2014
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We are in just about the same situation. DS10 is in 6th grade math this year and has not learned a single new concept this year and knows almost all of next year's prealgebra curriculum as well. He's never missed more than one problem on any of the tests and we have talked to his teacher about how everything this year is a review. He has even pointed out to his teacher that he did a lot of the seventh grade work last year at a different school (his teacher also teaches prealgebra and DS has seen their assignments). His teacher knows all this and will be giving him a math placement test to see if he is ready for Algebra I next year, and yet, from all our previous dealings with our daughter, we know that the likelihood of his being placed into Algebra I is slim, regardless of how he does on the placement test. My older DD took and did well on three of these tests and yet the school said she couldn't do Algebra because of "holes." Nothing we said could convince them that she actually looked forward to "holes" - that meant she would actually learn something in school. The only thing that worked for DD was for us to insist that we, her parents, would take all the blame if it all went wrong if they would just let her try. We would have signed papers attesting to that, if asked. Only then was the school willing to let her take Algebra I. And lo and behold, she got an easy A and had fewer gaps than many of the kids in the class with her who had gone through pre-Algebra.
So, anyway, we are in the same boat with DS right now, and preparing for resistance from the school. You would think that if a kid liked math and was good at math and wanted to learn higher level math that the school and teachers would be thrilled and at least encourage the student to try. The other pipe dream would be for math teachers to become mentors to such children and actually encourage them! We also had a similar initial situation with #1, but a more positive overall resolution. In 5th grade, we asked for a grade advancement in math, but were told that since assignments were not being completed any faster than anyone else, no subject acceleration was needed (never mind that #1 was filling in the time by chitchatting with classmates, helping other people with their work, etc.). To be fair, the school had just done a whole grade skip, so they probably figured that that was enough. Fast forward to November of sixth grade, when the (same) math teacher came to us and asked if a straight skip to 7th grade math (from Saxon 7/6 to Saxon 8/7) would be okay with us. We did it, and saw no dip in test grades from the high 90s. By the spring of that school year, the math teacher was the one recommending algebra I for seventh grade, where #1 had the blessing of receiving instruction from a college math professor who was doing some part-time teaching (this was his only class, actually) in this small private school. I think one of the factors that helped is that this school was using Saxon at the time, which is very much a spiral curriculum, which helped the teacher to feel more comfortable that any gaps would be filled along the way. She also had a mathy kid of her own, and was more sympathetic to making modifications. Sometimes you do encounter schools that are willing to bend a little, and teachers who want to encourage capable children.
...pronounced like the long vowel and first letter of the alphabet...
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,181
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Posts: 5,181 |
If your son is up for it, I think I'd be inclined to grab a copy of the grade level expectations and pre-teach the grade 7/8 curriculum before testing. Then you can be virtually assured that there will be no gaps and can quash any potential objections preemptively. I agree 100%. For gifted kids in situations like this, the "gaps" are usually small things that can be taught quickly, yet they can be used as evidence that the student has to take that course in order to fill them. The math coordinator in my district really fights the trend for more and more kids to take Algebra early. Not a lot of parents I know like him. He feels that too many kids are taking math too early, and find themselves in problems in High School when they can't keep up. What he does do to try and prevent this is to make his tests about abstract thinking. He's probably right. If he's putting questions that require abstract thinking on his tests, he's also probably trying to ensure that students have a good foundation in mathematics. ITA with all of this.
Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't.
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 71
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 71 |
My 7th grader (then 12) took an algebra readiness test at the beginning of the year when she was still in the 7th grade math --- it showed a high enough score to be ready for algebra even then. There were some gaps that the test pointed out, but not too many.
We used the readiness test with her Stanford 10 math scores to push for algebra this semester and got it. She has had solid high A's this whole semester. We met with her Algebra teacher after a few weeks to check in and I asked about any gaps --- she wasn't too worried.
If you can get the readiness test in your state, then definitely get it. If it shows your child's ready for algebra, that's one tool to help push for it. If it shows significant gaps, at least you'll know what they are.
In my little school district, gifted kids get what the school can feasibly offer. Meaning if my elementary kid needed algebra, it would not happen. However, since the middle school is on the same campus as the high, sending my DD over to the high school for algebra was do-able. I wish you luck!
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 453
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 453 |
Umm...Algebra I is a middle school course for most. She had to go to the HS to take Algebra I? What is the typical math sequence? Here they have tried various methods to evaluate math readiness. Middle kid took Iowas. Don't think there were significant gaps, though she never studied math on her own.
Couldn't they just bus her to the middle/high school for math when she was in elementary?
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 74
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 74 |
Some of you mentioned an "algebra readiness" test. I didn't know it existed so I appreciate hearing about it here! I didn't get that phone call yesterday that I was assured of, so perhaps today.
If DS10 takes the assessment of accelerated 7, the score could be "low" enough for them to say he should take the class. But I'd rather see a "high" enough score on algebra readiness and then we can decide that perhaps he is ready for Algebra I a year early, which is offered to 8th grade honors students and they've never offered it to a 7th grader before. And this would offset any worries about "gaps" that the math instructional coordinator brought up last week.
Would anyone agree this is a good approach? What kind of score on the Algebra Readiness test is good enough for my son to do well in this class? 70s? 80s? 90s? My son WANTS hard work. So how much does that count in the final decision?
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 249
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Posts: 249 |
Many district have their own versions of "Algebra readiness test". But our district says it's Iowa and I gues this is what they means... http://itp.education.uiowa.edu/iara/iara.aspxBasically, pre-algebra is in regular 7th and 8th grades curriculum and they are testing the same thing as in 7th and 8th grades level. Algebra is HS Math credit class and if the student is in 8th grade going to 9th and if the he/she gets 70, he/she is ready to go. But for student acceleration, they have higher benchmark. Our district benchmark used to be 90 percent but the State law makes it 80 across the board. You need to check that with your district. There will be gaps. There are online resources from textbook publishers and if your DS can take those Chapter tests and you can find out what the gaps are and fill in during summer time. http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078740479/student_view0/chapter1/chapter_readiness_quiz.html
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 71
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Posts: 71 |
NotSoGifted, my school district is... well, kind of messed up. There's surely no money to bus a gifted kid from elementary to the middle/high. They are re-aligning our schools back to a Pre-K - 7 for Elementary and 8-12 for high school next year and then not having a middle school at all. That is what our district is rated for by our state anyway.
The middle came about due to a natural disaster (hurriquake one week, tropical storm the next, maintenance issues, etc.). The middle school is housed on the high school campus in modular units, so we're not talking a long walk to the high school.
Anyhoo, the math track is not to have Algebra til 9th grade. They do 7th and 8th grade math. Our school is very, very small so there's definitely not enough kids to track into a classroom for Algebra in the middle school. I and my hubby both took Algebra in around 8th grade at the schools we attended.
For gifted kids here, at least in elementary, they differentiate curriculum within the grade they are in, or if it's more beneficial/works out better scheduling-wise, they will skip a grade. They typically do not skip though.
Editing to add that my DD got identified very late -- as in this year.
Last edited by 2GiftedKids; 05/08/14 11:54 AM.
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 39
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 39 |
Some of you mentioned an "algebra readiness" test. I didn't know it existed so I appreciate hearing about it here! I didn't get that phone call yesterday that I was assured of, so perhaps today.
Would anyone agree this is a good approach? What kind of score on the Algebra Readiness test is good enough for my son to do well in this class? 70s? 80s? 90s? My son WANTS hard work. So how much does that count in the final decision? Our school did not have any "algebra readiness" test. When my son wanted to skip Algebra I, they just gave him end of the year Algebra I test (in our district Algebra I is an honors math for 8th graders). I believe this could work for you too - ask the school to give your son a final test for the class he wants to skip. As for grades - it depends on the general level of students at your school. The results should be high enough for the school authorities to be convinced, in our school they said that B+ would be sufficient. Better to ask them beforehand about the necessary scores, so they will not back up later. 
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 453
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Posts: 453 |
The bus is typically the easy part. If there are staggered start times for elementary, MS and HS, then the elementary kid just takes the MS bus and math is 1st period. Then they get shuttled back to their school. If there aren't a whole lot of kids in Algebra, then they could just use a school van. Heck, the district maintenance staff could drive them back. Won't help your kiddo now, but for future kids in the same situation, maybe worth a mention.
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 701
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 701 |
The bus is typically the easy part. If there are staggered start times for elementary, MS and HS, then the elementary kid just takes the MS bus and math is 1st period. Then they get shuttled back to their school. If there aren't a whole lot of kids in Algebra, then they could just use a school van. Heck, the district maintenance staff could drive them back. Won't help your kiddo now, but for future kids in the same situation, maybe worth a mention. In our public SD they absolutely will not transfer subject-accelerated students between schools. We were told that that is a parent responsibility we should be aware of should DS be accelerated. Also, the elementary schedule starts just 5 minutes later than the middle school schedule which starts just 5 minutes later than the high school schedule and the class times do not line up at all between schools.
She thought she could, so she did.
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