Anonymous wrote:My daughter is eager to delve deeper into mathematics and is transitioning from a different school system in North Carolina where she completed Algebra in 8th grade. Despite MCPS placing her in Honors Geometry for 9th grade, she's expressing a strong desire to undertake Algebra 2 during the upcoming summer to continue her advancement. She excels in math and finds it to be her favorite subject.
We've already discussed this with her guidance counselor, who gave tentative approval, although there's uncertainty regarding the availability of Algebra 2 for the summer session. The counselor indicated that a decision on this matter has not yet been reached.
I'm interested to know, especially from parents with math-oriented children, if her request appears reasonable to you. Her cousin is in MCPS same grade and is starting with Algebra 2 which got her on this path of wanting to move forward.
Is there a potential route for her to pursue this during the summer, and when does MCPS typically release their summer program details?
As she's entering a new school this autumn, I'm wondering whether these sessions are specific to each high school, or if they consist of a mixture of students from different schools that offer the program?
Would it be feasible for her to take this course online or at another school? I've noticed that certain private schools include these courses in their summer curriculum, and we're open to the possibility of enrolling her there.
Thank you for your assistance.
The summer school math classes are not really intended for original credit (even if technically they can be, post-pandemic). They are designed for student who already took the class and failed (or got a low grade) to retake the class to earn credit (or improve their grade). They can also be taken as a "pre-view" for students planning to take it in the fall. Algebra 2 is a critical math course - I wouldn't try to cram it to get ahead.
A better suggestion is for your daughter to take both Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra 2 this year (9th grade). Then next summer (and the following summer if she desires) she can take courses that are required for high school graduation but not part of any sequence or that she is really interested in. These are common to take in the summer for students wanting to have more space during the year for higher interest courses:
Health A/B
Tech credit - Foundations of Computer Science A/B or Foundations of Technology A/B
Art Credit - Photograph A/B or Art History/Music Perspectives
-HS Teacher