Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Typical middle school math progression?

We were told that our daughters Geometry class wasn't part of Common Core. The teacher mentioned that the book they were using was the same book as she used.(I'm guessing the teachers is in her mid thirties)In our district 8th grade Algebra II is at the high school. There's enough kids that they have their own class there.

Our district:

Regular (about 50% of the kids in my DD's school)

6th- 6th grade Math
7th- 7th grade Math
8th- 8th grade Math

6th to 8th grade common core curriculum is basically pre-Algebra/ pre-Geometry.

Accelerated (about 35% of kids)

6th - late 6th and 7th grade
7th - 8th grade Math
8th - Algebra I

TAG (about 15%)

6th - late 7th and 8th grade
7th - Algebra I
8th - Geometry

But a few kids in 6th are doing Algebra I after taking 7th grade , 8th grade and Algebra readiness exam require by the district. MS is easier for acceleration because you can mix and match.

They will be bused to HS for Algebra II when they get to 8th grade. Historically, there are a few MS kids going to HS for classes every year and nothing really new. That's the whole reason we chose that school to begin with. Hopefully, it will stay that way.

Forgot to say: HS credit is given for Algebra and above. They are considered to be HS courses.

We're homeschooling and our oldest is 8, but I checked the website of the gifted middle school program and it seems students can go anywhere in the sequence
Math-6/Math-7/Pre-Algebra/Algebra-I/Geometry/Algebra-II/Advanced-Math, so it seems they are really trying to cater to the advanced kids. (For context, in this district, the majority of students are "below proficient".)

The only thing I see on her current school's website is that the school's curriculum is supposed to get students ready to take algebra in middle school (year not mentioned). It appears to me that for others here, that could be 7th or it could be 8th.

Now that we have Common Core, you may also have to look at the content of each class. Here, they are arguing that what is now called Algebra really has some of the old Algebra and some of the old Algebra II in it, whereas some of the old Algebra has been pushed into Common Core 8.

I suspect it's not as much as they're saying, but that's another story.

This is very much like our local schools (really, it's probably a state thing, mostly).

The percentage of kids in each track really is highly variable locally, however. Our district is a good one, and most kids are in that middle track, with perhaps 5-10% of them in the advanced track. In many schools, the vast majority of students are in that slowest progression.

And, as DeeDee notes-- Common Core has changed content somewhat.

In our district and other districts in our county, the math sequence is:

Grades K-4: no tracks
In our district, no students (that I know of) are subject accelerated at this level.

Grades 5-6: no tracks, but gifted and high ability students are “unofficially” clustered

In our district, very few students are subject accelerated, but this is where it usually occurs. It’s a lengthy process, and parents must request it. (When DD was in 5th grade we used EXPLORE results and NUMATS’ recommendation that DD take Algebra 1 in grade 6 to apply for subject acceleration. To get acceleration, DD had to take the OLSAT, 5th grade, and 8th grade Stanford Achievement tests. She then had to take the sixth grade math Ohio Achievement Assessment to demonstrate she had no gaps. I had to attend a meeting where her fifth grade teacher and the seventh grade advanced math teacher, both school principals, the district Special Services Director, and County ESC special services Director had to approve the acceleration.)

In the past three years, one 5th grader skipped 6th and 7th grade math and took algebra in grade 6, three 5th graders skipped 6th grade math and took 7th grade advanced math (pre-algebra), and this year no students accelerated--all 5th graders moved into 6th grade math.

Grades 7-8: official math tracks begin

In our district, average students take 7th grade math, gifted/high-ability students take 7th grade advanced math (pre-algebra). A maximum of 35 students from the two sections of 7th grade advanced math are placed in to Algebra 1 based on their grades and an algebra placement exam. This year 24 students met the criteria and were invited to take Algebra 1 for which students earn high school credit. The remaining students are placed in 8th grade advance math or the regular 8th grade math based on their performance in 7th grade math.

In a nearby county, schools’ highest math track begins in grade 6 with transition math (pre-algebra), algebra in grade 7, and geometry in grade 8 which is taught in the middle school. Criteria for entrance into this track is much lower in these schools than in the schools in our county even though they are offering pre-algebra a full year earlier. For example, one school offering pre-algebra to 6th graders requires at least a 90% average final grade in 5th grade math, scoring accelerated or advanced on the Ohio Achievement assessments (which means scoring 40 out of 49 possible points or 81.6%; 41.59% of students in the state meet that criteria), and scoring 16 out of 28 on a pre-algebra placement test which is a 57%). Students in our district have to be subject accelerated in math to begin pre-algebra in 6th grade. They must go to the high school to take geometry in 8th grade.

I think here it is normal to do Algebra I in either 8th or 9th grade, but the district is busing kids as young as 5th grade to the Jr. High for Algebra I. I just found out that they placed DD in 7th/8th grade math (online the textbook is labeled 8th grade)...it doesn't make a lot of sense to me because she's only in 4th grade and I'm sure there are a lot of huge gaps (which hopefully they will go back and cover!). Other 4th grade gifted students are doing 5th/6th grade math or 6th/7th grade math. Our district apparently accelerates everyone one year by the time they get to 6th grade or so, so what is "usually" considered 7th grade math would be considered 6th grade math by our district. If they send DD to do Algebra next year I'm guessing it would be with mostly 8th graders but I'm not really sure.

This is very interesting--it really seems to be all over the map. (Which makes sense, since we are all over the map.) I am pretty certain no 5th graders are taking algebra in my district. My district website does not explain the tracks, though, so I guess this will be something I find out later. I was just curious, since I know this has changed since I was in school.