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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why are large numbers of kids tracked into such advanced math classes in high school? It is rarely useful career wise anymore, even in STEM fields. Plus, they have plenty of time in college to take relevant math classes. [/quote]

I'll answer!!!!

My kid tracked for 2 years ahead.  Took Alg 2 in 9th and Precalc in 10th.  Then onto AP Calc AB in 11 and Calc BC in 12 because that's how our schools do it.

My kid went to 1 grade ahead in 1st grade.  Why?  Because that was just how good they were with math and math concepts.  No tutoring/Kumon/pressure from us.  In fact, in ES when they used to do the "timed math facts" tests, my kid was "so far behind" because they could do it all, just not super fast.  They literally never missed a question---they came home in 2nd grade excited they had finally Passed a Timed math test---and I wondered how since they had just taken it.  Then I went back and looked and relized they had a 100% accuracy on what they had completed, so by their logic, if they had answered enough questions, they were all correct and they finally would "pass" (Hint they were correct). 
My kid understood math concepts above all but 1-2 kids even in their "advanced math" in ES.  I watched it happen when helping in class and the teachers told me about it.  They also told me when it came time to "advance to GT and be 2 grades ahead in 4th grade" that if my kid didn't make the cut due to a timed test, they want to advocate for them to be 2 grades ahead. (my kid made the cut).  The first time my kid had to study for Math (and didn't have a 98/99% without studying) was 12th grade Calc BC.

My kid got the concepts and loved doing higher thinking math problems, but they would have been massively bored if kept on grade level or even 1 grade level ahead.

What it has allowed is my kid skipped the first year of calculus at college and now has room for 2 more advanced electives in their engineering major because of that.  Same holds true for their year of chemistry credit .

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This shows that anyone can do math, even kids who are naturally slow/have poor processing speed. [/quote]

A$$hat!  My kid is smart at math concepts, and a perfectionist (with anxiety) is what it shows.  And when 80-% of the kids around you have been attending Kumon since age 2/3, it shows they just were not pushed to do mindless, worthless training as a toddler/ES student.  Ask those same kids word problems/critical thinking problems and they didnt' know the answer---yet my kid did along with 1 or 2 other kids.  I know, I sat in the classroom and helped teach.  Those other kids might be fast at processing but you had to teach them concepts (and these were in the advanced class).  I'll take my kid who automatically gets the concepts and critical thinking and might need 10 seconds to do all the math plugging and chugging---or better yet, who will just write the code they need to crunch the numbers.  
In the real world, being fast at Kumon worksheets doesn't matter.  Everyone has the computer and processing power to solve it.  But if you don't know how to solve it, you are screwed

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