Deal - Algebra 1 and geometry

[Anonymous]

If your child did the advanced track math at Deal (i.e. Algebra II and Geometry in 8th grade) and had to repeat one of those later, could you please share what that did to the HS GPA?

We keep hearing that it "counts for the high school GPA" but I don't really understand what that means or what the impact is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC did well enough on the geometry assessment to be allowed to take Algebra 1 and Geometry simultaneously next year (8th grade).

From parents of students who went this route, how big a lift did it turn out to be for your student?

This would imply Algebra 2 in 9th, Pre-Calculus in 10th and AP Calc BC in 11th. Make sure you have a path beyond that (dual enrollment, multivariable calculus or linear algebra) in whichever school your child goes after Deal.

Also get a tutor to make sure you kid knows the materials that were skipped over the years. Do not rely on the fact that your kid got an A and "tested in" to the advanced track. Learned this this hard way.

+ 1000

All A's in MS Math at Deal only to squeak by in math in 9th grade. There were a bunch of gaps that getting full credit for handing in assignments at Deal did not help the process.

Oh my gosh. This 1000%. Only do this if your kid does math in their spare time or you have time to get a textbook and teach them. My kids did the Deal math track (high As), went on to private high schools, had to repeat Algebra 2 (one kid) and geometry (second kid) and struggled to get Bs. Almost all the material was new to them, despite taking the Deal courses IN THE SAME SUBJECTS.
Buyer beware. Deal math is exceedingly weak.

Which years were these?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child did the advanced track math at Deal (i.e. Algebra II and Geometry in 8th grade) and had to repeat one of those later, could you please share what that did to the HS GPA?

We keep hearing that it "counts for the high school GPA" but I don't really understand what that means or what the impact is.

Algebra I and Geometry are coded as HS classes and graduation requirements. So those grades will remain on your child’s HS transcript and be used to calculate their GPA. If they choose to repeat the class another year, DCPS replaces the previous grade with a higher grade if earned. So if your kid got a B in Algebra I and retook the class and got an A, the A would appear on the transcript.

[Anonymous]

A relayed question: are kids able to double block math at jR? My 7th grader did algebra this year but said they fucnt want to double block gif next year, which seemed fine to us at the time , so they are taking just geo, not Alg 2, in 8th. But now I’m wondering if they won’t regret being in the most advanced group. I don’t question whether they could handle the workload.

[Anonymous]

How are the current geometry and algebra 2 teachers at Deal? My kid is considering taking both in 8th, and the quality of the teachers could influence their decision.

[Anonymous]

I would (and did) discourage double blocking at Deal. No regrets. There are not a lot of long-term benefits to doing Geometry in 8th, and even fewer to doing Algebra II. It’s more important to build a strong foundation in algebra than to race through the foundational math as fast as possible. There’s no clear benefit in college admissions. Private and Catholic schools are mostly holding the line at geometry in 9th. A lot of Deal students who take Algebra II in 8th, who go to high schools with placement exams, wind up taking it over again. (And a lot of students who take calculus in high school take it over again in college, too.)

Also, 8th grade art was great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would (and did) discourage double blocking at Deal. No regrets. There are not a lot of long-term benefits to doing Geometry in 8th, and even fewer to doing Algebra II. It’s more important to build a strong foundation in algebra than to race through the foundational math as fast as possible. There’s no clear benefit in college admissions. Private and Catholic schools are mostly holding the line at geometry in 9th. A lot of Deal students who take Algebra II in 8th, who go to high schools with placement exams, wind up taking it over again. (And a lot of students who take calculus in high school take it over again in college, too.)

Also, 8th grade art was great.

Agree when this. my son was in the Algebra 2 cohort and I'd say that 80% of his classmates took it over again, including ever single kid who went on to private or Catholic (those schools do placement exams). the kids just don't learn much and they skip over many Algebra 2 topics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC did well enough on the geometry assessment to be allowed to take Algebra 1 and Geometry simultaneously next year (8th grade).

From parents of students who went this route, how big a lift did it turn out to be for your student?

This would imply Algebra 2 in 9th, Pre-Calculus in 10th and AP Calc BC in 11th. Make sure you have a path beyond that (dual enrollment, multivariable calculus or linear algebra) in whichever school your child goes after Deal.

Also get a tutor to make sure you kid knows the materials that were skipped over the years. Do not rely on the fact that your kid got an A and "tested in" to the advanced track. Learned this this hard way.

+ 1000

All A's in MS Math at Deal only to squeak by in math in 9th grade. There were a bunch of gaps that getting full credit for handing in assignments at Deal did not help the process.

Oh my gosh. This 1000%. Only do this if your kid does math in their spare time or you have time to get a textbook and teach them. My kids did the Deal math track (high As), went on to private high schools, had to repeat Algebra 2 (one kid) and geometry (second kid) and struggled to get Bs. Almost all the material was new to them, despite taking the Deal courses IN THE SAME SUBJECTS.
Buyer beware. Deal math is exceedingly weak.

OP here - yeah, I was amazed how many topics weren’t covered in 8th grade math. Happily, I can tutor the kids in math, although will need to brush up on MV calculus if they get to that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC did well enough on the geometry assessment to be allowed to take Algebra 1 and Geometry simultaneously next year (8th grade).

From parents of students who went this route, how big a lift did it turn out to be for your student?

This would imply Algebra 2 in 9th, Pre-Calculus in 10th and AP Calc BC in 11th. Make sure you have a path beyond that (dual enrollment, multivariable calculus or linear algebra) in whichever school your child goes after Deal.

Also get a tutor to make sure you kid knows the materials that were skipped over the years. Do not rely on the fact that your kid got an A and "tested in" to the advanced track. Learned this this hard way.

+ 1000

All A's in MS Math at Deal only to squeak by in math in 9th grade. There were a bunch of gaps that getting full credit for handing in assignments at Deal did not help the process.

Oh my gosh. This 1000%. Only do this if your kid does math in their spare time or you have time to get a textbook and teach them. My kids did the Deal math track (high As), went on to private high schools, had to repeat Algebra 2 (one kid) and geometry (second kid) and struggled to get Bs. Almost all the material was new to them, despite taking the Deal courses IN THE SAME SUBJECTS.
Buyer beware. Deal math is exceedingly weak.

OP here - yeah, I was amazed how many topics weren’t covered in 8th grade math. Happily, I can tutor the kids in math, although will need to brush up on MV calculus if they get to that point.

Okay, now you've got me curious. What isn't covered? True that my experience with the class is several decades old, but I thought there were some basics they had to cover before precalc.
NP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A relayed question: are kids able to double block math at jR? My 7th grader did algebra this year but said they fucnt want to double block gif next year, which seemed fine to us at the time , so they are taking just geo, not Alg 2, in 8th. But now I’m wondering if they won’t regret being in the most advanced group. I don’t question whether they could handle the workload.

No JR does not allow for double blocking HS math in HS level classes. They may allow for AP stats and AP calc, but only if there is space in the class senior year. Your child could take a HS math (alg 2 for example) in the summer and transfer the credit, but check with JR first and make sure they will accept the class. They will likely not be able put it on the transcript as part of the child’s GPA, unless it is through a DCPS summer program, but that doesn’t mean they will not let the child advance. When applying for college, you would have to submit the record for the class taken separately.

[Anonymous]

I think the geometry teacher at Deal is thought to be stronger than the geometry teacher(s) at JR. So if you plan to go to JR, I think that is reason alone to take geo in 8th if you can. While I agree that there might not be much utility to taking Alg II in 8th, and it seems out of line with what colleges expect, that is not what OP asked. OP asked about taking Geo. Geometry in 8th seems pretty "normal" for high-achieving kids in the DMV area, and certainly shouldn't be a stretch for a kid who is reasonably good in math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child did the advanced track math at Deal (i.e. Algebra II and Geometry in 8th grade) and had to repeat one of those later, could you please share what that did to the HS GPA?

We keep hearing that it "counts for the high school GPA" but I don't really understand what that means or what the impact is.

Zero impact if you don't got to a DCPS high school. None of my child's middle school grades are on the private high school transcript. They actually would have helped though.

[Anonymous]

Anyone know if you can double block for Alg 1 and Geometry at Banneker?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if you can double block for Alg 1 and Geometry at Banneker?

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if you can double block for Alg 1 and Geometry at Banneker?

No.

You can do it at McKinley, though.