Thoughts -- Private with good math acceleration?
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Anonymous
| I'm considering whether we should broaden our options to include private when current 4th grader applies to middle schools next year. He's currently in MCPS. Anyone have recommendations for private that is really solid in math and science and can/will accommodate multi-year accelerated math? Want something in lower portion of the county (we're in SS). |
Anonymous
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There may be more opportunities for acceleration in magnet programs in Monty County and then eventually Blair, than in private. Most of the privates are so small that accelerating kids by more than a year or two (ie ending up with BC calc in 11th grade and multivariate calc in 12th) isn't possible. Sidwell is very rigid and doesn't accelerate anyone beyond that sequence and up until a few years ago resisted this, had no kids above BC Calc in 12th, but more recently they have adjusted their math sequence to match other schools better. GDS has allowed truly extraordinary kids to accelerate many years ahead, one child in my daughter's grade took calculus when she was in 7th or 8th grade, she went up to the high school for math after about 5th grade. One or two others did the same after her, but these were truly extraordinary math students, not just kids parents thought were more advanced and pushed. One was something like 3rd in the worldwide math Olympiad. both left GDS after 11th grade to begin college (I believe both at MIT). So GDS seems potentially the most flexible, but for kids not that far off the curve, there is no "tracking" until 7th grade, but at least some of the math teachers do a good job of differentiating work within the class.
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Anonymous
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I agree with PP that the magnets in MCPS may do more re acceleration, but also the regular schools in the county have paths to accelerate as well. PP is right that GDS is extraordinarily flexible with the extraordinary kids (vs. Sidwell). GDS also is pretty good with the plain old "really excellent" in math. However, this is at the HS, not the MS (in MS, it is a slog the whole way).
There are lots of (and increasing numbers of) options for acceleration outside of school. Hopkins is well known. But also check out Stanford, and Art of Problem Solving. You cannot necessarily get credit for these courses in your school - you'd have to negotiate it. But if you're truly interested in expanding math horizons of your child, then these are good resources for some kids. |
Anonymous
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I would look at schools that have a middle school and a high school.
My son is in 6th and he says that 1 kid takes a high school level math, 2 take Math with 8th grade, a bunch do 7th grade math. Never really had to research it myself. It's amazing how flexible the staff is with curriculum once they realize there is really a need not just an over zealous parent. They have been unbelievably flexible - in the opposite direction for us. I'd rather not out myself on the school - it's small. |
Anonymous
| Accelerating a 7th grader in to a class with 12th graders would freak me out as a parent. Lots of social conversations that I wouldn't want child to hear ... |
Anonymous
PP, thanks for your comments. They are very interesting. How did GDS offer those children advanced math? When I look at GDS's math curriculum, it looks like it ends at around the same stage as most other schools' programs (i.e., a few electives beyond AP Calculus). Did GDS just put these younger children into classrooms with the older math students? Or did GDS create a separate math seminar that catered to the individual capabilities of each of these advanced students? Also, how far did GDS let them progress? Did they just work up through GDS's standard multi-variable calculus program, and then leave GDS for college early? To ensure there is no confusion, I want to be clear my questions are not signaling any criticism or disbelief -- I am just hungry for more information. Of course, it sounds like you have only second-hand knowledge about these kids at GDS, so I completely understand if you don't have any more info about these programs than what you've offered already. For further reading, in case others are interested ... GDS http://www.gds.org/ftpimages/416/download/Math%20Flowchart%2012-13.pdf http://www.gds.org/podium/default.aspx?t=122737 Seems to end at basic calculus for some, or extend to more advanced topics (multi-variable, statistics, linear algebra, etc) for others who want more. Blair magnet http://www.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php Seems to end at basic calculus for some ("Analysis 1B"), or extend to more advanced topics (multi-variable, statistics, linear algebra, "sports statistics," etc) for others who want more. Thomas Jefferson http://www.tjhsst.edu/curriculum/mathcs/index.php http://www.tjhsst.edu/curriculum/dss/docs/ap-expectations.pdf Notes multi-variable, statistics, and linear algebra as advanced electives, as well as a few others that feature dual enrollment with George Mason University. Sidwell http://www.sidwell.edu/upper-school/academics/departments/us-math-department/us-math-sequence/index.aspx http://www.sidwell.edu/upper-school/academics/departments/us-math-department/us-math-acceleration/index.aspx http://www.sidwell.edu/upper-school/academics/departments/us-math-department/us-math-courses/index.aspx Seems to end at basic calculus for some, or extend to more advanced topics (multi-variable, statistics, linear algebra, etc) for others who want more. St Albans http://www.stalbansschool.org/document.doc?id=433 Seems to end at basic calculus for some, or extend to more advanced topics (statistics, linear algebra, etc) for others who want more, with potential for independent study on advanced math topics for any student who has exhausted the school's standard supply of math courses. |
Anonymous
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Our regular MCPS high school offers up through multivariable calculus (plus things like AP Stat). There are usually a group of kids who have gone through multivariable by 11th grade and then do an independent study in 12th grade. Last year there was a group doing a class through MIT. I think some may do a class through UMD. Those are the regular accelerated kids though, not sure what happens to kids who take AP Calculus in middle school. I assume they end up at Blair. I can't imagine there are that many of them.
OP how much acceleration are you looking for? |
Anonymous
| Are any of the privates using Singapore Math yet? I keep hearing great things about this program. |
Anonymous
Huh? I think the PP said high school - but probably with 9th graders. Though my 7th grader has cousins, brothers, etc and even 12th graders don't have much to say that he has not heard. |
Anonymous
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OP here. Thanks all. Son is currently in MCPS 4th grade. He's doing Math 6/7 this year without a problem (getting As with very little to no studying). So, about 2 years acceleration, at least for now.
Planning to apply to MCPS math magnet, but worried about if he doesn't get one of the coveted spots and have been trying to figure out what other options I may need to consider for him. |
Anonymous
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I'd talk to your local non-magnet MS in MCPS and see how they handle kids like your son. In my experience, they tend to be very open about such things (without commitments, of course, until they know him).
Acceleration is one route, and that seems to get most of the attention on this forum. What I'd call "expansion" of knowledge, deeper and to new areas (not "enrichment" which usually means extra worksheets) is another. If your school-based offerings aren't great, you can do other stuff directed toward problem solving. Some of this is "contest math," which requires a really good understanding of Algebra (which is limited in how hard and abstract it can get) and Geometry, and then moves on to related fields such as number theory and combinatorics. This stuff is not offered in high school courses regularly, but there quite a large infrastructure (mainly national competition exams by the Math Assn of America), and in MS there is Mathcounts. (This is the AMC/AIME/USAMO series, and there are not expensive online courses that teach this stuff through Art of Problem Solving.) |
Anonymous
| Just another quick note to OP. If your son is truly extraordinary and lives and breaths math, then no school will hold his interest, and the suggestions above will be the saving grace. This is not so different from an Olympics-bound athlete, who we wouldn't expect to get his/her training in school, but has to go outside. Just let go of the notion that all his training will happen in school. If, however, your child is just really strong, then school - especially if there is a group of kids who he is in the same league with - then you may find that in a good school (with an enthusiastic math team!). |
Anonymous
| Correction to 16:52 - should read "Algebra (which is UNlimited in how hard and abstract it can get) ..." |
Anonymous
DCUMers have learned alot from the DCUMMIE poster! |
Anonymous
I saw this done rather well in my public HS decades ago: fifth grader coming up to the HS in AM to take calculus with the honors calculus HS crowd. No worries about inappropriate conversation...the 5th grader was put in honors calc, after all, with all the math geeks who were passionate about one thing: fomulas. Like the GDS poster said, this is for truly gifted children, not simply those who are a couple years ahead. |