So it’s that time of year again. A new school year is beginning and parents are getting their child’s schedules. Getting a child’s schedule means seeing their math placement. What then follows is calls to schools and the district math office to attempt to change the math placement. It happens every year. I’ve literally had a call from a parent wanting their kid to jump from 6th grade math to algebra 2. We all want to push our children to their fullest potential, as we should, but I am always wary of skipping math content.
My own son is getting placed in a higher course. He will be skipping essentially a year and a half of math. At first, I was wary of this, so I had him work through a practice 6th grade state assessment… and he only got 4 wrong, so that eased my concern. I know, that may seem excessive, but math education is what I do and I did not want him “jumping” if he was not actually able to.
Wouldn’t he get all that math content anyway? Don’t math classes review old material a lot anyway? The answer to that is no. They used to, but they never should have. You see, the U.S. math curriculum had a reputation for being “a mile wide and an inch deep.” We covered a lot every year (too much), a lot of the same math concepts, and didn’t go very deep with it. Our math courses taught breadth. This is part of why we, in general, do not do to well in math and have prevalent math phobia.
Wouldn’t he get all that math content anyway? Don’t math classes review old material a lot anyway? The answer to that is no. They used to, but they never should have. You see, the U.S. math curriculum had a reputation for being “a mile wide and an inch deep.” We covered a lot every year (too much), a lot of the same math concepts, and didn’t go very deep with it. Our math courses taught breadth. This is part of why we, in general, do not do to well in math and have prevalent math phobia.
Most of the world that performs well in math does the opposite. They cover less math each year but teach the concepts with great depth. This means, each year of math builds upon the last year. Math instruction isn’t repeated. It is extended to greater depth each year. So if you skip a year, you essentially skip a year of content. The only way you should skip is if you actually know or can do the math you skipped.
This needed change came with the common core push (even states that didn’t adopt common core standards adjusted their standards similarly). I won’t get into a common core advocacy discussion here; I do that inadvertently in a lot of my math posts that discuss the reason math is now taught the way it is. I will say though that if you read the standards, they tell you what to teach, not how to teach it. That’s what standards do. I’ll leave it at that for now.
Back to my original point. I firmly believe you never hold a child back who is capable. If a child is ready to jump to higher math and can handle it, by all means let them. BUT… but… only if they can. Do not skip content for the bragging rights of a child being in a higher course. They struggle. Sometimes they fail. I’ve taught these kids. Parents pushed them ahead. They are stressed in class. They cry at their lockers… sometimes in class. In 20 years of teaching math, I have had these students. Now I’m not one that likes to “lose,” so of course I put the time in to help them and try to help them succeed. But, they probably should not have been jumped ahead.
There is no shame in being on grade level. A child that is on target should be in their grade level course. We should not push children ahead of where they are ready to be. It hurts more than it helps. It can create more misunderstanding and more math misconceptions. The conceptual gaps become greater. And if the child should be advanced, the teachers will typically notice and recommend. Typically.
There is also a lot of talk about pathways in mathematics right now. Developing strands of courses that children can take in high school that will provide them with the correct mathematics background for future college and career readiness. The landscape of high school mathematics will likely be shifting a bit over the next decade. I’ll talk more about this in a future post, but I mention this to say there really is no need to push children into advanced classes faster to reach certain “goal” courses before high school graduation - courses like calculus. We often think in terms of the traditional track towards calculus, but realistically, not every child needs to study calculus. More honestly need further coursework in statistics as that is more applicable to many career fields. A child who is on grade level will have the opportunity to take the math courses they need to take without prematurely advancing.
So, all this to say, before you jump to push for higher math placement, take the 11th commandment to heart: thou shalt not jive thyself. Only push for a higher placement if the child REALLY knows the math they would be skipping and you really think the teacher “missed” something. Conversely, if a school recommends higher placement, be sure a child is ready. Advancing a child before they are ready causes them to completely miss math content (maybe foundational content), and will cause them confusion, anxiety, and unnecessary struggle for years to come.
