OAAs are finished...now I can get back to some Algebra

[Chad Vahue]

I don't know about you all, but every year I find myself spending more
& more time on the 8th grade math and less & less time on the Algebra
1...all in the name of the glorious "green dot" (value added score).

My administration, like all others I presume, are kind of fixated on
that elusive green dot and it tears at my curriculum. My main reason
for offering to host this group was to ask the following question to
as many professionals in the same boat as I can find:

Q: How do you fit all the 8th grade OAA objectives into a 1-year
course and teach a full year of Algebra 1?

Here are my presumed answers:

A-1) I teach Algebra 1 and spend only a small time on OAA prep.

A-2) I teach Algebra 1 and continuously review OAA material by weaving
the non-overlapping parts of both curriculums together.

I myself am in the A-2 boat, but I can't seem to get the entire
Algebra 1 curriculum covered. Too much time is spent on Data
Analysis, Probability, Geometry & Measurement. So, I end up having
students that aren't fully through the Algebra curriculum by the end
of the year.

It's a real source of stress for me, because I'm not getting either
job (getting the green dot on the OAA or getting a full year of
Algebra 1 taught) perfectly.

So, there's my big gripe in a nut shell! I'd be really interested in
reading about everyone else's take on this!

Chad