Struggling in Hon Precalculus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP this is spot on. Why it’s such a shame that parents push their kids on this super advanced track without thinking ahead. Unfortunately many parents overestimate their kid, maybe because they don’t understand how there are kids out there that can truly handle this work, sometimes with no teaching and certainly no help.

My kid choose this track. We didn't push and tried to discourage it. They just need a bit of support from a parent or tutor. What is the big deal? Just because you will not help your kids in any way but clearly have the time, doesn't mean the rest of us shouldn't. This kid can handle it. They just need a bit more support.

To each their own but I've had one kid go through MCPS and another still in HS. You are potentially setting your kid up for issues down the road. I don't generally help my kids in HS because I want them to be on a track that is appropriate for their strengths and not in ending up in college struggling.

As for acceleration, IMO schools are allowing too many kids these tracks now without advising parents of further downstream problems. Taking Pre-Calc in 9th grade should be exceedingly rare. Also, more than half the grade should not be on a track to take Calc in 11th grade. It's nice what they do at Blair and Poolesville where they adjust the kids math tracks based on testing once they arrive in 9th grade.

No one is asking your opinion. Blair and Poolesville only let in 100 kids each so what do the rest of the smart kids do? And, if they were already on this track they wouldn't make a child repeat a class. Maybe your ego is an issue. You can always slow down later on in Calc. Not a big deal.

Actually at Blair and Poolesville they put the kid that already took Alg2 and the ones that did not but test high in the same class. Well aware of the space issues and it's a shame this kind of setup is not offered elsewhere.

There is actually no slow down other than going to Calc AB which then what was the point of getting so far ahead? IMO better for kids to get a solid math foundation early. Just offering an opinion as someone in STEM myself and an MCPS parent. Chill out.

There is slowing down. Many DCUM parents are in STEM so saying you are in STEM means nothing. The point of going to Calc AB is to meet their needs but if they were ready and doing well in Algebra in 6th or 7th, why would you stop it? The issue is how Algebra and Geometry are being taught and not all teachers are strong teachers, especially in higher level math. It's very hard to learn without textbooks or adequate practice with homework and classwork as well as teachers reviewing assignments. We used the free tutoring the past few years. If it was free, why wouldn't you. I really wish they'd bring it back for kids like OP who need a bit more support.

Personally I don't care about Blair or Poolesville as we couldn't make it work with our after school schedule and we didn't like the curriculum as it didn't have the right focus for our child. I don't get the big deal about going to them.

You sound like you’re the OP, pretending not to be the OP. Also you seem to have made up your mind, which is fine considering it’s your child and you know him better.

I think you got reasonable advice from disinterested people with the right background, not jealous parents hating on your kid’s accomplishments. You should at least consider that point of view.

Precalculus, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, AP statistics sequence is probably the worst choice even if getting all A’s which is quite doubtful at this point, tutoring included.

You could do Algebra 2, H Precalculus, Calculus BC, Statistics and still end at the same point but he’ll have a better foundation.

If still possible, I’d have him do AP statistics, H Precalculus, Calculus BC, and Multivariable which has no ‘slow down’.

If you want to assess how appropriate H Precalculus is, have him take these tests and get back to us.

Khan Academy Algebra 2 course challenge.

AOPS, Precalculus, Are you ready:
https://data.artofproblemsolving.com/course-docs/diagnostics/precalc-pretest.pdf

AOPS, Algebra 2, Do you need it? This will certainly be difficult.
https://data.artofproblemsolving.com/course-docs/diagnostics/intermediate-algebra-posttest.pdf

Taking AP Stats now as a break from Precal is a ridiculous suggestion. She has the option to drop down to regular Precal and I bet her child would be fine in that class and can use the year to build up their foundation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many students go from an A in Alg. 2 to doing poorly in Pre-cal and also in the transition from Geometry to Alg. 2.

Your child sounds like he's talented in math probably used to being able to do all the work until now without working too hard. I was just speaking with a colleague who has a Ph.D. in MATH and he was telling me how hard it was for him in high school when he moved to Alg. 2/Precal for this reason. He's a young guy, probably in his 30s. Everything had been easy so he did not learn how to work his way through more complex problems. He got bad grades that year but he became a stronger math student by working through it. He's now in a job where he uses math every day.

Side note to OP: I think he's great your son already knows he wanst to be a physicist!

Advice from someone with a PhD in Physics (MIT), not someone who knows someone with a PhD in math.

For a career in Physics you need a strong math foundation, no way around it.

OP needs to figure out why the D is happening, and if her son can turn it around. I get that repeating Algebra 2 is going through the same material, but if he didn’t master it despite an A, what’s the alternative? The kid needs to take a diagnostic test, try Khan Academy full course test, not just browsing through a few questions, he should do at least 90% without breaking a sweat. He could also try the AOPS, ‘Do you need it?’, and ‘Are you ready’ tests, again, he should show mastery. If he doesn't, he’ll need to catch up while not being able to afford a B.

The parent can hire a tutor for precalculus, but given how advanced the student is, she’ll need to find tutors for Calculus BC, Multivariable, Differential Equations and Linear algebra. Not ideal, the kid needs to buckle down and figure it out in his own or look into another major he can handle independently.

Given his intended major, he will also take AP Physics C, two of the hardest AP classes, the difficulty will only go up from here.

What? That poster said nothing about not needing a strong math foundation and made no recommendations about what class OP's child should take. Why are you getting bent out of shape or was it just an excuse to flex your (most likely fake) MIT creds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give me a break. It's so obvious with your multiple posts upon posts that you want to take OP down a notch.

Just stop please and find something better to do with your time.

You keep mentioning over-acceleration and hyper acceleration but that's irrelevant.

My child is in the regular math track due to having come from private school, got all As in math previous to Precal and then started struggling. Many of their classmates in MCPS who took Alg. 2 in MCPS are having the same issue.

You’re right that it’s an issue, what is your proposed solution? With a D average six weeks in, he’ll need to do 95% average for the rest of the year to pull an A. Odds are not in his favor. I think a B should be avoided, but it’s not the end of the world.

Another B in Calculus and it’s starting to look bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give me a break. It's so obvious with your multiple posts upon posts that you want to take OP down a notch.

Just stop please and find something better to do with your time.

You keep mentioning over-acceleration and hyper acceleration but that's irrelevant.

My child is in the regular math track due to having come from private school, got all As in math previous to Precal and then started struggling. Many of their classmates in MCPS who took Alg. 2 in MCPS are having the same issue.

You’re right that it’s an issue, what is your proposed solution? With a D average six weeks in, he’ll need to do 95% average for the rest of the year to pull an A. Odds are not in his favor. I think a B should be avoided, but it’s not the end of the world.

Another B in Calculus and it’s starting to look bad.

A B in precal is fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give me a break. It's so obvious with your multiple posts upon posts that you want to take OP down a notch.

Just stop please and find something better to do with your time.

You keep mentioning over-acceleration and hyper acceleration but that's irrelevant.

My child is in the regular math track due to having come from private school, got all As in math previous to Precal and then started struggling. Many of their classmates in MCPS who took Alg. 2 in MCPS are having the same issue.

There are multiple posters commenting. It is not one person.

[Anonymous]

Wow Op back. This thread evolved into something I did not intend it to evolve into. For those who are saying that I am trying to manipulate the thread by posting and not identifying myself, you are welcome to ask Jeff to check. I gave my son the AOPs test and he got 100% of the questions right. He had 36 problems assigned on Friday due Monday and he finished them all. We found answers on quizlet and all but 3 are correct (assuming that quizlet is correct). His says his issue is that all the quizzes are pop quizzes and he gets anxious and forgets the definitions of functions. They have 20 minutes for quizzes. I will get him a tutor and make sure that they check for gaps in his foundational skills.

[Anonymous]

OP does your child supplement outside of MCPS? I looked at that test and I saw at least three topics that are not covered by MCPS Alg. 2 so it's odd that your child could magically get 100% of those questions right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow Op back. This thread evolved into something I did not intend it to evolve into. For those who are saying that I am trying to manipulate the thread by posting and not identifying myself, you are welcome to ask Jeff to check. I gave my son the AOPs test and he got 100% of the questions right. He had 36 problems assigned on Friday due Monday and he finished them all. We found answers on quizlet and all but 3 are correct (assuming that quizlet is correct). His says his issue is that all the quizzes are pop quizzes and he gets anxious and forgets the definitions of functions. They have 20 minutes for quizzes. I will get him a tutor and make sure that they check for gaps in his foundational skills.

Sounds like a great plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP does your child supplement outside of MCPS? I looked at that test and I saw at least three topics that are not covered by MCPS Alg. 2 so it's odd that your child could magically get 100% of those questions right.

OP here. Like I posted elsewhere DS does AoPS. This is the first year he is not going to do it because of another activity.

[Anonymous]

If he can do the homework on his own *without the book*, and they are similar to test problems but the test is too fast, appeal to the teacher for more time, go for a 504 Plan to work around the obstinate teacher, or appeal to the principal to stop the unfair timimg and grading scheme.

Ask your kid to find out how many other students are having similar difficulties.

I don't see any need for a tutor if the only problem is time pressure anxiety. Tutor can't fix that. (Maybe a therapist could.) Make flash cards and learn those formulas like Pokemon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP does your child supplement outside of MCPS? I looked at that test and I saw at least three topics that are not covered by MCPS Alg. 2 so it's odd that your child could magically get 100% of those questions right.

OP here. Like I posted elsewhere DS does AoPS. This is the first year he is not going to do it because of another activity.

Can he do online AoPS or just follow along with the precalc book?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP does your child supplement outside of MCPS? I looked at that test and I saw at least three topics that are not covered by MCPS Alg. 2 so it's odd that your child could magically get 100% of those questions right.

OP here. Like I posted elsewhere DS does AoPS. This is the first year he is not going to do it because of another activity.

He did AoPS Alg 2 last year?

What module/formulas is HPrecalc doing?

Half of HPrecalc (including C2.0 module 1
https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/curriculum/math/high/precalculus/ccss.precalculus.unit-1.polynomial-power-and-rational-functions-focus-for-parents.pdf
) is covered in AoPS Alg 2 (rational polynomial functions, exponential functions, and discrete math).

The other half of new material is trig, matrices, 3-D/vector math, and limits, usually covered later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP does your child supplement outside of MCPS? I looked at that test and I saw at least three topics that are not covered by MCPS Alg. 2 so it's odd that your child could magically get 100% of those questions right.

OP here. Like I posted elsewhere DS does AoPS. This is the first year he is not going to do it because of another activity.

He did AOPS for Algebra 2, presumably with blue/green bars, but now is getting D in precalculus 6 weeks in. I’m a little skeptical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give me a break. It's so obvious with your multiple posts upon posts that you want to take OP down a notch.

Just stop please and find something better to do with your time.

You keep mentioning over-acceleration and hyper acceleration but that's irrelevant.

My child is in the regular math track due to having come from private school, got all As in math previous to Precal and then started struggling. Many of their classmates in MCPS who took Alg. 2 in MCPS are having the same issue.

You’re right that it’s an issue, what is your proposed solution? With a D average six weeks in, he’ll need to do 95% average for the rest of the year to pull an A. Odds are not in his favor. I think a B should be avoided, but it’s not the end of the world.

Another B in Calculus and it’s starting to look bad.

A B in precal is fine.

Sure, but not for a kid 3 grades ahead. Another B in next year math and it will hurt him for college admissions. Much better to stay two grades ahead only and ace all the math classes.

[Anonymous]

I think it's nuts to have a kid in Honors Precalc in 9th grade. If he's getting a D tho, it seems obviously that dropping down to on-level precalc would be wise. It's not like he's meaningfully less advanced by taking on-level precalc instead of honors. Gimme a break.