How did you decide if your child should take Algebra in 7th grade?

[Anonymous]

Assuming your child passed the two benchmarks necessary to be able to take algebra in 7th grade-how did decide to put your child in algebra or wait till eigth grade and why?
Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

Unless your child only barely passed the benchmarks, or a teacher advised you against it, or your child has expressed a strong preference against it, I don't see why your child shouldn't go ahead and enroll. I guess one other possible factor would be if you have concerns about transition to middle school and overall workload, or organization skills now they are moving to multiple classes with multiple teacher. However, if they've demonstrated the aptitude, it seems worth it to try it out. Even if your kid doesn't plan on a STEM type career, taking the high school math in middle school frees up more of their schedule in high school, because they are getting requirements out of the way.

[Anonymous]

Because he had high IOWA and SOL scores, and always done well in math, so we saw no reason to wait. That was last year. This year, we had a rough transition to middle school/ much bigger school/ changing classes/ forgetting to turn in homework. And are regretting adding a high school credit class on top of it. The factor I had left out of my thinking was that algebra counts toward HS GPA unless you expunge it. Which we are now considering doing because first quarter grades tanked during the adjustment and pulled down the whole year. I missed the fact having a class that actually goes on the HS transcript is more stress on my top of what is, at the AAP level, a tough adjustment for some kids academically. And can also be tough socially. So be honest about how much you want to put on your kid's plate and how well they will handle the transition. Because your DC can be brilliant, but still have trouble remembering to turn in homework, learning to time manage when there is a big project due the same day as the Algebra test, etc (and there always is...). Even though DS has pulled it together, is now making As in Algebra, and his teacher says he is welL prepared to move on to Geometry, I wish we'd waited.

[Anonymous]

I talked to his 6th grade math teacher and he said, let him try it and see what happens. He was fine. He will be taking BC Calc as junior next year, took AP Stats this year as an elective (along with Honors Precalc).

[Anonymous]

Also, even though it is several years off, you should try to think about the back end of HS and which types of colleges they want to apply to. Starting Algebra in 7th grade often seems like the right thing to do at the time but by 11-12th grade when they are bogged down with AP classes, they aren't as eager to be in BC Calc or Multivariable Calculus. Also, some of the more selective colleges do not look at AP Statistics as an appropriate alternative to those. So make sure you look at the entire math track before you commit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because he had high IOWA and SOL scores, and always done well in math, so we saw no reason to wait. That was last year. This year, we had a rough transition to middle school/ much bigger school/ changing classes/ forgetting to turn in homework. And are regretting adding a high school credit class on top of it. The factor I had left out of my thinking was that algebra counts toward HS GPA unless you expunge it. Which we are now considering doing because first quarter grades tanked during the adjustment and pulled down the whole year. I missed the fact having a class that actually goes on the HS transcript is more stress on my top of what is, at the AAP level, a tough adjustment for some kids academically. And can also be tough socially. So be honest about how much you want to put on your kid's plate and how well they will handle the transition. Because your DC can be brilliant, but still have trouble remembering to turn in homework, learning to time manage when there is a big project due the same day as the Algebra test, etc (and there always is...). Even though DS has pulled it together, is now making As in Algebra, and his teacher says he is welL prepared to move on to Geometry, I wish we'd waited.

why would people expunge a grade unless something illegal or unfair had happened that would make the grade illegitimate? DO people do this often?

[Anonymous]

It was recommended by his 6th grade math teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because he had high IOWA and SOL scores, and always done well in math, so we saw no reason to wait. That was last year. This year, we had a rough transition to middle school/ much bigger school/ changing classes/ forgetting to turn in homework. And are regretting adding a high school credit class on top of it. The factor I had left out of my thinking was that algebra counts toward HS GPA unless you expunge it. Which we are now considering doing because first quarter grades tanked during the adjustment and pulled down the whole year. I missed the fact having a class that actually goes on the HS transcript is more stress on my top of what is, at the AAP level, a tough adjustment for some kids academically. And can also be tough socially. So be honest about how much you want to put on your kid's plate and how well they will handle the transition. Because your DC can be brilliant, but still have trouble remembering to turn in homework, learning to time manage when there is a big project due the same day as the Algebra test, etc (and there always is...). Even though DS has pulled it together, is now making As in Algebra, and his teacher says he is welL prepared to move on to Geometry, I wish we'd waited.

why would people expunge a grade unless something illegal or unfair had happened that would make the grade illegitimate? DO people do this often?

In FCPS, you can expunge a HS credit class taken in MS (world language, algebra and geometry). It doesn't show up on the HS transcript or could towards HS GPA (but stays on MS transcript). You also don't get HS cRedit for taking the class. So basically, it doesn't could again DC when they apply to college. I don't know how maMy people do it, but it keeps a seventh grader from having to live with a bad grade 5-6 years later from when they were 12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because he had high IOWA and SOL scores, and always done well in math, so we saw no reason to wait. That was last year. This year, we had a rough transition to middle school/ much bigger school/ changing classes/ forgetting to turn in homework. And are regretting adding a high school credit class on top of it. The factor I had left out of my thinking was that algebra counts toward HS GPA unless you expunge it. Which we are now considering doing because first quarter grades tanked during the adjustment and pulled down the whole year. I missed the fact having a class that actually goes on the HS transcript is more stress on my top of what is, at the AAP level, a tough adjustment for some kids academically. And can also be tough socially. So be honest about how much you want to put on your kid's plate and how well they will handle the transition. Because your DC can be brilliant, but still have trouble remembering to turn in homework, learning to time manage when there is a big project due the same day as the Algebra test, etc (and there always is...). Even though DS has pulled it together, is now making As in Algebra, and his teacher says he is welL prepared to move on to Geometry, I wish we'd waited.

why would people expunge a grade unless something illegal or unfair had happened that would make the grade illegitimate? DO people do this often?

In FCPS, you can expunge a HS credit class taken in MS (world language, algebra and geometry). It doesn't show up on the HS transcript or could towards HS GPA (but stays on MS transcript). You also don't get HS cRedit for taking the class. So basically, it doesn't could again DC when they apply to college. I don't know how maMy people do it, but it keeps a seventh grader from having to live with a bad grade 5-6 years later from when they were 12.

A MS counselor told us that expunging class credit meaning you will have to take it again in HS in order to register to the next level, i.e. if you expunge Algebra I, you will have to take it again to get to Algebra II and so on.
To the OP with question, think hard and long about the options, and look at the whole math curriculum in HS, and may be college. It will look good in HS transcript if the kid took college level math courses in HS, also may be qualified for college credits (in some colleges, but not at the selected colleges). On the other hands, dealing with MS transition is a major deal, especially with girls and it might not be worth it. We decided against it for DC, instead enrolled her in all 7th grade honor classes, and she ended up with all A's in 7th grade. That made her feel good about MS, and move on nicely to 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Everything academic comes easy to our kid with minimal effort.

Since our kid decided to go the base school route instead of center AAP for middle school and was only taking honors, we wanted to make sure the kid had one class that required work and attentiveness, and where one could not just rely on smarts and laziness to ace the class.

We also wanted a class with real consequences when that type of thing happened.

Algebra was the perfect class to teach this lesson. Everything from showing all steps instead of doing it in your head to paying attention to the seemingly unimportant things you learn in the beginning or you won't be able to do the hard stuff later all taught this lesson. It was worth the kid getting the B first quarter which caused the semester grade to average B in spite of a second quarter A reinforced the lesson we were trying to teach.

We would do it again given the opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Thought Calculus BC in 12th grade was probably(and it was) going to be a good fit for my daughter/her interests

Looked at the math sequence. And planned backwards.

That meant Honors Math 7. Algebra in 8th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because he had high IOWA and SOL scores, and always done well in math, so we saw no reason to wait. That was last year. This year, we had a rough transition to middle school/ much bigger school/ changing classes/ forgetting to turn in homework. And are regretting adding a high school credit class on top of it. The factor I had left out of my thinking was that algebra counts toward HS GPA unless you expunge it. Which we are now considering doing because first quarter grades tanked during the adjustment and pulled down the whole year. I missed the fact having a class that actually goes on the HS transcript is more stress on my top of what is, at the AAP level, a tough adjustment for some kids academically. And can also be tough socially. So be honest about how much you want to put on your kid's plate and how well they will handle the transition. Because your DC can be brilliant, but still have trouble remembering to turn in homework, learning to time manage when there is a big project due the same day as the Algebra test, etc (and there always is...). Even though DS has pulled it together, is now making As in Algebra, and his teacher says he is welL prepared to move on to Geometry, I wish we'd waited.

why would people expunge a grade unless something illegal or unfair had happened that would make the grade illegitimate? DO people do this often?

In FCPS, you can expunge a HS credit class taken in MS (world language, algebra and geometry). It doesn't show up on the HS transcript or could towards HS GPA (but stays on MS transcript). You also don't get HS cRedit for taking the class. So basically, it doesn't could again DC when they apply to college. I don't know how maMy people do it, but it keeps a seventh grader from having to live with a bad grade 5-6 years later from when they were 12.

A MS counselor told us that expunging class credit meaning you will have to take it again in HS in order to register to the next level, i.e. if you expunge Algebra I, you will have to take it again to get to Algebra II and so on.
To the OP with question, think hard and long about the options, and look at the whole math curriculum in HS, and may be college. It will look good in HS transcript if the kid took college level math courses in HS, also may be qualified for college credits (in some colleges, but not at the selected colleges). On the other hands, dealing with MS transition is a major deal, especially with girls and it might not be worth it. We decided against it for DC, instead enrolled her in all 7th grade honor classes, and she ended up with all A's in 7th grade. That made her feel good about MS, and move on nicely to 8th grade.

I keep seeing on DCUM that if you expunge a middle school grade, you have to retake the class. This is not true in FCPS. You can decide between repeating and moving on to the next class in the sequence. http://www.fcps.edu/it/forms/is104.pdf

[Anonymous]

I let him decide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I keep seeing on DCUM that if you expunge a middle school grade, you have to retake the class. This is not true in FCPS. You can decide between repeating and moving on to the next class in the sequence.
http://www.fcps.edu/it/forms/is104.pdf

+1

It does mean one less verified credit, however:

When a course with an associated SOL is expunged from the academic record, any verified credit earned
will not be applied towards high school graduation requirements unless the student retakes the expunged
course and earns a passing grade.

[Anonymous]

We did not do it because most of our friends have older kids and had already gone through it -- their DCs were in HS when ours was in MS. They said that it was a lot of pressure and demoralizing for their older ones. By the time they were juniors the math was very hard and their earlier interest in Math had faded.