Based on the VDOE SOL results, there were 4 different FCPS elementary schools that had a 4th grader take the 7th grade math SOL last year. I'm the PP with the kid on the same track years ago, who posted about the logistical issues with skipping ahead. The VDOE data shows that most of the recent years, 0 or 1 kids in the county were skipped ahead. Perhaps FCPS is in the process of identifying more kids who can handle this level of acceleration and facilitating the logistics of aligning classes. If so, that's great. I found FCPS pretty unworkable when my kid went through the system years ago. The moral of the story is that if you have a kid who is off the charts and would benefit from this level of acceleration, push your principal to see what the plan is for making the classes align so your kid isn't constantly pulled out of language arts block to take math. |
This year in FCPS, there is at least one 10 year-old taking multi variable calculus in high school (McLean High School). There is another 10 year-old who earned her admission to TJ, and she didn’t just take the minimum level math (Algebra I, non-honors) either. I am surprised how many doubt the ability of tweens and teens to learn advanced and accelerated math. |
People don't doubt the abilities of individual, highly gifted kids to handle this stuff. They doubt the abilities of kids who have been pushed without much interest on their own part (there is a place for giving a gentle nudge to kids with demonstrated interest of their own). There are both and to act like every kid is one or the other is disingenuous. |
And you get the bragging rights of having a 5th grader in Algebra 1! Good for you! /s |
Yep. Then they all resort to cheating because they skimped on the basics to get “ahead.” |
The accelerated students aren't taking calc in college. By selection, the students taking calculus are those who weren't accelerated. |
Did they take the 7th grade SOL in 4th? |
Which elementary schools did they go to? Were they grade-skipped or single subject accelerated? |
It was a geometry class I had the 6th grader in. There is no 7th grade geometry. I don’t know how he was in 5th grade algebra, he had taken that through a private school so there wasn’t a history. |
Learned about the 10 Y.O. freshman classmate through a local newspaper. Let me google it |
Found it:
https://www.insidenova.com/lifestyles/10-year-old-linda-pistun-is-going-places-and-mars-might-be-one-of-them/article_b2481e70-9664-11ed-9af4-4f6a9ded786d.html She wants to go on Elon Musk’s mars mission |
The TJ girl was grade skipped 3 different times. She attended Prince William County public schools. There's no way FCPS would have allowed 3 grade skips, no matter how advanced the kid is. |
Do you have a college student? Many competitive STEM programs will not accept Calc from outside the school and some kids take it again to get an easy A. My kid (who took Calc in HS at a school that does not offer APs) was in a class with a bunch of kids that took AP Calc and had credit but were taking it again. My kid blew them away so not sure AP Calc is all it is cracked up to be. |
But you have no idea which kid is in which category. |
Which college(s) do not let any students skip Calc 1? I know some require their own placement test or don't give graduation credits for external courses, but I've never known one that required everyone to take local calc 1 before later calc |