Would you have your 8th grader retake algebra if he got a B in 7th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what does your kid want to do? I wouldn't want my senior to be stressed out by multivariable calculus so I would probably advise they repeat algebra but only if that is what my kid wants to do

Multivariable calculus is a lot less stressful than BC IMO. Multi is a one semester course stretched out over a year, while BC isn't

[Anonymous]

I have my kids take Algebra and honors algebra.

It’s by far the most important math to understand well for life.

I don’t really even care about the maths after that

[Anonymous]

Can someone explain what is wrong with getting a B? Serious question

I got lots of Bs, some As, and even a few Cs.

Got a bachelor’s and master’s degree with a successful career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain what is wrong with getting a B? Serious question

I got lots of Bs, some As, and even a few Cs.

Got a bachelor’s and master’s degree with a successful career.

It’s more competitive for even the state schools now. Many families cannot afford out of state tuition now too. They are forced to stay in state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Yes!! A B in algebra shows he’s struggling. No kid struggling should be on an advanced math - math starts getting very hard, and there is NO advantage in college to doing algebra in 7th.

You people are insane. A B is fine. I can't imagine doing that to my kid.

Retake but not for the grade, more for the mastery as others have said.

+1. Algebra 2 is a nightmare without a good foundation in Algebra 1. I know from personal experience.

Algebra II was much easier for me because I had a great teacher.
Algebra I was taught by someone who was happy to embarrass you in front of the entire class for asking a question.
I was actually good at algebra and didn’t know it until I had a good teacher.
Rest in peace Mrs. C!

Lordy. Normally I let typos and bad autofill lie but I had to fix that post lol.

That is not what most kids in the DMV think in the 2020s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what does your kid want to do? I wouldn't want my senior to be stressed out by multivariable calculus so I would probably advise they repeat algebra but only if that is what my kid wants to do

Multivariable calculus is a lot less stressful than BC IMO. Multi is a one semester course stretched out over a year, while BC isn't

DP and that was certainly my experience. Multivar (and then differential equations in college) felt easier than most math that preceeded it.

[Anonymous]

I got a B in Algebra 1 in 7th grade, and all As in Geometry, Algebra 2, precalc, BC and Multivariable in senior. It all depends on how much a student loves math and practices math daily. I wish I had developed good math practice habits in Elementary school, and continued throughout middle-school, I likely would have avoided that B. But it never bothered me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got a B in Algebra 1 in 7th grade, and all As in Geometry, Algebra 2, precalc, BC and Multivariable in senior. It all depends on how much a student loves math and practices math daily. I wish I had developed good math practice habits in Elementary school, and continued throughout middle-school, I likely would have avoided that B. But it never bothered me.

la práctica hace la perfección

[Anonymous]

90 percent UVA admits had an UWGPA of 4.0, beyond a B showing that Alg isnt fully mastered(that will cause issues down the line in alg3 and every course after that), it also cuts their chance already in grade 7 for good schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes but not because a B is a low grade. 7th grade is young to take Algebra and it is the most important math class he will take. It is the foundation for every other math class and the stronger the foundation the better. I didn’t have my own kids take it in 7th and wanted a slower math progression to have a very solid base before any high school classes. - math teacher

+1 This exactly. It’s not about the B. It’s about the foundation. Your kid should have an A or A- in Algebra before proceeding to higher level math. A B suggests there may be gaps.

This is such BS. My DS earned a B in 8th grade Algebra and went on to ace all his subsequent math classes. 🙄

[Anonymous]

Okay. Try this— WHY did your kid get a B? Was this a gave it 100%, worked with a tutor, watched Khan Academy, etc B? Or was it a blew off some homework, half assed a project and only kinda studied for tests B? A B in math isn’t the problem. The problem is that Geometry is fine, but by A2, kids without a decent foundation are really struggling in honors (as are kids with a decent foundation but without much math aptitude. It’s a real “weed out” class for engineering/CS bound kids in some FCPS HSs).

I had 7th grade A1 kids. One was brilliant and pulled off good grades without the work. Went to TJ where reality (aka Math 3) hit him hard. One was humanities driven and was off the honors math path by A2. Every humanities and social science AP in the book, but couldn’t pull off AP Calc. And had to do APStats plus standard Calc to find enough math. In BOTH cases, I wished we had redone or pushed Algebra I or just waited a year to start.

It’s not about the grade or not accepting a B. In my kids cases, the foundation was shaky— one because of aptitude and one because of attitude . And the math kid had an A (humanities kid an A- or B+, bur really worked for it). And by the time we realized it, it was too late to go back. They redid concepts with tutors. But that was a half measure.

As an aside, the humanities kid is now at WM retaking Calculus for upper level economics. And recently mentioned that she finally understands Algebra for the first time. Letting it get that far was a parenting fail, although at the time, no one suggested we do anything but keep the kids tracked where they were. Big mistake.

Math isn’t a race. Do not move a kid past A1 unless they 100% understand the material. That should be the test— not the grade in the class. Especially if it puts them on a path for multivariable/linear in HS.

It was explained to me that kids brain development reaches a point where abstract concepts in math “click” more easily. If your kid isn’t there, no shame in waiting until they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what does your kid want to do? I wouldn't want my senior to be stressed out by multivariable calculus so I would probably advise they repeat algebra but only if that is what my kid wants to do

Multivariable calculus is a lot less stressful than BC IMO. Multi is a one semester course stretched out over a year, while BC isn't

For both my kids (one TJ one base school) it was a semester of multi and a semester of linear algebra.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:90 percent UVA admits had an UWGPA of 4.0, beyond a B showing that Alg isnt fully mastered(that will cause issues down the line in alg3 and every course after that), it also cuts their chance already in grade 7 for good schools

Algebra 3?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay. Try this— WHY did your kid get a B? Was this a gave it 100%, worked with a tutor, watched Khan Academy, etc B? Or was it a blew off some homework, half assed a project and only kinda studied for tests B? A B in math isn’t the problem. The problem is that Geometry is fine, but by A2, kids without a decent foundation are really struggling in honors (as are kids with a decent foundation but without much math aptitude. It’s a real “weed out” class for engineering/CS bound kids in some FCPS HSs).

I had 7th grade A1 kids. One was brilliant and pulled off good grades without the work. Went to TJ where reality (aka Math 3) hit him hard. One was humanities driven and was off the honors math path by A2. Every humanities and social science AP in the book, but couldn’t pull off AP Calc. And had to do APStats plus standard Calc to find enough math. In BOTH cases, I wished we had redone or pushed Algebra I or just waited a year to start.

It’s not about the grade or not accepting a B. In my kids cases, the foundation was shaky— one because of aptitude and one because of attitude . And the math kid had an A (humanities kid an A- or B+, bur really worked for it). And by the time we realized it, it was too late to go back. They redid concepts with tutors. But that was a half measure.

As an aside, the humanities kid is now at WM retaking Calculus for upper level economics. And recently mentioned that she finally understands Algebra for the first time. Letting it get that far was a parenting fail, although at the time, no one suggested we do anything but keep the kids tracked where they were. Big mistake.

Math isn’t a race. Do not move a kid past A1 unless they 100% understand the material. That should be the test— not the grade in the class. Especially if it puts them on a path for multivariable/linear in HS.

It was explained to me that kids brain development reaches a point where abstract concepts in math “click” more easily. If your kid isn’t there, no shame in waiting until they are.

This 100%
So so smart and insightful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes but not because a B is a low grade. 7th grade is young to take Algebra and it is the most important math class he will take. It is the foundation for every other math class and the stronger the foundation the better. I didn’t have my own kids take it in 7th and wanted a slower math progression to have a very solid base before any high school classes. - math teacher

+1 This exactly. It’s not about the B. It’s about the foundation. Your kid should have an A or A- in Algebra before proceeding to higher level math. A B suggests there may be gaps.

This is such BS. My DS earned a B in 8th grade Algebra and went on to ace all his subsequent math classes. 🙄

Which subsequent math classes?