Why Math is so weak in private schools?

[Anonymous]

I think many of this private schools think that connections are more relevant than knowledge, so they prefer to pay a lot of money for a HOS rather than hire math teachers with a high academic level.

[Anonymous]

Math isn't weak at our school; if students are using tutors it's because they are struggling and for some reason don't want anyone to know, because they could be using teacher office hours and peer tutors.

Or, like our kid, something unique is going on. We used a math tutor for one of our kids once because of a prolonged medical issue that got him behind in everything and there want enough time in the day to catch up at school alone. The math tutor was surprised by and impressed with the curriculum. It wasn't weak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think many of this private schools think that connections are more relevant than knowledge, so they prefer to pay a lot of money for a HOS rather than hire math teachers with a high academic level.

What you think doesn't match reality. Our math teachers are all PhDs, and they will take the kids as far as they need to go. Independent studies in math are always an option, 1:1 with a PhD. Most students however, are better off with a steady in depth study of math, not skipping topics to move faster, not an accelerated race to nowhere.

[Anonymous]

People who make OP's claims are tiresome. If you want your kid to finish half of a college math curriculum before graduating high school, by all means move to VA, go to TJ, and supplement with college classes in the summer.

The rest of the students are well served by a less frenzied approach to high school education and do quite well in college, even as STEM majors.

[Anonymous]

Maybe. Wonder why all top math performers in private schools attend RSM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In elementary school if you have advanced math groups in private school then it upsets too many parents when their children aren't chosen for the program. It because a political landmine. So the easiest thing to do is not to accelerate math.

Then new students are admitted in 7th grade and 9th grade primarily. It looks bad when incoming students are placed on a much higher math track because their public schools allowed acceleration. So private schools make it difficult for these entering students to accelerate.

There are many of us against acceleration for acceleration’s sake, which is what is occurring in many public districts right now.

Our private gives a placement test at the start of 9th. If the student places into Alg 2 or Trig, that’s where they start. If, however, they demonstrate they need to retake Algebra 1… then they retake Algebra 1. It’s likely the student didn’t retain the skills from middle school Algebra.

The school isn’t making it difficult for the student to accelerate; they are simply making sure the student is appropriately placed.

The private school parents proclaiming to be against acceleration for acceleration’s sake generally have kids who don’t enjoy math and do not have a natural ability in math.

It is ridiculous that the most advanced students are not given the opportunity to have more challenging work. So as a result so many private school parents are paying for classes and programs and materials outside of school.

Do you think in Asia they have this philosophy of not allowing math acceleration?

Have you read the thread? Posters, including me, have written that their private schools DO offer accelerated math tracks. The difference is that students aren’t pushed into them. You have to test into them when transferring to the school.

So if your child is naturally strong in Math, your child can take advanced math.

This is as it should be. People aren’t against strong students taking accelerated math courses. They are against being the norm for all students.

Where is it the norm for all students? Talk about a strawman.

This seems to be one of those cases where a reasonable point (“too much acceleration can cause gaps”) has become bastardized (“everyone is being accelerated and they shouldn’t be so their seemingly high level of math achievement is fiction”).

[Anonymous]

I just compared the math level (normal not accelerate) of my 5th grader school and RSM and it’s like day and night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just compared the math level (normal not accelerate) of my 5th grader school and RSM and it’s like day and night.

poor grammar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do see the math hirings in some private schools and the teachers do not even have a math background. Very strange.

Not strange at all.

Not all privates hire accredited teachers. Not required

Give the tuition I would have expect some quality control.

My kid's math and physics teachers have PhDs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I only know GDS. It's true that they are very opposed to acceleration. But we are very happy with the HS math curriculum. My child is in the honors track (highest of 3 levels) and is learning proofs and theory.

GDS HS doesn't seem opposed to acceleration--they have Calc BC (UL Calc), Multi, Diff EQ and Linear Alg. I don't think there are enough students who could go beyond that to justify another class (to be clear I know of at least one and believe he takes CC dual-enrollment). They also have math support available all day, every day for anyone that needs help. People generally use tutors to be able to stay in the higher levels of math, not because they are falling behind the normal track.

GDS meets the kids' needs. If they are ready for Linear Alg, GDS will offer the class to them. Great curriculum and truly caring teachers. Love GDS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just compared the math level (normal not accelerate) of my 5th grader school and RSM and it’s like day and night.

poor grammar

Poor math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do see the math hirings in some private schools and the teachers do not even have a math background. Very strange.

Not strange at all.

Not all privates hire accredited teachers. Not required

Give the tuition I would have expect some quality control.

Accreditation doesn’t guarantee quality. All public schools teachers are accredited. One criteria privates use to screen for qualified teachers is level of educational training. On average, the number of teachers holding advance degrees are higher than public. Privates also provide better ongoing development opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just compared the math level (normal not accelerate) of my 5th grader school and RSM and it’s like day and night.

poor grammar

Poor math

Poor social skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This happened to my child when transitioning to a private 9-12. She failed the placement test and was put back into Algebra 1. It stung, but in hindsight we are able to acknowledge she didn’t have a strong enough grasp of the subject.

Im sure daughter is grateful you gave her the opportunity to build a better foundation that will support her throughout HS, college, and her career. I know several parents who backed out of private school when the placement test didn’t go as planned and kept accelerating their kid in public only to be “shocked” by low AP test scores and low SAT scores.

The SAT is one people aren't expecting. Two things happen there (in our experience with our accelerated kid): the 'easy stuff' on the SAT was actually skipped for accelerated students; and they rest of it is stuff they took "so long ago" that they don't remember it and need to relearn it. We had one kid accelerate in public and he needed a catch up tutor for the SAT even though he was taking multivar at the time. We did not let our younger kids accelerate as much and they did far better on the SAT without tutors and in math generally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just compared the math level (normal not accelerate) of my 5th grader school and RSM and it’s like day and night.

poor grammar

Poor math

Poor social skills.

Lack of empathy.