Math acceleration

[Anonymous]

I read about high school freshman placing into geometry, but when does the math acceleration start? Everything right now is at grade level and there is no grouping. Are people working ahead in 3rd grade, or is everyone really waiting until 6th and 7th? It seems like they need to start in elementary a year ahead in order to be a year or two ahead for high school, unless people are working ahead during middle school summers.

[Anonymous]

It depends on your school district. About 15% of 7th graders in Fairfax County take Algebra 1. There is a very small percent of kids who will take Algebra 1 before MS. Some kids choose to take Geometry in the summer after 7th grade so there are kids taking Algebra II in 8th grade but most of the early Algebra 1 kids will be taking Algebra II as 9th graders. Math acceleration starts in 3rd grade in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Mcps starts in 4th grade.

[Anonymous]

It varies by district. Ours doesn’t offer acceleration until 6th, and then it’s only “honors” 6th grade math, which puts you on track for Alg I in 8th. But in 7th they can apply to take Alg I and Alg II. Basically, if you want your kid to be accelerated significantly, you need to be teaching them at home in early elementary

[Anonymous]

Why do you want your child to be years ahead?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want your child to be years ahead?

So we can complete globally. Duh. The indian republican guy had a point you know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want your child to be years ahead?

So we can complete globally. Duh. The indian republican guy had a point you know.

They don’t need to be three years ahead to be efficient in math. If a student is good at math and is very interested in it then let them take the top levels starting in middle school. If they succeed at the AP math classes they can get a perfect SAT math score and go to MIT. Their math education will continue and they will have the necessary background.

I don’t think it’s helpful to give stress to kids when it can be avoided. There are probably a handful of kids at schools who can easily move faster than the others but a large majority will benefit from being on the standard track for good math students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want your child to be years ahead?

So we can complete globally. Duh. The indian republican guy had a point you know.

They drummed him out you know.

More chances for their mediocre children

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want your child to be years ahead?

So we can complete globally. Duh. The indian republican guy had a point you know.

They don’t need to be three years ahead to be efficient in math. If a student is good at math and is very interested in it then let them take the top levels starting in middle school. If they succeed at the AP math classes they can get a perfect SAT math score and go to MIT. Their math education will continue and they will have the necessary background.

I don’t think it’s helpful to give stress to kids when it can be avoided. There are probably a handful of kids at schools who can easily move faster than the others but a large majority will benefit from being on the standard track for good math students.

OP mentioned high school freshmen in geometry. That's "the standard track for good math students" in FCPS, in that the lower half of AAP will be on that track. The upper half will take Algebra 2 in 9th. The really exceptional 20-30 kids in the county will take Pre-Calc. Seems pretty reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want your child to be years ahead?

So we can complete globally. Duh. The indian republican guy had a point you know.

They don’t need to be three years ahead to be efficient in math. If a student is good at math and is very interested in it then let them take the top levels starting in middle school. If they succeed at the AP math classes they can get a perfect SAT math score and go to MIT. Their math education will continue and they will have the necessary background.

I don’t think it’s helpful to give stress to kids when it can be avoided. There are probably a handful of kids at schools who can easily move faster than the others but a large majority will benefit from being on the standard track for good math students.

OP mentioned high school freshmen in geometry. That's "the standard track for good math students" in FCPS, in that the lower half of AAP will be on that track. The upper half will take Algebra 2 in 9th. The really exceptional 20-30 kids in the county will take Pre-Calc. Seems pretty reasonable.

It is closer to 300 who take precalc in 8th grade, some kids take geometry in the summer between 7th and 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

In FCPS, it can potentially start in 3rd grade through the AAP program. It accelerates a bit each year, so that by the end of 6th grade, the students have completed the equivalent of 7th grade math.

From there, there are two normal-ish tracks.
1. Take 8th grade math in 7th grade, then Algebra 1 in 8th, geometry in 9th, etc
2. Additional acceleration - they can test straight into Algebra 1 in 7th, effectively skipping over the standard 8th grade math class. Then they can take geometry in 8th, and so on.

There can be some acceleration, either by getting up to Algebra 1 in 6th grade, or taking a math class like geometry as a summer class. Kids who do this could be in Alg 2 by 8th grade and Pre-calc in 9th. This is a lot less common, though.

[Anonymous]

It may surprise you to know that many people who had advanced degrees in math, enngineering, etc, from MIT, did not take advanced math in sixth or seventh grade.

There is something to be said for understanding the concepts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want your child to be years ahead?

So we can complete globally. Duh. The indian republican guy had a point you know.

They don’t need to be three years ahead to be efficient in math. If a student is good at math and is very interested in it then let them take the top levels starting in middle school. If they succeed at the AP math classes they can get a perfect SAT math score and go to MIT. Their math education will continue and they will have the necessary background.

I don’t think it’s helpful to give stress to kids when it can be avoided. There are probably a handful of kids at schools who can easily move faster than the others but a large majority will benefit from being on the standard track for good math students.

Oh no, let us not stress our precious little angels. The Indians can do that with their children. When ours are working in the field for their Indian masters, maybe you will rethink?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It may surprise you to know that many people who had advanced degrees in math, enngineering, etc, from MIT, did not take advanced math in sixth or seventh grade.

There is something to be said for understanding the concepts.

Maybe 20+ yrs ago..

No one is getting into MIT now without advanced math in middle and high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want your child to be years ahead?

So we can complete globally. Duh. The indian republican guy had a point you know.

They don’t need to be three years ahead to be efficient in math. If a student is good at math and is very interested in it then let them take the top levels starting in middle school. If they succeed at the AP math classes they can get a perfect SAT math score and go to MIT. Their math education will continue and they will have the necessary background.

I don’t think it’s helpful to give stress to kids when it can be avoided. There are probably a handful of kids at schools who can easily move faster than the others but a large majority will benefit from being on the standard track for good math students.

OP mentioned high school freshmen in geometry. That's "the standard track for good math students" in FCPS, in that the lower half of AAP will be on that track. The upper half will take Algebra 2 in 9th. The really exceptional 20-30 kids in the county will take Pre-Calc. Seems pretty reasonable.

That makes sense.