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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have a child who did Algebra in 6th and a child who did Algebra in 7th.

The benefit of a fast track is:

1. Avoiding boredom and being appropriately challenged.
2. Getting noticed positively for college admissions (although these days a lot of students take Algebra 1 in 7th, so in itself that's not newsworthy).

[b]The disadvantages are:[/b]

1. [b]Getting into difficulties later in the more advanced math classes. [/b] Age-old question: is it better to have straight As in an easy class, or Bs in a hard class?

It's not always possible to know in advance how your child will do. I'm the sort of person who is willing to try, and then support my kids with tutors, or teacher them myself at home, or, if need be, take a slower track (although that never happened). 
[/quote]
There is no evidence for the claim that you "get into difficulties later" - it's politically motivated misinformation that was spread by, for instance, proponents of VMPI.

The longitudinal numbers show a different picture: students who are screened to take Algebra I earlier do better in it and they do better later.  (Run SOL statistics, for instance.)
[/quote]

I know multiple kids who were identified as gifted, scored well, and accelerated in math by two years.  They ended up taking a less adv math (not honors) because they were struggling. It made them hate math. Too many kids are being pushed to do algebra in 7th IMHO. There should be stricter standards for accelerating that much. 
[/quote]

Nah, they should start Algebra earlier but offer a more applied/business/engineering but still honors version. [/quote]

They were struggling with both the concepts and pace. Two ended up with Bs or lower, I believe.

Offer algebra in 7th to only the very most capable kids. Current eval metrics aren’t working. Raise the bar. 
[/quote]

Do the kids that get Bs retake algebra?  While a good grade, would someone doing accelerated math want only a A for their high school transcript?[/quote]

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