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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DC is entering full time AAP in fall (third grade). We have him doing some math and LA enrichment this summer. Decided to give him something challenging since the school year was pretty much a joke. But then I think that he will be bored in AAP. Or is it likely to still be interesting given the project based learning? And the fact that many others are also ahead? Otherwise is the a good rationale for getting ahead? I have always wanted to see him challenged and not idling, so if school is slow we do stuff at home, etc. But I would like to hear other people's thoughts on why they accelerate. [/quote]

Acceleration is fine but I would focus on depth rather than speed.

Kids getting to algebra 2 in 8th grade without any real sense of numbers and how to manipulate them are likely to implode later.

If your kid is doing things like mathcounts and RSM/AOPS and AMC and is accelerated, then that's fine but if youa re just shoving them up to Algebra 2 in 8th grade without any of the rest of it, then they are going to crash and burn because they don't really understand what theya re learning.[/quote]

DC has been doing BA pretty consistently for the last couple of years and has enjoyed it. It works for us because it's online/self-paced and affordable. And they do a good job of it. The in person classes are too far for us and less flexible.  I don't have experience with RSM or AMC to know what we're missing but BA has been a success in our house. [/quote]

In person classes vs BA is really based on what you can provide at home, what the child is willing to do at home, and an overall preference of learning solo or in a group. DH could have easily worked through BA and higher level AoPS books at home with DS but DS strongly prefers learning in a group. He started with AoPS, because that is what I had heard about, in an online class during COVID. Once the world returned to normal, he wanted an in-person class. RSm was a 10-minute drive, AoPS was a 40-minute drive, RSM won. He tested into the math competition class, which was far smaller at the time, and loved it. Now, he is in RSM's national math competition program, a smaller number of kids who are working ahead of the regular math competition classes and in hog heaven. He dropped the grade/subject level classes for RSM last year because they were moving too slowly and he was bored.

We like the group classes because it normalizes the idea that there are kids who are excited about math for DS. His ES did not have a math club and most of his friends are pretty open about thinking his love of math competitions is a bit strange. Not in a mean  way but if he says he can't do something because of a math class or a competition they are like, "OK, I don't get it but maybe next time." paraphrasing the comments. Being in a class with other kids who are having fun with math helps him be ok with the fact that one of his activities is seen as strange by most everyone else. He did join his schools Mathcounts program in MS and has been loving it.

[/quote]

OP here. Thanks, that's all quite interesting. DC hasn't shown any interest in math competition so far. I think he finds the idea of it stressful but may he'll try it out sometime. Currently he enjoys doing BA solo but I think it would be nice for him to experience a peer group of kids who are also interested in math. I was hoping that full-time AAP would offer some of that. I guess we'll see. [/quote]

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