In FCPS, kids who take honors math classes (starting with Algebra in 8th) will usually take AP Calculus BC in 12th. Kids in regular math might take AP Calc AB (or regular calculus) in 12th.

My DS tested into and opted not to take Algebra I Honors in 7th grade. He likes math and I didn't want to ruin that with the horrible teacher his school assigned to 7th grade Algebra (and he doesn't like school that much in general, so putting him in constant tutoring to make up for the teacher's shortcomings was not an attractive option). I feel like he got a much better foundation by waiting to take Algebra. He's not a competitive type of person and doesn't care if the "best" kids are taking post-AP math senior year while he takes BC Calc.

OP, in addition to test scores, you also need to look at your kid overall -- does he do well in math? My ds is not a fantastic test taker (some processing issues on timed tests) but he is really a math kid. He was put into regular 6th grade math when we moved here from out of state because of the placement test score, but we moved him up to IM in two weeks because he was bored silly. He's now entering 10th grade and will be taking pre-calc this year, AP Calculus BC next year, and some advanced math class senior year.

If we'd gone by the test scores (and only listened to the school administration, rather than our kid and his first 6th grade math teacher, both of whom said he was bored and needed to be in the higher class) we'd have kept him back. Test scores are not the be all and end all.

OP.

I agree that they push so that the best students get calc too early. It would be better if the school curriculum was less a race and focused on depth.

However, these are the schools we got.

The advantage of having your kid do it is that this is what the better math students do. If your kid is one of them, let her be with the right peers.

Also, my kid got a lot out of having calc and physics at the same time jr year.

Im in Loudoun. My son is doing Algebra 1 in 7th, Geometry in 8th. Thia tracka him to AP classes by 11th grade and opens the door to some AP computer science electives.

We keep him ahead of the curve , so math is never a struggle or painful, with 3hrs of supplemental one on one tutoring all school year. We also do 3hrs a week of toutoring all summer so he doesn't lose anything. This summer he's already worked well into Gometry, so the first quarter will be fine tuning what he's already been introduced to.

Anonymous wrote:Op here, say "push" because that's the feeling I get from the school due to DC's test scores.

14:34, thank you for your answer. Is it possible to take Algebra 1 in 8th and still get to AP Calc BC as a Sr?

It does depend on the school. Some schools require Calc AB before Calc BC, in which case the answer is no. In other schools, students with good enough grades can go straight from Pre-Calc into Calc BC.

Op, better grades will matter more than any "very advanced" designation.

Anonymous wrote:

What confuses me is that you have posters saying that taking Algebra in 9th grade thus ending up in pre-calc as a senior is "remedial". Then you have a high school math teacher saying taking any calculus in high school is "very advanced". So 9th grade algebra 1 leading to sr year pre calc is remedial, but 8th grade algebra 1 leading to calculus AB sr year is very advanced? These two scenarios are based on Algebra 1 being taken one year apart!

In MCPS, now, algebra in 7th grade is above grade level, algebra in 8th grade is grade level, and algebra in 9th grade is below grade level. So calculus in high school is grade level, not "very advanced".

In my US high school in the 1980s, algebra in 8th grade was above grade level, and only the advanced students took calculus in high school -- so maybe the high school math teacher PP is referring to how things used to be. (I assume that my school system was not the only one in the US with a math track where most students were not expected to take calculus.) Or maybe they are referring to calculus itself being advanced math.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone take Algebra as a freshman in high school or is Geometry the entry class? Is Algebra 1 considered a middle school class now?

At my kids' middle school the goal is for kids to take Algebra in 8th grade. Kids in "Math 8" in 8th grade are at the remedial level. The advanced kids are in Geometry, but it's a pretty big group.

I wasn't thrilled with the push to get to algebra in 7th (I don't see the benefit of pushing it down) but math is my son's main strength in school. I was concerned that holding him to math 6 in 6th grade rather than math 7 would be 1) boring and 2) make him feel like he isn't as good at math as he really is. It's worked out fine, he's done well throughout middle school and I'm sure will do fine in Algebra II/Trig in 9th grade. He'll have a variety of options for an additional math class in senior year, after calculus.

But the kids who are taking Algebra I in 9th grade will still get to Calculus by senior year. How is that "remedial"?

Not in MCPS, they won't. Algebra I in 9th grade --> Geometry in 10th grade ---> Algebra II in 11th grade ---> pre-calc in 12th grade. Grade-level is Algebra I in 8th grade.

What confuses me is that you have posters saying that taking Algebra in 9th grade thus ending up in pre-calc as a senior is "remedial". Then you have a high school math teacher saying taking any calculus in high school is "very advanced". So 9th grade algebra 1 leading to sr year pre calc is remedial, but 8th grade algebra 1 leading to calculus AB sr year is very advanced? These two scenarios are based on Algebra 1 being taken one year apart!

I wouldn't say this is "very advanced" any more. It used to be but now the expectation is that 8th graders are taking Algebra I, which puts them on the path to calculus. They may choose not to take it and take something else, like statistics in 12th grade. But it has become the expectation. There are also two levels of calculus (AB and BC) which certainly weren't available in my HS. In my kids' school, only a small number of kids take Math 8. Like it or not, Math 8 (at least in some districts) has become the class for kids who can't keep up with the grade-level expectations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone take Algebra as a freshman in high school or is Geometry the entry class? Is Algebra 1 considered a middle school class now?

At my kids' middle school the goal is for kids to take Algebra in 8th grade. Kids in "Math 8" in 8th grade are at the remedial level. The advanced kids are in Geometry, but it's a pretty big group.

I wasn't thrilled with the push to get to algebra in 7th (I don't see the benefit of pushing it down) but math is my son's main strength in school. I was concerned that holding him to math 6 in 6th grade rather than math 7 would be 1) boring and 2) make him feel like he isn't as good at math as he really is. It's worked out fine, he's done well throughout middle school and I'm sure will do fine in Algebra II/Trig in 9th grade. He'll have a variety of options for an additional math class in senior year, after calculus.

But the kids who are taking Algebra I in 9th grade will still get to Calculus by senior year. How is that "remedial"?

Not in MCPS, they won't. Algebra I in 9th grade --> Geometry in 10th grade ---> Algebra II in 11th grade ---> pre-calc in 12th grade. Grade-level is Algebra I in 8th grade.

What confuses me is that you have posters saying that taking Algebra in 9th grade thus ending up in pre-calc as a senior is "remedial". Then you have a high school math teacher saying taking any calculus in high school is "very advanced". So 9th grade algebra 1 leading to sr year pre calc is remedial, but 8th grade algebra 1 leading to calculus AB sr year is very advanced? These two scenarios are based on Algebra 1 being taken one year apart!

The advantage for my son who just graduated from HS (after taking BC Calculus junior year and Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra senior year) is that he will get 14 college credits ( 8 for BC Calculus, 4 for Mutlivariable/Linear, 2 random math credits as his school combines the two into one class but since he received 6 credits fromGMU, they are giving him all six credits). He is starting his freshman year in a second semester sophomore math class.

With all of his AP and post AP credits he will be able to graduate in 3 years (if he majors one thing) or 3 1/2 years if he double majors. This saves us $$$.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone take Algebra as a freshman in high school or is Geometry the entry class? Is Algebra 1 considered a middle school class now?

At my kids' middle school the goal is for kids to take Algebra in 8th grade. Kids in "Math 8" in 8th grade are at the remedial level. The advanced kids are in Geometry, but it's a pretty big group.

I wasn't thrilled with the push to get to algebra in 7th (I don't see the benefit of pushing it down) but math is my son's main strength in school. I was concerned that holding him to math 6 in 6th grade rather than math 7 would be 1) boring and 2) make him feel like he isn't as good at math as he really is. It's worked out fine, he's done well throughout middle school and I'm sure will do fine in Algebra II/Trig in 9th grade. He'll have a variety of options for an additional math class in senior year, after calculus.

But the kids who are taking Algebra I in 9th grade will still get to Calculus by senior year. How is that "remedial"?

Not in MCPS, they won't. Algebra I in 9th grade --> Geometry in 10th grade ---> Algebra II in 11th grade ---> pre-calc in 12th grade. Grade-level is Algebra I in 8th grade.

Is the worry that students are not developing the foundation in math by pushing most students to Algebra 1 by 8th? I am not referring to the math-advanced students nor the math-challenged students but the average 8th grader. I get district expectations are tied to Common Core standards, of course, but what about foundational knowledge?

OP, if your student seems ready, go for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone take Algebra as a freshman in high school or is Geometry the entry class? Is Algebra 1 considered a middle school class now?

At my kids' middle school the goal is for kids to take Algebra in 8th grade. Kids in "Math 8" in 8th grade are at the remedial level. The advanced kids are in Geometry, but it's a pretty big group.

I wasn't thrilled with the push to get to algebra in 7th (I don't see the benefit of pushing it down) but math is my son's main strength in school. I was concerned that holding him to math 6 in 6th grade rather than math 7 would be 1) boring and 2) make him feel like he isn't as good at math as he really is. It's worked out fine, he's done well throughout middle school and I'm sure will do fine in Algebra II/Trig in 9th grade. He'll have a variety of options for an additional math class in senior year, after calculus.

But the kids who are taking Algebra I in 9th grade will still get to Calculus by senior year. How is that "remedial"?

No. At least at my kids' HS, if you are in Algebra 1 in 9th you will only get to pre-Calculus. That's how it was at my HS in the 80s too -- only the kids who were in algebra 1 in 8th grade made it to calculus sr. year, unless you took summer school to catch up. But, back then it actually was accelerated to take Algebra 1 in 8th (I recall there being only one class section for it at my MS). And, most HS students never took calculus.

I don't think this race to get to more math fastest is great for the majority of students, but the reality is that if only 10% of 8th graders are in Math 8, and the 'average' students are all in Algebra 1, then those in Math 8 are falling behind the district's expectation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone take Algebra as a freshman in high school or is Geometry the entry class? Is Algebra 1 considered a middle school class now?

At my kids' middle school the goal is for kids to take Algebra in 8th grade. Kids in "Math 8" in 8th grade are at the remedial level. The advanced kids are in Geometry, but it's a pretty big group.

I wasn't thrilled with the push to get to algebra in 7th (I don't see the benefit of pushing it down) but math is my son's main strength in school. I was concerned that holding him to math 6 in 6th grade rather than math 7 would be 1) boring and 2) make him feel like he isn't as good at math as he really is. It's worked out fine, he's done well throughout middle school and I'm sure will do fine in Algebra II/Trig in 9th grade. He'll have a variety of options for an additional math class in senior year, after calculus.

Is Math 8, Pre-Algebra? Or is that class no longer offered as most kids go straight into Algebra in middle school?

Math 8 is not so much Pre-Algebra as it is Math 7 with a few small additions. Some schools may not offer Math 8 or only offer it to lower level students. Most schools move as many of their students as possible into Algebra I.

Anonymous wrote:Op here, say "push" because that's the feeling I get from the school due to DC's test scores.

14:34, thank you for your answer. Is it possible to take Algebra 1 in 8th and still get to AP Calc BC as a Sr?

Check with your school but it should be possible. I post whenever I see these types of questions because I teach high school math. There are a lot of good answers already. Algebra in 7th is appropriate for some children and pushed for others. There is nothing wrong with taking it in 8th or 9th. We have several sections of Algebra in the high school and students take it for all different reasons. I have taught very bright students in 9th grade Algebra who have gone on to take honors Geometry in 10th grade. It's unusual but not everyone taking Algebra in 9th is considered remedial.

Does your child enjoy math? Is it possible they may want to go into a math or science field? It's impossible to know in 7th grade but if your answer is a definite no then there is no reason to take Algebra in 7th. Unless my own children have a strong desire to do this I would encourage them to take Algebra in 8th grade. Any Calculus course in high school is still very advanced and I care more about a solid math foundation.