What is normal for 9th grade math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^To PP, my 7th grader taking Algebra ll/Geometry will likely take some form of Pre-Calculus in 8th grade. (We don’t know which yet; depends on an upcoming exams among other factors.)

But this sequence is not typical.

Are you the OP? Can you please confirm that your school is actually combining Algebra II and *Geometry*, not Trig? This is baffling to me and I’m 99% certain you are just making a mistake in what you type, and it’s very hard to take seriously. It is unheard of for a school to combine those two.

Algebra II/Geometry is the name of the course my 7th grader is in—last year’s course was Algebra I/Geometry. This is at BASIS DC, a public charter school.

I believe my 7th grader is taking the same course typically offered to 9th graders at SWW.

I would just be careful with this. My Big3 kid has some of these Basis DC kids in his/her pre-calc class (Basis kids are in 9th, rest of the class is in 10th) and they do not do well. their foundation is super weak. my kid says they are solid B students which frustrates them to no end--they're used to doing well.

I have no idea who these former BASIS kids were who are now at a Big 3 -- they're a few years ahead of my 7th grader. In any case, my kid is not going to attend a Big 3. Moreover, my kid will soon be taking AP courses, which will give me plenty of basis to assess whether she's learned the fundamentals of math sufficiently, Algebra II included. (I think that will be a better litmus test of how well she's doing relative to her peers nationwide taking the same class than the experience of a few older kids from her school who "reportedly" are struggling at a new private school. But thank you for your concern!)

Why are you on this board?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is in the private school forum?…

My public school kid is completing Algebra II/Geometry in 7th grade. (Normal at her school is 8th grade.)

Glad I’m not paying $50k a year to be several years behind where she is now.

Private school math goes much deeper.

No, private school does not go deeper. It is simply behind public.

"Behind" is not really the point though, is it. They are not behind if they are on track for college and what they intend to study in college. No one needs to go past calculus to attend any college, not even if they intend to study math or engineering. So they aren't "behind" anything. Yes, our private school has kids taking math beyond Calc, and they accommodate students where they are, even if it requires a 1:1 independent study. But that is not the 'norm' in any school, and this OP asked about the norm.

You need at least calculus for a math/science major. Normal I found for most privates is starting Algebra in 8th But, even if they are in 9th, they can still do Calc their senior year.

To the Basis poster, that math track makes no sense. And, I say this as a parent whose child did Algebra starting in 6th. There is no way I'd want a year of math condensed. We did summer classes as a prep at a private and they were too fast and some of the teachers sucked (as they do in public too but the one private one shouldn't have even been allowed to teach or qualified).

Comparing Basis to other schools makes no sense. Doing a combined year when Algebra 2 is challenging enough makes no sense except if your child is a genius.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is in the private school forum?…

My public school kid is completing Algebra II/Geometry in 7th grade. (Normal at her school is 8th grade.)

Glad I’m not paying $50k a year to be several years behind where she is now.

Algebra II/Geometry is *not* customary for 7th grade in public school! So, your child is going to take Calculus in 8th grade?

That person doesn’t seem to know what their kid is actually studying because Algebra II/Geometry is not a thing. The standard track is Alg I, Geo, Alg II, Precalc, Calc of some kind, regardless of which grade a kid starts that track in. Some schools flip Geometry and Algebra II. More math-oriented kids will track into Algebra II/Trig instead of just Algebra II. Typical level would have that in 10th, a good chunk of kids will have that in 9th. Maybe pp meant their kid was in Alg II/Trig in 7th? But if so, that’s about 3 years advanced over the base track that gets that in 10th. This is true for public as well. Yes, there are math geniuses taking classes at that level in MS and no, most private schools typically cannot advance to that level simply because they do not have enough students to be able to offer that amount of differentiation.

MCPS has over 1/3 of students doing geometry in 9th grade.

sWW and DCPS has 9th graders taking two math classes - geometry and algebra something.

The whole point is geometry is a standalone class, get it done before physics, don’t lose your algebra skills in the meantime.

These classes are a complete joke. My kid went from DCPS with straight As (frankly--above 98%) on to a Big3. Had to repeat Honors Algebra 2 at the Big3 school and struggled to get a low A--despite having taken the exact class before in DCPS. Classmates at another Big3 had the same experience.
All math is not the same. DCPS teaches a very, very shallow and cursory version of things.

[Anonymous]

^ +1

[Anonymous]

Getting a top score, 5, on AP tests is pretty trivial. It doesn’t correlate with getting good grades in college or mastery of the material.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^To PP, my 7th grader taking Algebra ll/Geometry will likely take some form of Pre-Calculus in 8th grade. (We don’t know which yet; depends on an upcoming exams among other factors.)

But this sequence is not typical.

Are you the OP? Can you please confirm that your school is actually combining Algebra II and *Geometry*, not Trig? This is baffling to me and I’m 99% certain you are just making a mistake in what you type, and it’s very hard to take seriously. It is unheard of for a school to combine those two.

It's certainly impossible to teach both those classes together and do it well, so if that's the class that OP's child is indeed taking, it proves that acceleration often comes at the expense of actually learning.

Actually it’s not unheard of and definitely not impossible to do. I’m fact I would argue a standard 1 1/2 - 2yr combined Alg2 and Geometry class would actually be better because the students wouldn’t go an entire year without having Algebra. Many an engineer agrees.

It’s two separate classes. They are not “combined.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^To PP, my 7th grader taking Algebra ll/Geometry will likely take some form of Pre-Calculus in 8th grade. (We don’t know which yet; depends on an upcoming exams among other factors.)

But this sequence is not typical.

Are you the OP? Can you please confirm that your school is actually combining Algebra II and *Geometry*, not Trig? This is baffling to me and I’m 99% certain you are just making a mistake in what you type, and it’s very hard to take seriously. It is unheard of for a school to combine those two.

It's certainly impossible to teach both those classes together and do it well, so if that's the class that OP's child is indeed taking, it proves that acceleration often comes at the expense of actually learning.

Actually it’s not unheard of and definitely not impossible to do. I’m fact I would argue a standard 1 1/2 - 2yr combined Alg2 and Geometry class would actually be better because the students wouldn’t go an entire year without having Algebra. Many an engineer agrees.

It would make sense to combine them and teach them over two years or some schools I've heard do Algebra 1 and 2 and then geometry, which also makes sense. It is hard to do the algebra-geometry-algebra sequence without review.

Honestly, it’s best to take geometry over the summer after 8th or 9th grade. It is an excellent and manageable standalone math class. And many kids who find algebra tedious do well in geometry because of their leaning towards spatial relations or visual learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^To PP, my 7th grader taking Algebra ll/Geometry will likely take some form of Pre-Calculus in 8th grade. (We don’t know which yet; depends on an upcoming exams among other factors.)

But this sequence is not typical.

Are you the OP? Can you please confirm that your school is actually combining Algebra II and *Geometry*, not Trig? This is baffling to me and I’m 99% certain you are just making a mistake in what you type, and it’s very hard to take seriously. It is unheard of for a school to combine those two.

It's certainly impossible to teach both those classes together and do it well, so if that's the class that OP's child is indeed taking, it proves that acceleration often comes at the expense of actually learning.

Actually it’s not unheard of and definitely not impossible to do. I’m fact I would argue a standard 1 1/2 - 2yr combined Alg2 and Geometry class would actually be better because the students wouldn’t go an entire year without having Algebra. Many an engineer agrees.

It’s two separate classes. They are not “combined.”

And yet some places offer them combined. As a PP mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^To PP, my 7th grader taking Algebra ll/Geometry will likely take some form of Pre-Calculus in 8th grade. (We don’t know which yet; depends on an upcoming exams among other factors.)

But this sequence is not typical.

Are you the OP? Can you please confirm that your school is actually combining Algebra II and *Geometry*, not Trig? This is baffling to me and I’m 99% certain you are just making a mistake in what you type, and it’s very hard to take seriously. It is unheard of for a school to combine those two.

It's certainly impossible to teach both those classes together and do it well, so if that's the class that OP's child is indeed taking, it proves that acceleration often comes at the expense of actually learning.

Actually it’s not unheard of and definitely not impossible to do. I’m fact I would argue a standard 1 1/2 - 2yr combined Alg2 and Geometry class would actually be better because the students wouldn’t go an entire year without having Algebra. Many an engineer agrees.

It would make sense to combine them and teach them over two years or some schools I've heard do Algebra 1 and 2 and then geometry, which also makes sense. It is hard to do the algebra-geometry-algebra sequence without review.

Honestly, it’s best to take geometry over the summer after 8th or 9th grade. It is an excellent and manageable standalone math class. And many kids who find algebra tedious do well in geometry because of their leaning towards spatial relations or visual learning.

My kid did it over the summer at a private and it was terrible and really hard. It's too condensed to do in 6 weeks, even if it's daily for a few hours a day. You are better off starting Algebra in 6th or 7th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^To PP, my 7th grader taking Algebra ll/Geometry will likely take some form of Pre-Calculus in 8th grade. (We don’t know which yet; depends on an upcoming exams among other factors.)

But this sequence is not typical.

Are you the OP? Can you please confirm that your school is actually combining Algebra II and *Geometry*, not Trig? This is baffling to me and I’m 99% certain you are just making a mistake in what you type, and it’s very hard to take seriously. It is unheard of for a school to combine those two.

It's certainly impossible to teach both those classes together and do it well, so if that's the class that OP's child is indeed taking, it proves that acceleration often comes at the expense of actually learning.

Actually it’s not unheard of and definitely not impossible to do. I’m fact I would argue a standard 1 1/2 - 2yr combined Alg2 and Geometry class would actually be better because the students wouldn’t go an entire year without having Algebra. Many an engineer agrees.

It would make sense to combine them and teach them over two years or some schools I've heard do Algebra 1 and 2 and then geometry, which also makes sense. It is hard to do the algebra-geometry-algebra sequence without review.

Honestly, it’s best to take geometry over the summer after 8th or 9th grade. It is an excellent and manageable standalone math class. And many kids who find algebra tedious do well in geometry because of their leaning towards spatial relations or visual learning.

My kid did it over the summer at a private and it was terrible and really hard. It's too condensed to do in 6 weeks, even if it's daily for a few hours a day. You are better off starting Algebra in 6th or 7th.

Why are those the choices? What's wrong with algebra I in 8th grade and calculus in 12th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is in the private school forum?…

My public school kid is completing Algebra II/Geometry in 7th grade. (Normal at her school is 8th grade.)

Glad I’m not paying $50k a year to be several years behind where she is now.

Private school math goes much deeper.

No, private school does not go deeper. It is simply behind public.

There are lots of public school forums. Why do you feel the need to come on here to flex? We're all fine here and most can easily afford and choose to send their kids to private schools because they provide so much that public schools just cannot possibly offer. It is simple as that. If you can navigate public schools, then congratulations on saving that money. We figure we could either spend the money now or leave it to our children upon death. We're betting that private school is going to be a better experience and provide more opportunities. For us, we were right with kid #1 who just graduated from a top 20 university and has a job paying $90K starting this summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is in the private school forum?…

My public school kid is completing Algebra II/Geometry in 7th grade. (Normal at her school is 8th grade.)

Glad I’m not paying $50k a year to be several years behind where she is now.

Private school math goes much deeper.

No, private school does not go deeper. It is simply behind public.

"Behind" is not really the point though, is it. They are not behind if they are on track for college and what they intend to study in college. No one needs to go past calculus to attend any college, not even if they intend to study math or engineering. So they aren't "behind" anything. Yes, our private school has kids taking math beyond Calc, and they accommodate students where they are, even if it requires a 1:1 independent study. But that is not the 'norm' in any school, and this OP asked about the norm.

This. My kid attended public middle school and switched to private in HS. He started 9th grade in Geometry. He went through AP Calc in 12th. Fast forward, this month he graduated from a top 20 university with a major in Applied Math. All that pushing in public school is unnecessary.

My daughter is currently in 9th and taking Algebra II. Interestingly, she attended private middle school, but she seems to be more of a natural for math and actually enjoys it. It all depends on the kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^To PP, my 7th grader taking Algebra ll/Geometry will likely take some form of Pre-Calculus in 8th grade. (We don’t know which yet; depends on an upcoming exams among other factors.)

But this sequence is not typical.

Are you the OP? Can you please confirm that your school is actually combining Algebra II and *Geometry*, not Trig? This is baffling to me and I’m 99% certain you are just making a mistake in what you type, and it’s very hard to take seriously. It is unheard of for a school to combine those two.

It's certainly impossible to teach both those classes together and do it well, so if that's the class that OP's child is indeed taking, it proves that acceleration often comes at the expense of actually learning.

Actually it’s not unheard of and definitely not impossible to do. I’m fact I would argue a standard 1 1/2 - 2yr combined Alg2 and Geometry class would actually be better because the students wouldn’t go an entire year without having Algebra. Many an engineer agrees.

It would make sense to combine them and teach them over two years or some schools I've heard do Algebra 1 and 2 and then geometry, which also makes sense. It is hard to do the algebra-geometry-algebra sequence without review.

Honestly, it’s best to take geometry over the summer after 8th or 9th grade. It is an excellent and manageable standalone math class. And many kids who find algebra tedious do well in geometry because of their leaning towards spatial relations or visual learning.

My kid did it over the summer at a private and it was terrible and really hard. It's too condensed to do in 6 weeks, even if it's daily for a few hours a day. You are better off starting Algebra in 6th or 7th.

Why are those the choices? What's wrong with algebra I in 8th grade and calculus in 12th grade?

Nothing is wrong with it at all. But there's always some jacka$$ who will come on here and tell you that if your kid is so dumb that they only get to calculus in 12th grade that they'll end up living on the streets. It's ridiculous. There are PLENTY of kids who go to good colleges who *gasp* don't even get through calculus in high school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Getting a top score, 5, on AP tests is pretty trivial. It doesn’t correlate with getting good grades in college or mastery of the material.

Uh, at many colleges (esp. state flagships) it can mean you don’t have to have any math if you’re not majoring in STEM.

Then again, this subforum skews wealthy, so I don’t expect anyone on here to value, say, finishing undergrad early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting a top score, 5, on AP tests is pretty trivial. It doesn’t correlate with getting good grades in college or mastery of the material.

Uh, at many colleges (esp. state flagships) it can mean you don’t have to have any math if you’re not majoring in STEM.

Then again, this subforum skews wealthy, so I don’t expect anyone on here to value, say, finishing undergrad early.

Finishing undergrad early, by doing the bare minimum required for graduation, is not the way to be future wealthy either. It's the way to get into a low-end white collar job that only requires a college degree for elitism purposes.
Better to save money, if that's truly essential, by doing a community college AA first and then transferring to state university.