Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I actually have one in each. Both of my kids are in AAP and are/were in advanced math/AAP. Neither are math geniuses but I feel like the FCPS advanced math is more about acceleration vs. grasping the concepts in depth. Both AoPs and RSM are still light years ahead of FCPS advanced math. The oldest likes RSM better because it is more traditional learn material (in depth)/then do homework. Although this year-the teacher is so so about explaining the material. AoPs is more outside of the box math problems. The youngest is still in the Beast Academy portion of it. RSM also has different levels within a grade level. I think it really depends on the kid/if they enjoy math vs. want extra practice. There is a poster who has given in depth helpful info in the past about these 2 schools. If you search it, I am sure one of her/his responses will pop up.

DP but how did you decide to do BA with one kid and RSM with the other? Did you try both and just see which they stuck with more? I am very fuzzy about the differences between BA and RSM. Is there RSM that's strictly online or books?

So both started with BA. The oldest wasn't a fan of the monsters and out of box thinking problems. I took them both to try a class at RSM (you reach out and they let you take a class/do an assessment)--the youngest decided to stay with BA and the oldest liked the RSM method. BA does have books. RSM does not. Both are in person classes with homework online. RSM requires you to show your work--you input answers online and then scan in pages showing your work.

In older grades the kids bring home packets that they use for a period of time, it sure looks like photocopied books. DS has been brought them home for math competition starting in 4th grade and regular class starting in fifth grade. The homework for RSM is inputed into the computer and then they ask parents to upload pictures of the kids work into the computer so they can check the steps. There are bonus homework questions kids can do if they want that are more challenging. They also have a section for skills practice and what they call quests that provide more challenging problems for kids to do if they want to go beyond the base homework.

But no cartoons. The kids are taught in a more traditional style. They go up to the board to solve problems and they discuss how they solve problems. The interaction is great.

So I am PP. One of the complaints from my oldest is that this year her RSM teacher doesn't really do a great job with teaching the material. She calls on students/goes over homework but doesn't provide decent instruction.

I would talk to the school. Not every Teacher is great and there is nothing wrong with bringing to the schools attention that a Teachers approach is not reaching all the kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I actually have one in each. Both of my kids are in AAP and are/were in advanced math/AAP. Neither are math geniuses but I feel like the FCPS advanced math is more about acceleration vs. grasping the concepts in depth. Both AoPs and RSM are still light years ahead of FCPS advanced math. The oldest likes RSM better because it is more traditional learn material (in depth)/then do homework. Although this year-the teacher is so so about explaining the material. AoPs is more outside of the box math problems. The youngest is still in the Beast Academy portion of it. RSM also has different levels within a grade level. I think it really depends on the kid/if they enjoy math vs. want extra practice. There is a poster who has given in depth helpful info in the past about these 2 schools. If you search it, I am sure one of her/his responses will pop up.

DP but how did you decide to do BA with one kid and RSM with the other? Did you try both and just see which they stuck with more? I am very fuzzy about the differences between BA and RSM. Is there RSM that's strictly online or books?

So both started with BA. The oldest wasn't a fan of the monsters and out of box thinking problems. I took them both to try a class at RSM (you reach out and they let you take a class/do an assessment)--the youngest decided to stay with BA and the oldest liked the RSM method. BA does have books. RSM does not. Both are in person classes with homework online. RSM requires you to show your work--you input answers online and then scan in pages showing your work.

In older grades the kids bring home packets that they use for a period of time, it sure looks like photocopied books. DS has been brought them home for math competition starting in 4th grade and regular class starting in fifth grade. The homework for RSM is inputed into the computer and then they ask parents to upload pictures of the kids work into the computer so they can check the steps. There are bonus homework questions kids can do if they want that are more challenging. They also have a section for skills practice and what they call quests that provide more challenging problems for kids to do if they want to go beyond the base homework.

But no cartoons. The kids are taught in a more traditional style. They go up to the board to solve problems and they discuss how they solve problems. The interaction is great.

So I am PP. One of the complaints from my oldest is that this year her RSM teacher doesn't really do a great job with teaching the material. She calls on students/goes over homework but doesn't provide decent instruction.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I actually have one in each. Both of my kids are in AAP and are/were in advanced math/AAP. Neither are math geniuses but I feel like the FCPS advanced math is more about acceleration vs. grasping the concepts in depth. Both AoPs and RSM are still light years ahead of FCPS advanced math. The oldest likes RSM better because it is more traditional learn material (in depth)/then do homework. Although this year-the teacher is so so about explaining the material. AoPs is more outside of the box math problems. The youngest is still in the Beast Academy portion of it. RSM also has different levels within a grade level. I think it really depends on the kid/if they enjoy math vs. want extra practice. There is a poster who has given in depth helpful info in the past about these 2 schools. If you search it, I am sure one of her/his responses will pop up.

DP but how did you decide to do BA with one kid and RSM with the other? Did you try both and just see which they stuck with more? I am very fuzzy about the differences between BA and RSM. Is there RSM that's strictly online or books?

So both started with BA. The oldest wasn't a fan of the monsters and out of box thinking problems. I took them both to try a class at RSM (you reach out and they let you take a class/do an assessment)--the youngest decided to stay with BA and the oldest liked the RSM method. BA does have books. RSM does not. Both are in person classes with homework online. RSM requires you to show your work--you input answers online and then scan in pages showing your work.

In older grades the kids bring home packets that they use for a period of time, it sure looks like photocopied books. DS has been brought them home for math competition starting in 4th grade and regular class starting in fifth grade. The homework for RSM is inputed into the computer and then they ask parents to upload pictures of the kids work into the computer so they can check the steps. There are bonus homework questions kids can do if they want that are more challenging. They also have a section for skills practice and what they call quests that provide more challenging problems for kids to do if they want to go beyond the base homework.

But no cartoons. The kids are taught in a more traditional style. They go up to the board to solve problems and they discuss how they solve problems. The interaction is great.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I actually have one in each. Both of my kids are in AAP and are/were in advanced math/AAP. Neither are math geniuses but I feel like the FCPS advanced math is more about acceleration vs. grasping the concepts in depth. Both AoPs and RSM are still light years ahead of FCPS advanced math. The oldest likes RSM better because it is more traditional learn material (in depth)/then do homework. Although this year-the teacher is so so about explaining the material. AoPs is more outside of the box math problems. The youngest is still in the Beast Academy portion of it. RSM also has different levels within a grade level. I think it really depends on the kid/if they enjoy math vs. want extra practice. There is a poster who has given in depth helpful info in the past about these 2 schools. If you search it, I am sure one of her/his responses will pop up.

DP but how did you decide to do BA with one kid and RSM with the other? Did you try both and just see which they stuck with more? I am very fuzzy about the differences between BA and RSM. Is there RSM that's strictly online or books?

So both started with BA. The oldest wasn't a fan of the monsters and out of box thinking problems. I took them both to try a class at RSM (you reach out and they let you take a class/do an assessment)--the youngest decided to stay with BA and the oldest liked the RSM method. BA does have books. RSM does not. Both are in person classes with homework online. RSM requires you to show your work--you input answers online and then scan in pages showing your work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And in response to one of the posters re BA, fyi the AOPS Pre-Algebra text is a single tome — no more Grog and other monsters. My kid is enjoying the class, but feels a little nostalgic about not having the monsters anymore

I felt there was a lot of overlap between BA 5A/5B and 6A/6B. My kid had done 5A/5B in 4th grade and 6A in 5th but skipped into Algebra instead of taking 6b. It was never an issue for them, but it may not have been optimal.

The risk there is that Intro Algebra ("7") is a bit too much, which means Intermediate Algebra 2 ("9") will be a bunch too much. This is a common complaint among AOPS students who get through Intro Algebra early. This is fine for students who only want equal or better than the regular school curriculum, but not great for students who want to do all of the AOPS curriculum into Olympiad depth.

How far has your kid gone since Algebra?

They took Algebra in 6th, so that was 2 years ago. They just turned 13 and are about halfway through the AoPS Intermediate Algebra course. It's a challenging class compared to Geometry or Algebra 1. The course covers about a chapter a week. This involves a bit more work than we'd like, given their other ECs, but we still manage it.

Anonymous wrote:And in response to one of the posters re BA, fyi the AOPS Pre-Algebra text is a single tome — no more Grog and other monsters. My kid is enjoying the class, but feels a little nostalgic about not having the monsters anymore

Missed opportunity. I think kids through middle school still enjoy the monsters. And the tomes are dreary. A little flavor and illustrations would go a long way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And in response to one of the posters re BA, fyi the AOPS Pre-Algebra text is a single tome — no more Grog and other monsters. My kid is enjoying the class, but feels a little nostalgic about not having the monsters anymore

I felt there was a lot of overlap between BA 5A/5B and 6A/6B. My kid had done 5A/5B in 4th grade and 6A in 5th but skipped into Algebra instead of taking 6b. It was never an issue for them, but it may not have been optimal.

The risk there is that Intro Algebra ("7") is a bit too much, which means Intermediate Algebra 2 ("9") will be a bunch too much. This is a common complaint among AOPS students who get through Intro Algebra early. This is fine for students who only want equal or better than the regular school curriculum, but not great for students who want to do all of the AOPS curriculum into Olympiad depth.

How far has your kid gone since Algebra?

Anonymous wrote:And in response to one of the posters re BA, fyi the AOPS Pre-Algebra text is a single tome — no more Grog and other monsters. My kid is enjoying the class, but feels a little nostalgic about not having the monsters anymore

I felt there was a lot of overlap between BA 5A/5B and 6A/6B. My kid had done 5A/5B in 4th grade and 6A in 5th but skipped into Algebra instead of taking 6b. It was never an issue for them, but it may not have been optimal.

And in response to one of the posters re BA, fyi the AOPS Pre-Algebra text is a single tome — no more Grog and other monsters. My kid is enjoying the class, but feels a little nostalgic about not having the monsters anymore

My kid is in the Pre-Algebra class at AOPS Vienna and is really enjoying it — from what I can see, it really goes deep into the concepts. If you are thinking of enrolling I’d do it sooner rather than later, since they’re now about 7 weeks in.

RSM does not sell books, it is an in person class or an online class.

AoPS and RSM are different programs. RSM has multiple levels of classes so that the program reaches kids where they are with their math. The classes are traditionally taught except that they use pacing and methods that are more commonly used in the Former Soviet Union, where the founders went for school, and that are probably still used in Russia and most of Eastern Europe. DS is in the Honors class. The problems that they are doing are more advanced and in-depth then what they are doing at school. They are not meant to be puzzles or require creative thinking but they are multiple step word problems and the like.

DS also takes the math competition class through RSM. You have to test into the class and it is smaller then the other classes. That is where they do work that is more similar to AoPS. There is number theory, Probability, Statistics, and other topics that require more creative thinking and less algorithmic processing. I think they separate the two because many parents send their kids to RSM to shore up foundational skills and the math competition work is more for kids who really love math or are really strong at math. There are actually two levels of the math competition program. There is the local program and the national program. You need to score high enough on the RSM math competition, the International Math Competition, to be invited into the national program. That class is about a year advanced from the local program and moves at a faster pace. There are 200 kids selected for each grade level for the national program. Sixth graders in the national math competition are preparing for the AMC8.

AoPS, which DS did for 1 year, expects kids to be able to pick up concepts quickly and is a mix of math competition type thinking and regular algorithms. DS really liked it but choose RSM because one was a 40 minute drive and the other was a 10 minute drive. It is a totally different program. We did it during COVID and we could hear the Teacher asking kids to stay after the regular class ended to review the material. There were some kids you could hear picking things up right away, others who needed a bit of guidance, and others who were lost. It is a different approach to learning math that works great for the right kid. But it is not for everyone. AoPS is more one size fits all. If AoPS had a class by us, DS would have stayed in AoPS because he loved it. He does not like online classes and will choose in-person whenever he can.

Beast Academy sounds great if you have a parent who can help the child or review enough to be able to help the child and if you have a child who is happy to work solo. DS prefers to be in an in person class and likes learning from other people. DH reviews his homework with him and they talk math all the time but DS would not want to be taught by DH or myself. He’ll ask for help when he needs it but prefers to be in a class with a different Teacher.

I can't comment on RSM. AoPS Prealgebra goes far beyond AAP 6th grade math. Kids who complete AoPS prealgebra will be quite well prepared for algebra the next year. Also, they completely finish prealgebra 3/4 of the way through the AoPS course, and the final quarter of the year will be Intro to Number Theory. This is barely covered in regular school math. Likewise, the last quarter of the AoPS algebra class is the Intro to Counting and Probability course, also barely touched upon in school math.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I actually have one in each. Both of my kids are in AAP and are/were in advanced math/AAP. Neither are math geniuses but I feel like the FCPS advanced math is more about acceleration vs. grasping the concepts in depth. Both AoPs and RSM are still light years ahead of FCPS advanced math. The oldest likes RSM better because it is more traditional learn material (in depth)/then do homework. Although this year-the teacher is so so about explaining the material. AoPs is more outside of the box math problems. The youngest is still in the Beast Academy portion of it. RSM also has different levels within a grade level. I think it really depends on the kid/if they enjoy math vs. want extra practice. There is a poster who has given in depth helpful info in the past about these 2 schools. If you search it, I am sure one of her/his responses will pop up.

DP but how did you decide to do BA with one kid and RSM with the other? Did you try both and just see which they stuck with more? I am very fuzzy about the differences between BA and RSM. Is there RSM that's strictly online or books?

Yes. I actually have one in each. Both of my kids are in AAP and are/were in advanced math/AAP. Neither are math geniuses but I feel like the FCPS advanced math is more about acceleration vs. grasping the concepts in depth. Both AoPs and RSM are still light years ahead of FCPS advanced math. The oldest likes RSM better because it is more traditional learn material (in depth)/then do homework. Although this year-the teacher is so so about explaining the material. AoPs is more outside of the box math problems. The youngest is still in the Beast Academy portion of it. RSM also has different levels within a grade level. I think it really depends on the kid/if they enjoy math vs. want extra practice. There is a poster who has given in depth helpful info in the past about these 2 schools. If you search it, I am sure one of her/his responses will pop up.

Can anyone share reviews please? How does the content compare to 6th grade AAP? Has anyone had kids in both RSM and Aops and can compare the two?