Reply to Any 5th graders in Algebra 1 ?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My DC is not that precocious in math and took Algebra I in 7th grade, along with many other kids in his AAP class.  However, what I have heard is that for the kids who are super-advanced, the logistical headaches make the grade acceleration more trouble than its worth.  Several of them have said that if they could do it over again, they wouldn't have accelerated that much.

Think carefully before moving ahead so much in math.  If your DC takes Algebra I in 5th grade, then takes Geo in 6th, Alg II in 7th, Precal in 8th, Calc in 9th, multivar in 10th.   Then math at GMU for 11th and 12th?  [/quote]

I currently teach middle school Geometry and I can't imagine a 6th grader having the maturity to take Geometry - it's a lot more than being good at math - it requires organization, planning, and patience.  It would be a struggle. [/quote] How much of this is due to the subject itself vs how the course is structured? Plenty of kids take AoPS geometry, which is far more challenging than even the honors geometry at TJ and other magnet programs: https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c70h2719403_in_what_grade_did_you_take_geometry (ignore the spike at first grade - that's used as the "show me the results" option)[/quote]

Not PP. As a middle school parent, I [b]want and need[/b] the course to be structured so that my kid is increasing in organization and planning in 8th grade. I have an eye toward my kid heading off to college where she will be able to do well in courses with basically notes and tests (or papers/projects) and nothing else. That means that I want and need her teachers to be increasing not just the rigor of the coursework, but also removing the scaffolding slowly so she gets there. That's also true of my upper elementary schooler, but she needs a lot more scaffolding than my middle schooler even as they just start in on the process of handing more of her work and responsibilities over to her.

It's not appropriate to slow down the life skills progression of middle school - with a credit bearing class, to boot - just because a kid is precocious. The school should figure out another way to meet this student's needs.[/quote]
Why would you assume that the teacher would change their expectations or level of scaffolding for the whole class just to accommodate a younger kid?  I would expect them to teach the class the way they normally would.  If the younger kid isn't ready for that level of organization, then it's on them and their parents to find a solution.  I imagine that's one of the reasons FCPS tends to push the online class for the younger kids.  It's much easier for the parents to help with some of the organizational requirements for a largely asynchronous course.

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The PP I quoted seemed to be implying the fact that a 5th grader can't keep up with Geometry because of non-academic reasons is a problem with the way the course is structured, not with the challenges of parenting an extremely academically gifted child. I was simply arguing for exactly what you say - that there should be an alternative that meets this child's needs without dumbing down the life skills for the 8th grader. I have kids 2 years apart and and I can definitely see the difference in organizational skills between a 6th and an 8th grader.[/quote]

I'm the immediate PP, and I guess we're agreeing.  My kid was skipped ahead several years in math.  It's not a thing for teachers to dumb down the life skills or organizational requirements for a class just because a younger kid is present.  My kid has always been held to the same higher grade level standards as the other kids, and it has never been a problem.  If a 6th grader isn't ready to handle all of the academic, organizational, and social aspects of being in a class with 8th graders, then they shouldn't skip ahead.  Or they should take the online class.  Or the parents should handle any of the needed scaffolding, while letting the teacher teach the way she normally does.  If they are ready, it's no problem.

At least for my part, it was easier to judge whether or not my kid was ready, because my kid has older siblings.  I already knew that my kid was capable of hanging with the older kids, and I knew the academic and organizational skills required for the higher level classes.

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