Alg 1 vs Honors Alg

[Anonymous]

It’s about the pacing. Check with your student and student’s teacher. Honors math classes pick up steam quickly, particular as you start accumulating them. Math is a subject that builds on itself, so students need a really good grasp and understanding to do well in the upper level classes. Assess your students Math level and ability. Honor is fine if Math is their thing or they are willing to put in the work.

People will try to tell you otherwise, but the number of students who then need a tutor at the Hn Alg2 and Hn Pre-Cal level should be enough to convince folks that it’s not for everyone.

[Anonymous]

There is no Honors Algebra 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s about the pacing. Check with your student and student’s teacher. Honors math classes pick up steam quickly, particular as you start accumulating them. Math is a subject that builds on itself, so students need a really good grasp and understanding to do well in the upper level classes. Assess your students Math level and ability. Honor is fine if Math is their thing or they are willing to put in the work.

People will try to tell you otherwise, but the number of students who then need a tutor at the Hn Alg2 and Hn Pre-Cal level should be enough to convince folks that it’s not for everyone.

+1. Some posters early in this thread made some comment about honors not being honors or difficult. Search through these boards, these upper level honors math classes are fast and tough.

So for Algebra I, I would make sure your kid takes the class that absolutely locks in the concepts, even if it means going slower. You’ll be happy later on you did so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no Honors Algebra 1.

Yes, there is.

[Anonymous]

Anyone who claims that MCPS Honors Alg 1 exists should be ignored until they provide evidence.

MCPS Course Bulletin does not list it for MS or HS.

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/middleschool/coursebulletin

http://coursebulletin.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/CourseLists/Index/234

[Anonymous]

Privately, AoPS has a free series of videos and computer-adaptive computer-graded homework for Honors-level Prealgebra and Algebra.

https://artofproblemsolving.com/resources

[Anonymous]

Honors is not offered until geometry. There is honors geo and honors Alg II, but just on-level Alg I.

https://coursebulletin.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/CourseLists/Index/234/#Mathematics_Courses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought MCPS only offered regular algebra 1 (which can be taken as early as 6th grade). Honors appears to start with Geometry.

Only if you were at one of the wealthy Potomac ES or a wealthy Potomac MS that allows that sort of thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honors is not offered until geometry. There is honors geo and honors Alg II, but just on-level Alg I.

https://coursebulletin.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/CourseLists/Index/234/#Mathematics_Courses

They need to make Algebra 1 Honors "for all". Along with honors PE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought MCPS only offered regular algebra 1 (which can be taken as early as 6th grade). Honors appears to start with Geometry.

Only if you were at one of the wealthy Potomac ES or a wealthy Potomac MS that allows that sort of thing.

C'mon - you know the rule: what happens in W feeders stays in W feeders!

[Anonymous]

Question. Our high school has almost all honors classes, except for math where some kids get off the faster track. Does every honors class give you extra points in your gpa or just AP/IB? Just curious. Current 9th grade parent at BCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question. Our high school has almost all honors classes, except for math where some kids get off the faster track. Does every honors class give you extra points in your gpa or just AP/IB? Just curious. Current 9th grade parent at BCC.

Yes, any Honors, AP, or IB class is weighted with an extra point so, A = 5 instead of 4 points in your weighted GPA.

[Anonymous]

So a B in the honors pre-calc is calculated the same as an A in the regular track?


My rising 11th grader is deciding which one to take. She took Alg. I in 7th grade. 8th grade was private school and she took Alg II (geometry wasn't offered to 8th graders COVID year). In 9th grade she took honors geometry. She didn't think she learned enough in Alg. II at private school as an 8th grader so in 10th grade she is (re)taking Honors Alg. II. She's deciding between Honors pre-calc or regular pre-calc. She's heard the honors one is quite hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So a B in the honors pre-calc is calculated the same as an A in the regular track?


My rising 11th grader is deciding which one to take. She took Alg. I in 7th grade. 8th grade was private school and she took Alg II (geometry wasn't offered to 8th graders COVID year). In 9th grade she took honors geometry. She didn't think she learned enough in Alg. II at private school as an 8th grader so in 10th grade she is (re)taking Honors Alg. II. She's deciding between Honors pre-calc or regular pre-calc. She's heard the honors one is quite hard.

Yes, each of those grades would be 4 points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s about the pacing. Check with your student and student’s teacher. Honors math classes pick up steam quickly, particular as you start accumulating them. Math is a subject that builds on itself, so students need a really good grasp and understanding to do well in the upper level classes. Assess your students Math level and ability. Honor is fine if Math is their thing or they are willing to put in the work.

People will try to tell you otherwise, but the number of students who then need a tutor at the Hn Alg2 and Hn Pre-Cal level should be enough to convince folks that it’s not for everyone.

It's not always the case that kids needing tutors are misplaced. With different pedagogies being used and more emphasis on small group work, kids don't always get enough direct instruction in some classes and don't have textbooks to use at home. Kids that have already covered the material with RSM or AoPS are fine but kids who haven't may struggle. In these cases, tutors provide the direct instruction that they're not getting at school.