How Common Is Math Acceleration With DMV Families?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child is truly a math genius, then this level to acceleration isn’t really what they need. They need incredibly challenging, deep problems testing the limits of geometrical theory and trigonometry and what not. Chances are your kid is just really disciplined in which case all this acceleration is going to backfire when you kid is in 10th grade and has no real solid foundation in the math he/she actually needs to become a gifted mathematician.

Kids have a solid foundation. You regularly rant this and it makes no sense. But op child did not take the school classes and just enrichment so none will allow that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did your child take these in school or private classes? If it’s private classes, most schools will not honor that and they need to take the actual classes. My kid started Algebra in 6th, now in BC in 10th...

I disagree - the schools won’t care how the student got the knowledge, but they will want/need to confirm that the student in fact got the knowledge. They will require a placement test. They do that even for kids coming from other schools who took actual classes.

Not true. I called around for ms as mine is the algebra in 6th. Most were not equipped to handle that track as their class sizes are too small and they don’t offer it.

[Anonymous]

My kid is advanced in math, but not that advanced. He had to take two math placement tests to get put into Algebra2/Trig as a 9th grader. One was a placement test to prove he had a full understanding of Algebra I. He had to get a 90 on that to even be able to take the second test, which was the Honors Geometry final exam that was given that year. I would expect a school to do something similar for your son.

I think getting multiple types of exposure to the same content is so important. My son is taking AP Calc AB as a sophomore, but I am only letting him if he finishes works through a precalc textbook over the summer. He is a math whiz but struggles with executive functioning b/c he's a 14 year old kid, so if he can't prove to me that he can work through this content, a lot of which is review, I'll have the school put him in honors precalc next year.

He wants to major in math, so he thinks it'll help him get ahead to go through the courses fast. But what actually helps is learning the content really well, even if there is some overlap. (I used to be a math teacher. I'm now a statistics professor, so I have taken A LOT of college/graduate level math courses.)

[Anonymous]

I have a PhD in applied statistics, my kids are strong math students and I have them on track to take BC calculus their senior year of high school.

There are many reasons I didn’t advance them faster. First, I would rather have them develop strong mastery of all of the basics before they move to complex topics. Any time they were bored or getting an easy A we were able to do more problems or explore the subject with more creativity / greater depth. Second, middle and high school is an important social time in their lives and I think it’s essential for them to be in class with peers. Third, while math has been an easier topic I want them to be well rounded students and we’ve spent more time we might have been advancing math learning how to write great essays, make strong oral presentations, or join other activities at school.

Finally, they have the rest of their lives to do more math if they love it, I work in math professionally. What’s the rush with accelerating during your childhood when there are other things to explore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did your child take these in school or private classes? If it’s private classes, most schools will not honor that and they need to take the actual classes. My kid started Algebra in 6th, now in BC in 10th...

I disagree - the schools won’t care how the student got the knowledge, but they will want/need to confirm that the student in fact got the knowledge. They will require a placement test. They do that even for kids coming from other schools who took actual classes.

Not true. I called around for ms as mine is the algebra in 6th. Most were not equipped to handle that track as their class sizes are too small and they don’t offer it.

That has nothing to do with my point, which was purely that schools will give new incoming students a placement test to determine what math class to put them in. They will not rely on the family reporting what the student has learned, whether from a previous school or from outside supplements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did your child take these in school or private classes? If it’s private classes, most schools will not honor that and they need to take the actual classes. My kid started Algebra in 6th, now in BC in 10th...

I disagree - the schools won’t care how the student got the knowledge, but they will want/need to confirm that the student in fact got the knowledge. They will require a placement test. They do that even for kids coming from other schools who took actual classes.

Not true. I called around for ms as mine is the algebra in 6th. Most were not equipped to handle that track as their class sizes are too small and they don’t offer it.

That has nothing to do with my point, which was purely that schools will give new incoming students a placement test to determine what math class to put them in. They will not rely on the family reporting what the student has learned, whether from a previous school or from outside supplements.

This. Your kid should take the placement test unless he’s like Sheldon Cooper. Then why isn’t he already in college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family is moving from Chicago to DC. My son is 3.5 years ahead in math and is on path to complete Calculus II by 8th grade. I have him in a hyper-accelerated mathematics program so he can have an edge on his peers and begin exploring more complex topics earlier. Will this give him an advantage in private school if we were to apply? Also, how common is this style of acceleration in the DMV? I have heard it is academically cutthroat down there.

Very common.

We have 5th graders and alumni interview in Bethesda (home) and Arlington (office).

40% of public k-6 kids are in compacted or accelerated math. That means they’re on track to be done with geometry by end of 8th grade or take it in addition to pre-algebra I for 9the grade. Then pre algebra II for 10th grade, and thus take SAT summer after 10th grade.

Private schools go slower and “deeper”, and the stem families supplement or tutor ahead so kids aren’t board.

High school can take lots of paths, again those top students are 30-40% of the entire grade around here (not 10%) and can take either calc AB or BC for 11th grade and then AP stats or higher level math for 12th grade (audit or for a grade).

Will also note that strong public elementary schools in MCPS ARE allowed to teach up a grade in math. Thus those nationwide MAP scores, spanning three grades of material aptitude tests, come in with 99%tile for half the class sometimes. No one blinks.

Magnet schools are test in.
g&T programs now called Center for Excellence were shrunk back in 2018 due to being deemed racist for having mostly white and Asian students.

FCPS parent here. Maybe 15% of 7th graders take Algebra 1 H. Those are the kids who were in AAP or took Advanced Math, which is about 30% of the 6th grade population. Then you have to pass the 7th grade SOL at the Advanced level, so a 500 out of 600. It used to be you had to pass the IAAT in the 91st percentile to qualify but they dropped that this year. Not everyone who met the criteria choose to take Algebra 1 H in 7th grade, which is how I get the number 15% of 7th graders in the class. And some percentage will drop out of Algebra in 7th grade because the class moves too fast or will expunge the grade and retake the class in 8th grade.

The majority of students will take Algebra 1 in 8th grade; I don't know what percent takes Algebra 1 and what percent takes Algebra 1 H. I do know both classes are offered in 8th grade.

There are kids who are hyper accelerated in math in FCPS. We know kids in Pre-Calculus as 8th graders. I think that is a bit much but the kids seem to be fine with it so what do I know. DS will complete Algebra 1H as a 7th grader. He did not want to take Geometry this summer but a bunch of his classmates are. We are fine with that, heck I am esstatic that he chose to attend camp and hang out with friends rather then take a math class in such a compacted fashion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family is moving from Chicago to DC. My son is 3.5 years ahead in math and is on path to complete Calculus II by 8th grade. I have him in a hyper-accelerated mathematics program so he can have an edge on his peers and begin exploring more complex topics earlier. Will this give him an advantage in private school if we were to apply? Also, how common is this style of acceleration in the DMV? I have heard it is academically cutthroat down there.

Very common.

We have 5th graders and alumni interview in Bethesda (home) and Arlington (office).

40% of public k-6 kids are in compacted or accelerated math. That means they’re on track to be done with geometry by end of 8th grade or take it in addition to pre-algebra I for 9the grade. Then pre algebra II for 10th grade, and thus take SAT summer after 10th grade.

Private schools go slower and “deeper”, and the stem families supplement or tutor ahead so kids aren’t board.

High school can take lots of paths, again those top students are 30-40% of the entire grade around here (not 10%) and can take either calc AB or BC for 11th grade and then AP stats or higher level math for 12th grade (audit or for a grade).

Will also note that strong public elementary schools in MCPS ARE allowed to teach up a grade in math. Thus those nationwide MAP scores, spanning three grades of material aptitude tests, come in with 99%tile for half the class sometimes. No one blinks.

Magnet schools are test in.
g&T programs now called Center for Excellence were shrunk back in 2018 due to being deemed racist for having mostly white and Asian students.

FCPS parent here. Maybe 15% of 7th graders take Algebra 1 H. Those are the kids who were in AAP or took Advanced Math, which is about 30% of the 6th grade population. Then you have to pass the 7th grade SOL at the Advanced level, so a 500 out of 600. It used to be you had to pass the IAAT in the 91st percentile to qualify but they dropped that this year. Not everyone who met the criteria choose to take Algebra 1 H in 7th grade, which is how I get the number 15% of 7th graders in the class. And some percentage will drop out of Algebra in 7th grade because the class moves too fast or will expunge the grade and retake the class in 8th grade.

The majority of students will take Algebra 1 in 8th grade; I don't know what percent takes Algebra 1 and what percent takes Algebra 1 H. I do know both classes are offered in 8th grade.

There are kids who are hyper accelerated in math in FCPS. We know kids in Pre-Calculus as 8th graders. I think that is a bit much but the kids seem to be fine with it so what do I know. DS will complete Algebra 1H as a 7th grader. He did not want to take Geometry this summer but a bunch of his classmates are. We are fine with that, heck I am esstatic that he chose to attend camp and hang out with friends rather then take a math class in such a compacted fashion.

At our private kids who take Algebra 1 Honors in 7th aren't allowed to take summer Geometry because

1) it's not honors, and
2) it's too compacted to prepare them for future honors math courses

Summer geometry is used for review or to accelerate kids who are only ready for it later in their academic career.

[Anonymous]

Not even the Takoma Park Middle School magnet program teaches geometry before 8th grade, so why anyone would think that's appropriate is beyond me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family is moving from Chicago to DC. My son is 3.5 years ahead in math and is on path to complete Calculus II by 8th grade. I have him in a hyper-accelerated mathematics program so he can have an edge on his peers and begin exploring more complex topics earlier. Will this give him an advantage in private school if we were to apply? Also, how common is this style of acceleration in the DMV? I have heard it is academically cutthroat down there.

Very common.

We have 5th graders and alumni interview in Bethesda (home) and Arlington (office).

40% of public k-6 kids are in compacted or accelerated math. That means they’re on track to be done with geometry by end of 8th grade or take it in addition to pre-algebra I for 9the grade. Then pre algebra II for 10th grade, and thus take SAT summer after 10th grade.

Private schools go slower and “deeper”, and the stem families supplement or tutor ahead so kids aren’t board.

High school can take lots of paths, again those top students are 30-40% of the entire grade around here (not 10%) and can take either calc AB or BC for 11th grade and then AP stats or higher level math for 12th grade (audit or for a grade).

Will also note that strong public elementary schools in MCPS ARE allowed to teach up a grade in math. Thus those nationwide MAP scores, spanning three grades of material aptitude tests, come in with 99%tile for half the class sometimes. No one blinks.

Magnet schools are test in.
g&T programs now called Center for Excellence were shrunk back in 2018 due to being deemed racist for having mostly white and Asian students.

FCPS parent here. Maybe 15% of 7th graders take Algebra 1 H. Those are the kids who were in AAP or took Advanced Math, which is about 30% of the 6th grade population. Then you have to pass the 7th grade SOL at the Advanced level, so a 500 out of 600. It used to be you had to pass the IAAT in the 91st percentile to qualify but they dropped that this year. Not everyone who met the criteria choose to take Algebra 1 H in 7th grade, which is how I get the number 15% of 7th graders in the class. And some percentage will drop out of Algebra in 7th grade because the class moves too fast or will expunge the grade and retake the class in 8th grade.

The majority of students will take Algebra 1 in 8th grade; I don't know what percent takes Algebra 1 and what percent takes Algebra 1 H. I do know both classes are offered in 8th grade.

There are kids who are hyper accelerated in math in FCPS. We know kids in Pre-Calculus as 8th graders. I think that is a bit much but the kids seem to be fine with it so what do I know. DS will complete Algebra 1H as a 7th grader. He did not want to take Geometry this summer but a bunch of his classmates are. We are fine with that, heck I am esstatic that he chose to attend camp and hang out with friends rather then take a math class in such a compacted fashion.

At our private kids who take Algebra 1 Honors in 7th aren't allowed to take summer Geometry because

1) it's not honors, and
2) it's too compacted to prepare them for future honors math courses

Summer geometry is used for review or to accelerate kids who are only ready for it later in their academic career.

FCPS offers Geometry H in the summer, it is a wekk longer then the regular class. There is a small percentage of kids who take it, but you can see a jump in the number of kids taking the Algebra 2 SOL in 8th grade. There is a larger number of kids taking the Algebra 2 SOL in 8th grade then what you would expect given the number of kids who took the Geometry SOL in 7th grade.

It is mainly kids who are interested in applying to TJ who think that being in Algebra 2 in 8th grade will help their TJ application and who want to have the more accelerated math to take advantage of the classes offered at TJ. For example, TJ is allowing kids in Pre-Calc as freshmen to take Chemistry and Biology Freshman year. And there are more advanced math classes and science classes that open up as you progress.

There is a specific goal for the kids who are advancing, a specific school and specific classes at that school. The problem is Algebra 2 does not guarantee acceptance at TJ, a good number of the kids who take it are actually waitlisted, and a small percentage are declined. We were happy DS did not want to take the class because I don't like the idea of it beign that compacted but more because we want him to enjoy his summer and the activities he had already planned to participate in. He would have been fine int he class, he loves math competitions and has been exposed to most of what is in the geometry curriculum. It would have been a matter of grinding out all the homework and quizzes and tests associated with the class, that is the time consuming portion of the class.

[Anonymous]

I actually wonder if OP is trolling. 5 pages of discussion and OP hasn’t chimed in again.

[Anonymous]

After these replies, OP decided to stay in Chicago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After these replies, OP decided to stay in Chicago.

Probably a good decision.

[jsteele]

The original poster is a troll.