Freshman Math Placement
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Anonymous
| Kid is taking Algebra I in 8th, doing well, and claims he aced the placement test at his new HS, but the HS is not willing to let him into Geometry and is putting him in Algebra I Honors. They apparently have a program whereby Geometry can be taken over the summer after Freshman year, but offer no details on how long this will take or how much it will cost (and we are already stretched paying for regular tuition). We love many things about the school, but all bets will be off if our kid gets bored doing what essentially could be a repeat of Algebra his first year there and which in turn puts him a disadvantage with his peers when applying for college. Any advice on how to handle this with the school would be appreciated. |
Anonymous
| What is their explanation exactly? |
Anonymous
They haven’t given one yet. My kid was adamant that they aced their math placement test (they took another placement test that they felt like he didn’t do well on, so I’ll take their word for it) and so my concern is that this is more about their resourcing and less about where the kid is at. But we’ll see. |
Anonymous
| I think it’s OK to reach out to the math chair (or the person who does the placement) and ask about the placement and the rationale behind it, but just be polite and not demanding or entitled. Ultimately, you may disagree with their rationale (or maybe you find that your kid didn’t do as well as he thought on the test), but you’re going to be there for four years so don’t establish yourself as a difficult family, especially if there’s an opportunity to take Geometry in the summer. |
Anonymous
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Algebra is the most importance math your child will ever take.
Your child did not ace it. What is the issue, best case scenario they actually ace an honors class and bloat their GPA. |
Anonymous
| I would ask the math chair and confirm they can take a math during summer to accelerate if they want to later. |
Anonymous
Kids this age often aren't the best judge of their own work after the fact (both over and underestimating). Here's what I'd do: Reach out to the department chair and ask for feedback on the placement test. If he was on the edge, ask if he can start in Geometry and switch to Algebra I if it doesn't go well. If he did poorly on placement, ask if you can reevaluate based on how he does in the early weeks of Algebra I. Believe me, they also want to get placement right for everyone! |
Anonymous
| Is he coming from a public school? Take those grades with a grain of salt. He obviously didn’t ace the placement test. |
Anonymous
Geometry doesn't really build on algebra. You can do very well even with a weak Algebra foundation. The weakness would become very apparent in Algebra II and trig, but by then it's a lot harder to drop back down to freshman math. |
Anonymous
Coming from a public school, he should have taken a standardized test (SOL in VA, MCAP in MD). If they did very well, then they know the subject. If not, then they don't. |
Anonymous
| Step one is getting your kids scores on the placement test and understanding them. And then come back for additional advice. |
Anonymous
FYI - This isn't a great approach to "find out" whether the kid had mastered Algebra I. They may not discover this until they reach Algebra II. Geometry is often quite different than Algebra, proof based. I'd speak with the math chair about the placement to understand their process and decision. I'd also confirm the ability to take Geometry summer after 9th (that it will continue next year) and find out the dates/cost of that program for this summer. |
Anonymous
| The placement tests often aren’t perfect reflections of the level the child is at. Do you have a good independent sense of their mastery of the subject? Conversation is probably different depending on what exactly happened on the placement test. |
Anonymous
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Reach out to discuss the strengths and weaknesses demonstrated on the placement test. Consider if it shows that he truly doesn't understand algebra 1 and would benefit from a refresher -- getting through high school math isn't a race and it's better that he understand the fundamentals than that he be accelerated. Ask questions about what's taught in the new school's class to see how much new material there would be.
If you think he just had a bad day or there are only a few units he struggled with, ask if he can study over the summer (perhaps with a tutor) and retake the test at the end of the summer. |
Anonymous
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Our son was in a similar situation. There are two things to consider here:
Algebra 1 taught by most middle schools is a watered down version of the high school Algebra 1 version. The curriculum of "Algebra 1 honors" at some schools is more like Algebra 2 and precalc. This is the case at my son's high school. I'd inquire about what exactly the Algebra 1 honors curriculum is before ruling it out. |