HIgh School Summer School for Math Question
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Anonymous
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My daughter is eager to delve deeper into mathematics and is transitioning from a different school system in North Carolina where she completed Algebra in 8th grade. Despite MCPS placing her in Honors Geometry for 9th grade, she's expressing a strong desire to undertake Algebra 2 during the upcoming summer to continue her advancement. She excels in math and finds it to be her favorite subject.
We've already discussed this with her guidance counselor, who gave tentative approval, although there's uncertainty regarding the availability of Algebra 2 for the summer session. The counselor indicated that a decision on this matter has not yet been reached. I'm interested to know, especially from parents with math-oriented children, if her request appears reasonable to you. Her cousin is in MCPS same grade and is starting with Algebra 2 which got her on this path of wanting to move forward. Is there a potential route for her to pursue this during the summer, and when does MCPS typically release their summer program details? As she's entering a new school this autumn, I'm wondering whether these sessions are specific to each high school, or if they consist of a mixture of students from different schools that offer the program? Would it be feasible for her to take this course online or at another school? I've noticed that certain private schools include these courses in their summer curriculum, and we're open to the possibility of enrolling her there. Thank you for your assistance. |
Anonymous
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It's better to do geometry in the summer than algebra II. I recognize that it's too late for that, but I mention it because you may have heard of kids getting ahead by taking "math" in the summer. But there's a big difference between taking geometry and algebra II in such a short timeframe.
My kid was in your kid's boat and they seemed open to allowing her to take both geometry and algebra II in her freshman year. Geometry isn't very necessary for algebra II, particularly for a motivated student who will self-study if they see a hole in their knowledge. However, when we went to register, they said their math classes were so full they couldn't accommodate the request. But it might be something worth asking about. (FYI that a lot of times, the summer Algebra II course will be non at honors level, and will be full of kids who failed it the first time and are trying to recover credits. So it may not be the class you're hoping for. |
Anonymous
| Algebra II introduces a bunch of concepts that is required in Trig/Calc. It will be hard to master and retain those things in a short summer course. I would suggest your daughter take Alg II at RSM/AoPS during the school year to learn the material, whether or not she takes the "official" alg II during the summer or full school year. |
Anonymous
| Ask for double math in school, and AoPS/RSM out of school. |
Anonymous
For those of us who don't know what RSM or AoPS is...do tell? And if someone takes Algebra II at one of these places why would they need to take it at MCPS. Would it not count? Also, not promoting moving forward like this but if your kid is driving it, go for it. My question is will it bode better for college? |
Anonymous
The summer school math classes are not really intended for original credit (even if technically they can be, post-pandemic). They are designed for student who already took the class and failed (or got a low grade) to retake the class to earn credit (or improve their grade). They can also be taken as a "pre-view" for students planning to take it in the fall. Algebra 2 is a critical math course - I wouldn't try to cram it to get ahead. A better suggestion is for your daughter to take both Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra 2 this year (9th grade). Then next summer (and the following summer if she desires) she can take courses that are required for high school graduation but not part of any sequence or that she is really interested in. These are common to take in the summer for students wanting to have more space during the year for higher interest courses: Health A/B Tech credit - Foundations of Computer Science A/B or Foundations of Technology A/B Art Credit - Photograph A/B or Art History/Music Perspectives -HS Teacher |
Anonymous
| They have it every summer but it’s very hard to learn what you need to know in six weeks. |
Anonymous
This makes no sense. They are private tutoring companies too. Supplement. Not what op is asking. Op is asking about summer school. Some of the privates offer it but mcps usually offers those classes every summer. |
Anonymous
AoPS RSM math |
Anonymous
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At least at our high school they only did in person half day classes for replacement credit. Classes for new credit had to be done online through the central summer school program which is largely asynchronous so I expect it would be hard to do a foundational math class for new credit that way.
The central summer school schedule comes out in the spring (maybe April?) and you find out if you actually were enrolled in the class you requested approximately 24-72 hours before the summer school class starts. |
Anonymous
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At MCPS the fast math track starts Algebra in 6th grade, so one can take pre-Calc in 9th. Most of the advanced math students taking Algebra in 7th grade, so Algebra 2 in 9th. MCPS do not allow skipping once Algebra starts, but there's a chance to ask for a placement test for transferring from another school district. Taking two brand new math classes (geometry and Algebra 2) over the summer sound too bold because a ton of contents are gone through in light speed, unless your DD has been taking similar level classes before in EC. Having her take a test on AOPS and you'll see if she is ready to skip.
https://artofproblemsolving.com/store/book/intro-geometry-ebook (click "are you ready" on the right side). It's always good to ask the school district and counselor, especially the best chance happens when you transfer. However, if she is not ready, it's going to hurt her GPA and self-esteem. |
Anonymous
| What is wrong with starting Geometry in 9th? Does this eliminate getting into a top school? |
Anonymous
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This seems like a very poor idea. Plus, I think most HS only allows math in the summer for credit recovery. Jamming an important math class in a 6 week summer session is a bad plan.
Are you doing this because you are worried about college applications? There are plenty of kids taking geometry in 9th getting into "top" schools. Actually, from what I can tell, many of the kids that take Alg 2 in 9th scale back and only do calc AB then another lower level math class. If your child wants to show math strength, just have them take Calc BC in 12th. I believe it's allowed to even double-up and take AP stats that year as well if so inclined. |
Anonymous
| Doubling up senior year with the stats I think it sounds like a good idea also. Has anyone else done that? We also are starting geometry in 9 with math focused kid. We are coming from overseas. |
Anonymous
| The regular pathway is Algebra is 9th grade. One year accelerated (compacted math in 4th/5th grade) means Geometry in 9th grade. Two years accelerated (compacted math in 4th/5th grade + two years of math in sixth grade) is Algebra 2 in 9th grade. I don’t really know who is doing pre-calc in 9th grade. I’m not saying it is impossible but I don’t know kids who do this. Doing pre-calc in 9th grade seems like you’d run out of next-step math classes at the local school by senior year since so few kids (if any) would be 3 years accelerated. |