Reply to Algebra 2 HN and Algebra 2 differences

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[quote=Anonymous]Regular Alg 2 is more of prep for Calc with Applications (not a great name for the class) than high scoring Calc AB.

Regular Alg 2 is largely where the 40% of students who fail or barely pass the Calc AB test come from.

Calc BC isn't harder material than AB, it's just more material in the same time frame. Honors early math isn't much direct help for that, but it selects for students who have deeper understanding and so can move faster. (For a lower level example, Imagine being in Prealgebra knowing the efficient, standard algorithm for long multiplication, vs  breaking apart 87*23 to (80+7)*(20+3) and expanding it out totally explicitly using an area model diagram and the basic rule from 4th grade, and still being shaky on it).

As explained by the big PP, regular Alg 2 is for spoon-feeding and regurgitating formulas without fully understanding them, while Honors Alg 2 is for understanding the ideas and applying them to solve problems in different mathematical situations.

"Honors B vs non-honors A" is always a tough call. It partly depends on if the student is getting a comfortable B and just needs more time and practice for the advanced ideas to sink in, or if they are struggling and working really hard to get that B, and it's unsustainable. Also depends on whether Alg 1 was a struggle or an easy A, and if the student still remembers it well after a year of geometry.

Being bored in an easier class is a disservice. I know GPA is the false god we all lie prostrate to, but a more challenging class gives the *option* to grow and learn more, while the basic class holds you back unless you challenge yourself privately.[/quote]

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