Reply to Dropping down a math level in MS to increase GPA later (in HS)?

Forum Index » Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Reply to "Dropping down a math level in MS to increase GPA later (in HS)?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here - thanks so much for the advice thus far.  DC's current math class is AIM or AMP7 (AIM, I think?).  It's the fastest/highest one available during grade 6 at DC's MS.  And it's definitely being taught well - it's just that DC isn't internalizing it, and it's only going to get harder.  Math when I was in HS was taught essentially as a series of (increasingly complex) memorized steps, but our kids are now being walked through (without understanding it yet) how and why problems are solved in certain ways.  The contextual, holistic side of all this is totally lost on DC.

I very much appreciate the things that math can do for the mind, but it seems to me that not everyone needs calculus.  Do people think (or know from experience) that not taking calc significantly compromises college admissions if the rest of the schedule and grades are strong?  That's the background to the "getting As" part of my initial message.  I'm not in a STEM career, and the math I need daily has to do with being a literate-skeptical member of adult society: interpreting statistics, making good estimates, crunching very basic data, handling finances, checking budgets.  I'd rather see DC have a sound foundation in algebra and geometry (as others have observed) and really _learn_ something in a stats course then scrape a mediocre grade in calc, but I don't want to hold back the college apps if getting DC through calc seems essential.[/quote]

So you don’t need to decide on calc now. Even if you pull back a year and do Algebra 1 in 8th instead of 7th (or repeat it in 8th), they can still do Calc as a senior, or opt for AP Stats instead. For stem and business, colleges want to see calc in high school. Some top colleges want calc for everyone while an increasing number are starting to recognize the value of Stats for non-stem and non-business majors. As long as they get through Alg 1 in 8th, the options remain open. [/quote]

Plenty of kids take Calculus in college (even strong colleges) for the first time.  Don't worry about that.  DO make sure that your child knows everything prior to Calculus and can score well on the SAT/ACT math section.  I think that shows colleges the potential for Calculus.  And yes, lots of non-STEM majors now require Calculus.

But, I agree with some PPs that you are really rushing things.  Don't communicate to a 6th grader, or yourself, that your DC is incapable of higher level math or STEM careers.  Make the best decision for next year and then keep doing that each year as your child matures.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics