9th grade math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS 9th grade:

Algebra II is AAP/ accelerated

Geometry is average

Algebra I is the slowest track

Pre-Calc in 9th usually means your parents made you spend a summer taking geometry between 7th and 8th to help game TJ admissions.

My son had Algebra I in 9th grade. He is going to attend Stanford in 09/2018. My daughter started Pre-Calc in 9th grade @Langley HS, finished AP Calc in 11th grade. School academic was so easy for her and she took it for granted, didn't have the work ethic. Went to UVa, dropped out after the 2nd year and she is now a bump.

You push your kid to work as hard as humanly possible. That's all you can ask for. The outcome is in god's hand.

Enough of my ranting. [/b]Algebra I is perfect fine for a 9th grader. Best of luck to your child.

[b]

I agree. These are typical DCUM people who want you and your child to feel inferior. It's fine unless you or your child are striving for a STEM major and career. But, your child will still be successful in other fields of study. I was not a math wiz although it has been a while since I was in K-12. I am a successful lawyer making more than most STEM careers today. Don't let these people make you and your child feel inadequate. They like to do that to feed their own insecurities.

I see your point, but the question was whether algebra I in 9th grade depended on the school or district. It is a fact that in MCPS, algebra I in 9th grade is a slower track. The on grade level expectation is to take algebra I in 8th grade. So, a student applying to colleges from an MCPS high school will be judged against other MCPS students who were in on grade level or accelerated math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS 9th grade:

Algebra II is AAP/ accelerated

Geometry is average

Algebra I is the slowest track

Pre-Calc in 9th usually means your parents made you spend a summer taking geometry between 7th and 8th to help game TJ admissions.

My son had Algebra I in 9th grade. He is going to attend Stanford in 09/2018. My daughter started Pre-Calc in 9th grade @Langley HS, finished AP Calc in 11th grade. School academic was so easy for her and she took it for granted, didn't have the work ethic. Went to UVa, dropped out after the 2nd year and she is now a bump.

You push your kid to work as hard as humanly possible. That's all you can ask for. The outcome is in god's hand.

Enough of my ranting. Algebra I is perfect fine for a 9th grader. Best of luck to your child.

This means your son either skipped a math class or never took Calc, which is fine. What is his intended major?
Taking Algebra 1 in 9th does not limit your access to top schools, but it can limit your access to certain majors. That is not dcum hype. It’s a fact.

[Anonymous]

OP here. He's taking Algebra 1 in 8th right now. He's in a magnet school in a different NE city. I didn't take Algebra 1 until I was in 9th. This was in a rigorous college prep high school in the late 80's.

He's struggling with Algebra 1. D+ with a tutor. Question will be whether to repeat Algebra 1 next year or go onto Geometry. Will Algebra II be a problem down the road?

I don't think he's headed towards a STEM major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. He's taking Algebra 1 in 8th right now. He's in a magnet school in a different NE city. I didn't take Algebra 1 until I was in 9th. This was in a rigorous college prep high school in the late 80's.

He's struggling with Algebra 1. D+ with a tutor. Question will be whether to repeat Algebra 1 next year or go onto Geometry. Will Algebra II be a problem down the road?

I don't think he's headed towards a STEM major.

Pull him back, especially if he's not going towards STEM. I have two kids who are/were on the track to take Alg. in 8th grade. If I felt that my child was really struggling in Alg. I would pull that child back. Alg is the most important math class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. He's taking Algebra 1 in 8th right now. He's in a magnet school in a different NE city. I didn't take Algebra 1 until I was in 9th. This was in a rigorous college prep high school in the late 80's.

He's struggling with Algebra 1. D+ with a tutor. Question will be whether to repeat Algebra 1 next year or go onto Geometry. Will Algebra II be a problem down the road?

I don't think he's headed towards a STEM major.

Definitely have him repeat the class. All math courses above Algebra build on the skills he’s struggling with right now. If he moves forward before he masters those, it will be an uphill battle and he may never catch up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taking algebra 1 in 9th is an acceptable track, but it is the slowest math track and will keep the student from taking calculus in high school. This can have a huge impact college admissions, especially for any science, engineering, computer, or business programs.

But it will have zero impact on those interested in a humanities degree. My two older kids are both at excellent colleges pursuing International Affairs and Political Science degrees, respectively. Their math track in high school was: Algebra I (9th), Geometry (10th), Algebra II (11th), and Stats (12th). Neither had any desire to pursue a math/science degree, so they focused on the humanities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS 9th grade:

Algebra II is AAP/ accelerated

Geometry is average

Algebra I is the slowest track

Pre-Calc in 9th usually means your parents made you spend a summer taking geometry between 7th and 8th to help game TJ admissions.

My son had Algebra I in 9th grade. He is going to attend Stanford in 09/2018. My daughter started Pre-Calc in 9th grade @Langley HS, finished AP Calc in 11th grade. School academic was so easy for her and she took it for granted, didn't have the work ethic. Went to UVa, dropped out after the 2nd year and she is now a bump.

You push your kid to work as hard as humanly possible. That's all you can ask for. The outcome is in god's hand.

Enough of my ranting. Algebra I is perfect fine for a 9th grader. Best of luck to your child.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS 9th grade:

Algebra II is AAP/ accelerated

Geometry is average

Algebra I is the slowest track

Pre-Calc in 9th usually means your parents made you spend a summer taking geometry between 7th and 8th to help game TJ admissions.

My son had Algebra I in 9th grade. He is going to attend Stanford in 09/2018. My daughter started Pre-Calc in 9th grade @Langley HS, finished AP Calc in 11th grade. School academic was so easy for her and she took it for granted, didn't have the work ethic. Went to UVa, dropped out after the 2nd year and she is now a bump.

You push your kid to work as hard as humanly possible. That's all you can ask for. The outcome is in god's hand.

Enough of my ranting. Algebra I is perfect fine for a 9th grader. Best of luck to your child.

This means your son either skipped a math class or never took Calc, which is fine. What is his intended major?
Taking Algebra 1 in 9th does not limit your access to top schools, but it can limit your access to certain majors. That is not dcum hype. It’s a fact.

Only if your child wants to pursue STEM in college. Otherwise, calculus is completely unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Algebra I is normal for 9th graders, though a lot of them take it in 8th grade these days and then take Geometry in 9th. That is, if they do well enough in their 8th grade Algebra.

My DS was in “honors” math in 8th grade and then Algebra I in 9th grade. But some kids (“accelerated” math in 8th grade, which was algebra I) took Geometry in 9th. Depends on what math was completed in 8th.

+1
My DD also took Honors Math 8 and will take Algebra 1 next year in 9th grade. She could have taken Algebra in 8th but we wanted to make sure she had a really firm foundation first.

+2
We were in hurry to rush our child through Algebra. 9th grade is a fine time to start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS 9th grade:

Algebra II is AAP/ accelerated

Geometry is average

Algebra I is the slowest track

Pre-Calc in 9th usually means your parents made you spend a summer taking geometry between 7th and 8th to help game TJ admissions.

My son had Algebra I in 9th grade. He is going to attend Stanford in 09/2018. My daughter started Pre-Calc in 9th grade @Langley HS, finished AP Calc in 11th grade. School academic was so easy for her and she took it for granted, didn't have the work ethic. Went to UVa, dropped out after the 2nd year and she is now a bump.

You push your kid to work as hard as humanly possible. That's all you can ask for. The outcome is in god's hand.

Enough of my ranting. Algebra I is perfect fine for a 9th grader. Best of luck to your child.

This means your son either skipped a math class or never took Calc, which is fine. What is his intended major?
Taking Algebra 1 in 9th does not limit your access to top schools, but it can limit your access to certain majors. That is not dcum hype. It’s a fact.

Only if your child wants to pursue STEM in college. Otherwise, calculus is completely unnecessary.

Or business

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Algebra I is normal for 9th graders, though a lot of them take it in 8th grade these days and then take Geometry in 9th. That is, if they do well enough in their 8th grade Algebra.

My DS was in “honors” math in 8th grade and then Algebra I in 9th grade. But some kids (“accelerated” math in 8th grade, which was algebra I) took Geometry in 9th. Depends on what math was completed in 8th.

+1
My DD also took Honors Math 8 and will take Algebra 1 next year in 9th grade. She could have taken Algebra in 8th but we wanted to make sure she had a really firm foundation first.

+2
We were in hurry to rush our child through Algebra. 9th grade is a fine time to start.

PP here, sorry - that should say, "We were in NO hurry to rush our child through Algebra."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. He's taking Algebra 1 in 8th right now. He's in a magnet school in a different NE city. I didn't take Algebra 1 until I was in 9th. This was in a rigorous college prep high school in the late 80's.

He's struggling with Algebra 1. D+ with a tutor. Question will be whether to repeat Algebra 1 next year or go onto Geometry. Will Algebra II be a problem down the road?

I don't think he's headed towards a STEM major.

100% have him repeat the class. Everything from here on out will depend on his having a firm grasp on Algebra I. Pushing forward will be setting him up for four years of struggling.

I know MCPS Algebra I is "on grade level" in 8th grade but in many other districts Algebra I in 9th is the norm, so I wouldn't worry about that. I'd be far more concerned about him really understanding the content.

[Anonymous]

The most important thing is that he understands and feels confident about the content. Have him repeat Algebra.

Even if he does want to follow a STEM path, this won't preclude him from doing that. In the future should he desire, he could take a summer math class, or he simply plans on perhaps spending a bit of extra time in college which is very common now any way. The only reason for the extra time in college is that STEM course schedules are tight, and they do build on the classes. He can't take physics without calc backing him up, so he might need to put off certain classes a semester. OTOH, if being on the 5-year plan for college is not something he'd considered, there's always taking a summer college course or two to get back "on track." Many STEM kids end up on the 5 year plan, so he wouldn't be an outlier in any case.

The math he takes as a 14 year old doesn't predict the rest of his life. Have him take the class that's appropriate for him, and it sounds like algebra is that class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The most important thing is that he understands and feels confident about the content. Have him repeat Algebra.

Even if he does want to follow a STEM path, this won't preclude him from doing that. In the future should he desire, he could take a summer math class, or he simply plans on perhaps spending a bit of extra time in college which is very common now any way. The only reason for the extra time in college is that STEM course schedules are tight, and they do build on the classes. He can't take physics without calc backing him up, so he might need to put off certain classes a semester. OTOH, if being on the 5-year plan for college is not something he'd considered, there's always taking a summer college course or two to get back "on track." Many STEM kids end up on the 5 year plan, so he wouldn't be an outlier in any case.

The math he takes as a 14 year old doesn't predict the rest of his life. Have him take the class that's appropriate for him, and it sounds like algebra is that class.

+1

Excellent advice.

Btw, I am working as a computer programmer and it doesn't require any math. Isn't Computer Sciences a STEM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The most important thing is that he understands and feels confident about the content. Have him repeat Algebra.

Even if he does want to follow a STEM path, this won't preclude him from doing that. In the future should he desire, he could take a summer math class, or he simply plans on perhaps spending a bit of extra time in college which is very common now any way. The only reason for the extra time in college is that STEM course schedules are tight, and they do build on the classes. He can't take physics without calc backing him up, so he might need to put off certain classes a semester. OTOH, if being on the 5-year plan for college is not something he'd considered, there's always taking a summer college course or two to get back "on track." Many STEM kids end up on the 5 year plan, so he wouldn't be an outlier in any case.

The math he takes as a 14 year old doesn't predict the rest of his life. Have him take the class that's appropriate for him, and it sounds like algebra is that class.

+1

Excellent advice.

Btw, I am working as a computer programmer and it doesn't require any math. Isn't Computer Sciences a STEM?

+2. My DS, who is pursuing a biomedical science Ph.D., took Algebra I in 9th grade.