Which privates have the most challenging math curriculum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of elementary school kids here. Can someone tell me why this matters at all if your kid doesn’t end up studying Math in college? Is starting algebra in grade 6 vs grade 7 or 8, or taking multi variable calculus in high school that big of a big deal or is it more of a nice to have? Signed, a poli sci major that is now a lawyer who knows nothing.

It doesn't matter at all, particularly in private school.

In some public schools, being on the accelerated math track is the way to try to make sure you have a class schedule across the board with the higher performing students and not the kids vaping in the back of the classroom. In some very competitive high schools that do a "check the box" for most rigorous course load on college applications, it may make a slight difference on where you stand compared to your classmates. However, most college ADs will tell you they just want to see that you took calc in HS. That is college prep enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of elementary school kids here. Can someone tell me why this matters at all if your kid doesn’t end up studying Math in college? Is starting algebra in grade 6 vs grade 7 or 8, or taking multi variable calculus in high school that big of a big deal or is it more of a nice to have? Signed, a poli sci major that is now a lawyer who knows nothing.

It doesn't matter at all, particularly in private school.

In some public schools, being on the accelerated math track is the way to try to make sure you have a class schedule across the board with the higher-performing students and not the kids vaping in the back of the classroom. In some very competitive high schools that do a "check the box" for the most rigorous course load on college applications, it may make a slight difference on where you stand compared to your classmates. However, most college ADs will tell you they just want to see that you took calc in HS. That is college prep enough.

Clearly, you don't have a kid like this in public. In HS, that is more true but in MS, the only advancement is math and the kids just get put with older grades so they still have that stuff. Many of the classes are coded honors and just regular classes that everyone takes, even the super-smart kids. For a math/science major, they want more than calc. For other majors, cal or the slower track is just fine. So, for the police science major, just getting to calculus is perfect, for computer science, math, or medical specialty, it's not.

And don't worry, the big difference between the publics and private isn't the drug use as it's everywhere (and we can look partly at parenting for that) but what drugs are being used.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of elementary school kids here. Can someone tell me why this matters at all if your kid doesn’t end up studying Math in college? Is starting algebra in grade 6 vs grade 7 or 8, or taking multi variable calculus in high school that big of a big deal or is it more of a nice to have? Signed, a poli sci major that is now a lawyer who knows nothing.

Parent of an engineer with a high school kid here...
It doesn't matter. At all.
Somehwere in the last 10 years or so algebra 1 because the normal college prep class for 8th graders. When that happened, the type A parents had to find some way to make it clear their kid was better than those "other kids" hence Algebra 1 in 7th became the normal advanced track. Which means the "really smart" kids had to do algebra 1 in 6th.

Algebra 1 in 8th will get your kid to calculus in high school, which is fine for anything excpet for maybe math at MIT or Cal Tech

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid came from DCPS to private and the math has been MUCH harder in private. He took Algebra 2 in DCPS middle school but it was a joke--very surface level class. He took Algebra 2 honors (as a do-over) in 9th grade in private and it was like he had never seen the material before. Now as an upperclassmen what he is learning in math is much harder than what his friends are doing at Jackson Reed. They study together.

MCPS and FCPS are probably much different but in our experience, DCPS math instruction is a joke.

Was this during Covid? Not sure I agree with it being a joke. Perhaps it was the particular school or particular teacher. I have found my kid’s math instruction to be good. I occasionally will provide extended explanation because I have a PhD in mathematics.

It was Covid but also now.
My kid's BFF is taking pre-calculus at JR and my son is taking honors pre-calculus at a Big3 private. The tests are light years more difficult at the private ---there'e nothing on the tests that was seen before in class--it's all application of things at a deeper level. I've compared and contrasted these exams all year (the kids are neighbors are study together and the other parent and I are friends--and we were both math majors so have personal interest).

This is no dig on DCPS--I have 2 kids who attend there, including one who will start JR next fall. But what is being asked of kids in the private is just very different.

Meh. The curriculum (at least at Sidwell) can't be all that challenging. Practically no one qualified for AIME this fall through AMC-10 or 12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s the rush?
Barring truly gifted mathematicians, and these are few in number, it is rarely necessary to accelerate math this way. In fact, the long term look is that it is a mistake for many. They advance through classes faster than they build deep math understanding.
Seems inescapable until colleges clean up their admissions policies. Maybe now that they are overwhelmed with meeting the mental health needs of students, they will slowly start to reconsider how they evaluate applicants.
A number of engineering programs do not recommend placing out of their first level calc classes bc they are harder than many of the AP programs, though students find the AP calc is a good foundation for retaking it. A number of colleges do not grant AP credit, so it’s all about gaming for college admissions, not depth of learning.

The existing classes aren't building a deep understanding even if they don't accelerate. Particularly now where they have added extra topics like stats to the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid came from DCPS to private and the math has been MUCH harder in private. He took Algebra 2 in DCPS middle school but it was a joke--very surface level class. He took Algebra 2 honors (as a do-over) in 9th grade in private and it was like he had never seen the material before. Now as an upperclassmen what he is learning in math is much harder than what his friends are doing at Jackson Reed. They study together.

MCPS and FCPS are probably much different but in our experience, DCPS math instruction is a joke.

Was this during Covid? Not sure I agree with it being a joke. Perhaps it was the particular school or particular teacher. I have found my kid’s math instruction to be good. I occasionally will provide extended explanation because I have a PhD in mathematics.

It was Covid but also now.
My kid's BFF is taking pre-calculus at JR and my son is taking honors pre-calculus at a Big3 private. The tests are light years more difficult at the private ---there'e nothing on the tests that was seen before in class--it's all application of things at a deeper level. I've compared and contrasted these exams all year (the kids are neighbors are study together and the other parent and I are friends--and we were both math majors so have personal interest).

This is no dig on DCPS--I have 2 kids who attend there, including one who will start JR next fall. But what is being asked of kids in the private is just very different.

Meh. The curriculum (at least at Sidwell) can't be all that challenging. Practically no one qualified for AIME this fall through AMC-10 or 12.

Regular math classes don't help that much with AMC 10 or 12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid came from DCPS to private and the math has been MUCH harder in private. He took Algebra 2 in DCPS middle school but it was a joke--very surface level class. He took Algebra 2 honors (as a do-over) in 9th grade in private and it was like he had never seen the material before. Now as an upperclassmen what he is learning in math is much harder than what his friends are doing at Jackson Reed. They study together.

MCPS and FCPS are probably much different but in our experience, DCPS math instruction is a joke.

Have to disagree. My DC did algebra 2 at Deal, got thru calc BC at JR with an A/5 in the class and AP test, and got As in linear algebra and calc 3 in dual enrollment at private DC Universities. Doing great in college and tutoring others. Depends on the kid. DC’s DCPS instruction was their favorite of all classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of elementary school kids here. Can someone tell me why this matters at all if your kid doesn’t end up studying Math in college? Is starting algebra in grade 6 vs grade 7 or 8, or taking multi variable calculus in high school that big of a big deal or is it more of a nice to have? Signed, a poli sci major that is now a lawyer who knows nothing.

It doesn't matter at all, particularly in private school.

In some public schools, being on the accelerated math track is the way to try to make sure you have a class schedule across the board with the higher-performing students and not the kids vaping in the back of the classroom. In some very competitive high schools that do a "check the box" for the most rigorous course load on college applications, it may make a slight difference on where you stand compared to your classmates. However, most college ADs will tell you they just want to see that you took calc in HS. That is college prep enough.

Clearly, you don't have a kid like this in public. In HS, that is more true but in MS, the only advancement is math and the kids just get put with older grades so they still have that stuff. Many of the classes are coded honors and just regular classes that everyone takes, even the super-smart kids. For a math/science major, they want more than calc. For other majors, cal or the slower track is just fine. So, for the police science major, just getting to calculus is perfect, for computer science, math, or medical specialty, it's not.

And don't worry, the big difference between the publics and private isn't the drug use as it's everywhere (and we can look partly at parenting for that) but what drugs are being used.

Have things changed a lot in the last 10 years? I matriculated from a top engineering school and didn’t take anything more than BC Calc in HS (nothing more was offered). Also, if I had taken Multivariable Calc and Differential Equations in HS, I would have grasped maybe 10% of what I did during my freshman year courses. Guaranteed. In college you take fewer courses at a time so you go much much more in depth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of elementary school kids here. Can someone tell me why this matters at all if your kid doesn’t end up studying Math in college? Is starting algebra in grade 6 vs grade 7 or 8, or taking multi variable calculus in high school that big of a big deal or is it more of a nice to have? Signed, a poli sci major that is now a lawyer who knows nothing.

It doesn't matter at all, particularly in private school.

In some public schools, being on the accelerated math track is the way to try to make sure you have a class schedule across the board with the higher-performing students and not the kids vaping in the back of the classroom. In some very competitive high schools that do a "check the box" for the most rigorous course load on college applications, it may make a slight difference on where you stand compared to your classmates. However, most college ADs will tell you they just want to see that you took calc in HS. That is college prep enough.

Clearly, you don't have a kid like this in public. In HS, that is more true but in MS, the only advancement is math and the kids just get put with older grades so they still have that stuff. Many of the classes are coded honors and just regular classes that everyone takes, even the super-smart kids. For a math/science major, they want more than calc. For other majors, cal or the slower track is just fine. So, for the police science major, just getting to calculus is perfect, for computer science, math, or medical specialty, it's not.

And don't worry, the big difference between the publics and private isn't the drug use as it's everywhere (and we can look partly at parenting for that) but what drugs are being used.

Have things changed a lot in the last 10 years? I matriculated from a top engineering school and didn’t take anything more than BC Calc in HS (nothing more was offered). Also, if I had taken Multivariable Calc and Differential Equations in HS, I would have grasped maybe 10% of what I did during my freshman year courses. Guaranteed. In college you take fewer courses at a time so you go much much more in depth.

They have changed a little bit, but I agree that it is not necessary to go past calculus in high school.
Things have changed in there was a bit of a push in some places to accelerate another year, and the number of students who did this acceleration was high enough they started offering some more advanced classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of elementary school kids here. Can someone tell me why this matters at all if your kid doesn’t end up studying Math in college? Is starting algebra in grade 6 vs grade 7 or 8, or taking multi variable calculus in high school that big of a big deal or is it more of a nice to have? Signed, a poli sci major that is now a lawyer who knows nothing.

It doesn't matter at all, particularly in private school.

In some public schools, being on the accelerated math track is the way to try to make sure you have a class schedule across the board with the higher-performing students and not the kids vaping in the back of the classroom. In some very competitive high schools that do a "check the box" for the most rigorous course load on college applications, it may make a slight difference on where you stand compared to your classmates. However, most college ADs will tell you they just want to see that you took calc in HS. That is college prep enough.

Clearly, you don't have a kid like this in public. In HS, that is more true but in MS, the only advancement is math and the kids just get put with older grades so they still have that stuff. Many of the classes are coded honors and just regular classes that everyone takes, even the super-smart kids. For a math/science major, they want more than calc. For other majors, cal or the slower track is just fine. So, for the police science major, just getting to calculus is perfect, for computer science, math, or medical specialty, it's not.

And don't worry, the big difference between the publics and private isn't the drug use as it's everywhere (and we can look partly at parenting for that) but what drugs are being used.

Have things changed a lot in the last 10 years? I matriculated from a top engineering school and didn’t take anything more than BC Calc in HS (nothing more was offered). Also, if I had taken Multivariable Calc and Differential Equations in HS, I would have grasped maybe 10% of what I did during my freshman year courses. Guaranteed. In college you take fewer courses at a time so you go much much more in depth.

They have changed a little bit, but I agree that it is not necessary to go past calculus in high school.
Things have changed in there was a bit of a push in some places to accelerate another year, and the number of students who did this acceleration was high enough they started offering some more advanced classes.

It depends on the major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid came from DCPS to private and the math has been MUCH harder in private. He took Algebra 2 in DCPS middle school but it was a joke--very surface level class. He took Algebra 2 honors (as a do-over) in 9th grade in private and it was like he had never seen the material before. Now as an upperclassmen what he is learning in math is much harder than what his friends are doing at Jackson Reed. They study together.

MCPS and FCPS are probably much different but in our experience, DCPS math instruction is a joke.

Was this during Covid? Not sure I agree with it being a joke. Perhaps it was the particular school or particular teacher. I have found my kid’s math instruction to be good. I occasionally will provide extended explanation because I have a PhD in mathematics.

It was Covid but also now.
My kid's BFF is taking pre-calculus at JR and my son is taking honors pre-calculus at a Big3 private. The tests are light years more difficult at the private ---there'e nothing on the tests that was seen before in class--it's all application of things at a deeper level. I've compared and contrasted these exams all year (the kids are neighbors are study together and the other parent and I are friends--and we were both math majors so have personal interest).

This is no dig on DCPS--I have 2 kids who attend there, including one who will start JR next fall. But what is being asked of kids in the private is just very different.

Meh. The curriculum (at least at Sidwell) can't be all that challenging. Practically no one qualified for AIME this fall through AMC-10 or 12.

Maybe Sidwell calculus is light years ahead of JR or maybe not. Does it even matter that much.
My son went to JR and topped out at Calc BC. Went on to Yale from there and went straight into Multivariable calculus followed by Linear Algebra. Got an A in both classes without too much effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid came from DCPS to private and the math has been MUCH harder in private. He took Algebra 2 in DCPS middle school but it was a joke--very surface level class. He took Algebra 2 honors (as a do-over) in 9th grade in private and it was like he had never seen the material before. Now as an upperclassmen what he is learning in math is much harder than what his friends are doing at Jackson Reed. They study together.

MCPS and FCPS are probably much different but in our experience, DCPS math instruction is a joke.

Was this during Covid? Not sure I agree with it being a joke. Perhaps it was the particular school or particular teacher. I have found my kid’s math instruction to be good. I occasionally will provide extended explanation because I have a PhD in mathematics.

It was Covid but also now.
My kid's BFF is taking pre-calculus at JR and my son is taking honors pre-calculus at a Big3 private. The tests are light years more difficult at the private ---there'e nothing on the tests that was seen before in class--it's all application of things at a deeper level. I've compared and contrasted these exams all year (the kids are neighbors are study together and the other parent and I are friends--and we were both math majors so have personal interest).

This is no dig on DCPS--I have 2 kids who attend there, including one who will start JR next fall. But what is being asked of kids in the private is just very different.

Meh. The curriculum (at least at Sidwell) can't be all that challenging. Practically no one qualified for AIME this fall through AMC-10 or 12.

Maybe Sidwell calculus is light years ahead of JR or maybe not. Does it even matter that much.
My son went to JR and topped out at Calc BC. Went on to Yale from there and went straight into Multivariable calculus followed by Linear Algebra. Got an A in both classes without too much effort.

It doesn’t matter. Classes beyond BC and taking calculus in 10th grade is more about parents wanting to believe their school is super rigorous than anything else. It isn’t necessary for any student, even STEM majors, and colleges don’t care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid came from DCPS to private and the math has been MUCH harder in private. He took Algebra 2 in DCPS middle school but it was a joke--very surface level class. He took Algebra 2 honors (as a do-over) in 9th grade in private and it was like he had never seen the material before. Now as an upperclassmen what he is learning in math is much harder than what his friends are doing at Jackson Reed. They study together.

MCPS and FCPS are probably much different but in our experience, DCPS math instruction is a joke.

Was this during Covid? Not sure I agree with it being a joke. Perhaps it was the particular school or particular teacher. I have found my kid’s math instruction to be good. I occasionally will provide extended explanation because I have a PhD in mathematics.

It was Covid but also now.
My kid's BFF is taking pre-calculus at JR and my son is taking honors pre-calculus at a Big3 private. The tests are light years more difficult at the private ---there'e nothing on the tests that was seen before in class--it's all application of things at a deeper level. I've compared and contrasted these exams all year (the kids are neighbors are study together and the other parent and I are friends--and we were both math majors so have personal interest).

This is no dig on DCPS--I have 2 kids who attend there, including one who will start JR next fall. But what is being asked of kids in the private is just very different.

Meh. The curriculum (at least at Sidwell) can't be all that challenging. Practically no one qualified for AIME this fall through AMC-10 or 12.

Maybe Sidwell calculus is light years ahead of JR or maybe not. Does it even matter that much.
My son went to JR and topped out at Calc BC. Went on to Yale from there and went straight into Multivariable calculus followed by Linear Algebra. Got an A in both classes without too much effort.

It doesn’t matter. Classes beyond BC and taking calculus in 10th grade is more about parents wanting to believe their school is super rigorous than anything else. It isn’t necessary for any student, even STEM majors, and colleges don’t care.

NP. Some kids just like math. By graduation, DC will have taken every math class available at his school (including Calc BC in 9th, MV Calc in 10th, Linear Algebra and Differential Equations in 11th, and Number Theory in 12th. He’s not doing it for perceived rigor or to try to impress colleges, but because it’s his favorite subject. If he were a history buff, he’d max out all those courses at his high school instead.