How bad is it if you fail Algebra - Physical health issues also involved

[Anonymous]

We are told child need to retake math next year. There is an ongoing health issue and child handled it poorly not communicating well with teachers. Two A's, three B's and one C besides the F in math (Algebra).

Could you please help me understand what is the impact to college admissions and any suggestions for next year.

Keeping other details private as much as possible to keep anonymity.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

8th grader or 9th? You need to know your school's exact policy. If it's a high school this might be published on the web. You should call your school or superintendent's office ASAP for info as they may go on break soon.

Is it too late to register for summer school for credit recovery? If it's too late, have your child work on algebra problems all summer using Khan Academy, ixl.com, or something like Mathnasium, Kumon, or tutoring.

[Anonymous]

10th Grade. They told us to repeat the class next year.

[Anonymous]

Don’t panic. Retake the class. Realistically, if your child is Algebra 1 their sophomore year, they weren’t going to get into a competitive college anyway. The good news? There’s no shame in starting at community college and then transferring somewhere else to obtain a 4 year degree (if that’s what they want).

We all make mistakes. It’s how you handle things moving forward that matters.

[Anonymous]

If the health issue is ongoing, do they need a 504 or IEP to be more successful the second time around?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:8th grader or 9th? You need to know your school's exact policy. If it's a high school this might be published on the web. You should call your school or superintendent's office ASAP for info as they may go on break soon.

Is it too late to register for summer school for credit recovery? If it's too late, have your child work on algebra problems all summer using Khan Academy, ixl.com, or something like Mathnasium, Kumon, or tutoring.

PP of post above. As a parent who had to remediate my kids' pandemic-impacted math, I recommend you subscribe to IXL.com math over the summer and have your child do 30 mins per day. You can see the results in the parent portal and use the analysis of strengths and weaknesses to have a conversation with a teacher on where your child's math knowledge gaps are. It covers K-12 math. So it will be able to find your child's level. It basically does what the Mathnasium intake assessment does. You may find your child has problems with math anywhere from 5th grade to 9th grade math.

If your kid won't do this work, it's not worth subscribing. But if they are diligent you should see some patterns emerge and they may be able to strengthen some skills by practicing. If you don't feel confident analyzing it you could try posting pictures of the results on this site. Or getting help from the school in the fall.

[Anonymous]

They need 3 maths to graduate with a standard diploma so if they pass next year they can do geometry as 11 and then FADA or Alg 2 as a senior. More importantly they need to pass the algebra SOL next year as they need that verified credit. I agree with a PP that it’s not a huge deal - they will still get into plenty of colleges but a kid taking Alg1 in 10 and has that GPA was never going to be a UVA/ VA tech student anyway, so the schools whose admission this would theoretically impact were never on the table. There are lots of schools that still are AND- some kids aren’t college bound and that would also be ok. A trade or vocation school or even NOVA CC to begin is a great idea for many kids I teach.

[Anonymous]

Sorry I was not clear. Child is in Algebra 2 in 10th grade. A in both Algebra 1 and Geometry.

This year there is a health issue that should be resolved in the next few months. But child used it as an excuse and did not use the accommodations teachers were glad to provide.

There is an class and extracurricular where the teacher thinks the child is the best they have seen in their 20+ odd years and child spends way too much time on this to the hinderance of studies. If you talk to this teacher and another outside coach for this extracurricular vs. math/science teachers, the difference is night and day. These extracurricular teacher made child a captain in 10th grade, which never seems to have happened. Child spends all the time on this activity and gives studies minimal attention.

In math the problem is simply not practicing enough as in not doing given homework.

How would you approach in this case?

[Anonymous]

It's bad, OP, I'm not going to lie. Colleges want the best GPA, and your kid just tanked theirs, through lack of accompaniment by parents and their own impulsivity. I suspect something more is going on than just their health - my teen spent last fall in and out of surgery, and still got straight As everywhere.

Is there ADHD? That could explain the impulsivity and lack of planning, organization and follow-through, and also explains their hyperfocus on this other activity. If that's the case, they need a 504 and ADHD meds, to help their brain manage the neurotransmitter issue.

Regardless, your kid needs a good one-on-one math tutor over the summer, so they have As next semester. And something has to be done about the lack of focus in non-preferred courses. It's not a good sign that they're focused on just their passion to the point they fail other classes.

[Anonymous]

No chance of ADHD, unless it only started in the last 5 months.

What blows away my mind is this - my child helps with homework/questions on some of the Algebra 2 topics earlier in the year to our neighbor's child who is in the same class. So not like child does not understand or finding it difficult. Attitude is a B is good enough for what the college I want to go to, so why bother. It is working fine, until the health issue. Then it seemed like, I have this health issue, maybe I do not even need a B. Not sure if that is the thinking but seems like it.

[Anonymous]

Ok, that changes things quite a bit, and I won’t lie either — it’s not good. Your child won’t really be able to use their health condition as an excuse when they were able to excel in courses they preferred. They could’ve done it, they just didn’t want to.

But again, this isn’t some death sentence. Life is full of learning opportunities. So, they retake the class. Probably won’t get into competitive colleges, but can start somewhere modest and then transfer. They haven’t resigned themselves to a lifetime of unemployment.

[Anonymous]

Also, we have to help our kids learn executive functioning skills. Set aside 10 min a day to make sure things are being handled. Go through assignments to make sure things aren’t missing. Make study plans. Map the week out.

And if it’s an attitude problem, no more phone till that resolves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10th Grade. They told us to repeat the class next year.

If your child hasn’t passed Algebra 1 by the end of their 2nd year of high school, I would be concerned that they aren’t on track for graduation, and would ask for an IEP evaluation.

If the class in question is Algebra 2, I would say that almost every kid will hit bumps in the road, and that this might mean that the path to adulthood might not be the one you envisioned, it won’t prevent him from going to college or having a rewarding career.

I would then want to take some time this summer to figure out whether this reveals problems with foundational skills, and what the plan needs to be moving forward.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't matter how bad it is. It happened.

What you need to focus on is how to improve going forward

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:8th grader or 9th? You need to know your school's exact policy. If it's a high school this might be published on the web. You should call your school or superintendent's office ASAP for info as they may go on break soon.

Is it too late to register for summer school for credit recovery? If it's too late, have your child work on algebra problems all summer using Khan Academy, ixl.com, or something like Mathnasium, Kumon, or tutoring.

PP of post above. As a parent who had to remediate my kids' pandemic-impacted math, I recommend you subscribe to IXL.com math over the summer and have your child do 30 mins per day. You can see the results in the parent portal and use the analysis of strengths and weaknesses to have a conversation with a teacher on where your child's math knowledge gaps are. It covers K-12 math. So it will be able to find your child's level. It basically does what the Mathnasium intake assessment does. You may find your child has problems with math anywhere from 5th grade to 9th grade math.

If your kid won't do this work, it's not worth subscribing. But if they are diligent you should see some patterns emerge and they may be able to strengthen some skills by practicing. If you don't feel confident analyzing it you could try posting pictures of the results on this site. Or getting help from the school in the fall.

If you don't have a good free online math program through school, you can use Khan. You don't need to pay for practice and lectures.