RSM or AoPS -- which one?

[Anonymous]

hi

[Anonymous]

AoPS is better

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have been to AoPS. It’s a good curriculum assuming you will need minimal help from teachers. Most students just practice math at home. They fill up 12 to 18 kids per class. So there is a limited one on one interaction.

I would rather consider RSM or Mathnasium should you prefer more one on one interaction.

How large are RSM classes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For parents who have their children in either of the programs, what do you like about the program? My DD is in RSM, but wondering if AoPS would be better.

Please refrain from turning this into a diatribe about how coaching and prepping is unnecessary--you know nothing about why we're doing it so don't bother with the negativity--and stick to the original question being asked, otherwise I will ask JSteele to remove your comment. Thanks for playing by the forum rules!

DD started at AoPS this year, but after a couple of classes we switched to RSM. What I like about RSM is the possibility to choose a class on DD's level. They have regular classes and advanced classes on each grade level, as well as math competition team. It's also possible to go a grade up, if necessary. My DD's just did this. So far we really like it. DD enjoys the additional challenge and she made friends with the other kids.

What prompted the switch to RSM? We are currently with RSM and contemplating AoPS, so curious to know why? Is it because AoPS wouldn't allow your child to switch to a higher grade learning?

To be honest we haven't been at AoPS long enough to test whether a higher grade level would be a better fit. It might have been, but we haven't tried. In general I am a supporter of keeping DD in groups of similarly aged kids for social reasons. I disagree about making friends, she has a couple of good friends at RSM, but then again, she is there a lot. She does advanced class on her grade level plus math competition team, and some kids are the same in both teams, so she sees them twice per week.

I liked AoPS initially, and DD really liked the books. I think she liked the books there more than the handouts at RSM. But I also like the homework help/ make up lesson option at RSM, very handy if you travel etc, not sure whether AoPS has anything like that. So I don't know which one is better honestly. So far we are happy with RSM.

Can you afford doing both for a month? I think you can cancel AoPS within a couple of lessons if you don't like it and want to stay with RSM. This will allow you to understand the differences better.

AOPS charges for fixed 12 week trimesters, and only allows refunds up through the first week.

[Anonymous]

RSM has a multi year geometry sequence as has remedial, on level, and advanced classes.

AoPS only has one class per sbject, except for the basic and advanced Contest Math classes.

How does AoPS handle differentiation?
I believe that they aren't intended for remedial at all.

Do the AoPS subject classes (Algebra, Geometry) also cover Contest Math in that subject?

[Anonymous]

I think it can also be teacher-student-fit-dependent for both programs. DS did RSM but really didn't like it at all, complained of being unable to understand what the teacher was saying, and I think it also just was a bit too much rote / stern of a culture, and it felt a bit competitive to him as well (if he struggled to solve a problem at the board, other kids would giggle at him, etc.). He swapped to AoPS and is loving it.

DD on the other hand is thriving at RSM and has had none of the issues DS experienced.

[Anonymous]

DD is doing RSM. We are so happy with a progress she made for last year and half. RSM has three levels for each grade and they puts a kid in a different grade class if kid is ready. Also if miss the class, we can do either 30 mins online help or go other days when the same level class is offered.

No experience with Aops

[Anonymous]

We had a very negative experience with RSM. Very inflexible teachers, unwilling to allow make-ups, AOPS has been much much better

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a very negative experience with RSM. Very inflexible teachers, unwilling to allow make-ups, AOPS has been much much better

Weird, we had the opposite experience. AoPS told us that DS could not sit in on another class to make up a missed class and RSM bends over backwards to find another class for DS to make up missed classes. I would guess that it is highly dependent on the branch.

[Anonymous]

pettifogger wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

pettifogger wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For parents who have their children in either of the programs, what do you like about the program? My DD is in RSM, but wondering if AoPS would be better.

Please refrain from turning this into a diatribe about how coaching and prepping is unnecessary--you know nothing about why we're doing it so don't bother with the negativity--and stick to the original question being asked, otherwise I will ask JSteele to remove your comment. Thanks for playing by the forum rules!

I can speak for AoPS since I teach there but I don't know much about RSM, although I've heard that it is also a good program. AoPS is very rigorous and has a high ceiling for challenging problems with the goal of stretching even the strongest students in a classroom. Do you have specific questions/issues?

Does AoPS test in order to see which class a child belongs in? Or do you start with the grade you're in, irrespective of knowledge? Also, anything you can share about how the math curriculum is built at AoPS? (Are you a math teacher at AoPS?)

Yes, I teach at the local campus; the placement is not quite based on grade, but more on current math level. You can schedule an appointment with the director and they will give the child a diagnostic test to figure out which class would be the suggested fit. You can read more about the curriculum on the aops.com website which also also has links to the Beast Academy curriculum for elementary school students.

Don’t mean to hijack the OP’s thread, but do you think the in person language programs are better than online AOPS or the same? My 5 th grader just started language this semester and I am wondering whether to do online vs in person for the summer. I need her to really up her language game so that she can tackle middle school English without problems. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

My oldest went to RSM at two different locations starting when DC was halfway through 1st grade. Got placed in highest level and continued until end of 5th grade. We weren't sure what DC was learning as always got ridiculous report card grades and there's no text book. Homework was done online but if you didn't get it correct couldn't complete.

Some of the written problems were not well written so wasn't always able to assist in figuring out the problems. Thankfully DH was a math major so could figure out what the ask was by seeing the answer. Also, DH noticed that 5th grade math teacher was hard to understand and had a very dry personality so we could see how that might be harder for DC to stay engaged during the final year at RSM. It can be highly dependent on the teacher your child gets.

Younger child started AOPS in 2nd grade, and I would help with the computer stuff initially, like accessing the HW and videos. DC now can do it all w/o my assistance. I like there are online HW assignments along with videos and written explanations. There's also a text book and extra HW problems. Each child has a variety of ways to learn the material. Finally, they get feedback through regular quarterly unit tests.

Oldest child switched over to AOPS when got to MS math and RSM recommended doing 2 hrs of algebra and 1 hr of geometry a week. While DC is capable of doing accelerated math, could see all this math was too much. Child is happier now in AOPS doing 2 hr class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My oldest went to RSM at two different locations starting when DC was halfway through 1st grade. Got placed in highest level and continued until end of 5th grade. We weren't sure what DC was learning as always got ridiculous report card grades and there's no text book. Homework was done online but if you didn't get it correct couldn't complete.

Some of the written problems were not well written so wasn't always able to assist in figuring out the problems. Thankfully DH was a math major so could figure out what the ask was by seeing the answer. Also, DH noticed that 5th grade math teacher was hard to understand and had a very dry personality so we could see how that might be harder for DC to stay engaged during the final year at RSM. It can be highly dependent on the teacher your child gets.

Younger child started AOPS in 2nd grade, and I would help with the computer stuff initially, like accessing the HW and videos. DC now can do it all w/o my assistance. I like there are online HW assignments along with videos and written explanations. There's also a text book and extra HW problems. Each child has a variety of ways to learn the material. Finally, they get feedback through regular quarterly unit tests.

Oldest child switched over to AOPS when got to MS math and RSM recommended doing 2 hrs of algebra and 1 hr of geometry a week. While DC is capable of doing accelerated math, could see all this math was too much. Child is happier now in AOPS doing 2 hr class.

Is 3 hours of math a week really too much? That's actually less time than they spend in math at school, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My oldest went to RSM at two different locations starting when DC was halfway through 1st grade. Got placed in highest level and continued until end of 5th grade. We weren't sure what DC was learning as always got ridiculous report card grades and there's no text book. Homework was done online but if you didn't get it correct couldn't complete.

Some of the written problems were not well written so wasn't always able to assist in figuring out the problems. Thankfully DH was a math major so could figure out what the ask was by seeing the answer. Also, DH noticed that 5th grade math teacher was hard to understand and had a very dry personality so we could see how that might be harder for DC to stay engaged during the final year at RSM. It can be highly dependent on the teacher your child gets.

Younger child started AOPS in 2nd grade, and I would help with the computer stuff initially, like accessing the HW and videos. DC now can do it all w/o my assistance. I like there are online HW assignments along with videos and written explanations. There's also a text book and extra HW problems. Each child has a variety of ways to learn the material. Finally, they get feedback through regular quarterly unit tests.

Oldest child switched over to AOPS when got to MS math and RSM recommended doing 2 hrs of algebra and 1 hr of geometry a week. While DC is capable of doing accelerated math, could see all this math was too much. Child is happier now in AOPS doing 2 hr class.

The 1 hour of Geometry is not necessary. It is suggested because the school thinks that most kids in the US do not go deep enough into Geometry and that the lack of depth hurts kids in more advanced math. There is a regular Geometry class that is on grade level for kids who are taking Geometry at school and have not taken the earlier RSM Geometry offerings.

DS does 4 hours of math through RSM. He is doing the grade level class and the math competition class. He dropped the Geometry this year in favor of the math competition, he thought 5 hours was a bit too much.

Both AoPS and RSM are solid programs. RSM has more flexibility based on kids math level. AoPS fits a smaller subset of the population but is great for the kids it works for. DS has started to use the mathcounts program that AoPS has and is thinking about the summer math competition course through AoPS. The only concern we have is that we are going to be on vacation for parts of it and is it worth the cost if he misses 1/3 of the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest went to RSM at two different locations starting when DC was halfway through 1st grade. Got placed in highest level and continued until end of 5th grade. We weren't sure what DC was learning as always got ridiculous report card grades and there's no text book. Homework was done online but if you didn't get it correct couldn't complete.

Some of the written problems were not well written so wasn't always able to assist in figuring out the problems. Thankfully DH was a math major so could figure out what the ask was by seeing the answer. Also, DH noticed that 5th grade math teacher was hard to understand and had a very dry personality so we could see how that might be harder for DC to stay engaged during the final year at RSM. It can be highly dependent on the teacher your child gets.

Younger child started AOPS in 2nd grade, and I would help with the computer stuff initially, like accessing the HW and videos. DC now can do it all w/o my assistance. I like there are online HW assignments along with videos and written explanations. There's also a text book and extra HW problems. Each child has a variety of ways to learn the material. Finally, they get feedback through regular quarterly unit tests.

Oldest child switched over to AOPS when got to MS math and RSM recommended doing 2 hrs of algebra and 1 hr of geometry a week. While DC is capable of doing accelerated math, could see all this math was too much. Child is happier now in AOPS doing 2 hr class.

The 1 hour of Geometry is not necessary. It is suggested because the school thinks that most kids in the US do not go deep enough into Geometry and that the lack of depth hurts kids in more advanced math. There is a regular Geometry class that is on grade level for kids who are taking Geometry at school and have not taken the earlier RSM Geometry offerings.

DS does 4 hours of math through RSM. He is doing the grade level class and the math competition class. He dropped the Geometry this year in favor of the math competition, he thought 5 hours was a bit too much.

Both AoPS and RSM are solid programs. RSM has more flexibility based on kids math level. AoPS fits a smaller subset of the population but is great for the kids it works for. DS has started to use the mathcounts program that AoPS has and is thinking about the summer math competition course through AoPS. The only concern we have is that we are going to be on vacation for parts of it and is it worth the cost if he misses 1/3 of the class.

would you not have internet?

[Anonymous]

I would say AoPS because my kids have gone to RSM and currently take AoPS and the reason why, is because RSM teaches you about basic math you-need-to-know things in contrast to AoPS, which stretches things apart and go into very deep explanations. My kids complained how the RSM portal was always acting weirdly, but know the AoPS homework is set up differently. You can do alcumus, which is just math practice to make your grades go higher, and the homework is challenging and the solutions are well explained.