STA Math Track

[Anonymous]

Jumping off the math placement thread, we are thinking about the math track at STA. My child is bright, likes math but definitely needs more explicit instruction. He is fine with taking regular geometry and hoping AP Calc by senior year, but are the boys kind if you aren't on the advanced track? Do most boys take regular or honors? Will that track still be a solid math track on the transcript for a top 30-50 school? Any info on the math track at STA would be appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jumping off the math placement thread, we are thinking about the math track at STA. My child is bright, likes math but definitely needs more explicit instruction. He is fine with taking regular geometry and hoping AP Calc by senior year, but are the boys kind if you aren't on the advanced track? Do most boys take regular or honors? Will that track still be a solid math track on the transcript for a top 30-50 school? Any info on the math track at STA would be appreciated!

I don’t know specifics but am pretty sure the regular track is still advanced and definitely considered rigorous and yes boys will be kind and do not care about this sort of thing. Many boys take regular and at be advanced in other areas like science.

[Anonymous]

First, most boys at STA do not to take Honors math. Sadly, the track is pretty much laid in by 8th grade. While they’ve technically stopped offering separate honors math classes in Forms I and II the teachers track the students anyway. If you’re not scoring at the 95 or above level in 8th grade math, forget being invited to honors math in high school.

Students coming in at 9th are tracked by test scores and their math level from their previous schools. They are often advantaged over STA boys who have had mediocre math instruction in MS.

No stigma attached to doing regular math at all. The STA boys are in general very kind and respectful of one another’s strengths and interests. Because they are required to do so many different things in their early years from singing to art to athletics, they learn to respect boys who have mastery in different areas.

The regular math track is plenty challenging and more than sufficient to get kids into top schools. Unless you’re going for MIT, Stanford, or CalTech or applying for a math-heavy major. Then you obviously need to be in the most advanced math classes.

For most liberal arts types it’s better to get a solid grade in regular math than a meh grade in honors math.

There is explicit instruction and the math teachers in US are solid. It’s a shame MS instruction is so poor because the lifers who do honors math at ST"a are those who have had outside tutoring or who are enrolled in AOPS or RaSM.

[Anonymous]

The honors math track gets very hard by Honors pre-calc and Calculus BC. Only about 10-15 boys complete this course by graduation and I would not recommend it for anyone who is not highly skilled in math. The exams are just very hard.

If your kid is not skilled in math (so not just smart but truly skilled in math) I would suggest the non-honors track. There are many Bs given in the honors math courses and it's better to get As in easier courses than Bs in the honors track (trust me--I just saw college admissions play out).

[Anonymous]

Are STA boys just not very good at math? Many students at other schools public and private finish CalC BC sophmore or junior year.

[Anonymous]

It is funny how regular geometry freshman is “considered very rigorous” at STA but at other schools it would be considered below average. Does everyone at STA just pursue liberal arts majors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are STA boys just not very good at math? Many students at other schools public and private finish CalC BC sophmore or junior year.

What an asinine question from someone who can’t spell sophomore.

The honors math students finish calculus BC in their junior year and take linear algebra in their senior year.

STA prides itself on rigor which means honors math classes are pitched at level of difficulty well level beyond what would be taught at most public high schools and other non-Big 3 schools. The boys who do the honors track do extremely well on APs.

Unfortunately this rigor does not exist until Upper School so many lifers are poorly prepared unless they’ve studied math outside the STA curriculum.

STA is stupidly rigid with their lower school math curriculum. There are many math-talented boys who are ready to start algebra in 5th or 6th grade but they’re forced to stay in rudimentary math classes for several years. Algebra I does not start until 8th
grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is funny how regular geometry freshman is “considered very rigorous” at STA but at other schools it would be considered below average. Does everyone at STA just pursue liberal arts majors?

That’s because the way it’s taught at other schools is much easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are STA boys just not very good at math? Many students at other schools public and private finish CalC BC sophmore or junior year.

What an asinine question from someone who can’t spell sophomore.

The honors math students finish calculus BC in their junior year and take linear algebra in their senior year.

STA prides itself on rigor which means honors math classes are pitched at level of difficulty well level beyond what would be taught at most public high schools and other non-Big 3 schools. The boys who do the honors track do extremely well on APs.

Unfortunately this rigor does not exist until Upper School so many lifers are poorly prepared unless they’ve studied math outside the STA curriculum.

STA is stupidly rigid with their lower school math curriculum. There are many math-talented boys who are ready to start algebra in 5th or 6th grade but they’re forced to stay in rudimentary math classes for several years. Algebra I does not start until 8th
grade.

But someone said only 10-15 boys out of what 80 are on what the normal track is for the better students at most other schools. These students are getting 5s on the AP calc BC so not sure how STA is doing better. It’s weird that STA forces such a high percentage of kids into remedial math and people pay for this. But I guess true name sounds fancy?

[Anonymous]

Op here- thank you for this feedback! Very helpful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are STA boys just not very good at math? Many students at other schools public and private finish CalC BC sophmore or junior year.

What an asinine question from someone who can’t spell sophomore.

The honors math students finish calculus BC in their junior year and take linear algebra in their senior year.

STA prides itself on rigor which means honors math classes are pitched at level of difficulty well level beyond what would be taught at most public high schools and other non-Big 3 schools. The boys who do the honors track do extremely well on APs.

Unfortunately this rigor does not exist until Upper School so many lifers are poorly prepared unless they’ve studied math outside the STA curriculum.

STA is stupidly rigid with their lower school math curriculum. There are many math-talented boys who are ready to start algebra in 5th or 6th grade but they’re forced to stay in rudimentary math classes for several years. Algebra I does not start until 8th
grade.

But someone said only 10-15 boys out of what 80 are on what the normal track is for the better students at most other schools. These students are getting 5s on the AP calc BC so not sure how STA is doing better. It’s weird that STA forces such a high percentage of kids into remedial math and people pay for this. But I guess true name sounds fancy?

Geometry in 9th is not remedial math. It is very common in DC private schools. Now I will really freak you out - in Catholic schools, Algebra 1 in 9th is the most common placement even if you took Algebra in 8th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are STA boys just not very good at math? Many students at other schools public and private finish CalC BC sophmore or junior year.

What an asinine question from someone who can’t spell sophomore.

The honors math students finish calculus BC in their junior year and take linear algebra in their senior year.

STA prides itself on rigor which means honors math classes are pitched at level of difficulty well level beyond what would be taught at most public high schools and other non-Big 3 schools. The boys who do the honors track do extremely well on APs.

Unfortunately this rigor does not exist until Upper School so many lifers are poorly prepared unless they’ve studied math outside the STA curriculum.

STA is stupidly rigid with their lower school math curriculum. There are many math-talented boys who are ready to start algebra in 5th or 6th grade but they’re forced to stay in rudimentary math classes for several years. Algebra I does not start until 8th
grade.

The honors boys who were there before high school actually finish BC in senior year. The only ones up another grade (in linear algebra) are those whose transfer in at 9th grade from public or a very small cohort (like 3 or less) who are allowed to skip a year of math along the way.

It all works out for college admissions in the end--when you leave the public school world colleges no longer expect you to take calculus in 10th grade.

I will also say that my son came to STA from public in high school with straight high As in math from public. He actually repeated a year of math at STA and got a B+ (in a course he had just received about a 98% in from public). The tests in the honors classes are not easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is funny how regular geometry freshman is “considered very rigorous” at STA but at other schools it would be considered below average. Does everyone at STA just pursue liberal arts majors?

Nope. This year they are graduating boys who are going on to be math majors at Harvard, Princeton and Stanford. A boy got into Cambridge as a math major.
They learn math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are STA boys just not very good at math? Many students at other schools public and private finish CalC BC sophmore or junior year.

What an asinine question from someone who can’t spell sophomore.

The honors math students finish calculus BC in their junior year and take linear algebra in their senior year.

STA prides itself on rigor which means honors math classes are pitched at level of difficulty well level beyond what would be taught at most public high schools and other non-Big 3 schools. The boys who do the honors track do extremely well on APs.

Unfortunately this rigor does not exist until Upper School so many lifers are poorly prepared unless they’ve studied math outside the STA curriculum.

STA is stupidly rigid with their lower school math curriculum. There are many math-talented boys who are ready to start algebra in 5th or 6th grade but they’re forced to stay in rudimentary math classes for several years. Algebra I does not start until 8th
grade.

The honors boys who were there before high school actually finish BC in senior year. The only ones up another grade (in linear algebra) are those whose transfer in at 9th grade from public or a very small cohort (like 3 or less) who are allowed to skip a year of math along the way.

Wrong. They are not skipping a year of math; it’s a clearly defined track. The cohort who take the linear algebra track is small because few boys want to put in that amount of effort for little reward. Some years it’s 10 boys not 3. Don’t take your limited experience and generalize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are STA boys just not very good at math? Many students at other schools public and private finish CalC BC sophmore or junior year.

What an asinine question from someone who can’t spell sophomore.

The honors math students finish calculus BC in their junior year and take linear algebra in their senior year.

STA prides itself on rigor which means honors math classes are pitched at level of difficulty well level beyond what would be taught at most public high schools and other non-Big 3 schools. The boys who do the honors track do extremely well on APs.

Unfortunately this rigor does not exist until Upper School so many lifers are poorly prepared unless they’ve studied math outside the STA curriculum.

STA is stupidly rigid with their lower school math curriculum. There are many math-talented boys who are ready to start algebra in 5th or 6th grade but they’re forced to stay in rudimentary math classes for several years. Algebra I does not start until 8th
grade.

The honors boys who were there before high school actually finish BC in senior year. The only ones up another grade (in linear algebra) are those whose transfer in at 9th grade from public or a very small cohort (like 3 or less) who are allowed to skip a year of math along the way.

Wrong. They are not skipping a year of math; it’s a clearly defined track. The cohort who take the linear algebra track is small because few boys want to put in that amount of effort for little reward. Some years it’s 10 boys not 3. Don’t take your limited experience and generalize.

wrong. The current junior year class had about 3 boys skip a year of math (Honors Algebra 2). They completely skipped the course. Don’t take YOUR limited experience and generalize!