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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My son is in a similar situation taking Algebra in 4th. He got this advanced because I was teaching him during the COVID times and we had a lot of time on our hands. He is also fairly quick to catch on things. The class he is taking is online through the local community college. I would not recommend an online class at that age unless there someone to tutor him one on one. We tried on line classes, regular classes through the school, enrichment like AOPS etc. and one on one instruction is by far the most effective since you can go back and forth with the student to figure out what he understood. Of course this takes more time and/or money compared to the others.

Another point, look carefully at the contents of the class, some skip material are are not well aligned with the common core. Then, when he house back to an in person class he might not have been taught the foundation for it.

Make sure he is placed appropriately through multiple measures. There are diagnostics test that are free like Khan Academy, or some that you can purchase like IXL or MAP. Don’t rely only on the school because this situation is something they don’t run into every year.

I would also advise taking your time, if it will be two years to go through Algebra 1, that’s perfectly fine, use the diagnostics to find areas that were not understood properly and have him work on them. In the end the goal is learning, not that he takes Algebra 1 as early as possible.[/quote]

Since NVCC doesn’t allow it, what community college is your son at? Is the tutoring in person? By a parent or outsider? Just seeking to have this information shared for others. Of course, if the course requires a lot of 1:1 tutoring - esp where you’re figuring out what he understood - one could argue your son wasn’t truly ready for this class as a 4th grader. Clearly, he’s bright but he’s also not on his own. He’s got a lot of support. [/quote]

Not every community college is as awful as NVCC. There are community colleges that actually care their students. Not having a solid Algebra 1 foundation is offered as a class, because they found it to be one of the many roadblocks to students getting back to school and continuing their education. To support them even further, the class is on line, self paced, broken into smaller modules so it’s fine if you don’t get to finish the class in one semester. Also the math department offers free unlimited 1:1 tutoring is part of the class offering. Anybody can join they don’t turn students away. The class enrollment is full at 100 students. Meanwhile I’m willing to bet that there are plenty of classes at NVCC with less than 5 students enrolled that are essentially a huge waste of taxpayer money.[/quote]

You had me until this. What legit college allows a class to end when the student finishes versus on a set date? Self paced classes? Sure. Ones that can carry over after a semester ends? No. If this is how it is for this child, who is in Algebra in 4th grade with 1:1 tutoring with an adult and no deadline, it’s probably enriching but not a real class. will your local Hs accept this credit or is your child home schooled?[/quote]

I’m very sorry the offering of some community colleges is not to your liking. The Algebra 1 class is divided into 4 modules, and the student can take any number in a semester, not all 4. They also have the same format for Algebra 2. Not sure why that’s such a no-no for you. In this case he will just take the entire class over one year, or two semesters, which is standard for regular students. My son was tested at the beginning of the school year and scored in the 90 percentile for 8th graders, which is when ‘good’ students typically take Algebra 1. There were some scheduling issues and the school could only place him in 6th grade math, but suggested that we look at other alternatives outside of regular ours of instruction. Both the principal and school counselor signed the dual enrollment form, so I’m guessing he will get the credit.

You seem to be intent on throwing some shade by arguing it’s not a real class, too much support etc. It’s very much possible, and in that case he’ll just spend more time until he gets a solid understanding of Algebra 1. So far he’s doing fine, the grades along the future MAP scores will tell if he’s doing appropriate progress. I’ll let you know how he did.[/quote]

Sounds good. Has anyone else heard of a college class that allows it to extend beyond a semester in this fashion? [b]Which college is it? [/b]I don’t mean to throw shade - it’s more that the information provided has a lot of supplemental issues which are directly related and have to be considered. I’d be curious how a child like this would do wholly on his own - zero help - with an Algebra 1 college class that finishes in 15 weeks or less, as that’s the norm.

[b]You didn’t say whether this class will be accepted by the HS or if he is homeschooled. Also, did he need to test into the class, at an eating center (proctored)?[/b][/quote]

You didn’t read carefully. All students in his school entering 6th grade take MAP for math placement. I asked that he’s included to take the test as well, which is of course proctored by his teacher. The school signed on the dual enrollment form and they also have a high school graduation requirement that each student completes a dual enrollment class. His current math teacher said he’ll get the credit for the class, but I haven’t asked specifically the HS math department, because to be honest it’s a non-issue for us, by the time he’s in high school, 5 years from now, Algebra 1 will not be something to worry about. For all cc classes he will get a grade, credit and a transcript. Whether his future HS recognizes the credit depends on what HS he’ll attend, what the contents of their class is etc.

It’s weird that you mention he’s not taking the class ‘wholly’ on his own with ‘zero help’. To be clear, tutoring is offered as part of the class because otherwise it would be fully online and some students learn better in person. It’s possible this qualifies as cheating in your book, but there’s also videos and you can even email the instructor with questions. Shocking that they support their students in being successful, that’s definitely not how Northern Virginia Community College does it! Also, the exam is on the honors system, which should be the ultimate proof for you that everyone cheats and the class is not ‘for real’.[/quote]

Name the school. [/quote]

I’m not putting out information that could potentially identify my child. Frankly, your insistence on it is giving me a weird vibe.

The postings are meant to help other parents navigate a situation that may be similar, not to put out my son for public scrutiny.[/quote]

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