Many parents are largely unaware of the realities of competitive math sequencing for admission to Top 25 schools. Counselors (both private and public high schools) consistently note that this practice is common nationwide, not just within our local community. Students are enrolling in community college courses to accelerate their math track, often advancing well beyond BC Calculus. Those dismissing this trend as exaggerated are simply uninformed—or their child may have gained admission to an Ivy+ school on other strengths. Across districts such as HoCo, FFX, ARL, LAUSD, NYC, and many others, a significant number of students are already completing second-year (or higher) college-level math by the time they graduate high school.

Op again, I haven’t read all the answers, but either your kid it’s ‘math talent’ ie learns concepts quickly and retains them, applies them well in new scenarios, breaks down large problems into solvable bits, thinks of multiple ways to solve a problem. Or is a smart kid that is willing to work extra hard to do well.

Op here. We live in HoCo. DS is now doing Geometry in 7th grade. Looking back it was probably a little bit of a stretch for him. He is not naturally talented when it comes to math. But he is extremely competitive and worked extremely hard to make sure he got a A grade. Now working extremely hard when you have ADHD is even harder but he did it. A ton of kids in his high performing school do this track. Enough to fill a full class by themselves. There is another track that is 4 years ahead in HoCo that does algebra 1, geometry and pre calculus in 2 years and kids do AP stats in 8th grade. Now that track is crazy and I only know 2 kids who do it in my circle. They are basically in self study with just 1 weekly class across the county starting 7th grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just retained a college counselor this past month for my oldest and I have a younger child taking Alg I HN in elementary school. The counselor noted unequivocally that the right track for kids is to take Alg 1 (HS level) in 6th grade. He said most international kids applying to the top colleges in the US are on that track and that most international primary education covers Alg. No idea if this is accurate but not sure why he would make that up (it's a well reputed college counseling firm). I think there is probably a reason why FCPS is pushing this out so early and while I agree that it should have been better planned and prepped, perhaps that is a learning lesson for the team at Gatehouse for next year and beyond.

I call BS on that. Algebra in 6th means Calculus BC in 10th, with two more extra years of DE math that includes Multivariable, linear algebra differential equations, discrete math. Even Algebra in 7th means taking two of them in 12th. There’s no country in the world that matches this curriculum.

If the kid wants to take Algebra early and is capable, then by all means, but catching up with international applicants is not a good reason. People confuse Algebra 1 with doing the quadratic formula in 8th grade. The highest level of math in most other countries is still Calculus and most often it’s taught at a level below AP BC.

Urban high schools in China, India, Japan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, etc teach well beyond AP calc BC before 12th graduation

Look up a syllabus, I just quickly checked the South Korean one, and it’s definitely below Calculus BC or AP Statistics. To be fair there’s a tiny bit of vector algebra, but it’s in no way “well beyond Calculus BC”.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just retained a college counselor this past month for my oldest and I have a younger child taking Alg I HN in elementary school. The counselor noted unequivocally that the right track for kids is to take Alg 1 (HS level) in 6th grade. He said most international kids applying to the top colleges in the US are on that track and that most international primary education covers Alg. No idea if this is accurate but not sure why he would make that up (it's a well reputed college counseling firm). I think there is probably a reason why FCPS is pushing this out so early and while I agree that it should have been better planned and prepped, perhaps that is a learning lesson for the team at Gatehouse for next year and beyond.

I call BS on that. Algebra in 6th means Calculus BC in 10th, with two more extra years of DE math that includes Multivariable, linear algebra differential equations, discrete math. Even Algebra in 7th means taking two of them in 12th. There’s no country in the world that matches this curriculum.

If the kid wants to take Algebra early and is capable, then by all means, but catching up with international applicants is not a good reason. People confuse Algebra 1 with doing the quadratic formula in 8th grade. The highest level of math in most other countries is still Calculus and most often it’s taught at a level below AP BC.

Urban high schools in China, India, Japan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, etc teach well beyond AP calc BC before 12th graduation

Have you been following the news? It will not be easy or probably even desirable for international students to study in the US for quite a few years. Between the student visa and work visa issues, enrollment has already drastically falle. I would also say that the criteria for getting in Internationally to a top school is way higher than within the US and will be even greater now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just retained a college counselor this past month for my oldest and I have a younger child taking Alg I HN in elementary school. The counselor noted unequivocally that the right track for kids is to take Alg 1 (HS level) in 6th grade. He said most international kids applying to the top colleges in the US are on that track and that most international primary education covers Alg. No idea if this is accurate but not sure why he would make that up (it's a well reputed college counseling firm). I think there is probably a reason why FCPS is pushing this out so early and while I agree that it should have been better planned and prepped, perhaps that is a learning lesson for the team at Gatehouse for next year and beyond.

I call BS on that. Algebra in 6th means Calculus BC in 10th, with two more extra years of DE math that includes Multivariable, linear algebra differential equations, discrete math. Even Algebra in 7th means taking two of them in 12th. There’s no country in the world that matches this curriculum.

If the kid wants to take Algebra early and is capable, then by all means, but catching up with international applicants is not a good reason. People confuse Algebra 1 with doing the quadratic formula in 8th grade. The highest level of math in most other countries is still Calculus and most often it’s taught at a level below AP BC.

Urban high schools in China, India, Japan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, etc teach well beyond AP calc BC before 12th graduation

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just retained a college counselor this past month for my oldest and I have a younger child taking Alg I HN in elementary school. The counselor noted unequivocally that the right track for kids is to take Alg 1 (HS level) in 6th grade. He said most international kids applying to the top colleges in the US are on that track and that most international primary education covers Alg. No idea if this is accurate but not sure why he would make that up (it's a well reputed college counseling firm). I think there is probably a reason why FCPS is pushing this out so early and while I agree that it should have been better planned and prepped, perhaps that is a learning lesson for the team at Gatehouse for next year and beyond.

I would look for a better college counselor. My child is heavily into math from a very young age and even then did not take Alg 1 in 6th grade. Yet got admitted to two of HYPSM and pursuing a pure math major at one.

I don't think he implied that you cant get into a HYPSM without Alg 1 HN in 6th grade. I'm sure you can as exhibited by your kid. I'm stating what they're seeing across the board and from outside the US, so I don't think I need to find a new counselor as this one is very well reputed. His point was to accelerate the kid so that the math curriculum tracks to having taken Alg 1 in 6th grade. He went on to note that many kids do so by completing Alg 1 in 6th grade (especially internationally) and some do it by things like summer Geo or a DE class in high school.

You do you.

I am just cautioning that this is the kind of FOMO and "insider info" that counselors promote to make them look indispensable to parents. I am deeply interested in math and neck deep into all things math, and I call the advice your counselor gave utter nonsense.

If your child wants to, take Algebra 1, there is nothing wrong with that. But for college admissions it is a non-factor. It would not make it to the top 20 things the AO is going to consider.

Anonymous wrote:We just retained a college counselor this past month for my oldest and I have a younger child taking Alg I HN in elementary school. The counselor noted unequivocally that the right track for kids is to take Alg 1 (HS level) in 6th grade. He said most international kids applying to the top colleges in the US are on that track and that most international primary education covers Alg. No idea if this is accurate but not sure why he would make that up (it's a well reputed college counseling firm). I think there is probably a reason why FCPS is pushing this out so early and while I agree that it should have been better planned and prepped, perhaps that is a learning lesson for the team at Gatehouse for next year and beyond.

I call BS on that. Algebra in 6th means Calculus BC in 10th, with two more extra years of DE math that includes Multivariable, linear algebra differential equations, discrete math. Even Algebra in 7th means taking two of them in 12th. There’s no country in the world that matches this curriculum.

If the kid wants to take Algebra early and is capable, then by all means, but catching up with international applicants is not a good reason. People confuse Algebra 1 with doing the quadratic formula in 8th grade. The highest level of math in most other countries is still Calculus and most often it’s taught at a level below AP BC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just retained a college counselor this past month for my oldest and I have a younger child taking Alg I HN in elementary school. The counselor noted unequivocally that the right track for kids is to take Alg 1 (HS level) in 6th grade. He said most international kids applying to the top colleges in the US are on that track and that most international primary education covers Alg. No idea if this is accurate but not sure why he would make that up (it's a well reputed college counseling firm). I think there is probably a reason why FCPS is pushing this out so early and while I agree that it should have been better planned and prepped, perhaps that is a learning lesson for the team at Gatehouse for next year and beyond.

I would look for a better college counselor. My child is heavily into math from a very young age and even then did not take Alg 1 in 6th grade. Yet got admitted to two of HYPSM and pursuing a pure math major at one.

I don't think he implied that you cant get into a HYPSM without Alg 1 HN in 6th grade. I'm sure you can as exhibited by your kid. I'm stating what they're seeing across the board and from outside the US, so I don't think I need to find a new counselor as this one is very well reputed. His point was to accelerate the kid so that the math curriculum tracks to having taken Alg 1 in 6th grade. He went on to note that many kids do so by completing Alg 1 in 6th grade (especially internationally) and some do it by things like summer Geo or a DE class in high school.

Anonymous wrote:We just retained a college counselor this past month for my oldest and I have a younger child taking Alg I HN in elementary school. The counselor noted unequivocally that the right track for kids is to take Alg 1 (HS level) in 6th grade. He said most international kids applying to the top colleges in the US are on that track and that most international primary education covers Alg. No idea if this is accurate but not sure why he would make that up (it's a well reputed college counseling firm). I think there is probably a reason why FCPS is pushing this out so early and while I agree that it should have been better planned and prepped, perhaps that is a learning lesson for the team at Gatehouse for next year and beyond.

I would look for a better college counselor. My child is heavily into math from a very young age and even then did not take Alg 1 in 6th grade. Yet got admitted to two of HYPSM and pursuing a pure math major at one.

We just retained a college counselor this past month for my oldest and I have a younger child taking Alg I HN in elementary school. The counselor noted unequivocally that the right track for kids is to take Alg 1 (HS level) in 6th grade. He said most international kids applying to the top colleges in the US are on that track and that most international primary education covers Alg. No idea if this is accurate but not sure why he would make that up (it's a well reputed college counseling firm). I think there is probably a reason why FCPS is pushing this out so early and while I agree that it should have been better planned and prepped, perhaps that is a learning lesson for the team at Gatehouse for next year and beyond.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HS classes are used to calculate your HS GPA, even when you take them before HS.

Colleges have different methods for calculating GPA, some will recalculate your GPA with grades 10-12. Most will unweight the GPA and count only classes grades 9-12.

The bigger issue is the holes your kid has if they have a C in Algebra or Geometry, regardless of their grade, and how hard that is going to make every math class later. I would worry less about the GPA and more about the holes in my child’s knowledge. And the fact that those holes will lead to weaker grades in math and science classes.

Considering that you don't include any grades from your senior year in your college app, and colleges also don't have access to a later transcript than the end of junior year, how do colleges calculate GPA with grades 10-12 or 9-12?

You submit the transcripts that you have. I have read that the California schools calculate GPA based on 10-12th grade, I would imagine that the GPA sent to them is based on grades 10 and 11, if you are applying for an early decision, and 10, 11, and first quarter of 12 if applying for regular admission. They get the transcript with all of your grades, so they have that C in 6th grade Algebra, but the GPA will not include that.

I would not send a kid with less then a B into the next math class if they were taking the class between 6-8th grade. I would expunge anything under a B and have my child retake the class. Making sure that the child has a strong foundation is more important than getting 2-3 years ahead. I am not so sure that I would keep a B, it would depend on the child and how they would respond to removing that grade and retaking the class. If the child understood that the desire is to make sure that they have fully mastered Algebra and Geometry and not saying that the did substandard work. I might offer it as they can choose to take a 2 week summer class at RSM to make sure that they understand the class material and move on or they can retake the class. But I would not allow my kid to move on with anything less then a B.

I fully believe that there are kids who earned a C in summer geometry or in A1H as 7th graders who take the next class in the sequence. I am not sure why their parents do that, but that is not my call because they are not my kid.

Anonymous wrote:HS classes are used to calculate your HS GPA, even when you take them before HS.

Colleges have different methods for calculating GPA, some will recalculate your GPA with grades 10-12. Most will unweight the GPA and count only classes grades 9-12.

The bigger issue is the holes your kid has if they have a C in Algebra or Geometry, regardless of their grade, and how hard that is going to make every math class later. I would worry less about the GPA and more about the holes in my child’s knowledge. And the fact that those holes will lead to weaker grades in math and science classes.

Considering that you don't include any grades from your senior year in your college app, and colleges also don't have access to a later transcript than the end of junior year, how do colleges calculate GPA with grades 10-12 or 9-12?

HS classes are used to calculate your HS GPA, even when you take them before HS.

Colleges have different methods for calculating GPA, some will recalculate your GPA with grades 10-12. Most will unweight the GPA and count only classes grades 9-12.

The bigger issue is the holes your kid has if they have a C in Algebra or Geometry, regardless of their grade, and how hard that is going to make every math class later. I would worry less about the GPA and more about the holes in my child’s knowledge. And the fact that those holes will lead to weaker grades in math and science classes.

Anonymous wrote:I remember a FCPS teacher, who moonlights at one of the enrichment class, said certain advanced math class in middle school actually count as high school classes so the grade is counted as high school GPA. If a child is not doing well on these advanced math classes, he suggest the child drop the class instead of earning a B that will follow him all the way to college application.

I am not sure if Algebra is one of those classes, you should ask the school about it. If it is counted as high school class then be careful, but maybe you can have him try and drop it if he's not doing well.

Colleges do not really care about your grades in 8th grade, regardless of the type of course you took.