Earning High School Credit in Middle School

[Anonymous]

As the parent of a middle schooler, I can't see any benefit to my child to receive high school credit for a class taken in middle school. To me, middle school is a time for kids to experiment with taking control of their education, taking risks (hey, I'll try this hard foreign language for example) and making mistakes. I don't want to hover/helicopter because it's more important to me that he gets the message that he's in control of his education than that he gets the perfect grades. Once he knows how to be an independent secondary student, then we can start racheting up the expectations for grades before or when they count.

Except that MCPS does this stupid thing where foreign languages, even if they're taken in 6th grade, count on their high school transcript. So I find myself torn. Do I sit back, let him learn important lessons (like pack your backpack carefully because mom isn't bringing in that paper, or figure out your own plan for multiday assignments) and risk starting high school with a 2.0 or something or do I hover, email the teacher constantly, and end up with a kid with good grades and no independence.

Anyway, if you agree with me, I'd love to hear from you.

If you can think of an advantage to this system, please try and sway me because I think I'd feel better about it if I could at least understand the rationale behind the thinking rather than viewing it as the stupidest thing I've encountered yet.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you. I ranted about this a year or two ago on this board and most disagreed with you and me, however.

It is absurd for an 11yo to be forced to take a class for high school credit in order to learn a foreign language in school.

[Anonymous]

I agree too. I kept my son (gr 6) in reading this year just to avoid the situation OP described even though he was eligible to begin a language. The supposed plus is enhancing your HS transcirpt by allowing time for more classes. If colleges like 4 years of language you can accomplish 2 in MS and then have space for other interests in HS. I think you maybe able to retake a HS class you took in MS to improve the grade. Not 100% on that though.

[Anonymous]

Beware: if a college looks for four years of foreign language they are looking at courses completed in high school. Same for math, where students applying to UM will be required to take four years of math in high school. Taking high school classes in middle school simply prepares students to reach AP-level classes as early as in their junior year. Its an option if its the right thing for your child. As always, its up to the parents to say "no."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beware: if a college looks for four years of foreign language they are looking at courses completed in high school. Same for math, where students applying to UM will be required to take four years of math in high school. Taking high school classes in middle school simply prepares students to reach AP-level classes as early as in their junior year. Its an option if its the right thing for your child. As always, its up to the parents to say "no."

Absolutely agree with this. A downside of math acceleration is that kids basically need to take multivariable calc in 12 th grade to get their 4 years and show progression. Can take ap stat but that doesn't look as good to colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Absolutely agree with this. A downside of math acceleration is that kids basically need to take multivariable calc in 12 th grade to get their 4 years and show progression. Can take ap stat but that doesn't look as good to colleges.

Oh no, is this true? That was DC's plan.

I have a middle schooler who has 3 high school classes this year, but not the maturity to study consistently. I think this is a dumb idea, too.

For the four years of language while in high school, my HS kid has taken 2 years of one language and 3 years of another language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree too. I kept my son (gr 6) in reading this year just to avoid the situation OP described even though he was eligible to begin a language. The supposed plus is enhancing your HS transcirpt by allowing time for more classes. If colleges like 4 years of language you can accomplish 2 in MS and then have space for other interests in HS. I think you maybe able to retake a HS class you took in MS to improve the grade. Not 100% on that though.

OP here, I don't really understand how it enhances the transcript though. I mean, if my child's high school transcript starts with Spanish 3, then surely the college will put 2 and 2 together and figure out that he took 1 and 2 in middle school. It's not like they're going to say "OK we have two applicants, both finished IB Spanish 6, but only one took Spanish 1, so we'll choose him".

Same thing with math. If my kid takes Algebra 2 in high school, surely the colleges will figure out that he, at some point somewhere, took Algebra 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beware: if a college looks for four years of foreign language they are looking at courses completed in high school. Same for math, where students applying to UM will be required to take four years of math in high school. Taking high school classes in middle school simply prepares students to reach AP-level classes as early as in their junior year. Its an option if its the right thing for your child. As always, its up to the parents to say "no."

OP again,

To be clear, I think there are benefits to many kids to taking high school LEVEL classes in middle school. I just don't see how it benefits them to have them show up on the transcript.

At least they could make it optional, the way I think they do with 8th grade science.

[Anonymous]

Please expand and give more info, AP Stat poster. My 11th grade son is currently taking AP calc. AP stat is what he was going to take next year. Is this not right? U of Md is his first choice school. I never went to college so I want to make sure I do right by my kid. If you have info that AP stat is frowned upon please tell us why. Thanks~

[Anonymous]

I have also heard that AP Stat and AP Environmental are "lesser" APs and would be interested in hearing why. Perhaps that is true for the child who wants to major in math or science. fwiw, my DS took both AT Stat and APES in his senior year along with 2 other APs. It was a lot of work but the classes were aligned with his interests. He was accepted into a UMCP living learning program and some other competitive national universities. He will not be a math or science major, but AP Stat has already been useful in his college classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please expand and give more info, AP Stat poster. My 11th grade son is currently taking AP calc. AP stat is what he was going to take next year. Is this not right? U of Md is his first choice school. I never went to college so I want to make sure I do right by my kid. If you have info that AP stat is frowned upon please tell us why. Thanks~

I posted that and it is what we were told by the guidance office at our MCPS (one of the W's). Nothing wrong with AP Stat, and frankly it is probably much more useful for the non math major than multivariable calc, but for the kids looking at super competitive colleges they don't want to see kids lightening up their schedule in sr. year. AP stat can be taken as a second math class. I think for UMD, as long as it isn't for engineering or science, AP Stat is fine, especially if your child got through AP calc. and got a 4 or a 5 on the test.

I think the same logic applies to AP Envi Sci - great as a second science class but not a replacement for a AP chem, bio or physics. Again I think this applies to the most selective colleges, or for kids on a math/science track, not for all colleges.

There are kids at our HS who take AP calc in 10th grade. They end up having to do something off campus sr year to get the next level of math. Usually those kids are on a math/sceince track though so it make sense. The challenge comes for the large numbers who are taking AP calc as juniors and who maybe don't want or need to take multivariable calc in 12th grade.

[Anonymous]

If it can be used as an input into helping my kids graduate a year early, then I'm all for it. Is this the case? (please stick to the topic and spare me a debate on the perils of graduating a year early).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it can be used as an input into helping my kids graduate a year early, then I'm all for it. Is this the case? (please stick to the topic and spare me a debate on the perils of graduating a year early).

OP here,

My understanding is that it can't. That you need to have 4 years of "residency" in the high school. My high school's website says something about petitioning for a change, but I don't know whether that's easy or hard.

I also think that realistically, kids who are significantly ahead at 11th grade, have always had the option of early admissions to college. So, for them, there's been one avenue for leaving early.

If the schools are burning out enough kids that they want to leave a year early, enter the workforce, and not go to college, then I think we need to look at that issue.

I would also say that I'd be happy with a system where students and parents evaluate at the end of middle school which classes they want to keep on their transcript. I just don't like the current system where the only way you can study foreign language in middle school is to jeopardize your high school transcript.