Stop, Accelerate and Listen: New B.E.S.T. Acceleration Courses
Stop, Accelerate and Listen: New B.E.S.T. Acceleration Courses
May 13, 2022|Education, Florida, B.E.S.T. Standards, Florida's Standards
What they are, Course Progressions, Student Selection Criteria, and Parent and Student Agreement Letter
UPDATED 8.28.24
Did you know that with the new B.E.S.T. standards come new course options for elementary school and middle school? In addition to “Foundational Skills in Mathematics Courses” for K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12, which are in addition to their core mathematics courses (and which we will discuss in a future post), there are new Accelerated Courses that take the place of the core mathematics courses. While this may not seem too different for middle school, which had “advanced” courses in the past, the content and pacing are much different, and for elementary school, this is a whole new ball game.
The Low-Down
There are four Accelerated Course options, which begin in 3rd grade and continue through 7th grade. The goal is to better prepare students for the High School Honors Courses they can take in 7th and/or 8th grade (Algebra 1 Honors, Geometry Honors).
The four Accelerated Courses are as follows:
Grade 3 Accelerated Mathematics
Grade 4 Accelerated Mathematics
Grade 6 Accelerated Mathematics
Grade 7 Accelerated Mathematics
You may be asking, “Where are the 5th and 8th grade accelerated courses?” I wondered the same thing. Just keep reading. We will address that.
At the beginning of EACH of the Accelerated AND Honors manuals (go here for all manuals), it states under “General Notes”:
Honors and Accelerated Level Course Note: Accelerated courses require a greater demand on students through increased academic rigor. Academic rigor is obtained through the application, analysis, evaluation, and creation of complex ideas that are often abstract and multi-faceted. Students are challenged to think and collaborate critically on the content they are learning. Honors level rigor will be achieved by increasing text complexity through text selection, focus on high-level qualitative measures, and complexity of task. Instruction will be structured to give students a deeper understanding of conceptual themes and organization within and across disciplines. Academic rigor is more than simply assigning to students a greater quantity of work.
Let's break this down a bit. First, the Accelerated Courses are not “honors level” courses. The honors courses to which they are alluding are all High School level:
Algebra 1 Honors (can be taken in 7th or 8th grade)
Geometry Honors (can be taken in 8th grade)
Mathematics for Data and Financial Literacy Honors
Algebra 2 Honors
Probability and Statistics Honors
Precalculus Honors
Discrete Mathematics Honors
Calculus Honors
Remember, the Accelerated Courses are:
Grade 3 Accelerated Mathematics
Grade 4 Accelerated Mathematics
Grade 6 Accelerated Mathematics
Grade 7 Accelerated Mathematics
Secondly, speeding up the course does not make it more rigorous. It makes it faster. The rigor is not inherently different; it is the pace that is different. This is why the course is called “accelerated” and not “advanced.” The benchmarks in the accelerated elementary and middle school courses are not written any differently from those in the standards courses; they are grouped differently. Essentially, the difference is that students are just getting the benchmarks sooner and faster.
I think what the writers are trying to address is that these courses perhaps SHOULD be more rigorous, not just faster. Though many scholars argue that all students deserve rigorous content, and I happen to agree with them.
Let’s derail a tad and talk a little about rigor...
“Rigor” much like “differentiation,” “PLCs,” and “self-care,” is one of those educational buzz words that gets used so much that it almost seems to have lost all meaning. This leaves interpretation up to each individual person, and more often than not, it just becomes a white noise at best, and an eye roll at worst. 😒
Here’s how an author from one of my favorite books on the subject defines rigor:
from "Rigor is Not a Four-Letter Word"
Notice what word keeps being repeated there? She goes on to define three foundations of rigor:
from "Rigor is Not a Four-Letter Word"
Did you catch that part about how rigor should be for everyone not just “special students”? I certainly did. All students deserve rigorous learning. I think the Accelerated Courses take it a bit differently with the second point in her definition “each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels.”
Some students need more support than others. Students chosen for the Accelerated Course need to be the students who typically need less teacher support to get a mathematical concept. We all know these kinds of students. They just seem to get it quicker for whatever reason. So again, these students in the
Sooo.....
Accelerated Course are not necessarily receiving more rigorous content, they just need less support to demonstrate learning at high levels, so they are able to learn the content faster.
What about when it comes to assessments? Should the assessment questions be more rigorous in an Accelerated Course?
Again, to that I say “no.” The benchmarks are the same, they're just taught quicker. Also, we don’t know if students in accelerated courses are going to receive different F.A.S.T. assessments. I reached out to Ashley Harvey, Elementary Mathematics Specialist at the FLDOE, and she directed my question to the Test Development Center. So, while I’m waiting to hear back, here’s my educated guess: No. I am predicting that students in an Accelerated Course will NOT take a different end-of-year F.A.S.T. than that of their grade-level peers in the standard math class. But hey, I could be wrong.
UPDATE 8/28/24: The state left this up to the districts/charters. In other words, you could potentially have a 4th-grade student taking the accelerated course (which is composed of content that is half of 4th and all of 5th) take either the 5th-grade or the 4th-grade test. The bottom line is that there is no "accelerated test." They have to take one of the grade-level tests created. Around the state, most of what I've heard is schools/districts are having their students take whatever test has the most content in that course. So, 3rd accelerated taking 3rd (because it's all of 3rd content + half of 4th), but 4th taking 5th (because it's half of 4th + all of 5th). Again, the state made this a district decision.
Let’s look just one more time at rigor in terms of assessments. The following comes from my all-time favorite book on Data, Driven by Data:
Again, in other words, all students should still be assessed at the same level of rigor. Students in the standard class may need more support to be ready to master those rigorous questions, but they should still be held to the same high expectations of rigor as their peers in the Accelerated Courses.
Okay, time for some Quick Questions.
Why are there no manuals or course codes for 5th grade or 8th grade Accelerated Courses?
There are no manuals or courses for these because all the benchmarks for 5th grade are taught in the 4th grade Accelerated Course, and all the benchmarks for 8th grade are taught in the 7th grade Accelerated Course. The progression for Geometry Honors in 8th grade is as follows:
I get it for a 3rd grader starting in 22-23, but what about any other grade student 4th and up who I want to start taking accelerated courses?
There are course codes in CPALMs for 3rd Grade Accelerated, 4th Grade Accelerated, 6th Grade Accelerated, and 7th Grade Accelerated. It is left quite unclear how a student would start mid-progression without skipping key concepts. This may be a district or building-level decision at each school. My recommendation would be to just start and weave in any missed concepts. Remember, the students in these courses are those that can pick up concepts very quickly.
Are there other accelerated alternatives? For example, being in Algebra as an 8th grader and not a 7th grader?
Short Answer: Yes.
In 3rd-5th grade, enroll the student in the standard mathematics grade-level courses.
In 6th grade, enroll the student in the Grade 6 Accelerated Course (all 6th grade benchmarks, half 7th grade benchmarks).
In 7th grade, enroll the student in the Grade 7 Accelerated Course (other half of 7th grade benchmarks, all 8th grade / Pre-Algebra benchmarks).
In 8th grade, enroll them in Algebra 1 Honors
How are accelerated courses different from non-accelerated courses?
As mentioned above, the four accelerated courses expect the students enrolled in them to pick up the concepts faster. Essentially, those students are learning and mastering 1.5 years of math in 1 year. See the progressions above.
Who are these courses for?
These courses are for students who not only excel at math, but those who do so with very little extra support needed from teachers or parents. They are students who you predict will be able to tackle a High School Course (Algebra 1 Honors) two years early when they are in 7th grade. Accelerated Courses are fast-paced, and students in these courses (and their parents) need to be ready for the increased pacing.
How do I determine who should go into an accelerated course?
While I haven't seen anything published by the FLDOE on how to determine who you select (and I don’t expect they will), there are some general guidelines I recommend for selecting these students:
Students who regularly score in the 90th to the 95th percentile or above on norm-referenced mathematics assessments.
Students who have scored a 4 or 5 on FAST.
Students who seem to master math concepts quickly, typically after only hearing it taught once from a skilled teacher.
Students who are self-driven in terms of math. They typically complete their work faster than other students.
Students whose previous 2+ grade level teachers recommend them for accelerated learning.
Caution: do not enroll students in the Accelerated Course just to “fill the class.” It is possible to have students from both courses in the same classroom (see below), if it is allowed by your school / district.
Are there requirements to staying in an accelerated class?
Short answer: No.
Again, nothing has been published about the requirements for the Accelerated Courses. Teacher judgement will be the best guide for whether a student is excelling in an Accelerated Course, or one who may benefit from at standard pace in the standard course. I recommend laying out expectations for students, parents, and teachers on where you will benchmark to determine eligibility to continue in the course or switch to the standard course.
Personally, I recommend making this decision no later than the end of the first quarter. If you wait until the winter progress monitoring F.A.S.T. at the end of quarter 2, I think that is too late and a missed opportunity to give that student the support s/he needs.
Will having students in Accelerated Course help our school grade?
Short answer: As of now, no.
In the past, schools have received “acceleration points” for having students in middle school enrolled in Algebra 1 Honors, Geometry Honors, and Biology. High schools have also received acceleration points for Advanced Courses. This is still the case.
However, with the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th Accelerated Math courses, these are not given an advantage in school grade. This could of course, change, but as of now, those scores will count in proficiency, learning gains, and gains of the lowest 25%, just like all the other grades/tests.
Can I have students in an Accelerated Course and standard course in the same classroom?
Short answer: Yes.
Like most other questions, this has not been made clear, but it has been allowed in years past. I do not foresee this being a problem, in fact, I see it being a necessity.
We don’t have enough students to fill an entire class. What should we do?
Combine students in the same classroom. While this is not ideal, it can be done. Teachers in these classes will need support from coaches and leaders to facilitate the structure in these classes. Additionally, because a teacher would have students enrolled in two different courses in the same classroom, she would likely need to take attendance in both sections of your SIS. This may be different at each school, however.
Two suggestions for making this work:
Option 1: Divide and Conquer
Divide your class time into two sections: start with your mini-lesson with your standard class, while students in the advanced class begin their lesson independently, or practice previous content. Switch groups, so that now the standards class is practicing their concepts, while the teacher holds her mini-lesson with her advanced course students. This does not have to be an event split time, as the standard class will likely need more time in direct-instruction and/or practice.
Option 2: All Small Group All the Time
Begin with a whole-group activity / lesson for the first 5-10 minutes of class as you conduct a problem-solving non-curricular activity (I love matchstick problems as an example. Those can be found here.). All students move into practice from the previous days’ concept. You pull small groups of students to remediate or check-in. After time, you meet with small-groups of students to teach a mini-lesson on the new content. Repeat the next day.
What are the certification requirements for teachers?
The only tricky one is for a 5th grade teacher who has her students in the Accelerated Course: Grade 6 Accelerated Course. Remember, this course contains all of the 6th grade benchmarks and half of the 7th grade benchmarks. So, do 5th grade teachers now have to have a middle school certificate? According to CPALMS, no, that is not required:
According to CPALMS, 6th grade Accelerated courses (intended for 5th grade students) - a teacher can hold a K-6 certificate and be eligible to teach the course, even though the course content includes half of the benchmarks from 7th grade math.
https://www.cpalms.org/PreviewCourse/Preview/20560?isShowCurrent=false
Retrieved May 13, 2022
How do we communicate this level of acceleration to guardians?
Guardian communication and clear expectations will be KEY in the success of students enrolled in Accelerated Courses. This includes coursework expectations, the speed of instruction, completion of work, and classroom grades, to name a few. It will be important to have documentation that both guardian and student are aware of the workload in the accelerated courses, as well as when it may be necessary to move the student to the standard course.
You can find a letter to use or to reference HERE.
Summary
It's exciting that we have new options for students to accelerate in mathematics. For our students in elementary school that truly excel quickly in math, this may be a great opportunity for them to get ahead. We must be cautious though. There are dangers in "tracking" students from this early of an age. Our language in a school around these courses, the students enrolled in them, and the teachers who teach them, will need to be handled with care. This is not the "smart" class or even the "advanced" class. It is simply accelerated. A strong school culture is needed to not create an elitist status for this kind of course. Similarly, having students in these classes wear special uniform, receive special privileges, or "just putting all the gifted kids in there" will not serve your students or your school. Utilizing the Accelerated Courses should be a decision made with thought and care. Let's see our entire school succeed!
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References:
Bambrick-Santoyo, Paul (2019). Driven by data 2.0: A practical guide to improve instruction. Jossey-Bass.
Blackburn, Barabara R. (2012, 2013). Rigor is not a four-letter word (2nd ed.). Routledge.
CPALMS, (2022). CPalms: Accelerated Mathematics Grade 6: 2022 and Beyond. Retrieved on May 13, 2022 https://www.cpalms.org/PreviewCourse/Preview/20560?isShowCurrent=false
FLDOE. (2022). FLDOE: Grade 3 Accelerated Mathematics. Retrieved from
https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7576/urlt/Grade-3Accelerated.pdf
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