Math Track
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Anonymous
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I have two children, one in second and one in eighth. The eighth grader is currently taking Geometry. The second grader has pretty high Map-M scores. I have heard of children in 6th grade taking Algebra. What would be the process of getting my second grader on track for Algebra in 6th? Lastly, is there any possible way for my eighth grader to somehow skip Algebra 2 (I'm pretty confident that they are capable)?
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Anonymous
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There’s no process for your kid getting to take algebra in 6th. This will be another thread with 10 pages of Pole arguing about allegedly some wealthy schools where maybe you can do it and others saying it’s not just wealthy schools and others saying it only happens if parents wear down administration.
Your 8th grader can skip algebra 2 if they get into the Blair magnet. If they don’t get in then drop the idea. There is no reason to do it and also no benefit to algebra in 6th grade and plenty of reasons not to including having to be bussed to high school for algebra 2 in 8th and running out of math classes in high school. |
Anonymous
| Also please use the search function for the 345,654 threads on this same issue with the same old arguments being rehashed every time. |
Anonymous
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My youngest child is in 8th grade and taking Algebra 2.
You need to request that the math coordinator at the middle school test your child over the summer, and inquire how they will deliver Algebra 2 in 8th grade: are there usually enough students to create a class at the middle school, or will your child have to be bused to the high school for first period (high school time, so a little earlier than first period of middle school)? Also, once at the high school, does that school have math classes that go beyond AP Calc BC and AP Stats, like multivariable calculus with differential equations? This is because Maryland requires one math class every year of high school in order to graduate. I've known kids who took dual enrollment classes at UMD for their senior year and took Calculus 3 there, because they'd done Honors precalc in 9th, AP Calc BC in 10th, Multivariable in 11th and then had nothing else that was harder (they could have done AP Stats, but didn't want to). Prepare your kid as much as possible for that Algebra 1 test, because MCPS hates accommodating an extra track, and some math coordinators I know deliberately make the test harder than it needs to be (ie, they test all the material seen in an Algebra 1 class, even though your kid should be tested on their readiness for the class, which is not the same thing). |
Anonymous
| 18:25 again. Do NOT have your 8th grader skip any math class! MCPS won't let you anyway. However, you may ask whether your kid can take a summer class and have that validated as Algebra 2. It's not usually allowed. Math gets harder and faster in high school. |
Anonymous
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Math is not a race. Many kids have high MAP-M scores. It’s fine to take Calc BC in 11th grade and then MVC and start college there. Even for a math major.
What are you thinking is the long game here? I know everyone likes to talk about what math class their kid is in but think ahead. |
Anonymous
Because some kids with math brains WANT more math, and they're miserable if they have to rehash the same old same old while their peers need things repeated. Have some respect, PP. Maybe your kid is a star athlete. He or she wouldn't be happy in the rec league. |
Anonymous
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It would be a really bad idea to skip Algebra 2. They could do it in summer school but pre-cal is really hard and a good background is important.
Algebra in 6th is school specific. Our school offered it based off MAP scores. We were just offered it on registration. No drama like others post. |
Anonymous
Actually my kid was a star math student had a MAP-M score in the 260s in 3rd grade. I am offering my experience as a parent who has gone through this already. Things were certainly boring for him before HS but there is plenty of challenge then, especially in the SMCS programs. |
Anonymous
| What’s your end game? They’re already on a math track that will get them admission to selective colleges. The reward for accelerating is just more math. I have a nephew who took calculus (not even AP) as a senior and was admitted to an Ivy. It didn’t hold him back that he didn’t accelerate. Does your student want to be so accelerated? Can they handle the acceleration without tutoring and without stress? |
Anonymous
Better to use school as an easy review and enrich and accelerate at home. The benefit is that if school is fully challenging, then if you skip up for a moment you get lost behind. But if you enrich at home, you can go at your own variable pace. Ding two different courses at the same time, one new for fun and one review for GPA, is *great*. You can still sign up for AP tests and math contests. The kids who are happy in math class are the ones who study ahead of their high-stakes GPA class. A lot of kids on the Algebra in 6th track regret it. AIM / AMP7+ is a good preview of Algebra and Geometry. |
Anonymous
I don't know any that regret it, including mine but one issue is what does your HS have to offer. Not all over MVC. |
Anonymous
I think the mistake a lot of parents make is that they think their kids are bored and only solution is to skip ahead. Learning to deal with things that move a little slow is a good life/school skill. Not everything is going to be new / exciting and let's face it, parts of math can be boring to most people. Outside enrichment with things like chess helps. |
Anonymous
This website is virtually unsearchable! The search function is random, it’s not by date, you can’t filter, it misses things, it’s a mess. Big fail. |
Anonymous
If a kid takes Calc BC in 10th you need more than MVC? Could take AP stats one year and MVC the other but this is the thinking ahead you need to do. |