Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 15:14     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Folks need to understand the difference between an easier AP class vs an easy class.

AP NSL is an easier AP class but it is not an easy class.

AP USH is not an easy AP. There are people for who APUSH content wise is easier 9th grade because they just finished US content in 8th. But there will still be more content and work expected in the class.

Each student will need to determine how much they can handle in terms of work load.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 15:07     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yeah I am not trying to overwhelm her or anything. She just really didn't like life science in middle school, hated disections (literally threw up after class) and is horrible at memorizing anything - but math/programming come easily to her so I thought a non-calc based physics might be easier than bio (for her). But it sounds like there is an order to this in science... don't you need a year of tech and a year of health? What's easier? How's AP Comp Sci as a freshman?

I do think PE would make her happy.


It's not a hard class and is good as an entry level AP course.


AP Computer Science Principles, that is.


NP. Do they have to take the foundations class before the AP class?


No, but depending on kid and the teacher they get it can be helpful.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 15:06     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yeah I am not trying to overwhelm her or anything. She just really didn't like life science in middle school, hated disections (literally threw up after class) and is horrible at memorizing anything - but math/programming come easily to her so I thought a non-calc based physics might be easier than bio (for her). But it sounds like there is an order to this in science... don't you need a year of tech and a year of health? What's easier? How's AP Comp Sci as a freshman?

I do think PE would make her happy.


It's not a hard class and is good as an entry level AP course.


AP Computer Science Principles, that is.


NP. Do they have to take the foundations class before the AP class?


No, there's no prerequisite for AP Computer Science Principles.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 15:05     Subject: Re:What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:In math, your child is well beyond what they're supposed to take.

Traditional on-level 9th grade classes is typically:

- Alg 1
- Bio
- US History
- English 9

More advanced kids will take:

- Geometry (instead of Alg 1 since that would've been completed in 8th)

And the most advanced kids, like yours:

- Alg 2 (this is typically taken in 10th for advanced kids or 11th for on-level kids)

Also, some schools flip the order of NSL and US History. I think has to do with kids who take the AP versions of those courses, since AP NSL GOV is an easier starter AP class than AP US History, which is quite challenging.


I don’t even know one child who takes algebra in 9th grade in our schools. In the slowest track they take at 8th. Most take at 7th. A few takes at 6th.


Why do folks keep saying this when it’s fact and MCPS data backs it up that the slowest math track has kids take Alg 1 in 9th or 10th. It’s fine. It’s not a race. Kids should take the math the are ready for and seek to do well in that class. There is no prize for getting to AP Calculus or Multi-Variable first.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 15:05     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
PE
Hon Algebra 2
Hon English
APUSH
AP Physics
AP CS Principles
Hon FL4
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 14:58     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Anonymous wrote:Assume kid is in Geometry in 8th and Honors US History and Foreign language 2 and on the "honors" track or what not.

I'm guessing:
Honors English
Alg 2
FL 3
AP NSL
Honors Biology.

What else should the student take? Also, does she have to take Bio first - is there leeway to take physics first? Kid will play a sport and also does a time consuming activity (theatre).


She isn’t in honors US history in 8th. That’s a high school class. She’s in middle school US history and will need to take high school US history too (either in 9th or 10th and either APUSH or hons).
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 14:58     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yeah I am not trying to overwhelm her or anything. She just really didn't like life science in middle school, hated disections (literally threw up after class) and is horrible at memorizing anything - but math/programming come easily to her so I thought a non-calc based physics might be easier than bio (for her). But it sounds like there is an order to this in science... don't you need a year of tech and a year of health? What's easier? How's AP Comp Sci as a freshman?

I do think PE would make her happy.


It's not a hard class and is good as an entry level AP course.


AP Computer Science Principles, that is.


NP. Do they have to take the foundations class before the AP class?
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 14:30     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Have your child either take PE or the art elective because she's doing a sport.

I was surprised at how much time the sport took up and sometimes they leave early for away games and your child will have to make up the work from those periods which really eats up a lot of time. It's not just the work but tracking down the teachers and trying to understand the assignments from the lectures they missed. For every class that is missed it's double or triple the time to make it up.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 14:29     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Anonymous wrote:At my child's school your child cannot just sign up for AP NSL. It's by recommendation only and DD did not know of a single child who was recommend from their cohorted honors history class in 8th grade. There were definitely some but not among the 20 or more people who were talking about it.


Our school does AP gov first and that’s the tenth grade class. It’s supposed to be much harder.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 14:28     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Bio requires an end of the year assessment by the state. Nearly all 9th graders will be taking it at whatever school your child attends so I would advise her to do that. It's new this year.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 14:28     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Not a big deal - there are probably 200 kids with a similar schedule as her. Clarksburg high school.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 14:27     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
At my child's school your child cannot just sign up for AP NSL. It's by recommendation only and DD did not know of a single child who was recommend from their cohorted honors history class in 8th grade. There were definitely some but not among the 20 or more people who were talking about it.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 14:25     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
You need to tell us your specific school OP. Every school is very different and these schools are so big you're not going to out your child anyway.

FWIW, in the spring your child will meet with the HS counselor to go over her schedule and they will talk about specific paths for their school. It sounds like you don't want to wait which is fine but in that case you won't get any useful info here unless you name your school.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 14:24     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Before you sign up for virtual Health - It can be a lot of busy work in a short amount of time, not difficult just half year's worth of info packed into few weeks. As Depends on child, learning style and if they are not already suffering virtual-fatigue.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2024 14:13     Subject: What are you supposed to take in 9th?
Anonymous wrote:Oh OP here - unfortunately we don't have the ability to take summer school the next 2 summers. We have to go back to see our families (out of the country) and that will cut into 4 weeks of the summer. Unless these things are virtual??


Health ed is virtual. Find the time. They haven’t sessions.