Why do so few private schools offer accelerated math?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid entered 9th grade at a Big3 this fall from public as a super accelerated math kid--took algebra in 6th. We quickly found that despite having all As in math (Algebra 1, geometry, Algebra 2), she didn't really know much math.
The Big3 math was so much deeper and more difficult than what she was used to in public. After a month we dropped her down a level (from honors precalc to honors algebra 2) and she is doing really well (second year of algebra 2)

Now, some of this may be pandemic related and your mileage may vary but in *our* experience, the public school "acceleration" was a mile wide and a foot deep.

BS my kids are extremely math oriented we did Big 3 and public there is zero comparison Public wins hands down full stop.

Parent of MIT and Stanford

We did the opposite and found private more difficult and comprehensive.

Parent of Cal Tech and Stanford.

Apparently I’m not worthy of an opinion because my kids are in average schools.

Parent of VCU and Elon

My kids haven’t even applied to college yet! But I can say so far Math at a W public has been much better for my math wiz kid then it was at private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid entered 9th grade at a Big3 this fall from public as a super accelerated math kid--took algebra in 6th. We quickly found that despite having all As in math (Algebra 1, geometry, Algebra 2), she didn't really know much math.
The Big3 math was so much deeper and more difficult than what she was used to in public. After a month we dropped her down a level (from honors precalc to honors algebra 2) and she is doing really well (second year of algebra 2)

Now, some of this may be pandemic related and your mileage may vary but in *our* experience, the public school "acceleration" was a mile wide and a foot deep.

BS my kids are extremely math oriented we did Big 3 and public there is zero comparison Public wins hands down full stop.

Parent of MIT and Stanford

You sound like a high schooler.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid entered 9th grade at a Big3 this fall from public as a super accelerated math kid--took algebra in 6th. We quickly found that despite having all As in math (Algebra 1, geometry, Algebra 2), she didn't really know much math.
The Big3 math was so much deeper and more difficult than what she was used to in public. After a month we dropped her down a level (from honors precalc to honors algebra 2) and she is doing really well (second year of algebra 2)

Now, some of this may be pandemic related and your mileage may vary but in *our* experience, the public school "acceleration" was a mile wide and a foot deep.

BS my kids are extremely math oriented we did Big 3 and public there is zero comparison Public wins hands down full stop.

Parent of MIT and Stanford

I'm the person you're responding to and my kid's experience has 100% been that private is been harder. Like I said, your mileage may vary. I'm simply sharing my kid's experience. if you thought critically about this for a minute (oh Stanford/MIT grad) you would come to the conclusion that it's possible that not everyone has the exact same experience. I'm simply sharing ours. We're finding the private school math to go far deeper in content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't agree with your premise that lack of acceleration equals decreased quality. My private school kid is learning much more math and problem solving skills than his sister who is accelerated in public school.

+1

[Anonymous]

I’m curious if all these MIT students just did the school math program or also did outside math tutoring, camps, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to say, as someone who was in accelerated/ GT public programs and is now in life sciences research, I am coming around to this idea that faster tracking is not the be all/ end all. Some of these private schools have much more integrated math studies and truly do dig deeper. I know, I know, I was skeptical before. But I’m getting more on board with it over time. And honestly, being able to write really well is an incredibly useful skill when applying for grants or in almost every single career. I see that as necessary to even math oriented careers.

+1

top stem undergrad/grad myself and kids did algebra in 6th & 7th

[Anonymous]

^ and the 7th grade is only because they eliminated 6th grade algebra - which was totally fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to say, as someone who was in accelerated/ GT public programs and is now in life sciences research, I am coming around to this idea that faster tracking is not the be all/ end all. Some of these private schools have much more integrated math studies and truly do dig deeper. I know, I know, I was skeptical before. But I’m getting more on board with it over time. And honestly, being able to write really well is an incredibly useful skill when applying for grants or in almost every single career. I see that as necessary to even math oriented careers.

+1

top stem undergrad/grad myself and kids did algebra in 6th & 7th

I agree with this and I have graduate engineering degrees from a top 3 program. My kids were in public, but I moved them to private at HS and MS and found the math in private to be much better.

Of course this depends on the specific public and private.

[Anonymous]

OMG this debate is so wearisome. Lots of public schools send kids to MIT/CalTech/Stanford, as do lots of privates. One is not “better” than the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to say, as someone who was in accelerated/ GT public programs and is now in life sciences research, I am coming around to this idea that faster tracking is not the be all/ end all. Some of these private schools have much more integrated math studies and truly do dig deeper. I know, I know, I was skeptical before. But I’m getting more on board with it over time. And honestly, being able to write really well is an incredibly useful skill when applying for grants or in almost every single career. I see that as necessary to even math oriented careers.

+1

top stem undergrad/grad myself and kids did algebra in 6th & 7th

My kid did algebra in 8th and got through multi variable by end of high school with no outside classes. Many different paths to the same place and no one is better than the other.

[Anonymous]

Publics around here do seem to send more kids to stem-oriented schools than private — Purdue, Georgia Tech, CM, MIT. Does say something about where the emphasis is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to say, as someone who was in accelerated/ GT public programs and is now in life sciences research, I am coming around to this idea that faster tracking is not the be all/ end all. Some of these private schools have much more integrated math studies and truly do dig deeper. I know, I know, I was skeptical before. But I’m getting more on board with it over time. And honestly, being able to write really well is an incredibly useful skill when applying for grants or in almost every single career. I see that as necessary to even math oriented careers.

This whole thread is fascinating as a VA public school parent that watched parents FLIP OUT over the idea of the VA Dept of Education even looking at an initiative to eliminate math tracking/accelerated math in lower grades.

[Anonymous]

On the middle track, you still end up at BC Calc. I mean, how much more does anyone need in high school? The kids on the advance track end up in MathIV or Linear Algebra or Diffy.

This is mountains out of molehills.

[Anonymous]

Trajectory of typical DCUM education thread:

-Anonymous DCUM poster #1: “My kid took Calculus A/B in 3rd grade, went to private school, and then Princeton.”

-Anonymous DCUM poster #2: “Sure, but my kid took Calculus B/C in 2nd grade, went to public school, and then Harvard. I win.”

-Credulous DCUM lurker thinks to self: “OK, obviously public schools are better for math. I will enroll my average kid in my local public school.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trajectory of typical DCUM education thread:

-Anonymous DCUM poster #1: “My kid took Calculus A/B in 3rd grade, went to private school, and then Princeton.”

-Anonymous DCUM poster #2: “Sure, but my kid took Calculus B/C in 2nd grade, went to public school, and then Harvard. I win.”

-Credulous DCUM lurker thinks to self: “OK, obviously public schools are better for math. I will enroll my average kid in my local public school.”

Ha ha. Exactly.