Middle school doesn’t want to let my kid take a higher level math class!

[Anonymous]

You have to take math all four years of high school. If you max out what your high school offers in freshman or sophomore year, what is the plan for junior and senior year math?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Geometry is a graduation requirement. You can’t self study a graduation requirement.

Yeah, where is OP thinking a school system will accept "self study"?

OP is a troll. Stop feeding it.

[Anonymous]

I hear you, OP. I definitely hear you. Since he can’t accelerate in that way, he can go deep. Take extra math at RSM or AOPS. Do Math Kangaroo and AMC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have to take math all four years of high school. If you max out what your high school offers in freshman or sophomore year, what is the plan for junior and senior year math?

This. You are required to take math every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I simply do not understand this mindset.

DS is 7th grade. He’s smart (not a genius) and motivated and likes math. He’s currently taking algebra 1.
He wants to be on track to take Calc 1 as a freshman. He would do this by self studying geometry and taking algebra 2 in 8th grade.

I met with the middle school today and the principal said absolutely not. The school doesn’t allow kids to “skip” classes.

As they should not

He could enroll in a class at MC over the summer take geometry send the credit to MCPS but he can not self study

DS wants to do this because his older brother who is 17 and older brother’s friends have inspired him. They love math and are on very accelerated pathways.

I’m floored that the middle school doesn’t encourage kids who want to do more and push themselves. Is this common?

[Anonymous]

OP, if you don't like public school pathways, you can pull him out and homeschool.

public school isn't "choose your own adventure".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think acceleration is fine, but not your plan. It’s sounds bonkers. In our district, you have to have special approval to sign up for online courses and it has be from a specific platform. You can just sign up for some random class during the school year and expect credit for it. But taking a full Alg II course over the summer (which is what, 8-10 weeks) is a worse idea. Alg I and II are foundational classes and you don’t want to rush them or give him too much material concurrently.

I think the only somewhat reason option, if you want for acceleration for him, is to a geometry over the summer and start 9th grade in Alg II. This year, if you are math savvy, you can work with him on geometry concepts and introduce it, but without the pressuring of a full course. That way it will be more familiar come summer.

All of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take math all four years of high school. If you max out what your high school offers in freshman or sophomore year, what is the plan for junior and senior year math?

This. You are required to take math every year.

No, not really. Usually you only need 3 math credits to meet graduation requirements. Many schools will give credit for high school math taken in middle school. OPs kid will already have 2 math credits when entering high school, from 7th grade Alg I and whatever he takes in 8th. So he would technically only need one year of math in high school to meet graduation requirements, BUT I don’t think anyone would suggest that. Nor would I suggest OPs wacky plan. But I have a kid that started Calc in 9th. They did calc AB, calc BC, the DE at local university for 11th and 12th grade for calc III (multivariable) and discrete math. It isn’t that unusual for kids to do DE for upper level math in high school

[Anonymous]

Most schools do gatekeep, because in their experience, accelerating kids doesn't end well.

Which totally sucks for the few kids who DO THRIVE ON ACCELERATION! Like my daughter. I had to fight MCPS so she could be placed in Alg 1 in 6th. She did pre-cal in 9th, and is now doing well in AP Calc BC in 10th. No problems, at all. She enjoys it.

I don't know how you can solve your kid's situation, OP, but I greatly sympathize.

Maybe tell us the name of the school system? Is there someone above the Principal you can appeal to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most schools do gatekeep, because in their experience, accelerating kids doesn't end well.

Which totally sucks for the few kids who DO THRIVE ON ACCELERATION! Like my daughter. I had to fight MCPS so she could be placed in Alg 1 in 6th. She did pre-cal in 9th, and is now doing well in AP Calc BC in 10th. No problems, at all. She enjoys it.

I don't know how you can solve your kid's situation, OP, but I greatly sympathize.

Maybe tell us the name of the school system? Is there someone above the Principal you can appeal to?

Me again. I don't think OP's plan is bonkers at all. When the math coordinator at DD's middle school first rejected her placement in 6th grade algebra, he suggested that she do Geo and Alg 2 in 8th grade at the same time. So it can be done. We didn't want that, so we kept pushing for her placement in Algebra 1 in 6th, which we eventually got. But taking two math classes at the same time is perfectly doable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most schools do gatekeep, because in their experience, accelerating kids doesn't end well.

Which totally sucks for the few kids who DO THRIVE ON ACCELERATION! Like my daughter. I had to fight MCPS so she could be placed in Alg 1 in 6th. She did pre-cal in 9th, and is now doing well in AP Calc BC in 10th. No problems, at all. She enjoys it.

I don't know how you can solve your kid's situation, OP, but I greatly sympathize.

Maybe tell us the name of the school system? Is there someone above the Principal you can appeal to?

Me again. I don't think OP's plan is bonkers at all. When the math coordinator at DD's middle school first rejected her placement in 6th grade algebra, he suggested that she do Geo and Alg 2 in 8th grade at the same time. So it can be done. We didn't want that, so we kept pushing for her placement in Algebra 1 in 6th, which we eventually got. But taking two math classes at the same time is perfectly doable.

DS is going to do that next year in 8th. He will take Geometry at the HS first period and then back to middle school for the rest of his classes, including Algebra. MS doesn't offer geometry at the school, but does have this option. OP - Could that be a solution for you to double up on Geometry and Algebra 2? From what I understand it's hard to double up after those levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hear you, OP. I definitely hear you. Since he can’t accelerate in that way, he can go deep. Take extra math at RSM or AOPS. Do Math Kangaroo and AMC.

The AMC's are challenging. Math Kangaroo less so at the MS level. The International Math Competition, hosted by RSM, is good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have to take math all four years of high school. If you max out what your high school offers in freshman or sophomore year, what is the plan for junior and senior year math?

No you don't. You need 3 years of math to graduate in Virginia. I know I had 3 years of math in California ages ago.

There are dual enrollment math classes past calculus at every high school in FCPS because there are kids finishing calc as Sophomores, a few as Freshman. The number of kids will increase now that FCPS is offering Algebra 1H in 6th grade.

Most colleges want to see four years of math and science in HS, at least the top 100 schools want that. There are colleges you can attend that are fine with 3 years of math and science. Plus, a kid who takes calculus as a freshman will have four years of math on their transcript anyway.

[Anonymous]

Blech, the accelerated-math crowd are worse than the crazy-sports parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most schools do gatekeep, because in their experience, accelerating kids doesn't end well.

Which totally sucks for the few kids who DO THRIVE ON ACCELERATION! Like my daughter. I had to fight MCPS so she could be placed in Alg 1 in 6th. She did pre-cal in 9th, and is now doing well in AP Calc BC in 10th. No problems, at all. She enjoys it.

I don't know how you can solve your kid's situation, OP, but I greatly sympathize.

Maybe tell us the name of the school system? Is there someone above the Principal you can appeal to?

Me again. I don't think OP's plan is bonkers at all. When the math coordinator at DD's middle school first rejected her placement in 6th grade algebra, he suggested that she do Geo and Alg 2 in 8th grade at the same time. So it can be done. We didn't want that, so we kept pushing for her placement in Algebra 1 in 6th, which we eventually got. But taking two math classes at the same time is perfectly doable.

Yes, geometry is one that's pretty easy to take concurrently once you have Algebra I under your belt.

But taking two classes at the same time, and promising to "self-study" a course (typically) required for graduation are entirely different things.