If he asks to take it, let him. It's Geometry.
It doesn't matter if you think he's a late bloomer. The fact that he made this decision himself to stay on track says alot about him. Geometry is different than Algebra. Plus, he's in the 9th grade....another few years, he might not want to take anything in the summer except play.

Anonymous wrote:Forgive my ignorance, but here would you take such a summer class - at your local HS, at CC, or some other HS where it is offered?

MCPS offers summer classes. They are usually at a few high schools, not all of them. You might be able to take something at a private school or at MC but you'd have to talk to the counselor first to make sure the credits would count in MCPS.

Forgive my ignorance, but here would you take such a summer class - at your local HS, at CC, or some other HS where it is offered?

Anonymous wrote:What? There are issues with low performing students at W schools!!!!

Of course. They aren't test in schools, and there is a wide range of abilities. Math seems to have a wider range than most subjects, with some kids taking AP calculus in 10th grade and others never taking it.

If he is motivated to do it--why not support him? I think it's great that he is taking his own initiative on this one, rather than being pushed into it by you.

I did not attend school in MD (and don't have children who are old enough for me to know if this is Kosher) but I found myself in a similar situation in high school. I took geometry and algebra II over the summer before 10th grade. Geometry was the college prep level class in 10th grade and algebra II was honors level. I took it for enrichment, not credit. I then doubled up in 10th grade. I had a bit of a leg up in both classes before I too them for credit and caught up to the honors track. Got good grades in both classes.

What? There are issues with low performing students at W schools!!!!

FWIW, summer school has always been much better for me. You concentrate on the 1 subject everyday for weeks. Instead of having it mixed in with other subjects throughout the week.

I always got a lot more out of summer classes than regular classes. Its just more focused.

Anonymous wrote:My kid took Algebra 1 the summer between 8th and 9th, after he dropped the class in middle school due to some medical issues.

6 weeks is not very long to study that much content. If my kid didn't understand a concept presented at 9:00 a.m. he didn't get a chance to ask questions, or come home and look for stuff online, or really use any strategies available to him until he'd missed a week's worth of content, and for my kid this was a challenge, and his grade and his understanding of the concepts wasn't what it needed to be.

As far as the issue of peer group, I think that getting into the Honors track is what would solve that issue. I might have my kid do something like Aleks.com or work with a tutor over the summer to get ahead in Geometry so that he could comfortably take Honors Geo. next year. That will put him in class with many of the stronger performing 9th graders, and probably address the peer group issue.

The peer group might depend on the school. I posted earlier that my DC was in honors geo in 9th grade at a W and it was definitely a mixed group. Maybe some of the kids shouldn't have been in honors but they were there and DC thought it was like a remedial class. Many kids in the class barely scraped by. So I'd encourage OPs son to go the summer school route, especially since geo is less foundational than algebra 2.

I would support your son on this one. My DS is a strong math student who took Alg. I in 8th grade because of prior placements, and it was gently suggested that he consider taking geometry between 8th and 9th. He declined because the honors version wasn't offered in the summer and he wanted to enjoy his time off, and we supported his choice. Now a senior, he regrets the decision as his strong record would have been that much stronger to have accelerated more sooner. He also realizes the benefits of taking calculus at the same time as physics (you can do more cool stuff more quickly with calculus than with algebra), so if your DS is considering physics think you may want to inquire about that as well. Geometry is a weird class when compared to others in the math sequence, and much of it is probably used less than algebra. I always thought the most important part of geometry was really to teach proofs because it is the most formal training in logic most HS kids get. So you may want to ask about how the class is taught. I get the peer group issue you son has mentioned and would give that a lot of weight as well.

Good for your son! You should be really proud that he has reached this point and, clearly, wants to excel. Says a lot about him and a lot about your parenting. Nothing wrong with being a late bloomer - I'll bet he'll do very well for himself!

Thanks PP's. I really appreciate your advice and input. We'll see what happens toward the end of Algebra I.

My kid took Algebra 1 the summer between 8th and 9th, after he dropped the class in middle school due to some medical issues.

6 weeks is not very long to study that much content. If my kid didn't understand a concept presented at 9:00 a.m. he didn't get a chance to ask questions, or come home and look for stuff online, or really use any strategies available to him until he'd missed a week's worth of content, and for my kid this was a challenge, and his grade and his understanding of the concepts wasn't what it needed to be.

As far as the issue of peer group, I think that getting into the Honors track is what would solve that issue. I might have my kid do something like Aleks.com or work with a tutor over the summer to get ahead in Geometry so that he could comfortably take Honors Geo. next year. That will put him in class with many of the stronger performing 9th graders, and probably address the peer group issue.

Mine is also at a W and considered taking math in the summer to get on the upper math track but it would have been Alg 2 and he decided not to. If it had been geometry he definitely would have done it. He took Honors Geo in 9th and had the same problem as yours. It was much better in 10th because then his class was a mix of the ahead of level 9th graders and the 10th graders who had done well enough in honors geo to go to honors Alg 2.

My 9th grade DC is late bloomer in the math department. DC is in Algebra I this year at one of the W's and is hating the class. The work is fine it's the other students that are ruining the class. As you might guess, these are the students that have not done well in math (or other subjects, apparently) and have behavior issues. DC wants to take Geometry in summer school in order to be "on track" in Algebra II next year. Even DC knows that taking a Calculus is a must to get into a good college. I've heard that if you're going to take a math in the summer, then Geometry is the one to take, not Algebra I or II or god forbid Pre calc. Sooo, if you have any experience at all with this I would be interested in your opinion. TIA