9th grader has a C in Honors Algebra 2

[Anonymous]

If my child had a C in Honors Algebra 2, I'd drop them down to Regular Algebra 2. If it's done by Oct. 4, the Honors class and the C won't show up on the transcript. (I'm not sure what grade shows up - I'd talk to the counselor about how the work is made up in Algebra 2).

My son really likes math and is doing well in Algebra 2 Honors - but math can be a real struggle for a lot of people (me included) and Algebra 2 in 9th grade is already on an accelerated track even if not honors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If my child had a C in Honors Algebra 2, I'd drop them down to Regular Algebra 2. If it's done by Oct. 4, the Honors class and the C won't show up on the transcript. (I'm not sure what grade shows up - I'd talk to the counselor about how the work is made up in Algebra 2).

My son really likes math and is doing well in Algebra 2 Honors - but math can be a real struggle for a lot of people (me included) and Algebra 2 in 9th grade is already on an accelerated track even if not honors.

I would say that you have to know more than just the "c" at interim time. Why a C? What sort of mistakes? Is kid getting the hang of it? Are retakes still on the table for a particularly bad test, if any?

[Anonymous]

Hello all. This is OP. Thank you everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it. Our student is understanding some concepts, but not grasping others. He said most of the class is working through the lessons as a group with the teacher circulating around the room helping the individual groups. I think getting a tutor is a good idea, because it will offer more one on one time, and our 9th grader is a bit too fond of the newly found freedom of the long high school lunch period to go everyday to get math help during lunch. But, yes - learning to study for tests is a skill they need to work on. Again, thank you all. I think he will stick it out for now, but may drop down to non-honors next year or even next semester if the struggle continues.

[Anonymous]

OP just fyi, MCPS lets you retake classes during the summer and substitute that grade if higher. We did this for last year's Algebra 2 class.

[Anonymous]

It is not a trivial decision going to general, you are likely to be in different math path
Gen algebra -> Gen pre calc -> Calc AB/stat instead of
Hon algebra -> Hon pre calc -> Calc BC

Which could be an issue for Stem majors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It barely started, too early to tell?

This is what I'm thinking. My junior has a C in calculus but I'm banking on the fact that interim grades are a kick in the butt and she has second half of the semeter to bring it up!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honors Algebra 2 is a beast. Both of my DD's took it as freshman and it was a bumpy ride. They both had Es at interims. I don't think that they were used to the pace of the class and it took some getting used to. They both were able to turn things around and get Bs by the end of the semester and year.

One DD went on to pre-calc in 10th. One stayed with honors and one just dropped down to on-level.

NP. Thank you. This is encouraging.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to say your student is likely not alone. Current 9th grade has way too many kids accelerated. Then kids missed a lot of algebra during remote learning. Many kids didn’t pass the MCAP assessments and MCPS just pushed everyone one along. Missed algebra concepts will show up less in geometry and more in alg 2. Total recipe for disaster. I took matters in my own hands and had my kid repeat algebra in 8th.

[Anonymous]

My child is in the same boat, different district. But it is a notoriously difficult class .She decided to stick with it because (1) she enjoys the class and (2) she is confident she can bring up her grade. If she wasn’t confident or the class caused her stress, I would have had her drop to Alg2.

We did hire a tutor. They now meet weekly. It was HARD to find a qualified one bc most tutors have to look up the information and they struggle to solve the problems as well. We went through several before settling on a good one.

I did have someone tell me that if you think your child is going to get a C, it’s better to drop back to Regular. But a B is ok.

[Anonymous]

My freshman had a C because she wasn’t showing the work. After the unit test she’s back to a B. It’s SO early and there aren’t many grades yet.

[Anonymous]

The C will be for the interim report which means nothing but a view for students and parents. If it is a low C I would consider switching to regular level, not to the 2 year tract. And also get outside help via tutoring at school or privately arranged.
If it is a high C then tutoring and ask teacher his/her opinion.

[Anonymous]

You might consider having kid take practice SAT math on Khan Academy and then using the recommendations to fill math gaps on Khan Academy. It will help with both Algebra 2 and future SAT studying, which focuses on the fundamentals.

[Anonymous]

I'm the outlier here, but my kid had a C in Honors Algebra 2, which became a D.

Because they don't like math, I suspected that dropping down wouldn't change anything, so we let it ride. Better a D in honors algebra than a D in regular algebra, I figured.

They repeated honors algebra 2 over the summer and got an A. I'm hoping the lesson also sank in that failing math begets more math. Some of us aren't math people, shrug.

[Anonymous]

My child decided against honors algebra II. He took algebra I /watched YouTube remotely in 7th grade and didn’t feel prepared. He also expressed that they wanted to better understand the content before moving on and that the honors math classes move so fast He has an A, are happy with the decision, the teacher is great but I think he recognize that the cohort of students in the class aren’t that into school. They are all upperclassmen and some are repeating the class. That said, the teacher loves his participation and motivation and he is shining.

I’m not sure what this means for his college prospects but he is taking APGov, honors biology, and honors english and the absence of math stress is pretty great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello all. This is OP. Thank you everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it. Our student is understanding some concepts, but not grasping others. He said most of the class is working through the lessons as a group with the teacher circulating around the room helping the individual groups. I think getting a tutor is a good idea, because it will offer more one on one time, and our 9th grader is a bit too fond of the newly found freedom of the long high school lunch period to go everyday to get math help during lunch. But, yes - learning to study for tests is a skill they need to work on. Again, thank you all. I think he will stick it out for now, but may drop down to non-honors next year or even next semester if the struggle continues.

You said most of the class is group work with the teacher circulating. Does the teacher offer some direct instruction to the class as a whole first and then break them into groups or are they in groups the whole time. If the latter, what are they working on and how do they know what to do?