Math Pathways, Middle School, and Equitable Access
The District has claimed that equitable access to quality programs and services for all students is important to them. They say that, but where are the efforts to provide equitable access beyond the flowery talk?
In one step towards equitable access the District math department has standardized math placement in middle school. All of our comprehensive middle schools use the same assessment and make the same placement based on the results. This is a positive step towards equitable access. A student is assigned to the same 6th grade math class regardless of their attendance area school. Too bad that commitment ends in the 6th grade.
Just to be clear, 6th grade math placement is a critical decision. It determines the student's entry point on the Math Pathway. That pathway goes: Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2, then a choice of advanced classes. Each step in the math pathway must be taken in turn, so the upper limit of the student's K-12 math career is determined by the 6th grade math placement. Placed in 6th grade math, the student can go no further than Pre-Calculus. Placed in 7th grade math in the 6th grade (standard expectation for Spectrum students and common among high performing non-Spectrum students) and the student can reach AP Calculus as a high school senior. Some students qualify for 8th grade math (standard for APP students) and even Algebra in the 6th grade.
All of our comprehensive middle schools are supposed to offer Algebra. Students who take this class in middle school are eligible for high school credit and, towards the end of the school year, take the EOC exam required for high school graduation.
The schools that are designated APP sites offer these advanced math classes, but not all of our comprehensive middle schools offer Geometry or Algebra 2. So students at other schools who take Algebra in the 6th or 7th grade don't have a math class they can take in the 7th or 8th grade at their school. What to do?
The solutions are clear.
In one step towards equitable access the District math department has standardized math placement in middle school. All of our comprehensive middle schools use the same assessment and make the same placement based on the results. This is a positive step towards equitable access. A student is assigned to the same 6th grade math class regardless of their attendance area school. Too bad that commitment ends in the 6th grade.
Just to be clear, 6th grade math placement is a critical decision. It determines the student's entry point on the Math Pathway. That pathway goes: Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2, then a choice of advanced classes. Each step in the math pathway must be taken in turn, so the upper limit of the student's K-12 math career is determined by the 6th grade math placement. Placed in 6th grade math, the student can go no further than Pre-Calculus. Placed in 7th grade math in the 6th grade (standard expectation for Spectrum students and common among high performing non-Spectrum students) and the student can reach AP Calculus as a high school senior. Some students qualify for 8th grade math (standard for APP students) and even Algebra in the 6th grade.
All of our comprehensive middle schools are supposed to offer Algebra. Students who take this class in middle school are eligible for high school credit and, towards the end of the school year, take the EOC exam required for high school graduation.
The schools that are designated APP sites offer these advanced math classes, but not all of our comprehensive middle schools offer Geometry or Algebra 2. So students at other schools who take Algebra in the 6th or 7th grade don't have a math class they can take in the 7th or 8th grade at their school. What to do?
The solutions are clear.
- The student can change schools to one that offers the next class in the Math Pathway. Of course there is no assurance that the student will be able to gain access to the school and the District will not provide transportation.
- The student can go to another school just for this class. Of course there is no assurance that the student will be able to gain access to the school and the District will not provide transportation.
- The student can enter APP and be assured access to a school that offers the classes in their Math Pathway and transportation to and from school each day. Of course not all students who are taking advanced math classes qualify for APP. Still, this may be a contributing reason to the high APP enrollment in middle school. Students may be entering the program just to have access to advanced math classes.
- The student can homeschool for the class. In this case the student must either leave school early (transportation not provided) or come to school late (transportation not provided) because the school will not allow the student to remain on campus without being in a class. In this case the student is not eligible for high school credit for the class but must pass the Geometry EOC at the end of the first year of high school to graduate.
- The student can take an approved online course supervised by a certificated teacher (any certificated secondary teacher will do, he or she doesn't have to be qualified in math). This student's family bears the cost of this class (about $250) and must provide all of the necessary equipment. The student would be eligible for high school credit this way and would take the Geometry EOC at the end of the year. This is not an at-school activity, so, again, the student must either leave school early (transportation not provided) or come to school late (transportation not provided) because the school will not allow the student to remain on campus without being in a class.
- The student can go without a math class for a year or two. Yeah, right.
It appears that the District is all for equitable access - until it costs them $250. That amount is beyond their commitment.
Comments
At Hamilton International Middle School the math placement for APP is based on class enrollment targets not on student ability.
So we have been forced to homeschool math at great expense in time and money.
-NotHappy
Agree about there needing to be a place for homeschoolers to do work and be supervised, if not assisted, while at school. At least in the case where homeschooling is necessitated by the school not offering the needed math course.
But traveling to and from a school that does offer the math within the school day is unrealistic. I don't see how a student could get from one school to another within the school day by any means of transport given timing constraints.
asdf
asdf
My student once had a teacher try to get around it by offering him a TA position, during which the teacher said he could typically do independent work instead. The school wouldn't allow it though, as he wasn't yet in 8th grade and apparently it wouldn't be fair to let a younger student take up a TA slot. I guess it was fairer to make a 6th grader take an extra elective and then do all math lectures, reading, exercises and exams on their own time than it would be to deprive an 8th grader of an easy period. You know, because of equity.
HIMSmom
I'd also say that if most kids are still capable of getting through pre-Calc/Math Anal/Trig by graduation, that's quite an accomplishment. So not reaching Calculus in HS is not so troubling, as getting through anything above Algebra 2 means kids are solid in math. Getting kids to that level would be well beyond where we are now.
My guess, Charlie, is that with MIF coming on line in K5, hopefully followed by MS Singapore Adoption, whatever we implement now will not be in place for long, because the demand for higher level classes at lower grades will increase substantially and quickly.
WSDWG
WSDWG
Did students take the Algebra class at McClure, only to be told later that there would be no appropriate class, or did they know going into it that there may be no Geometry or Algebra 2 class offered? At Hamilton, parents were discouraged from super accelerating students because they couldn't guarantee an Algebra 2 class. Next year, for the first time since the first APP split, Hamilton will offer an Algebra 2 class.
So, you can fight for years to bring about a change, but in the meantime...
For Geometry, a low cost option for a self-motivated student is through Duke's TIP program. They have an independent study course that comes with a DVD of chapter lectures and quizzes, along with a pacing guide and assignments.
good luck
Is this an intentional decision or an unintentional result of what appears to be an ongoing disconnect between JSCEE and these schools?
Math Mom
My son, an 8th grader at Hamilton, is currently taking Alg 2 with Mr. Pounder. There are only 4 kids in the class so they are in the same class as his Geometry class. He assigns them homework and gives them tests but there is little to no instruction since he has a full Geometry class to teach. I'm thankful for the independent study but will have my son repeating Alg 2 next year at Ingraham. His sister who is in 10th grade is also taking Algebra 2 Honors at Ingraham and is using the same book. Both are in the same course, same book but since she has a teacher she has learned way more. My son has covered about 1/2 as much of the book as his sister.
Beware of course titles. All classes are not equal. A lot of middle schools say they are teaching algebra to all 8th graders using the 8th grade CMP2 books. These courses are algebra "lite". A lot of these students are ill prepared to take algebra 2 in high school.
You reference the Unified Mathematics series of textbooks.
Are these the same books the district adopted in the early 1990s and replaced in 1997 with Integrated Mathematics? Has it been over 20 years since the district has purchased a quality book?
northwesterner
Ben
At some middle schools students get access to advanced math classes - at least Geometry. At other middle schools the students and their families have to provide the instruction themselves. That's not equitable.
In response to Charlie's comment, it used to be that middle school Geometry was part of the APP pathway. At some point in time, they stated that math was based on ability, so you did not need to qualify for APP or Spectrum in order to accelerate along the math pathway. Before you could argue that the advanced pathway was part of APP, but now? It seems principals are making this decision on a school by school basis, rather than having an enforceable district policy.
good luck
EdVoter
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Broadview-Thompson
Catherine Blaine
Hazel Wolf (JAK8)
Madrona
Orca
Pathfinder
Licton Springs (Pinehurst)
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TOPS
"Next year, for the first time since the first APP split, Hamilton will offer an Algebra 2 class."
Are you sure about this? Just because half of the students who could be in Algebra 2 will be gone to JA. And have you heard who will be the teacher?
HIMS parent
I'm having a retirement party for Ted Nutting this Saturday you should stop by. Email me rickbmail@yahoo.com.
Yes, those are the books 1991 copyright. These books are tattered. Some of the books at Ingraham have no cover. They have a hard time replacing the books because they are no longer in print.
Some of the Roosevelt teachers are using them as well. These books are being hoarded since there are not enough to go around. I just checked on Amazon and the list price for a Unified Book 2 is $185 new and $50 for a used book.
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good luck
HP
To Charlie's last point I'm not that interested in equitable access to inferior classes. Not that the district is really interested but we definitely shouldn't start replicating a poorly thought out implementation.
Yes, parents choose K8s knowing a downside is fewer middle school "options." Most parents understand that they will not find the same language, art, music and athletic opportunities as in comprehensive middle schools. But I assure you most parents that I've met expect the core 3, science, LA and math to be up to the differentiation standards of comp middle schools, even if not offered in separate classes, which I agree are not a reality in some of the smaller schools.
From what I've seen: Science in K8s more or less marches in step to SPS standards and doesn't seem to systemically suffer in K8 middle school. LA is relatively easily differentiated in the K8s via in-class projects and pacing.
That leaves the other core subject, math, which appears to have almost no differentiation in pacing. Perhaps some of these schools do offer that differentiation (beyond special education). If so, I'd like to know about it.
If in fact they do not offer differentiation, well that's a substantial problem in my book.
Additionally, I looked at the SPS math page and they do not distinguish comprehensive middle school from K8s in their description of math placement.
EdVoter
~ HW Mom
can allow some flexibility but then you hit the same problem of what to do when the kids max out.
HIMSmom
BHS parent
I know 1st hand of several cases of each in the HS, but I'm curious about parent feedback in terms of just how prevalent it is that teachers of their children do not use the district-adopted textbook for whatever reason (meaning I don't know that anybody, district staff/Board/observers) really know by % breakdown how infrequent the usage is. I hear from tutors that it "sounds like" over 50% of classrooms do not use the Discovering textbook (or any particular textbook period), although this lack of a consistent resource may be why so many kids struggle and thus their parents pay for tutoring. Some classrooms apparently pilot texts from Texas, New York, etc.
Textbook Questioner
BHS Parent
Qqqq
Only students in the attendance zone of an APP school have access to APP level math acceleration, unless a school decides otherwise. So to say math is ability based, but not offer more advanced classes to non-APP students unless they are at an APP pathway school is somewhat disingenuous, yes?
waiting