My 7th grader was asked to a lower level in math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is bonkers. All this math acceleration is not actually making anyone better at math (nor a sign that they were good at math to begin with). My kid did Algebra in 7th, Geometry in 8th, etc—As all along the way—but is shockingly incapable at foundational math concepts that really should’ve been reinforced strongly in 6th and 7th. They’re just moving along a conveyor belt.

can you give an example of types of foundational math concepts where the child is weak? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the kids in his old class are tutored! Just fyi

Maybe the kids doing Alg I in 6th or 7th grade. But regular honors 7th grade math is the equivalent of pre-algebra. Most of the kids in this are not getting tutored

have you never been outside in a plaza that houses Kumon, Mathnasium, Russian school of Math, tutoring club, AoPS, sunshine academy, and the like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the kids in his old class are tutored! Just fyi

Maybe the kids doing Alg I in 6th or 7th grade. But regular honors 7th grade math is the equivalent of pre-algebra. Most of the kids in this are not getting tutored

have you never been outside in a plaza that houses Kumon, Mathnasium, Russian school of Math, tutoring club, AoPS, sunshine academy, and the like?

What is that supposed to mean? You have no idea what grade or math class random kids outside of Mathnasium are in

[Anonymous]

At least your school allows moving down. My kid's school only offers minimal after-school tutoring and then it is on the parent and kid to seek more help. Once on the honors track, they are stuck on that track. Never made sense to me, honestly.

[Anonymous]

It is interesting how some of these people say how Alg 1 in middle school and honor track put you in certain tracks to go to top schools. I was a math major at a top 50 school (when I went there, lowered to top 75 now)-- Me or my twin brother who also was a math major was on any honor track. We did take AP Cal by 12th grade but we did not pass. OH, and My brother went on to get an MS in Mathematics and I in Data Science so your kid is okay.

This is from a successful math major who was not on an honor track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting how some of these people say how Alg 1 in middle school and honor track put you in certain tracks to go to top schools. I was a math major at a top 50 school (when I went there, lowered to top 75 now)-- Me or my twin brother who also was a math major was on any honor track. We did take AP Cal by 12th grade but we did not pass. OH, and My brother went on to get an MS in Mathematics and I in Data Science so your kid is okay.

This is from a successful math major who was not on an honor track.

1) that was a long time ago and college admission preferences have changed a ton
2) OPs son moving out of honors math 7 means (which is pre alg) means he would take pre-alg next yr in 8th, Alg I in 9th and on track for pre-calc in 12th. Definitely not the end of the world and there are many colleges you can go to and still be successful- but it does close some doors to more competitive schools and STEM majors in some colleges

[Anonymous]

Do people realize that the rest of the country—urban, rural, small towns, medium-sized cities—and they learn math and go to college too?

I don't get the weird obsessive focus on the top 25—it's not achievable for the vast majority of applicants let alone students in general. It's bizarre that kids get the message that a small group of colleges is the be-all, end-all when it clearly is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do people realize that the rest of the country—urban, rural, small towns, medium-sized cities—and they learn math and go to college too?

I don't get the weird obsessive focus on the top 25—it's not achievable for the vast majority of applicants let alone students in general. It's bizarre that kids get the message that a small group of colleges is the be-all, end-all when it clearly is not.

I can assure that even in small towns the striving is no less strivy. When you're in a small college town, the children of the local professors exist in a separate bubble of striving and competitiveness.

[Anonymous]

Cool. Don’t let it worry him (or you).

1. Literally every math professor will tell you many kids simply have to mature a bit more to “get” math. It’s common. Sure there are kids who keep pace through high school, and there are kids who mature into it during college.

2. GPA is far more important than taking high school advanced courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do people realize that the rest of the country—urban, rural, small towns, medium-sized cities—and they learn math and go to college too?

I don't get the weird obsessive focus on the top 25—it's not achievable for the vast majority of applicants let alone students in general. It's bizarre that kids get the message that a small group of colleges is the be-all, end-all when it clearly is not.

I can assure that even in small towns the striving is no less strivy. When you're in a small college town, the children of the local professors exist in a separate bubble of striving and competitiveness.

I don’t think OP wanting her kid to be on track for Alg I in 8th grade is “striving.” That is a fairly normal progression

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You want him to develop a good foundation. This is not the end of the line. It's about making sure he has everything he needs to be successful in math. My husband had an A average in his electrical engineering major. I was more advanced than he was in math-he was not accelerated at all. It's a marathon, not a race. Nobody cares, but a few competitive parents whether your kid is in honors in middle school. If he wants to do STEM, what matters is he knows the material well and enjoys what he does so he can be in it for the long haul.

If dropping out of honors means he ends up a year or two behind by high school (in FCPS, the top 15-20% will be taking algebra II as freshman, the majority will be taking geometry and the non-honors in 7th will be taking algebra) he would never have a change to get into that a major that competitive

OP and PP, I suggest you read Never Enough. PP, I hope you'll consider how toxic your attitude is and how that might affect your child's life, college prospects aside.

OP, as the mom of an 8th grade kid who will be taking non-Honors Algebra I in 9th grade, I suggest you let it go. Make sure your kid does his best, including homework and review. Consider a tutor if math continues to be hard. But you need to accept that your kid is at a certain level and that's perfectly fine.

"Never Enough" is a great book and blows the lid off this pointless striver mentality.

Never Enough was a terrible book. The author is a rich White Harvard grad living in NYC.

Of course she hates strivers. But for all of us who are NOT 1%ers, we must teach our kids to stop.

STEM is the future. Full stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You want him to develop a good foundation. This is not the end of the line. It's about making sure he has everything he needs to be successful in math. My husband had an A average in his electrical engineering major. I was more advanced than he was in math-he was not accelerated at all. It's a marathon, not a race. Nobody cares, but a few competitive parents whether your kid is in honors in middle school. If he wants to do STEM, what matters is he knows the material well and enjoys what he does so he can be in it for the long haul.

If dropping out of honors means he ends up a year or two behind by high school (in FCPS, the top 15-20% will be taking algebra II as freshman, the majority will be taking geometry and the non-honors in 7th will be taking algebra) he would never have a change to get into that a major that competitive

OP and PP, I suggest you read Never Enough. PP, I hope you'll consider how toxic your attitude is and how that might affect your child's life, college prospects aside.

OP, as the mom of an 8th grade kid who will be taking non-Honors Algebra I in 9th grade, I suggest you let it go. Make sure your kid does his best, including homework and review. Consider a tutor if math continues to be hard. But you need to accept that your kid is at a certain level and that's perfectly fine.

"Never Enough" is a great book and blows the lid off this pointless striver mentality.

Never Enough was a terrible book. The author is a rich White Harvard grad living in NYC.

Of course she hates strivers. But for all of us who are NOT 1%ers, we must teach our kids to stop.

STEM is the future. Full stop.

Luckily we have a good amount of students who have no interest in STEM otherwise the economy would come to a full stop as you say. I feel bad for the kids who have parents who are so narrow minded that all they know about is STEM and push it regardless of their child’s passions or talents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You want him to develop a good foundation. This is not the end of the line. It's about making sure he has everything he needs to be successful in math. My husband had an A average in his electrical engineering major. I was more advanced than he was in math-he was not accelerated at all. It's a marathon, not a race. Nobody cares, but a few competitive parents whether your kid is in honors in middle school. If he wants to do STEM, what matters is he knows the material well and enjoys what he does so he can be in it for the long haul.

If dropping out of honors means he ends up a year or two behind by high school (in FCPS, the top 15-20% will be taking algebra II as freshman, the majority will be taking geometry and the non-honors in 7th will be taking algebra) he would never have a change to get into that a major that competitive

OP and PP, I suggest you read Never Enough. PP, I hope you'll consider how toxic your attitude is and how that might affect your child's life, college prospects aside.

OP, as the mom of an 8th grade kid who will be taking non-Honors Algebra I in 9th grade, I suggest you let it go. Make sure your kid does his best, including homework and review. Consider a tutor if math continues to be hard. But you need to accept that your kid is at a certain level and that's perfectly fine.

"Never Enough" is a great book and blows the lid off this pointless striver mentality.

Never Enough was a terrible book. The author is a rich White Harvard grad living in NYC.

Of course she hates strivers. But for all of us who are NOT 1%ers, we must teach our kids to stop.

STEM is the future. Full stop.

The book was a compilation of anecdata and a lot of filler. Only a few passages about competition hindering kids' ability to form good school friendships rang true for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You want him to develop a good foundation. This is not the end of the line. It's about making sure he has everything he needs to be successful in math. My husband had an A average in his electrical engineering major. I was more advanced than he was in math-he was not accelerated at all. It's a marathon, not a race. Nobody cares, but a few competitive parents whether your kid is in honors in middle school. If he wants to do STEM, what matters is he knows the material well and enjoys what he does so he can be in it for the long haul.

If dropping out of honors means he ends up a year or two behind by high school (in FCPS, the top 15-20% will be taking algebra II as freshman, the majority will be taking geometry and the non-honors in 7th will be taking algebra) he would never have a change to get into that a major that competitive

OP and PP, I suggest you read Never Enough. PP, I hope you'll consider how toxic your attitude is and how that might affect your child's life, college prospects aside.

OP, as the mom of an 8th grade kid who will be taking non-Honors Algebra I in 9th grade, I suggest you let it go. Make sure your kid does his best, including homework and review. Consider a tutor if math continues to be hard. But you need to accept that your kid is at a certain level and that's perfectly fine.

"Never Enough" is a great book and blows the lid off this pointless striver mentality.

Never Enough was a terrible book. The author is a rich White Harvard grad living in NYC.

Of course she hates strivers. But for all of us who are NOT 1%ers, we must teach our kids to stop.

STEM is the future. Full stop.

OP, you can stop reading this thread now. Full stop poster has found it. Prepare for it to go off thr rails.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
There some posters on this thread who don't realize how the college admissions landscape has changed, and who don't understand that there are certain cut-off points in life that you don't want to miss.

So then these posters resort to name-calling and pushing logic to the extreme, pretending we're saying that OP's kid is going to end up on the street. Of course he's not.

But generally, yes, students need to be in advanced tracks by middle school to give themselves the best chance of success in high school, which ramps up rigor and workload significantly. This should NOT come as a surprise. It's why there are so many tracks in middle school.

Stop with that. It’s this attitude that’s pushing kids ahead too fast. Slowing down and having a strong foundation is the best thing you can do for your kid. There are thousands of schools other than the few at the very top that are basically a lottery anyway. That’s how it’s changed. Your kid can take calc in 10th grade and still not be guaranteed admission.

I’m a math teacher and have plenty of juniors in Alg 2. I write lots of college recommendations every year and they go to solid schools. Not MIT but some even get into VT. The worst is when you have a 9th or 10th grader sitting in Alg 2 who has no concept of the basics but they were quickly pushed along.