Reply to Benefits of taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We just retained a college counselor this past month for my oldest and I have a younger child taking Alg I HN in elementary school.  The counselor noted unequivocally that the right track for kids is to take Alg 1 (HS level) in 6th grade.  [b]He said most international kids applying to the top colleges in the US are on that track and that most international primary education covers Alg.[/b]  No idea if this is accurate but not sure why he would make that up (it's a well reputed college counseling firm).  I think there is probably a reason why FCPS is pushing this out so early and while I agree that it should have been better planned and prepped, perhaps that is a learning lesson for the team at Gatehouse for next year and beyond.  [/quote]

I call BS on that. Algebra in 6th means Calculus BC in 10th, with two more extra years of DE math that includes Multivariable, linear algebra differential equations, discrete math. Even Algebra in 7th means taking two of them in 12th. There’s no country in the world that matches this curriculum.

If the kid wants to take Algebra early and is capable, then by all means, but catching up with international applicants is not a good reason. People confuse Algebra 1 with doing the quadratic formula in 8th grade. The highest level of math in [b]most other countries [/b]is still Calculus and most often it’s taught at a level below AP BC.[/quote]
Urban high schools in China, India, Japan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, etc teach well beyond AP calc BC before 12th graduation [/quote]

Look up a syllabus, I just quickly checked the South Korean one, and it’s definitely below Calculus BC or AP Statistics. To be fair there’s a tiny bit of vector algebra, but it’s in no way “well beyond Calculus BC”.[/quote]

The elite high schools in South Korea go well beyond Calculus BC and Stats and many kids use tuition programs to supplement math when it's not available at their school.[/quote]

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