| No rush. As a 6th grader with a MAP math score 300+, an AIME qualifier, and an AMC 10 HR, my DC is sitting comfortably in a pre-alegrba class. There's plenty of time. If your child finished Calculus BC in 9th grade, what will they do next? |
| We are grateful for the opportunity to participate. My daughter loves the class and her cohort. |
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I think it is very much kid dependent and parents should bee making the choice based on their kid and how much they legitimately enjoy math.
If your kid is using a tutor or supplementation to stay on top of AAP math, Algebra is probably not a good idea. If your kid is doing great and qualifies but doesn’t like math, algebra is probably not a good idea. If your kid qualifies and loves math or really being challenged, algebra is probably a good choice. Don’t take it to keep up with the other kids or because you think it will help at TJ. The likelihood of getting into TJ is slim, 25% of the kids who apply are accepted. Most the kids at TJ start in Algebra 2 and do well there. Make the choice based on your kids interest and love of the subject not what their friends are doing. |
Calc 3 or stats or multivariable calculus or linear algebra or discrete math? There are tons of options. Your kid must be incredibly bored in math class. How does he productively pass the time? |
My kid was bored in math, still is in Geometry. A1H was not an option at his ES, they didn't discuss it with us even with perfect SOL scores and 99th percentile iReadys. He was doing the math competition class with RSM and had been moved up a grade level in the regular class at RSM. We told him that the math at school was good practice for him to make sure he had a strong understanding of the concepts hat are the underpinning of advanced math. He needed to treat the class as practice and repetition, which would help him solve problems quickly and accurately in higher level classes. Most colleges are not going to accept multivarite Calculus and Linear Algebra coming from the HS, we know kids who took the classes and had to retake them in college. Tossing in another year of DE classes that many STEM based schools will not accept isn't necessarily all that helpful. |
May I ask what your child's 5th grade MAP scores are? And do you know from your teacher if they also look at 4th grade MAP and SOL scores? |
They accept, and are given full college credit. No need to retake in college. UVA, VT, UMD College park have accepted DE Multivariable and Linear Algebra completed in FCPS high school. Saves a ton on tuition fee and helps with early graduation. |
It depends on the teacher now. Schools that don't have a teacher with a Masters in Math do not get the DE credit and most high schools don't have teachers with a Masters in Math. this changed a few years back. I know kids who are at college who had multivariate calculus and linear algebra in HS and had to retake the class in college. Their colleges were not willing to accept that the HS class was rigorous enough for their Engineering program. Plenty of people attend colleges that are not UVA, VT, and UMD. This isnot different then the IB folks who say that there was no issue with their kid getting credit for college classes off of IB when they are attending one of the colleges that FCPS list that accept those classes. Plenty of other kids have to fight for college credit from IB classes and tests. The DE classes are the same, it is not a guarentee that the school your kid goes to will accept the credit. My kid will take both classes. If his college accepts them, awesome. If htey don't, he has a head start on the material and it should be easier for him to get an A in those classes. |
But is that 6th grade AIME qualifier "comfortable" in that pre-algebra class, or are they bored out of their mind? I agree with you that there's no rush, but I also believe that there's nothing to be gained by having your kid sit in a class when they've already mastered all of the content. I don't understand why anyone would push their kid into higher classes when the kid isn't ready, but I also don't understand people like you who turn down an opportunity for their kid to be a little less bored in school. |
| Bored or great at memorizing procedures. If you look at FCPS longitudinal data regarding student enrollment in mathematics, far too many students who accelerate and take Algebra earlier than 8th grade fall back and take a less rigorous path once they reach Algebra 2. But go ahead and tell me “not your child”. Hyper-acceleration in mathematics is detrimental to students, but apparently FCPS leadership doesn’t see it this way. |
A 5th grader who made AIME is going to be bored in Algebra and Geometry and a host of other math classes. The best we get from my kid, who was one problem away from AIME as an 8th grader, is that the teach showed a new concept in his class, which he grasped quickly and returned to twiddling his thumbs in geometry. That same kid wanted nothing to do wit math in summer ot get ahead because he wants to do other things during the summer. Mine goes to RSM for math competition because it is where he is challenged. School reinforces things that he has learned and already knows and gives him extra practice. RSM is where he works. |
Could you provide a link for this longitudinal data? It literally is "not my child." Both of mine are beyond calculus. Hyperacceleration is fine, providing that the right metrics are being used. FCPS is doing so haphazardly. It's also dumb to push kids onto an accelerated track when the kid doesn't have the aptitude or interest, or the kid has foundational holes. |
You can always slow down by taking stats in 10th instead of calc. |
You might want to go over pre algebra over the summer. |
"We told him that the math at school was good practice for him to make sure he had a strong understanding of the concepts hat are the underpinning of advanced math" I don't think this is true - any kid who can qualify for AIME will not be getting any meaningful level of improvement from a pre algebra class. Even if they did, the majority of most pre algebra classes is not spent on classwork but on instruction and/or discovery activities that are mind-numbing for those who already understand the concept. What does your son do during this downtime in class? Does your teacher allow him to do math competition stuff? Have you advocated for this type of differentiation? Most schools with strong will either allow students to place out of calc 3 / linear algebra or offer a more rigorous, proof based version. Kids who retake regular calc 3 / linear algebra classes generally want to get their math done with rather than take more advanced math classes, or they/the school felt their high school course wasn't as good as the university course. There are some schools which don't allow any form of acceleration beyond calc BC credit under any circumstances, but these are rare and can be avoided with a bit of research. I'm sure they didn't discuss acceleration with you, but have discussed it with them? If your son takes the precalculus CLEP exam, for example, would the school allow him to place into precalc or calculus based on that? |