RSM Honors versus going up a grade level… And what is Competition?

[Anonymous]

We are new to RSM. I searched here and read some old threads about how kids went from Honors to going above grade level for RSM class. And then there is a competition level class above that, starting in 4th grade? Can anyone speak to what the three levels plus competition level equate to in a regular math curriculum?

RSM principal said there are three levels - accelerated, advanced, honors. DD placed into 2nd grade Honors, which the principal says “never happens.” I am assuming this is just a sales tactic but I am still curious about the levels. RSM principal simply said they have their own special curriculum which cannot be compared to Common Core.

Would “Advanced” simply be in line with an excellent public school, whereas “Accelerated” is for kids who need help getting up to grade level? Public school teacher told me DD is doing 3rd and 4th grade level math concepts on the iPad apps, but they don’t teach them in school and they don’t do gifted programming until 4th. In this case, should I ask about placing DD in RSM’s 3rd grade accelerated for next semester? She is testing in the 99 percentile on state and national tests.

[Anonymous]

They do teach different stuff completely from public school. Mine just started in 3rd honors, after spending a few weeks in advanced - it’s all basic algebra stuff, like 2x+25= xyz. Also honors classes goes quicker. You can start and then move a level.

[Anonymous]

To add - advanced level was also completely different from public school. So I would start where you placed.

[Anonymous]

Advanced doesn't seem to follow the public school curriculum at all. They told me that a third grader who isn't familiar with variables (e.g., 2x + 7x = y + 3) needs to start in advanced. I'm not aware of any school curriculum covering variables before 3rd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Advanced doesn't seem to follow the public school curriculum at all. They told me that a third grader who isn't familiar with variables (e.g., 2x + 7x = y + 3) needs to start in advanced. I'm not aware of any school curriculum covering variables before 3rd grade.

Agree, I was told that RSM does algebraic thinking (x y) beginning in 1st grade. When DS started he didn’t understand X.

[Anonymous]

Very few kids place directly into Honors, my son did and his branch was surprised. He was moved up a grade level in 4th and 5th grade but they refused to in 6th. He finished out the year in 6th grade and dropped the grade level class. Most kids are in the lower two classes. You can look at the course offerings and see that the Honors class has fewer classes. I have a friend whose kid is in 7th grade and taking 7th grade H at school, he is actually taking the 6th grade RSM class, which is essentially pre-Algebra because it was a better match for his class at school.

The different levels are predicated on how well kids know past material and how quickly they can pick up new material. Honors kids are expected to pick things up pretty quickly with less repetition then the other levels. I will say that the branch we attended seems to have been moving more kids into Honors than they should be. DS’s class spent far too much time repeating lessons because kids were not grasping the material. It was kind of a disaster. RSM tries to move people up a step each year, I don’t think all the branches make good calls on who to move up.

The competition program is amazing. The math is very different, think more active problem solving and complex problem. You can read the descriptions of the classes to see what is covered. The classes teach number theory, algebra, geometry, and other concepts that are needed to understand to do well in math competitions. The work is far more challenging but there is an expectation that kids pick on material quickly and with little repetition. There was only one class offered per grade level when we started MCP. I see that they now have 2 levels for MCP for each grade. DS moved into the National MCP program last year which essentially accelerates the class by one year. He loves it.

I am pretty sure that the MCP participation is part of the reason why the regular class turned into something so easy. They cover so much material in a variety of disciplines which makes the regular math class less necessary. Seriously love the MCP program.

[Anonymous]

The other PPs are fairly accurate. The math program is quite different than school math, especially in elementary school. In higher grades, where DS is now, the math hews more to a specific topic (eg algebra II) but does look at things a bit differently.

To add, the competition program is specifically designed to prepare kids for math competitions (Math Team, Olympiad, etc). It goes over concepts useful for that and gives problems from these types of competitions. It was very interesting, but it was too much for my son to do in addition to RSM and math from school and his other classes as he got older, so we didn't continue. You have to test into it.

[Anonymous]

What I would like to know about RSM is… where are the non-immigrant, non-Indian parents? Or is everyone replying here 1st or 1.5 generation Indian?

My son just had his first RSM class, and apart from one Russian-speaking woman and one Mandarin-speaking man, every single parent waiting was an Indian immigrant.

Are non-immigrants not prioritizing math? Or do they do other math programs? I thought more Russians would be in the program too, given the name and given that all the principals and teachers are Russian. I am second generation East Asian and was the only 2nd gen East Asian parent there out of 4 full classes of parents waiting. I felt singled out by several other parents, like they were thinking “What are you doing here? You don’t belong.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I would like to know about RSM is… where are the non-immigrant, non-Indian parents? Or is everyone replying here 1st or 1.5 generation Indian?

My son just had his first RSM class, and apart from one Russian-speaking woman and one Mandarin-speaking man, every single parent waiting was an Indian immigrant.

Are non-immigrants not prioritizing math? Or do they do other math programs? I thought more Russians would be in the program too, given the name and given that all the principals and teachers are Russian. I am second generation East Asian and was the only 2nd gen East Asian parent there out of 4 full classes of parents waiting. I felt singled out by several other parents, like they were thinking “What are you doing here? You don’t belong.”

Stereotype much? We’ve been doing RSM for 3 years (Chevy Chase location) and DD’s class is very racially diverse. We are White…

[Anonymous]

It’s all Indian

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s all Indian

95 percent I would say

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I would like to know about RSM is… where are the non-immigrant, non-Indian parents? Or is everyone replying here 1st or 1.5 generation Indian?

My son just had his first RSM class, and apart from one Russian-speaking woman and one Mandarin-speaking man, every single parent waiting was an Indian immigrant.

Are non-immigrants not prioritizing math? Or do they do other math programs? I thought more Russians would be in the program too, given the name and given that all the principals and teachers are Russian. I am second generation East Asian and was the only 2nd gen East Asian parent there out of 4 full classes of parents waiting. I felt singled out by several other parents, like they were thinking “What are you doing here? You don’t belong.”

I'm ukrainian, and my kid is at RSM and so is almost every other Ukrainian or Russian speaking family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I would like to know about RSM is… where are the non-immigrant, non-Indian parents? Or is everyone replying here 1st or 1.5 generation Indian?

My son just had his first RSM class, and apart from one Russian-speaking woman and one Mandarin-speaking man, every single parent waiting was an Indian immigrant.

Are non-immigrants not prioritizing math? Or do they do other math programs? I thought more Russians would be in the program too, given the name and given that all the principals and teachers are Russian. I am second generation East Asian and was the only 2nd gen East Asian parent there out of 4 full classes of parents waiting. I felt singled out by several other parents, like they were thinking “What are you doing here? You don’t belong.”

I am a white parent, third generation. Irish/Scottish/Ukranian mix. That said, DS is one of a few white kids in his class. It is mainly a mix of Asian, Indian, and a few Eastern Europeans. I do know a few Black families who are attending.

Culturally, Asian families place a higher value on education and are more likely to send their kids to enrichment programs. We send our son because he loves math and enjoys math competitions. He could careless about the composition of his class. He is learning and doing well in school and on his math competitions.