skipping intro classes on HS

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

But there is not much time to try to take a higher level science class while in HS ( for ex..one at Montgomery College or another college/virtual) if you don't skip the intro classes and some students are more than capable to skipping the intro classes.

What is the actual goal going straight to AP classes? There’s a reason they have prerequisites, how do you know your child is “more than capable” to skip into those classes? You need to be more specific about what grade your child is in and what classes they want to take. Plenty of students take APs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at their high school while satisfying the prerequisites, usually one can double up in science by taking electives. AP and Dual Enrollment are equivalent, you don’t need to take both. Some students take post AP classes like Multivariable in math through Dual Enrollment or at magnets.

There’s are some online options, but likely they won’t be recognized by the local district.


Silicon Valley High School for introductory classes:
https://svhs.co/

UC Scout for AP classes.
https://www.ucscout.org/

New poster here. Not sure what OP's motivations are, but speaking for myself, the actual goal is to be able to take more advanced STEM classes and/or a greater variety of non-STEM classes. Things like genetics, organic chemistry or art, history, FL, music.

Simply put, the fewer classes are fixed, the more options students have to take what interests them. Pre-requisites eat up the time slots and some students don't need them. Many countries have chemistry and physics in middle school - classes that are very similar to AP physics 1 and honors chemistry.

Don’t be ridiculous, middle school classes are nothing like AP Physics 1. You can’t take genetics and organic chemistry without college level general chemistry and biology, it’s just plain silly. And nope, college level introductory chemistry can’t be substituted with middle (high) school chemistry.

If your goal is to take more varied classes beyond what’s available in a typical high school, consider early college options:

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/early-college-program/index.html

Usually they are more flexible with placement and prerequisites, you can get credit by examination etc. and you can take the classes you listed. You will still need to show you mastered the prerequisites in some way, they won’t take your word that “some students don’t need them”. Also you’ll have a much harder time to skip if the prerequisite has a lab portion.

You mean in MCPS? I agree. But we have experience abroad and the middle school classes were in fact very similar to AP Physics 1 and HS honors chemistry in MCPS. Many countries have medicine as an undergraduate degree and their middle school and HS classes reflect that.

No they don’t. I also come from a country with medicine as undergraduate degree. You still have to take college physics and chemistry, way above high school and middle school curriculum.

If you actually want good advice clarify what grade the child is in, what classes he took so far, what classes he wants to skip and which they want to join, and what school they are currently attending.

I don’t need your advice, thank you very much. The fact is that n many countries students do classes similar to MCPS honors chemistry and AP physics 1 in middle school, organic chemistry and biochemistry in middle school.

Then you can see for yourself what’s taught in a typical university physics course. That’s more or less AP Physics C Mechanics.

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1/

I sincerely doubt this is what middle schoolers learn in your home country. Keep in mind that in addition to calculus you need to know trigonometry, some vectors, etc. I don’t think this is an appropriate first ever physics class.

PP you seem to be misunderstanding the poster to whom you are responding who is talking about AP Physics 1, but you are responding with details about AP Physics C

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C (which covers both mechanics and EM) are entirely different classes. C is much harder, requires calculus and is more akin to college physics 101. Physics 1 is algebra-based and covers only the first semester of college physics spread across a whole HS year.

I can see how a bright 9th grader could do AP Physics 1. Most HSers won't take AP Physics C so early because concurrent calc is a minimum requirement & most HSers won't take calc until Jr year.

If your kid is talented and interested in physics it’s more efficient and effective to take one year introductory plus one year of Physics C.

The alternative is two years of AP Physics 1 & 2 and in the end you still didn’t do the more rigorous calculus based version so likely you’ll have to take a third year of Physics.

Even Physics 1 is not as easy as you imagine, definitely not middle school level anywhere in the world.

https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e/

Only 10% of rest takers are getting a 5 in AP Physics 1.

Friendly advice, don’t let your ego screw your child over. Be realistic about what they can or can’t do. Self study is a bad idea in general, a real class is more motivational, it has more resources, there’s real evaluation and testing and ultimately more likely to help in being successful at learning the material.

An alternative view is that AP Physics 1 + 2 + Calculus-based physics is a far stronger physics education than diving into the math before learning the concepts of Physics. Physics is a science, not a Math class. Learning physics that depends on recently acquired not-highly-mastered math skills is not a winning recipe.

You’ll have to master the math concepts whatever physics class you take anyways. Not a big fan of algebra physics because calculus based gives a gives a deeper first principles understanding, you can literally see how everything is related.

Typically students take 4 years of science in high school, if you spend 3 years on physics there’s less time for Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science and some additional math like Statistics or Multivariable. Even if you use some electives, and skip introductory classes you have make some tradeoffs. Not to mention humanities, social sciences and foreign languages.

Most importantly you need to avoid getting Bs because you got in over your head and can’t keep up.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

But there is not much time to try to take a higher level science class while in HS ( for ex..one at Montgomery College or another college/virtual) if you don't skip the intro classes and some students are more than capable to skipping the intro classes.

What is the actual goal going straight to AP classes? There’s a reason they have prerequisites, how do you know your child is “more than capable” to skip into those classes? You need to be more specific about what grade your child is in and what classes they want to take. Plenty of students take APs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at their high school while satisfying the prerequisites, usually one can double up in science by taking electives. AP and Dual Enrollment are equivalent, you don’t need to take both. Some students take post AP classes like Multivariable in math through Dual Enrollment or at magnets.

There’s are some online options, but likely they won’t be recognized by the local district.


Silicon Valley High School for introductory classes:
https://svhs.co/

UC Scout for AP classes.
https://www.ucscout.org/

New poster here. Not sure what OP's motivations are, but speaking for myself, the actual goal is to be able to take more advanced STEM classes and/or a greater variety of non-STEM classes. Things like genetics, organic chemistry or art, history, FL, music.

Simply put, the fewer classes are fixed, the more options students have to take what interests them. Pre-requisites eat up the time slots and some students don't need them. Many countries have chemistry and physics in middle school - classes that are very similar to AP physics 1 and honors chemistry.

Don’t be ridiculous, middle school classes are nothing like AP Physics 1. You can’t take genetics and organic chemistry without college level general chemistry and biology, it’s just plain silly. And nope, college level introductory chemistry can’t be substituted with middle (high) school chemistry.

If your goal is to take more varied classes beyond what’s available in a typical high school, consider early college options:

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/early-college-program/index.html

Usually they are more flexible with placement and prerequisites, you can get credit by examination etc. and you can take the classes you listed. You will still need to show you mastered the prerequisites in some way, they won’t take your word that “some students don’t need them”. Also you’ll have a much harder time to skip if the prerequisite has a lab portion.

You mean in MCPS? I agree. But we have experience abroad and the middle school classes were in fact very similar to AP Physics 1 and HS honors chemistry in MCPS. Many countries have medicine as an undergraduate degree and their middle school and HS classes reflect that.

No they don’t. I also come from a country with medicine as undergraduate degree. You still have to take college physics and chemistry, way above high school and middle school curriculum.

If you actually want good advice clarify what grade the child is in, what classes he took so far, what classes he wants to skip and which they want to join, and what school they are currently attending.

I don’t need your advice, thank you very much. The fact is that n many countries students do classes similar to MCPS honors chemistry and AP physics 1 in middle school, organic chemistry and biochemistry in middle school.

Then you can see for yourself what’s taught in a typical university physics course. That’s more or less AP Physics C Mechanics.

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1/

I sincerely doubt this is what middle schoolers learn in your home country. Keep in mind that in addition to calculus you need to know trigonometry, some vectors, etc. I don’t think this is an appropriate first ever physics class.

PP you seem to be misunderstanding the poster to whom you are responding who is talking about AP Physics 1, but you are responding with details about AP Physics C

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C (which covers both mechanics and EM) are entirely different classes. C is much harder, requires calculus and is more akin to college physics 101. Physics 1 is algebra-based and covers only the first semester of college physics spread across a whole HS year.

I can see how a bright 9th grader could do AP Physics 1. Most HSers won't take AP Physics C so early because concurrent calc is a minimum requirement & most HSers won't take calc until Jr year.

If your kid is talented and interested in physics it’s more efficient and effective to take one year introductory plus one year of Physics C.

The alternative is two years of AP Physics 1 & 2 and in the end you still didn’t do the more rigorous calculus based version so likely you’ll have to take a third year of Physics.

Even Physics 1 is not as easy as you imagine, definitely not middle school level anywhere in the world.

https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e/

Only 10% of rest takers are getting a 5 in AP Physics 1.

Friendly advice, don’t let your ego screw your child over. Be realistic about what they can or can’t do. Self study is a bad idea in general, a real class is more motivational, it has more resources, there’s real evaluation and testing and ultimately more likely to help in being successful at learning the material.

An alternative view is that AP Physics 1 + 2 + Calculus-based physics is a far stronger physics education than diving into the math before learning the concepts of Physics. Physics is a science, not a Math class. Learning physics that depends on recently acquired not-highly-mastered math skills is not a winning recipe.

Yes, exactly. Kids need to master algebra-based physics before moving to calculus-based one. However, algebra based physics should be started in middle school. Here are the kinds of problems DC did in seventh grade:

1. A lift of mass M is acted upon by force F, causing the lift to move upward. A weight of mass m is suspended from the lift's ceiling using an inextensible thread. Determine the lift's acceleration. If the thread breaks, what will be the accelerations of the weight and the lift relative to the ground immediately after the thread breaks? The mass of the thread is negligible.

2. A glass cup in the shape of a cuboid has a square base with sides a = 4 cm and height h = 6 cm. The thickness of the vertical wall is d1 = 0.4 cm, and the bottom thickness is d2 = 0.8 cm. What pressure does the cup exert on the surface when standing normally, and what pressure when it's turned upside down? (Glass density is ρ = 2400 kg/m³)

3. The cheetah is the fastest land animal. The maximum speed a cheetah can reach is vmax = 112 km/h, which it can maintain for a maximum time of tmax = 20 s. Our cheetah covers a distance of length x. For the first t1 = 180 s, it runs at one-seventh of its maximum speed, then runs one kilometer at one-quarter of its maximum speed, and runs the remaining distance at maximum speed. Since it got a bit tired before reaching maximum speed, the time during which it runs at maximum speed equals half of the longest possible duration of the cheetah's running at maximum speed. Find the cheetah's average speed over the entire path. How much time would it take the cheetah to cover distance x if it runs at one-eighth of its maximum speed the entire time? Consider the speeds on each individual section to be constant.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

But there is not much time to try to take a higher level science class while in HS ( for ex..one at Montgomery College or another college/virtual) if you don't skip the intro classes and some students are more than capable to skipping the intro classes.

What is the actual goal going straight to AP classes? There’s a reason they have prerequisites, how do you know your child is “more than capable” to skip into those classes? You need to be more specific about what grade your child is in and what classes they want to take. Plenty of students take APs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at their high school while satisfying the prerequisites, usually one can double up in science by taking electives. AP and Dual Enrollment are equivalent, you don’t need to take both. Some students take post AP classes like Multivariable in math through Dual Enrollment or at magnets.

There’s are some online options, but likely they won’t be recognized by the local district.


Silicon Valley High School for introductory classes:
https://svhs.co/

UC Scout for AP classes.
https://www.ucscout.org/

New poster here. Not sure what OP's motivations are, but speaking for myself, the actual goal is to be able to take more advanced STEM classes and/or a greater variety of non-STEM classes. Things like genetics, organic chemistry or art, history, FL, music.

Simply put, the fewer classes are fixed, the more options students have to take what interests them. Pre-requisites eat up the time slots and some students don't need them. Many countries have chemistry and physics in middle school - classes that are very similar to AP physics 1 and honors chemistry.

Don’t be ridiculous, middle school classes are nothing like AP Physics 1. You can’t take genetics and organic chemistry without college level general chemistry and biology, it’s just plain silly. And nope, college level introductory chemistry can’t be substituted with middle (high) school chemistry.

If your goal is to take more varied classes beyond what’s available in a typical high school, consider early college options:

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/early-college-program/index.html

Usually they are more flexible with placement and prerequisites, you can get credit by examination etc. and you can take the classes you listed. You will still need to show you mastered the prerequisites in some way, they won’t take your word that “some students don’t need them”. Also you’ll have a much harder time to skip if the prerequisite has a lab portion.

You mean in MCPS? I agree. But we have experience abroad and the middle school classes were in fact very similar to AP Physics 1 and HS honors chemistry in MCPS. Many countries have medicine as an undergraduate degree and their middle school and HS classes reflect that.

No they don’t. I also come from a country with medicine as undergraduate degree. You still have to take college physics and chemistry, way above high school and middle school curriculum.

If you actually want good advice clarify what grade the child is in, what classes he took so far, what classes he wants to skip and which they want to join, and what school they are currently attending.

I don’t need your advice, thank you very much. The fact is that n many countries students do classes similar to MCPS honors chemistry and AP physics 1 in middle school, organic chemistry and biochemistry in middle school.

Then you can see for yourself what’s taught in a typical university physics course. That’s more or less AP Physics C Mechanics.

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1/

I sincerely doubt this is what middle schoolers learn in your home country. Keep in mind that in addition to calculus you need to know trigonometry, some vectors, etc. I don’t think this is an appropriate first ever physics class.

PP you seem to be misunderstanding the poster to whom you are responding who is talking about AP Physics 1, but you are responding with details about AP Physics C

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C (which covers both mechanics and EM) are entirely different classes. C is much harder, requires calculus and is more akin to college physics 101. Physics 1 is algebra-based and covers only the first semester of college physics spread across a whole HS year.

I can see how a bright 9th grader could do AP Physics 1. Most HSers won't take AP Physics C so early because concurrent calc is a minimum requirement & most HSers won't take calc until Jr year.

If your kid is talented and interested in physics it’s more efficient and effective to take one year introductory plus one year of Physics C.

The alternative is two years of AP Physics 1 & 2 and in the end you still didn’t do the more rigorous calculus based version so likely you’ll have to take a third year of Physics.

Even Physics 1 is not as easy as you imagine, definitely not middle school level anywhere in the world.

https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e/

Only 10% of rest takers are getting a 5 in AP Physics 1.

Friendly advice, don’t let your ego screw your child over. Be realistic about what they can or can’t do. Self study is a bad idea in general, a real class is more motivational, it has more resources, there’s real evaluation and testing and ultimately more likely to help in being successful at learning the material.

An alternative view is that AP Physics 1 + 2 + Calculus-based physics is a far stronger physics education than diving into the math before learning the concepts of Physics. Physics is a science, not a Math class. Learning physics that depends on recently acquired not-highly-mastered math skills is not a winning recipe.

You’ll have to master the math concepts whatever physics class you take anyways. Not a big fan of algebra physics because calculus based gives a gives a deeper first principles understanding, you can literally see how everything is related.

Typically students take 4 years of science in high school, if you spend 3 years on physics there’s less time for Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science and some additional math like Statistics or Multivariable. Even if you use some electives, and skip introductory classes you have make some tradeoffs. Not to mention humanities, social sciences and foreign languages.

Most importantly you need to avoid getting Bs because you got in over your head and can’t keep up.

In America, ok? In many countries students have all the sciences every year. But you think you must have the exact same classes every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child took AP Physics 1 in 9th grade and AP Bio in junior year with no prereqs. Took honors chem in 10th and AP Calc in 11th.

Forgot to add that he thought Honors chemistry was a waste of time and should have taken AP chem.

I don't know why they make kids take regular chem before AP chem - it wasn't always this way. I think it's related to a sentiment in my school that is used to judge whether a child is "ready" for AP - they will not be accepted in the AP pre-screeners our school has set up if the teacher thinks the student will get a "B". That seems odd to me and likely to cut a lot of students out who could benefit from the challenge.

They want to avoid students getting into the class unprepared, because this slows down the class. AP classes are for students capable of taking college level classes. For science classes like Physics and chemistry you need to be on top of things.

Unprepared kids with pushy parents get into these classes and it doesn’t end good for the student.

If you need more evidence, take a look at an AP exam from college board for a realistic assessment.

AP exams are post-tests, so they aren't helpful as pre-tests assessing readiness for enrollment.

MCPS creates this problem by forcing double-period AP sciences, just to make time for occasional labs.
AP does NOT recommend every day double-period. AP recommends a 104-to-125 day x 45minute pace, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-biology-course-at-a-glance_0.pdf

https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-biology-course-and-exam-description.pdf

"Flexible or modular scheduling may be implemented in order to meet the time requirements identified in the course outline for lab and field experiences.
You may find that at minimum, one double period a week is needed to allow adequate time for authentic lab experiences"

Other schools do things like mixing PE into the double-period, instead of MCPS absurdity of having 1 of 4 years be the "PE every day year"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

But there is not much time to try to take a higher level science class while in HS ( for ex..one at Montgomery College or another college/virtual) if you don't skip the intro classes and some students are more than capable to skipping the intro classes.

What is the actual goal going straight to AP classes? There’s a reason they have prerequisites, how do you know your child is “more than capable” to skip into those classes? You need to be more specific about what grade your child is in and what classes they want to take. Plenty of students take APs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at their high school while satisfying the prerequisites, usually one can double up in science by taking electives. AP and Dual Enrollment are equivalent, you don’t need to take both. Some students take post AP classes like Multivariable in math through Dual Enrollment or at magnets.

There’s are some online options, but likely they won’t be recognized by the local district.


Silicon Valley High School for introductory classes:
https://svhs.co/

UC Scout for AP classes.
https://www.ucscout.org/

New poster here. Not sure what OP's motivations are, but speaking for myself, the actual goal is to be able to take more advanced STEM classes and/or a greater variety of non-STEM classes. Things like genetics, organic chemistry or art, history, FL, music.

Simply put, the fewer classes are fixed, the more options students have to take what interests them. Pre-requisites eat up the time slots and some students don't need them. Many countries have chemistry and physics in middle school - classes that are very similar to AP physics 1 and honors chemistry.

Don’t be ridiculous, middle school classes are nothing like AP Physics 1. You can’t take genetics and organic chemistry without college level general chemistry and biology, it’s just plain silly. And nope, college level introductory chemistry can’t be substituted with middle (high) school chemistry.

If your goal is to take more varied classes beyond what’s available in a typical high school, consider early college options:

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/early-college-program/index.html

Usually they are more flexible with placement and prerequisites, you can get credit by examination etc. and you can take the classes you listed. You will still need to show you mastered the prerequisites in some way, they won’t take your word that “some students don’t need them”. Also you’ll have a much harder time to skip if the prerequisite has a lab portion.

You mean in MCPS? I agree. But we have experience abroad and the middle school classes were in fact very similar to AP Physics 1 and HS honors chemistry in MCPS. Many countries have medicine as an undergraduate degree and their middle school and HS classes reflect that.

No they don’t. I also come from a country with medicine as undergraduate degree. You still have to take college physics and chemistry, way above high school and middle school curriculum.

If you actually want good advice clarify what grade the child is in, what classes he took so far, what classes he wants to skip and which they want to join, and what school they are currently attending.

I don’t need your advice, thank you very much. The fact is that n many countries students do classes similar to MCPS honors chemistry and AP physics 1 in middle school, organic chemistry and biochemistry in middle school.

Then you can see for yourself what’s taught in a typical university physics course. That’s more or less AP Physics C Mechanics.

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1/

I sincerely doubt this is what middle schoolers learn in your home country. Keep in mind that in addition to calculus you need to know trigonometry, some vectors, etc. I don’t think this is an appropriate first ever physics class.

PP you seem to be misunderstanding the poster to whom you are responding who is talking about AP Physics 1, but you are responding with details about AP Physics C

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C (which covers both mechanics and EM) are entirely different classes. C is much harder, requires calculus and is more akin to college physics 101. Physics 1 is algebra-based and covers only the first semester of college physics spread across a whole HS year.

I can see how a bright 9th grader could do AP Physics 1. Most HSers won't take AP Physics C so early because concurrent calc is a minimum requirement & most HSers won't take calc until Jr year.

If your kid is talented and interested in physics it’s more efficient and effective to take one year introductory plus one year of Physics C.

The alternative is two years of AP Physics 1 & 2 and in the end you still didn’t do the more rigorous calculus based version so likely you’ll have to take a third year of Physics.

Even Physics 1 is not as easy as you imagine, definitely not middle school level anywhere in the world.

https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e/

Only 10% of rest takers are getting a 5 in AP Physics 1.

Friendly advice, don’t let your ego screw your child over. Be realistic about what they can or can’t do. Self study is a bad idea in general, a real class is more motivational, it has more resources, there’s real evaluation and testing and ultimately more likely to help in being successful at learning the material.

An alternative view is that AP Physics 1 + 2 + Calculus-based physics is a far stronger physics education than diving into the math before learning the concepts of Physics. Physics is a science, not a Math class. Learning physics that depends on recently acquired not-highly-mastered math skills is not a winning recipe.

You’ll have to master the math concepts whatever physics class you take anyways. Not a big fan of algebra physics because calculus based gives a gives a deeper first principles understanding, you can literally see how everything is related.

Typically students take 4 years of science in high school, if you spend 3 years on physics there’s less time for Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science and some additional math like Statistics or Multivariable. Even if you use some electives, and skip introductory classes you have make some tradeoffs. Not to mention humanities, social sciences and foreign languages.

Most importantly you need to avoid getting Bs because you got in over your head and can’t keep up.

In America, ok? In many countries students have all the sciences every year. But you think you must have the exact same classes every day.

Then I suggest you send the kid back to that mythical country and to that wonderful middle school that teaches university classes. By the time they finish high school they’ll blow everyone out of the water and be ready to receive their well deserved Harvard admission. Unless in that country they also one up the American system and do graduate level classes in undergrad like medical school. Or do medical school and residency there too, right?

You are a little obtuse, people are trying to give you advise not debate what educational system is the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are prerequisites for a reason. Unless you can document that you have taken the equivalent course already, you aren’t going to be able to just skip prerequisites.

Is Khan Academy record accepted as documentation?

LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

But there is not much time to try to take a higher level science class while in HS ( for ex..one at Montgomery College or another college/virtual) if you don't skip the intro classes and some students are more than capable to skipping the intro classes.

What is the actual goal going straight to AP classes? There’s a reason they have prerequisites, how do you know your child is “more than capable” to skip into those classes? You need to be more specific about what grade your child is in and what classes they want to take. Plenty of students take APs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at their high school while satisfying the prerequisites, usually one can double up in science by taking electives. AP and Dual Enrollment are equivalent, you don’t need to take both. Some students take post AP classes like Multivariable in math through Dual Enrollment or at magnets.

There’s are some online options, but likely they won’t be recognized by the local district.


Silicon Valley High School for introductory classes:
https://svhs.co/

UC Scout for AP classes.
https://www.ucscout.org/

New poster here. Not sure what OP's motivations are, but speaking for myself, the actual goal is to be able to take more advanced STEM classes and/or a greater variety of non-STEM classes. Things like genetics, organic chemistry or art, history, FL, music.

Simply put, the fewer classes are fixed, the more options students have to take what interests them. Pre-requisites eat up the time slots and some students don't need them. Many countries have chemistry and physics in middle school - classes that are very similar to AP physics 1 and honors chemistry.

Don’t be ridiculous, middle school classes are nothing like AP Physics 1. You can’t take genetics and organic chemistry without college level general chemistry and biology, it’s just plain silly. And nope, college level introductory chemistry can’t be substituted with middle (high) school chemistry.

If your goal is to take more varied classes beyond what’s available in a typical high school, consider early college options:

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/early-college-program/index.html

Usually they are more flexible with placement and prerequisites, you can get credit by examination etc. and you can take the classes you listed. You will still need to show you mastered the prerequisites in some way, they won’t take your word that “some students don’t need them”. Also you’ll have a much harder time to skip if the prerequisite has a lab portion.

You mean in MCPS? I agree. But we have experience abroad and the middle school classes were in fact very similar to AP Physics 1 and HS honors chemistry in MCPS. Many countries have medicine as an undergraduate degree and their middle school and HS classes reflect that.

No they don’t. I also come from a country with medicine as undergraduate degree. You still have to take college physics and chemistry, way above high school and middle school curriculum.

If you actually want good advice clarify what grade the child is in, what classes he took so far, what classes he wants to skip and which they want to join, and what school they are currently attending.

I don’t need your advice, thank you very much. The fact is that n many countries students do classes similar to MCPS honors chemistry and AP physics 1 in middle school, organic chemistry and biochemistry in middle school.

Then you can see for yourself what’s taught in a typical university physics course. That’s more or less AP Physics C Mechanics.

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1/

I sincerely doubt this is what middle schoolers learn in your home country. Keep in mind that in addition to calculus you need to know trigonometry, some vectors, etc. I don’t think this is an appropriate first ever physics class.

PP you seem to be misunderstanding the poster to whom you are responding who is talking about AP Physics 1, but you are responding with details about AP Physics C

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C (which covers both mechanics and EM) are entirely different classes. C is much harder, requires calculus and is more akin to college physics 101. Physics 1 is algebra-based and covers only the first semester of college physics spread across a whole HS year.

I can see how a bright 9th grader could do AP Physics 1. Most HSers won't take AP Physics C so early because concurrent calc is a minimum requirement & most HSers won't take calc until Jr year.

If your kid is talented and interested in physics it’s more efficient and effective to take one year introductory plus one year of Physics C.

The alternative is two years of AP Physics 1 & 2 and in the end you still didn’t do the more rigorous calculus based version so likely you’ll have to take a third year of Physics.

Even Physics 1 is not as easy as you imagine, definitely not middle school level anywhere in the world.

https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e/

Only 10% of rest takers are getting a 5 in AP Physics 1.

Friendly advice, don’t let your ego screw your child over. Be realistic about what they can or can’t do. Self study is a bad idea in general, a real class is more motivational, it has more resources, there’s real evaluation and testing and ultimately more likely to help in being successful at learning the material.

An alternative view is that AP Physics 1 + 2 + Calculus-based physics is a far stronger physics education than diving into the math before learning the concepts of Physics. Physics is a science, not a Math class. Learning physics that depends on recently acquired not-highly-mastered math skills is not a winning recipe.

Yes, exactly. Kids need to master algebra-based physics before moving to calculus-based one. However, algebra based physics should be started in middle school. Here are the kinds of problems DC did in seventh grade:

1. A lift of mass M is acted upon by force F, causing the lift to move upward. A weight of mass m is suspended from the lift's ceiling using an inextensible thread. Determine the lift's acceleration. If the thread breaks, what will be the accelerations of the weight and the lift relative to the ground immediately after the thread breaks? The mass of the thread is negligible.

2. A glass cup in the shape of a cuboid has a square base with sides a = 4 cm and height h = 6 cm. The thickness of the vertical wall is d1 = 0.4 cm, and the bottom thickness is d2 = 0.8 cm. What pressure does the cup exert on the surface when standing normally, and what pressure when it's turned upside down? (Glass density is ρ = 2400 kg/m³)

3. The cheetah is the fastest land animal. The maximum speed a cheetah can reach is vmax = 112 km/h, which it can maintain for a maximum time of tmax = 20 s. Our cheetah covers a distance of length x. For the first t1 = 180 s, it runs at one-seventh of its maximum speed, then runs one kilometer at one-quarter of its maximum speed, and runs the remaining distance at maximum speed. Since it got a bit tired before reaching maximum speed, the time during which it runs at maximum speed equals half of the longest possible duration of the cheetah's running at maximum speed. Find the cheetah's average speed over the entire path. How much time would it take the cheetah to cover distance x if it runs at one-eighth of its maximum speed the entire time? Consider the speeds on each individual section to be constant.

This is way easier than AP Physics 1. Have you looked at the free response questions for AP Physics 1 - they are very abstract and confusing. There is a reason AP Physics 1 has the lowest AP pass rate. Some 9th graders can handle it just fine but most cannot

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

But there is not much time to try to take a higher level science class while in HS ( for ex..one at Montgomery College or another college/virtual) if you don't skip the intro classes and some students are more than capable to skipping the intro classes.

What is the actual goal going straight to AP classes? There’s a reason they have prerequisites, how do you know your child is “more than capable” to skip into those classes? You need to be more specific about what grade your child is in and what classes they want to take. Plenty of students take APs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at their high school while satisfying the prerequisites, usually one can double up in science by taking electives. AP and Dual Enrollment are equivalent, you don’t need to take both. Some students take post AP classes like Multivariable in math through Dual Enrollment or at magnets.

There’s are some online options, but likely they won’t be recognized by the local district.


Silicon Valley High School for introductory classes:
https://svhs.co/

UC Scout for AP classes.
https://www.ucscout.org/

New poster here. Not sure what OP's motivations are, but speaking for myself, the actual goal is to be able to take more advanced STEM classes and/or a greater variety of non-STEM classes. Things like genetics, organic chemistry or art, history, FL, music.

Simply put, the fewer classes are fixed, the more options students have to take what interests them. Pre-requisites eat up the time slots and some students don't need them. Many countries have chemistry and physics in middle school - classes that are very similar to AP physics 1 and honors chemistry.

Don’t be ridiculous, middle school classes are nothing like AP Physics 1. You can’t take genetics and organic chemistry without college level general chemistry and biology, it’s just plain silly. And nope, college level introductory chemistry can’t be substituted with middle (high) school chemistry.

If your goal is to take more varied classes beyond what’s available in a typical high school, consider early college options:

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/early-college-program/index.html

Usually they are more flexible with placement and prerequisites, you can get credit by examination etc. and you can take the classes you listed. You will still need to show you mastered the prerequisites in some way, they won’t take your word that “some students don’t need them”. Also you’ll have a much harder time to skip if the prerequisite has a lab portion.

You mean in MCPS? I agree. But we have experience abroad and the middle school classes were in fact very similar to AP Physics 1 and HS honors chemistry in MCPS. Many countries have medicine as an undergraduate degree and their middle school and HS classes reflect that.

No they don’t. I also come from a country with medicine as undergraduate degree. You still have to take college physics and chemistry, way above high school and middle school curriculum.

If you actually want good advice clarify what grade the child is in, what classes he took so far, what classes he wants to skip and which they want to join, and what school they are currently attending.

I don’t need your advice, thank you very much. The fact is that n many countries students do classes similar to MCPS honors chemistry and AP physics 1 in middle school, organic chemistry and biochemistry in middle school.

Which countries? I've seen a European medical college entrance exam (Romania?) that includes some organic chemistry. But middle school is extreme.

Here are chemistry questions for entrance exam to medical school given to graduating seniors. I am not an expert but there seems to be quite a bit of organic chemistry here. You can lose about 5 points out of 30 and still get in.


1. How many grams of glycerol are obtained by saponification of 17.9 g of monostearin glycerol, if the reaction yield is 85%? (Mr(ester) = 358)
Options: 1) 9.2 2) 4.6 3) 3.91 4) 2.30 5) 7.04

2. Acid hydrolysis of maltose produces:


two molecules of D-glucopyranose
two molecules of D-mannopyranose
two molecules of D-galactopyranose
D-galactopyranose and D-glucopyranose
D-fructofuranose and D-glucopyranose


3. Which of the following compounds does NOT show reducing properties:


D-fructofuranose
D-glucuronic acid
Fructose-1,6-diphosphate
Glucose-6-phosphate
Methyl-α-D-glucopyranoside


4. Which of the following compounds contains a purine nucleus?


Uric acid 2) Hinolin 3) Indole 4) Tryptophan 5) Histidine


5. Which of the listed peptides with Hg²⁺ forms mercaptides?


serylglicylargenine
glicylcysteiniltriptophan
glicylphenilalanilanalanine
alanylvalilalanine
tirozilglicillizine

6. The amino acid with a basic side chain is:


Tryptophan 2) Alanine 3) Methionine 4) Leucine 5) Lysine


7. The molecular formula of the compound formed by the reaction of nitric acid with diethylamine is:


C₄H₁₀N₂O
C₄H₉NO
C₄H₁₀N
C₄H₈O
C₄H₉N


8. Which type of carboxylic acid derivative is urea?


ester 2) halogenide 3) dihalogenide 4) diamide 5) monoamide


9. How many grams of ethanamide are formed by complete ammonolysis of 0.05 moles of the corresponding acyl-halogenide?


2.95 2) 30 3) 5.9 4) 6 5) 29.5


10. Which of the following acids is dicarboxylic?


citric 2) linoleic 3) salicylic 4) lactic 5) malic


11. 1,1-Dimethoxypropanacetal is formed in the reaction of:


propanal and methanol in molar ratio 1:2
methanol and propanal in molar ratio 1:1
methanol and propanal in molar ratio 1:2
propanal and methanol in molar ratio 1:1
methanol and propanal in molar ratio 2:1


12. How many millimoles of gas are released in the reaction of n-propanol with 4.6 mg of metallic sodium? (Ar(Na) = 23)


0.05 2) 10 3) 0.2 4) 1 5) 0.1


13. Which of the following statements about ethyl chloride is correct?


does not undergo hydrolysis
does not react with ammonia
does not undergo reaction with alkoxides
undergoes hydrolysis
dissolves easily in water


14. For hydrogenation of 12 g of propyne, 6.72 dm³ of hydrogen was used (under normal conditions). The product of this reaction is:


0.2 mol propane 2) 0.3 mol propane 3) 0.2 mol propene
0.3 mol propene 5) 13.2 g propane


15. How many aliphatic alcohols - structural isomers of butanal are there?


3 2) 4 3) 5 4) 6 5) 7


16. Which of the listed gases is toxic due to binding to hemoglobin, forming a stable complex that prevents oxygen transport?


SO₂ 2) CO 3) NO₂ 4) Cl₂O₃ 5) N₂


17. In which series are there only oxides that react with HNO₃ but do not react with KOH?


CO₂, SO₃, NO, P₄O₁₀
As₂O₆, Na₂O, ZnO, N₂O
BeO, PbO, ZnO, SO₃
MgO, CuO, FeO, Na₂O
As₂O₆, CO₂, SO₃, P₄O₆


18. During electrolysis of an aqueous solution of zinc iodide, at the anode the following is released:


H₂ 2) O₂ 3) I₂O 4) I₂ 5) I₂O₃


19. How many millimoles of potassium iodide are needed for the reduction of 2 millimoles of potassium chlorate to chloride in acidic medium (H₂SO₄)?


3.33 2) 12 3) 9 4) 2.5 5) 90

20.
Solutions were made of certain organic substances of the same molar concentrations in acetone, chloroform, and benzene. If the ebullioscopic constants (K kg/mol) are: acetone 1.71; chloroform 3.63; and benzene 2.53, arrange the solutions in order of increasing boiling point elevation:
[Options 1-5 provide different orderings of "solution in benzene, solution in acetone, solution in chloroform"]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

But there is not much time to try to take a higher level science class while in HS ( for ex..one at Montgomery College or another college/virtual) if you don't skip the intro classes and some students are more than capable to skipping the intro classes.

What is the actual goal going straight to AP classes? There’s a reason they have prerequisites, how do you know your child is “more than capable” to skip into those classes? You need to be more specific about what grade your child is in and what classes they want to take. Plenty of students take APs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at their high school while satisfying the prerequisites, usually one can double up in science by taking electives. AP and Dual Enrollment are equivalent, you don’t need to take both. Some students take post AP classes like Multivariable in math through Dual Enrollment or at magnets.

There’s are some online options, but likely they won’t be recognized by the local district.


Silicon Valley High School for introductory classes:
https://svhs.co/

UC Scout for AP classes.
https://www.ucscout.org/

New poster here. Not sure what OP's motivations are, but speaking for myself, the actual goal is to be able to take more advanced STEM classes and/or a greater variety of non-STEM classes. Things like genetics, organic chemistry or art, history, FL, music.

Simply put, the fewer classes are fixed, the more options students have to take what interests them. Pre-requisites eat up the time slots and some students don't need them. Many countries have chemistry and physics in middle school - classes that are very similar to AP physics 1 and honors chemistry.

Don’t be ridiculous, middle school classes are nothing like AP Physics 1. You can’t take genetics and organic chemistry without college level general chemistry and biology, it’s just plain silly. And nope, college level introductory chemistry can’t be substituted with middle (high) school chemistry.

If your goal is to take more varied classes beyond what’s available in a typical high school, consider early college options:

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/early-college-program/index.html

Usually they are more flexible with placement and prerequisites, you can get credit by examination etc. and you can take the classes you listed. You will still need to show you mastered the prerequisites in some way, they won’t take your word that “some students don’t need them”. Also you’ll have a much harder time to skip if the prerequisite has a lab portion.

You mean in MCPS? I agree. But we have experience abroad and the middle school classes were in fact very similar to AP Physics 1 and HS honors chemistry in MCPS. Many countries have medicine as an undergraduate degree and their middle school and HS classes reflect that.

No they don’t. I also come from a country with medicine as undergraduate degree. You still have to take college physics and chemistry, way above high school and middle school curriculum.

If you actually want good advice clarify what grade the child is in, what classes he took so far, what classes he wants to skip and which they want to join, and what school they are currently attending.

I don’t need your advice, thank you very much. The fact is that n many countries students do classes similar to MCPS honors chemistry and AP physics 1 in middle school, organic chemistry and biochemistry in middle school.

Then you can see for yourself what’s taught in a typical university physics course. That’s more or less AP Physics C Mechanics.

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1/

I sincerely doubt this is what middle schoolers learn in your home country. Keep in mind that in addition to calculus you need to know trigonometry, some vectors, etc. I don’t think this is an appropriate first ever physics class.

PP you seem to be misunderstanding the poster to whom you are responding who is talking about AP Physics 1, but you are responding with details about AP Physics C

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C (which covers both mechanics and EM) are entirely different classes. C is much harder, requires calculus and is more akin to college physics 101. Physics 1 is algebra-based and covers only the first semester of college physics spread across a whole HS year.

I can see how a bright 9th grader could do AP Physics 1. Most HSers won't take AP Physics C so early because concurrent calc is a minimum requirement & most HSers won't take calc until Jr year.

If your kid is talented and interested in physics it’s more efficient and effective to take one year introductory plus one year of Physics C.

The alternative is two years of AP Physics 1 & 2 and in the end you still didn’t do the more rigorous calculus based version so likely you’ll have to take a third year of Physics.

Even Physics 1 is not as easy as you imagine, definitely not middle school level anywhere in the world.

https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e/

Only 10% of rest takers are getting a 5 in AP Physics 1.

Friendly advice, don’t let your ego screw your child over. Be realistic about what they can or can’t do. Self study is a bad idea in general, a real class is more motivational, it has more resources, there’s real evaluation and testing and ultimately more likely to help in being successful at learning the material.

An alternative view is that AP Physics 1 + 2 + Calculus-based physics is a far stronger physics education than diving into the math before learning the concepts of Physics. Physics is a science, not a Math class. Learning physics that depends on recently acquired not-highly-mastered math skills is not a winning recipe.

You’ll have to master the math concepts whatever physics class you take anyways. Not a big fan of algebra physics because calculus based gives a gives a deeper first principles understanding, you can literally see how everything is related.

Typically students take 4 years of science in high school, if you spend 3 years on physics there’s less time for Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science and some additional math like Statistics or Multivariable. Even if you use some electives, and skip introductory classes you have make some tradeoffs. Not to mention humanities, social sciences and foreign languages.

Most importantly you need to avoid getting Bs because you got in over your head and can’t keep up.

In America, ok? In many countries students have all the sciences every year. But you think you must have the exact same classes every day.

Then I suggest you send the kid back to that mythical country and to that wonderful middle school that teaches university classes. By the time they finish high school they’ll blow everyone out of the water and be ready to receive their well deserved Harvard admission. Unless in that country they also one up the American system and do graduate level classes in undergrad like medical school. Or do medical school and residency there too, right?

You are a little obtuse, people are trying to give you advise not debate what educational system is the best.

First of all, I never asked you about advice, and in fact, I resent your patronizing tone. You don't know more about this than I do.

Second, I didn't see anyone saying middle school should be teaching university level classes, ok? Middle schools around the world are teaching actual intro science classes so that their students can take AP level-like classes (and above) in HS.

American middle school curriculum is complete garbage when it comes to science. It's a total waste of time. Then, HS picks up the slack but students run out of time to pursue more advanced classes, or they can only do so in one subject.

To go back to the topic, this is why students and parents are inquiring about skipping intro classes. They are trying to compensate for the time their kids lost while fiddling fingers in their science classes, year after year. It's a real problem, and experience in other countries shows that 1) it can be done i.e. it doesn't take once in a generation genius 2) where the problem is (middle school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child took AP Physics 1 in 9th grade and AP Bio in junior year with no prereqs. Took honors chem in 10th and AP Calc in 11th.

Forgot to add that he thought Honors chemistry was a waste of time and should have taken AP chem.

I don't know why they make kids take regular chem before AP chem - it wasn't always this way. I think it's related to a sentiment in my school that is used to judge whether a child is "ready" for AP - they will not be accepted in the AP pre-screeners our school has set up if the teacher thinks the student will get a "B". That seems odd to me and likely to cut a lot of students out who could benefit from the challenge.

They want to avoid students getting into the class unprepared, because this slows down the class. AP classes are for students capable of taking college level classes. For science classes like Physics and chemistry you need to be on top of things.

Unprepared kids with pushy parents get into these classes and it doesn’t end good for the student.

If you need more evidence, take a look at an AP exam from college board for a realistic assessment.

AP exams are post-tests, so they aren't helpful as pre-tests assessing readiness for enrollment.

MCPS creates this problem by forcing double-period AP sciences, just to make time for occasional labs.
AP does NOT recommend every day double-period. AP recommends a 104-to-125 day x 45minute pace, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-biology-course-at-a-glance_0.pdf

https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-biology-course-and-exam-description.pdf

"Flexible or modular scheduling may be implemented in order to meet the time requirements identified in the course outline for lab and field experiences.
You may find that at minimum, one double period a week is needed to allow adequate time for authentic lab experiences"

Other schools do things like mixing PE into the double-period, instead of MCPS absurdity of having 1 of 4 years be the "PE every day year"

Is this for you or your child? What grade, and what courses do they want to take? There are ways to bypass the requirements but it depends what you’re trying to do.

Are you trying to take Physics 1 in 9th and the high school requires honors physics as a prerequisite? Then show you don’t need to take the prerequisite. Talk to the department head, ask for alternatives. Offer to take the honors physics exam, take an online class that covers the material and get a certificate of completion to show the school. If that doesn’t work check the local community college for summer class that satisfy the prerequisite. They might still not allow it but if you’ll be courteous and persistent it might work.

Going in with the mindset that the American educational system and MCPS are stupid and somewhere overseas you’d get what you want is the opposite of what you should do.

Be reasonable with what you want. Are you planning for AP Physics, Chemistry, biology and Calculus the same year? That’s completely idiotic.

From now till August there’s time to work something up. Start by looking at course placement policies and figure out how to meet the spirit and letter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child took AP Physics 1 in 9th grade and AP Bio in junior year with no prereqs. Took honors chem in 10th and AP Calc in 11th.

Forgot to add that he thought Honors chemistry was a waste of time and should have taken AP chem.

I don't know why they make kids take regular chem before AP chem - it wasn't always this way. I think it's related to a sentiment in my school that is used to judge whether a child is "ready" for AP - they will not be accepted in the AP pre-screeners our school has set up if the teacher thinks the student will get a "B". That seems odd to me and likely to cut a lot of students out who could benefit from the challenge.

They want to avoid students getting into the class unprepared, because this slows down the class. AP classes are for students capable of taking college level classes. For science classes like Physics and chemistry you need to be on top of things.

Unprepared kids with pushy parents get into these classes and it doesn’t end good for the student.

If you need more evidence, take a look at an AP exam from college board for a realistic assessment.

AP exams are post-tests, so they aren't helpful as pre-tests assessing readiness for enrollment.

MCPS creates this problem by forcing double-period AP sciences, just to make time for occasional labs.
AP does NOT recommend every day double-period. AP recommends a 104-to-125 day x 45minute pace, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-biology-course-at-a-glance_0.pdf

https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-biology-course-and-exam-description.pdf

"Flexible or modular scheduling may be implemented in order to meet the time requirements identified in the course outline for lab and field experiences.
You may find that at minimum, one double period a week is needed to allow adequate time for authentic lab experiences"

Other schools do things like mixing PE into the double-period, instead of MCPS absurdity of having 1 of 4 years be the "PE every day year"

My child took AP Bio (without a prerequisite) in 11th grade at Blair. The class wasn't a double-period so it went fast. Some kids did struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

But there is not much time to try to take a higher level science class while in HS ( for ex..one at Montgomery College or another college/virtual) if you don't skip the intro classes and some students are more than capable to skipping the intro classes.

What is the actual goal going straight to AP classes? There’s a reason they have prerequisites, how do you know your child is “more than capable” to skip into those classes? You need to be more specific about what grade your child is in and what classes they want to take. Plenty of students take APs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at their high school while satisfying the prerequisites, usually one can double up in science by taking electives. AP and Dual Enrollment are equivalent, you don’t need to take both. Some students take post AP classes like Multivariable in math through Dual Enrollment or at magnets.

There’s are some online options, but likely they won’t be recognized by the local district.


Silicon Valley High School for introductory classes:
https://svhs.co/

UC Scout for AP classes.
https://www.ucscout.org/

New poster here. Not sure what OP's motivations are, but speaking for myself, the actual goal is to be able to take more advanced STEM classes and/or a greater variety of non-STEM classes. Things like genetics, organic chemistry or art, history, FL, music.

Simply put, the fewer classes are fixed, the more options students have to take what interests them. Pre-requisites eat up the time slots and some students don't need them. Many countries have chemistry and physics in middle school - classes that are very similar to AP physics 1 and honors chemistry.

Don’t be ridiculous, middle school classes are nothing like AP Physics 1. You can’t take genetics and organic chemistry without college level general chemistry and biology, it’s just plain silly. And nope, college level introductory chemistry can’t be substituted with middle (high) school chemistry.

If your goal is to take more varied classes beyond what’s available in a typical high school, consider early college options:

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/early-college-program/index.html

Usually they are more flexible with placement and prerequisites, you can get credit by examination etc. and you can take the classes you listed. You will still need to show you mastered the prerequisites in some way, they won’t take your word that “some students don’t need them”. Also you’ll have a much harder time to skip if the prerequisite has a lab portion.

You mean in MCPS? I agree. But we have experience abroad and the middle school classes were in fact very similar to AP Physics 1 and HS honors chemistry in MCPS. Many countries have medicine as an undergraduate degree and their middle school and HS classes reflect that.

No they don’t. I also come from a country with medicine as undergraduate degree. You still have to take college physics and chemistry, way above high school and middle school curriculum.

If you actually want good advice clarify what grade the child is in, what classes he took so far, what classes he wants to skip and which they want to join, and what school they are currently attending.

I don’t need your advice, thank you very much. The fact is that n many countries students do classes similar to MCPS honors chemistry and AP physics 1 in middle school, organic chemistry and biochemistry in middle school.

Then you can see for yourself what’s taught in a typical university physics course. That’s more or less AP Physics C Mechanics.

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1/

I sincerely doubt this is what middle schoolers learn in your home country. Keep in mind that in addition to calculus you need to know trigonometry, some vectors, etc. I don’t think this is an appropriate first ever physics class.

PP you seem to be misunderstanding the poster to whom you are responding who is talking about AP Physics 1, but you are responding with details about AP Physics C

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C (which covers both mechanics and EM) are entirely different classes. C is much harder, requires calculus and is more akin to college physics 101. Physics 1 is algebra-based and covers only the first semester of college physics spread across a whole HS year.

I can see how a bright 9th grader could do AP Physics 1. Most HSers won't take AP Physics C so early because concurrent calc is a minimum requirement & most HSers won't take calc until Jr year.

If your kid is talented and interested in physics it’s more efficient and effective to take one year introductory plus one year of Physics C.

The alternative is two years of AP Physics 1 & 2 and in the end you still didn’t do the more rigorous calculus based version so likely you’ll have to take a third year of Physics.

Even Physics 1 is not as easy as you imagine, definitely not middle school level anywhere in the world.

https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e/

Only 10% of rest takers are getting a 5 in AP Physics 1.

Friendly advice, don’t let your ego screw your child over. Be realistic about what they can or can’t do. Self study is a bad idea in general, a real class is more motivational, it has more resources, there’s real evaluation and testing and ultimately more likely to help in being successful at learning the material.

An alternative view is that AP Physics 1 + 2 + Calculus-based physics is a far stronger physics education than diving into the math before learning the concepts of Physics. Physics is a science, not a Math class. Learning physics that depends on recently acquired not-highly-mastered math skills is not a winning recipe.

You’ll have to master the math concepts whatever physics class you take anyways. Not a big fan of algebra physics because calculus based gives a gives a deeper first principles understanding, you can literally see how everything is related.

Typically students take 4 years of science in high school, if you spend 3 years on physics there’s less time for Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science and some additional math like Statistics or Multivariable. Even if you use some electives, and skip introductory classes you have make some tradeoffs. Not to mention humanities, social sciences and foreign languages.

Most importantly you need to avoid getting Bs because you got in over your head and can’t keep up.

In America, ok? In many countries students have all the sciences every year. But you think you must have the exact same classes every day.

Then I suggest you send the kid back to that mythical country and to that wonderful middle school that teaches university classes. By the time they finish high school they’ll blow everyone out of the water and be ready to receive their well deserved Harvard admission. Unless in that country they also one up the American system and do graduate level classes in undergrad like medical school. Or do medical school and residency there too, right?

You are a little obtuse, people are trying to give you advise not debate what educational system is the best.

First of all, I never asked you about advice, and in fact, I resent your patronizing tone. You don't know more about this than I do.

Second, I didn't see anyone saying middle school should be teaching university level classes, ok? Middle schools around the world are teaching actual intro science classes so that their students can take AP level-like classes (and above) in HS.

American middle school curriculum is complete garbage when it comes to science. It's a total waste of time. Then, HS picks up the slack but students run out of time to pursue more advanced classes, or they can only do so in one subject.

To go back to the topic, this is why students and parents are inquiring about skipping intro classes. They are trying to compensate for the time their kids lost while fiddling fingers in their science classes, year after year. It's a real problem, and experience in other countries shows that 1) it can be done i.e. it doesn't take once in a generation genius 2) where the problem is (middle school).

Ok so this is for your child not for you. The school doesn’t care that in your head you think it’s done somewhere in the world. They care about placing students appropriately in the class. If not, they risk having the class filled with dummies with pushy parents that will drag the class down because they don’t even grasp the basics of pH when they teach Lewis bases and acids. So they can’t keep the pace of the class because they need to go back to explaining simple things that should have been mastered in and out. In the end it’s the top students that suffer the most because now they get a watered down AP class that might drag down their AP scores and their college prospects.

Hopefully you can see the point of view of the school, it’s not because the American middle school curriculum is garbage.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

But there is not much time to try to take a higher level science class while in HS ( for ex..one at Montgomery College or another college/virtual) if you don't skip the intro classes and some students are more than capable to skipping the intro classes.

What is the actual goal going straight to AP classes? There’s a reason they have prerequisites, how do you know your child is “more than capable” to skip into those classes? You need to be more specific about what grade your child is in and what classes they want to take. Plenty of students take APs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at their high school while satisfying the prerequisites, usually one can double up in science by taking electives. AP and Dual Enrollment are equivalent, you don’t need to take both. Some students take post AP classes like Multivariable in math through Dual Enrollment or at magnets.

There’s are some online options, but likely they won’t be recognized by the local district.


Silicon Valley High School for introductory classes:
https://svhs.co/

UC Scout for AP classes.
https://www.ucscout.org/

New poster here. Not sure what OP's motivations are, but speaking for myself, the actual goal is to be able to take more advanced STEM classes and/or a greater variety of non-STEM classes. Things like genetics, organic chemistry or art, history, FL, music.

Simply put, the fewer classes are fixed, the more options students have to take what interests them. Pre-requisites eat up the time slots and some students don't need them. Many countries have chemistry and physics in middle school - classes that are very similar to AP physics 1 and honors chemistry.

Don’t be ridiculous, middle school classes are nothing like AP Physics 1. You can’t take genetics and organic chemistry without college level general chemistry and biology, it’s just plain silly. And nope, college level introductory chemistry can’t be substituted with middle (high) school chemistry.

If your goal is to take more varied classes beyond what’s available in a typical high school, consider early college options:

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/early-college-program/index.html

Usually they are more flexible with placement and prerequisites, you can get credit by examination etc. and you can take the classes you listed. You will still need to show you mastered the prerequisites in some way, they won’t take your word that “some students don’t need them”. Also you’ll have a much harder time to skip if the prerequisite has a lab portion.

You mean in MCPS? I agree. But we have experience abroad and the middle school classes were in fact very similar to AP Physics 1 and HS honors chemistry in MCPS. Many countries have medicine as an undergraduate degree and their middle school and HS classes reflect that.

No they don’t. I also come from a country with medicine as undergraduate degree. You still have to take college physics and chemistry, way above high school and middle school curriculum.

If you actually want good advice clarify what grade the child is in, what classes he took so far, what classes he wants to skip and which they want to join, and what school they are currently attending.

I don’t need your advice, thank you very much. The fact is that n many countries students do classes similar to MCPS honors chemistry and AP physics 1 in middle school, organic chemistry and biochemistry in middle school.

Then you can see for yourself what’s taught in a typical university physics course. That’s more or less AP Physics C Mechanics.

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1/

I sincerely doubt this is what middle schoolers learn in your home country. Keep in mind that in addition to calculus you need to know trigonometry, some vectors, etc. I don’t think this is an appropriate first ever physics class.

PP you seem to be misunderstanding the poster to whom you are responding who is talking about AP Physics 1, but you are responding with details about AP Physics C

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C (which covers both mechanics and EM) are entirely different classes. C is much harder, requires calculus and is more akin to college physics 101. Physics 1 is algebra-based and covers only the first semester of college physics spread across a whole HS year.

I can see how a bright 9th grader could do AP Physics 1. Most HSers won't take AP Physics C so early because concurrent calc is a minimum requirement & most HSers won't take calc until Jr year.

If your kid is talented and interested in physics it’s more efficient and effective to take one year introductory plus one year of Physics C.

The alternative is two years of AP Physics 1 & 2 and in the end you still didn’t do the more rigorous calculus based version so likely you’ll have to take a third year of Physics.

Even Physics 1 is not as easy as you imagine, definitely not middle school level anywhere in the world.

https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e/

Only 10% of rest takers are getting a 5 in AP Physics 1.

Friendly advice, don’t let your ego screw your child over. Be realistic about what they can or can’t do. Self study is a bad idea in general, a real class is more motivational, it has more resources, there’s real evaluation and testing and ultimately more likely to help in being successful at learning the material.

An alternative view is that AP Physics 1 + 2 + Calculus-based physics is a far stronger physics education than diving into the math before learning the concepts of Physics. Physics is a science, not a Math class. Learning physics that depends on recently acquired not-highly-mastered math skills is not a winning recipe.

You’ll have to master the math concepts whatever physics class you take anyways. Not a big fan of algebra physics because calculus based gives a gives a deeper first principles understanding, you can literally see how everything is related.

Typically students take 4 years of science in high school, if you spend 3 years on physics there’s less time for Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science and some additional math like Statistics or Multivariable. Even if you use some electives, and skip introductory classes you have make some tradeoffs. Not to mention humanities, social sciences and foreign languages.

Most importantly you need to avoid getting Bs because you got in over your head and can’t keep up.

In America, ok? In many countries students have all the sciences every year. But you think you must have the exact same classes every day.

Then I suggest you send the kid back to that mythical country and to that wonderful middle school that teaches university classes. By the time they finish high school they’ll blow everyone out of the water and be ready to receive their well deserved Harvard admission. Unless in that country they also one up the American system and do graduate level classes in undergrad like medical school. Or do medical school and residency there too, right?

You are a little obtuse, people are trying to give you advise not debate what educational system is the best.

First of all, I never asked you about advice, and in fact, I resent your patronizing tone. You don't know more about this than I do.

Second, I didn't see anyone saying middle school should be teaching university level classes, ok? Middle schools around the world are teaching actual intro science classes so that their students can take AP level-like classes (and above) in HS.

American middle school curriculum is complete garbage when it comes to science. It's a total waste of time. Then, HS picks up the slack but students run out of time to pursue more advanced classes, or they can only do so in one subject.

To go back to the topic, this is why students and parents are inquiring about skipping intro classes. They are trying to compensate for the time their kids lost while fiddling fingers in their science classes, year after year. It's a real problem, and experience in other countries shows that 1) it can be done i.e. it doesn't take once in a generation genius 2) where the problem is (middle school).

Ok so this is for your child not for you. The school doesn’t care that in your head you think it’s done somewhere in the world. They care about placing students appropriately in the class. If not, they risk having the class filled with dummies with pushy parents that will drag the class down because they don’t even grasp the basics of pH when they teach Lewis bases and acids. So they can’t keep the pace of the class because they need to go back to explaining simple things that should have been mastered in and out. In the end it’s the top students that suffer the most because now they get a watered down AP class that might drag down their AP scores and their college prospects.

Hopefully you can see the point of view of the school, it’s not because the American middle school curriculum is garbage.

If you paid attention to my posts you would have realized that I do understand the point of view of the HS. By the time kids get there, the damage is done. But high school wouldn't be in this position if middle school science curriculum were not grossly deficient. Students should have mastered basics of Ph, Lewis formulas, be comfortable translating physics problems into equations etc in middle school and they should be able to jump straight into AP chemistry, AP biology without introductory classes. Introductory science classes belong in middle school. It is not a coincidence that this is what HS parents and students are trying to skip.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

But there is not much time to try to take a higher level science class while in HS ( for ex..one at Montgomery College or another college/virtual) if you don't skip the intro classes and some students are more than capable to skipping the intro classes.

What is the actual goal going straight to AP classes? There’s a reason they have prerequisites, how do you know your child is “more than capable” to skip into those classes? You need to be more specific about what grade your child is in and what classes they want to take. Plenty of students take APs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at their high school while satisfying the prerequisites, usually one can double up in science by taking electives. AP and Dual Enrollment are equivalent, you don’t need to take both. Some students take post AP classes like Multivariable in math through Dual Enrollment or at magnets.

There’s are some online options, but likely they won’t be recognized by the local district.


Silicon Valley High School for introductory classes:
https://svhs.co/

UC Scout for AP classes.
https://www.ucscout.org/

New poster here. Not sure what OP's motivations are, but speaking for myself, the actual goal is to be able to take more advanced STEM classes and/or a greater variety of non-STEM classes. Things like genetics, organic chemistry or art, history, FL, music.

Simply put, the fewer classes are fixed, the more options students have to take what interests them. Pre-requisites eat up the time slots and some students don't need them. Many countries have chemistry and physics in middle school - classes that are very similar to AP physics 1 and honors chemistry.

Don’t be ridiculous, middle school classes are nothing like AP Physics 1. You can’t take genetics and organic chemistry without college level general chemistry and biology, it’s just plain silly. And nope, college level introductory chemistry can’t be substituted with middle (high) school chemistry.

If your goal is to take more varied classes beyond what’s available in a typical high school, consider early college options:

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/early-college-program/index.html

Usually they are more flexible with placement and prerequisites, you can get credit by examination etc. and you can take the classes you listed. You will still need to show you mastered the prerequisites in some way, they won’t take your word that “some students don’t need them”. Also you’ll have a much harder time to skip if the prerequisite has a lab portion.

You mean in MCPS? I agree. But we have experience abroad and the middle school classes were in fact very similar to AP Physics 1 and HS honors chemistry in MCPS. Many countries have medicine as an undergraduate degree and their middle school and HS classes reflect that.

No they don’t. I also come from a country with medicine as undergraduate degree. You still have to take college physics and chemistry, way above high school and middle school curriculum.

If you actually want good advice clarify what grade the child is in, what classes he took so far, what classes he wants to skip and which they want to join, and what school they are currently attending.

I don’t need your advice, thank you very much. The fact is that n many countries students do classes similar to MCPS honors chemistry and AP physics 1 in middle school, organic chemistry and biochemistry in middle school.

Then you can see for yourself what’s taught in a typical university physics course. That’s more or less AP Physics C Mechanics.

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1/

I sincerely doubt this is what middle schoolers learn in your home country. Keep in mind that in addition to calculus you need to know trigonometry, some vectors, etc. I don’t think this is an appropriate first ever physics class.

PP you seem to be misunderstanding the poster to whom you are responding who is talking about AP Physics 1, but you are responding with details about AP Physics C

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C (which covers both mechanics and EM) are entirely different classes. C is much harder, requires calculus and is more akin to college physics 101. Physics 1 is algebra-based and covers only the first semester of college physics spread across a whole HS year.

I can see how a bright 9th grader could do AP Physics 1. Most HSers won't take AP Physics C so early because concurrent calc is a minimum requirement & most HSers won't take calc until Jr year.

If your kid is talented and interested in physics it’s more efficient and effective to take one year introductory plus one year of Physics C.

The alternative is two years of AP Physics 1 & 2 and in the end you still didn’t do the more rigorous calculus based version so likely you’ll have to take a third year of Physics.

Even Physics 1 is not as easy as you imagine, definitely not middle school level anywhere in the world.

https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e/

Only 10% of rest takers are getting a 5 in AP Physics 1.

Friendly advice, don’t let your ego screw your child over. Be realistic about what they can or can’t do. Self study is a bad idea in general, a real class is more motivational, it has more resources, there’s real evaluation and testing and ultimately more likely to help in being successful at learning the material.

An alternative view is that AP Physics 1 + 2 + Calculus-based physics is a far stronger physics education than diving into the math before learning the concepts of Physics. Physics is a science, not a Math class. Learning physics that depends on recently acquired not-highly-mastered math skills is not a winning recipe.

You’ll have to master the math concepts whatever physics class you take anyways. Not a big fan of algebra physics because calculus based gives a gives a deeper first principles understanding, you can literally see how everything is related.

Typically students take 4 years of science in high school, if you spend 3 years on physics there’s less time for Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science and some additional math like Statistics or Multivariable. Even if you use some electives, and skip introductory classes you have make some tradeoffs. Not to mention humanities, social sciences and foreign languages.

Most importantly you need to avoid getting Bs because you got in over your head and can’t keep up.

In America, ok? In many countries students have all the sciences every year. But you think you must have the exact same classes every day.

Then I suggest you send the kid back to that mythical country and to that wonderful middle school that teaches university classes. By the time they finish high school they’ll blow everyone out of the water and be ready to receive their well deserved Harvard admission. Unless in that country they also one up the American system and do graduate level classes in undergrad like medical school. Or do medical school and residency there too, right?

You are a little obtuse, people are trying to give you advise not debate what educational system is the best.

First of all, I never asked you about advice, and in fact, I resent your patronizing tone. You don't know more about this than I do.

Second, I didn't see anyone saying middle school should be teaching university level classes, ok? Middle schools around the world are teaching actual intro science classes so that their students can take AP level-like classes (and above) in HS.

American middle school curriculum is complete garbage when it comes to science. It's a total waste of time. Then, HS picks up the slack but students run out of time to pursue more advanced classes, or they can only do so in one subject.

To go back to the topic, this is why students and parents are inquiring about skipping intro classes. They are trying to compensate for the time their kids lost while fiddling fingers in their science classes, year after year. It's a real problem, and experience in other countries shows that 1) it can be done i.e. it doesn't take once in a generation genius 2) where the problem is (middle school).

Ok so this is for your child not for you. The school doesn’t care that in your head you think it’s done somewhere in the world. They care about placing students appropriately in the class. If not, they risk having the class filled with dummies with pushy parents that will drag the class down because they don’t even grasp the basics of pH when they teach Lewis bases and acids. So they can’t keep the pace of the class because they need to go back to explaining simple things that should have been mastered in and out. In the end it’s the top students that suffer the most because now they get a watered down AP class that might drag down their AP scores and their college prospects.

Hopefully you can see the point of view of the school, it’s not because the American middle school curriculum is garbage.

If you paid attention to my posts you would have realized that I do understand the point of view of the HS. By the time kids get there, the damage is done. But high school wouldn't be in this position if middle school science curriculum were not grossly deficient. Students should have mastered basics of Ph, Lewis formulas, be comfortable translating physics problems into equations etc in middle school and they should be able to jump straight into AP chemistry, AP biology without introductory classes. Introductory science classes belong in middle school. It is not a coincidence that this is what HS parents and students are trying to skip.

So are you here to vent to looking for advice on how to skip?

Is the student in middle school and you want them to skip middle school curriculum and take the high school prerequisites of AP?

Is the student in high school having taken the middle school curriculum and now wants to take AP directly? What grade and what classes? Have you talked to the school and they won’t budge? You need to be more specific about what problem you’re facing.

More important, how do you know the student is prepared for the class you want them to take? How advanced are they in other areas? Is the workload easy for them in their current grade? Because if they struggle in math and English it’s hard to ask for skipping classes and frankly not advisable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

But there is not much time to try to take a higher level science class while in HS ( for ex..one at Montgomery College or another college/virtual) if you don't skip the intro classes and some students are more than capable to skipping the intro classes.

What is the actual goal going straight to AP classes? There’s a reason they have prerequisites, how do you know your child is “more than capable” to skip into those classes? You need to be more specific about what grade your child is in and what classes they want to take. Plenty of students take APs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at their high school while satisfying the prerequisites, usually one can double up in science by taking electives. AP and Dual Enrollment are equivalent, you don’t need to take both. Some students take post AP classes like Multivariable in math through Dual Enrollment or at magnets.

There’s are some online options, but likely they won’t be recognized by the local district.


Silicon Valley High School for introductory classes:
https://svhs.co/

UC Scout for AP classes.
https://www.ucscout.org/

New poster here. Not sure what OP's motivations are, but speaking for myself, the actual goal is to be able to take more advanced STEM classes and/or a greater variety of non-STEM classes. Things like genetics, organic chemistry or art, history, FL, music.

Simply put, the fewer classes are fixed, the more options students have to take what interests them. Pre-requisites eat up the time slots and some students don't need them. Many countries have chemistry and physics in middle school - classes that are very similar to AP physics 1 and honors chemistry.

Don’t be ridiculous, middle school classes are nothing like AP Physics 1. You can’t take genetics and organic chemistry without college level general chemistry and biology, it’s just plain silly. And nope, college level introductory chemistry can’t be substituted with middle (high) school chemistry.

If your goal is to take more varied classes beyond what’s available in a typical high school, consider early college options:

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/early-college-program/index.html

Usually they are more flexible with placement and prerequisites, you can get credit by examination etc. and you can take the classes you listed. You will still need to show you mastered the prerequisites in some way, they won’t take your word that “some students don’t need them”. Also you’ll have a much harder time to skip if the prerequisite has a lab portion.

You mean in MCPS? I agree. But we have experience abroad and the middle school classes were in fact very similar to AP Physics 1 and HS honors chemistry in MCPS. Many countries have medicine as an undergraduate degree and their middle school and HS classes reflect that.

No they don’t. I also come from a country with medicine as undergraduate degree. You still have to take college physics and chemistry, way above high school and middle school curriculum.

If you actually want good advice clarify what grade the child is in, what classes he took so far, what classes he wants to skip and which they want to join, and what school they are currently attending.

I don’t need your advice, thank you very much. The fact is that n many countries students do classes similar to MCPS honors chemistry and AP physics 1 in middle school, organic chemistry and biochemistry in middle school.

Then you can see for yourself what’s taught in a typical university physics course. That’s more or less AP Physics C Mechanics.

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1/

I sincerely doubt this is what middle schoolers learn in your home country. Keep in mind that in addition to calculus you need to know trigonometry, some vectors, etc. I don’t think this is an appropriate first ever physics class.

PP you seem to be misunderstanding the poster to whom you are responding who is talking about AP Physics 1, but you are responding with details about AP Physics C

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C (which covers both mechanics and EM) are entirely different classes. C is much harder, requires calculus and is more akin to college physics 101. Physics 1 is algebra-based and covers only the first semester of college physics spread across a whole HS year.

I can see how a bright 9th grader could do AP Physics 1. Most HSers won't take AP Physics C so early because concurrent calc is a minimum requirement & most HSers won't take calc until Jr year.

If your kid is talented and interested in physics it’s more efficient and effective to take one year introductory plus one year of Physics C.

The alternative is two years of AP Physics 1 & 2 and in the end you still didn’t do the more rigorous calculus based version so likely you’ll have to take a third year of Physics.

Even Physics 1 is not as easy as you imagine, definitely not middle school level anywhere in the world.

https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e/

Only 10% of rest takers are getting a 5 in AP Physics 1.

Friendly advice, don’t let your ego screw your child over. Be realistic about what they can or can’t do. Self study is a bad idea in general, a real class is more motivational, it has more resources, there’s real evaluation and testing and ultimately more likely to help in being successful at learning the material.

An alternative view is that AP Physics 1 + 2 + Calculus-based physics is a far stronger physics education than diving into the math before learning the concepts of Physics. Physics is a science, not a Math class. Learning physics that depends on recently acquired not-highly-mastered math skills is not a winning recipe.

You’ll have to master the math concepts whatever physics class you take anyways. Not a big fan of algebra physics because calculus based gives a gives a deeper first principles understanding, you can literally see how everything is related.

Typically students take 4 years of science in high school, if you spend 3 years on physics there’s less time for Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science and some additional math like Statistics or Multivariable. Even if you use some electives, and skip introductory classes you have make some tradeoffs. Not to mention humanities, social sciences and foreign languages.

Most importantly you need to avoid getting Bs because you got in over your head and can’t keep up.

In America, ok? In many countries students have all the sciences every year. But you think you must have the exact same classes every day.

Then I suggest you send the kid back to that mythical country and to that wonderful middle school that teaches university classes. By the time they finish high school they’ll blow everyone out of the water and be ready to receive their well deserved Harvard admission. Unless in that country they also one up the American system and do graduate level classes in undergrad like medical school. Or do medical school and residency there too, right?

You are a little obtuse, people are trying to give you advise not debate what educational system is the best.

First of all, I never asked you about advice, and in fact, I resent your patronizing tone. You don't know more about this than I do.

Second, I didn't see anyone saying middle school should be teaching university level classes, ok? Middle schools around the world are teaching actual intro science classes so that their students can take AP level-like classes (and above) in HS.

American middle school curriculum is complete garbage when it comes to science. It's a total waste of time. Then, HS picks up the slack but students run out of time to pursue more advanced classes, or they can only do so in one subject.

To go back to the topic, this is why students and parents are inquiring about skipping intro classes. They are trying to compensate for the time their kids lost while fiddling fingers in their science classes, year after year. It's a real problem, and experience in other countries shows that 1) it can be done i.e. it doesn't take once in a generation genius 2) where the problem is (middle school).

Reach out to your school and ask them. Thats how I always do it. You are going to get very varying advice here, some hostile.