calc BC in 8th grade at Takoma Park Middle?

[Anonymous]

My kid met a child who is in Calc BC in 8th grade at Takoma Park Middle School. What is the path to get there? It would mean Algebra 1 in 4th grade (?) Doubling up of classes? Im so curious. How would a kid get there?

[Anonymous]

This sounds horrendous. 8th grader in with seniors in high school.

[Anonymous]

The better question is why?

[Anonymous]

OP here. Yes, it's not my thing. I'm just genuinely curious if anyone has heard of this pathway before?
Does it begin in 4th grade? Do the kids skip classes?

[Anonymous]

6th-algebra
7th-geometry & algebra II
8th- pre calc
9th-calc BC

[Anonymous]

The only student I know who followed such a oath was a math genius who was homeschooled. He took classes at the local college starting in 8th grade after scoring a perfect score in the math portion of the SAT in 7th grade. His 8th grade class was beyond calculus. Differential Equations I think.

[Anonymous]

FFS, really?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only student I know who followed such a oath was a math genius who was homeschooled. He took classes at the local college starting in 8th grade after scoring a perfect score in the math portion of the SAT in 7th grade. His 8th grade class was beyond calculus. Differential Equations I think.

Unicorn.

[Anonymous]

My daughter could conceivably do this. She's taking Algebra 1 in 6th, and the math coordinator at her school suggested she might take geometry and algebra 2 next year, the same timeline written above by 21:37. She's used to working with high schoolers anyway, for her instrumental practice.

Honestly, none of it matters one little bit. It's all basic formula application anyway, and none of the standard course work goes into any in-depth problem-solving, which is what students REALLY need for college work in math-heavy disciplines. I'd rather she get accepted into a magnet high school and have interesting work in math, for once in her school life. On the side, she goes on the internet and looks for videos of proofs and interesting problems. Like her biostatistician father, she has a mathematical turn of mind. But it does not take a genius to have that kind of pathway in school. I'm sure many kids could do it, but it's a logistical hassle so they don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
My daughter could conceivably do this. She's taking Algebra 1 in 6th, and the math coordinator at her school suggested she might take geometry and algebra 2 next year, the same timeline written above by 21:37. She's used to working with high schoolers anyway, for her instrumental practice.

Yes, but that’s still BC Calc in 9th. OP asked about BC Calc in 8th. Which could be that same path, but starting in 5th grade, I guess.

[Anonymous]

This doesn't make a lot of sense. Kids start Algebra in 6th. The only way I could see it happening is for the child to take a summer class through MCPS or privately for credit. They'd have to go to the high school or virtually for Calculus. At best, most middle schools only offer up to Algebra 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
My daughter could conceivably do this. She's taking Algebra 1 in 6th, and the math coordinator at her school suggested she might take geometry and algebra 2 next year, the same timeline written above by 21:37. She's used to working with high schoolers anyway, for her instrumental practice.

Honestly, none of it matters one little bit. It's all basic formula application anyway, and none of the standard course work goes into any in-depth problem-solving, which is what students REALLY need for college work in math-heavy disciplines. I'd rather she get accepted into a magnet high school and have interesting work in math, for once in her school life. On the side, she goes on the internet and looks for videos of proofs and interesting problems. Like her biostatistician father, she has a mathematical turn of mind. But it does not take a genius to have that kind of pathway in school. I'm sure many kids could do it, but it's a logistical hassle so they don't.

Are you in MCPS? I haven't heard of any middle schools offering geometry and Algebra two combined.

[Anonymous]

My dc (now a 12th grader, so this was several years ago) had a friend whose parents wanted him to be able to test out of Alg II and move straight to precalculus in 8th grade, and MCPS would not let him skip the Alg II class no matter his skill level, the parents were told that taking the class was a grad requirement. So I can’t think of how a student would be able to be in calc as an 8th grader.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dc (now a 12th grader, so this was several years ago) had a friend whose parents wanted him to be able to test out of Alg II and move straight to precalculus in 8th grade, and MCPS would not let him skip the Alg II class no matter his skill level, the parents were told that taking the class was a grad requirement. So I can’t think of how a student would be able to be in calc as an 8th grader.

The only way I would know to do it is to take summer classes for credit and then you'd have to go to the high school for the calc class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My daughter could conceivably do this. She's taking Algebra 1 in 6th, and the math coordinator at her school suggested she might take geometry and algebra 2 next year, the same timeline written above by 21:37. She's used to working with high schoolers anyway, for her instrumental practice.

Honestly, none of it matters one little bit. It's all basic formula application anyway, and none of the standard course work goes into any in-depth problem-solving, which is what students REALLY need for college work in math-heavy disciplines. I'd rather she get accepted into a magnet high school and have interesting work in math, for once in her school life. On the side, she goes on the internet and looks for videos of proofs and interesting problems. Like her biostatistician father, she has a mathematical turn of mind. But it does not take a genius to have that kind of pathway in school. I'm sure many kids could do it, but it's a logistical hassle so they don't.

Are you in MCPS? I haven't heard of any middle schools offering geometry and Algebra two combined.

Yes, we are. The math coordinator suggested the two classes could be combined in one year. None of that pathway is officially offered, not even Algebra 1 in 6th, even though a number of kids take it in several middle schools.
My son's friend took math classes outside of MCPS then tested back at a higher level, which meant he "skipped" ahead (but really he didn't), but it was just to do some post-BC classes in 11th and 12th.