Should I send my kids to mathnasium?
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Anonymous
Earlier in the thread, you said your child would not be taking Algebra until 8th grade. If your kid passed an actual Algebra class through AoPS in 5th, it makes no sense to wait until 8th to take Algebra when FCPS has an easy path to take it in 7th. If you're telling the truth, your kid should easily score 99th percentile in the IAAT and have nearly perfect SOLs. The 6th grade AAP teachers would tell you that your child absolutely, undoubtedly belongs in Algebra in 7th. And then you'd hold your kid back for what reason? Wouldn't your kid be upset that all of the other smart kids are taking Algebra in 7th, but you're making him or her wait a year and endure an extra year of boredom for no reason? I still think you're either lying, distorting facts, or creating some weird strawman here. I know a few kids who have completed AoPS algebra in 5th. Every single one was skipped ahead at least a year in math by FCPS and was taking Algebra in 6th. Every single one was an extraordinary math student who had pretty strong accomplishments in AMC tests and Mathcounts. Your kid must be quite the anomaly to not shine at school in a way that gets him skipped ahead in math, not shine at any contests, not be bored out of his mind during school math, and not be a no-brainer for Algebra placement in at least 7th grade, but still whip through an AoPS algebra class as a 5th grader. |
Anonymous
| ^I also want to clarify: The part I find implausible in all of this is making a kid who has already taken Algebra through AoPS and who by all signs is gifted at math wait a year beyond the point when half of the AAP kids will take Algebra. Saying that your kid will have to sit through Algebra in 7th because that's the FCPS system makes sense. Making that same kid who has all of the needed foundations and easily qualifies wait until 8th for no reason is just absurd. |
Anonymous
This is only 1 grade above, not 3 or 4 grade above... The intro to algebra (Prealgebra) offered in AoPS is supposed to be taken at 6th grade. |
Anonymous
I see. We are moving and starting a private school where Algebra I is taught over the course of two years in 7th and 8th. It is kind of maddening but also kind of refreshing. These are smart kids. It will be a rigorous class. So if we were in AAP I do believe you wouldn’t have a problem. My point was that we have no interest in acceleration beyond what is normal and it hasn’t been a problem at all being 3-4 grades ahead. It doesn’t seem absurd to me. My initial point was that we are quite used to being in this situation with regards to reading. Enrichment outside of school in the form of aops or kumon or even YouTube seems to help. but it’s just enrichment. Not a substitute for the actual class. |
Anonymous
No, no, no. Intro to algebra is AOPS algebra book and course. It covers everything an algebra course covers in school plus many topics in algebra 2. If the poster's kid was doing this in 5th grade and was in Kumon level J, the student is a mathematically gifted student and is really quite advanced. |
Anonymous
PP here, and your situation is totally different from FCPS AAP. I understand not wanting to push your kid ahead of the highest track at your school and deal with the logistical problems caused by such a move. That's totally different than not choosing to place your child in the highest "normal" level, which in FCPS is Algebra in 7th. From what I've seen in both FCPS 6th grade AAP as well as FCPS Honors Algebra, FCPS is not very rigorous at all. Your private school will probably go much more in depth than what the kids in FCPS are seeing. |
Anonymous
I have not read all the answers - just your post. I can’t understand you at all. The way it’s taught there over the course of 7th ans 8th which is maddening and refreshing to you. Um - huh? How can Algebra 1 done by 8th be 3-4 grades ahead? A few kids take it in 6th here (THAT is 3 years ahead), more take it in 7th (2 years ahead) and more in 8th (1 year ahead). If your kid is done with it by 8th, she’s a year ahead of the usual math track. How can Algebra 1 be considered a rigorous class there when it stretches over TWO school years? |
Anonymous
| FWIW, if my 2nd grader stays this interested in math, I intend to also have her go through either AoPS or RSM Algebra ahead of schedule, and will ABSOLUTELY have her take it again in 7th or 8th grade, while doing whatever levels of math is appropriate outside of school at AoPS/RSM/CTY. |
Anonymous
This is a four year away decision. Breathe. |
Anonymous
Yes it is, and it isn't something I'm not breathing about. But since it sounded so implausible for others to think that someone would consider having their kid sit through algebra at AoPS and then FCPS a few years later, I was just noting that I would make the same exact decision. That's all! To each their own. Doesn't mean someone else is lying about their kid. |
Anonymous
Naah.. When your kid is way ahead of the other kids and is whining about how bored he is in math, you'll be looking for ways to push him into 6th grade algebra. That's normal, and it's called being a good advocate for your child. 8th grade is when the bottom half of the AAP kids take Algebra, so there's no way any parent would calmly put their kids who are far ahead in the slower AAP math track. |
pettifogger
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This all depends on how the child develops, which is based on numerous factors, and I don't think you can be certain. A kid's mathematical maturity progresses in nonlinear fashion, parents can't predict or control when it will develop. While it's great that people want to expose their kids to more advanced math through the wealth of rich resources out there, it's not wise to try to pinpoint with absolute certainty what will happen many years in the future. Disclaimer: I teach for AoPS. We have many kids who are way ahead of school math and absolutely need our classes to develop deep problem solving skills and deal with their boredom in class. Many flourish and do really well. We also have a cohort of kids who come, but don't do their homework and gradually become lost throughout the year during class. The exams confirm this lack of understanding. Was our class a good fit for them? Maybe, but more often than not, it would have been more beneficial had they not been accelerated (pushed) so much, even if they had worked harder. We can't immediately predict at the beginning of the year who will succeed and who won't based on what we know about them. It is not true that we can predict something just based on their age. Some are old and don't do well, some are very young and do fantastic, and many others start badly but improve greatly throughout the year (while others do the exact opposite, fading out during more challenging lessons). Kids are not automatons; they need to have some amount of inner desire to put in effort required to succeed in a class. Generally, they need some inspiration to get them motivated in the first place. I've had kids taking our algebra class in 5th (a few even in 4th!). Some of them came back the following year remarking how they're taking the same class in school and how utterly bored they are by it (because not only have they already learned it well here, they are seeing a more watered down version of it back home). While parents tried their best to get the school to put them in a different class, they were unable to get past all the rules (e.g they would not allow the kids to join the advanced math classes at their local middle school, etc). So those kids suffer through the boredom but at least know that they can continue to learn outside of school and their parents understand them. Too many things can happen and you can't predict that it will absolutely be a good idea to take that algebra class in 7th or 8th (it could be earlier, some kids are allowed to take it earlier in school when there's ample proof they are ready, some can just test out of it and skip it, or it could even be the case for some to wait until freshman year). Many kids who enroll in outside enrichment in 2nd grade to stay "ahead of schedule", have the resources to excel and develop at a faster rate. But that doesn't mean they're absolutely ready to take advantage of it. In this area there are definitely significant numbers for whom taking school algebra (even in 7th) would feel a very remedial experience. For many others it's the right thing to do developmentally, even if they've had engaging enrichment from a young age but haven't learned it deeply. |
Anonymous
I’m not saying it sounds plausible or not. I’m saying it’s insane you are thinking about your kid’s early algebra readiness based on how interested she is in math as a second grader. |
Anonymous
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If repeating material that your kid already knows is inevitable in your school system, then so be it. Just stop acting like it's somehow beneficial to your kid or a good thing to sit there, bored out of his or her mind, repeating material that has already been mastered and coasting through a class that is way too easy. The "right pace" for a kid is the one where (s)he is challenged and learning without being overwhelmed by the material.
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Anonymous
It's implausible for a kid within FCPS AAP to complete AoPS Algebra in 5th, but then wait all the way until 8th grade to take FCPS Algebra, which is what the PP originally implied. The top kids in FCPS take Algebra in 6th. The top half of the kids in AAP take it in 7th (probably around 10% of FCPS kids..?) It would be really weird to take a kid who is ready for (and completed) a rigorous Algebra program in 5th and then refuse to let your kid skip ahead for 6th grade algebra, have your kid crush the IAAT in 6th AAP math, but refuse to let him or her join his high performing peers in 7th grade Algebra, and instead make your kid wait until 8th, which is when the AAP kids who failed the IAAT or aren't particularly good in math take Algebra. If your kid continues absorbing math concepts and is allowed to skip to 6th grade Algebra, I bet you and your DD will leap at the chance. It unlikely that you will make her wait all the way until 8th. |