Anonymous
01/15/2026 12:22
Subject: math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It really depends on your school. My kid in private elementary school does math supplement during school hours every other day. There is a math specialist who works with the kids wired for advanced math.
If math is an interest of your kid, you should probably do it outside school as well.
Yes. Math and STEM need supplementation. Especially, if child interested in the sciences for college.
But why does it need a supplement even for a school that charges tuition of $55K? Can anybody provide non-emotional charge reasons (you know, not to yell at us to go back to public school)?
Anonymous
01/15/2026 12:12
Subject: math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:It really depends on your school. My kid in private elementary school does math supplement during school hours every other day. There is a math specialist who works with the kids wired for advanced math.
If math is an interest of your kid, you should probably do it outside school as well.
Yes. Math and STEM need supplementation. Especially, if child interested in the sciences for college.
Anonymous
01/15/2026 12:03
Subject: math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:America does a poor job of teaching math. Many top math students, whether in public school or private, had some form of math supplementing outside school.
I think the most important thing in Math that is missing is to teach students to ask 'why'. Why is pi*r**2 the area of a circle? Are they encouraged to ask in class? Solving problems is great. But it doesn't really encourage critical thinking and cultivate interests? Many puzzles just need great pattern recognition. But deep understanding needs both intuition and training on how to think. Maybe AOPS is gonna be hopeful? CTY summer programs?
Anonymous
01/15/2026 07:07
Subject: math supplement in private school
America does a poor job of teaching math. Many top math students, whether in public school or private, had some form of math supplementing outside school.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 18:02
Subject: Re:math supplement in private school
For real fun, watch the math Counts finals on YouTube. Those kids are 7th and 8th graders. Pretty much all of them have done either AoPS or RSM or some combination of both. You can google AMC 8 or Mathcounts to see what the problems build to by MS.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 17:59
Subject: Re:math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:RSMs math competition program is great for kids who are ahead in math and really enjoy playing with math. The class teaches number theory, probability, algebra, geometry and a range of other subjects that appear in math competitions. The kids in the class tend to be invested in math. It is a different approach to the regular RSM class but is the only place my kid has been challenged in math. He has also done AoPS, he enjoyed it but it didn’t push him.
Are the RSM Honors class and the RSM Competition class (for example, at Grade 5 and above) complementary to each other, or are they substitutes for one another?
I believe they could. The honor class still introduces the basics and competition class challenges more on problem solving and advanced techniques.
My kid is in Honors. As I understand it, if your kid needs enrichment in the core math principles for his grade level, the Competition class doesn't cover that. The material covered is the type of stuff that appear on math competition questions, but the teachers and material assume that your kid is proficient in all of the basis for his level at RSM. I believe the Competition class is also only an hour, whereas the Accelerated/Advanced/Honors classes are two hours. I think people either use Competition as a supplement (a third hour per week) for RSM students who enjoy the "fun" of Competition questions, or else the really advanced kids drop the standard classes altogether and focus only on Competition because they're already so clearly at the top of the heap.
Competition class is 2 hours. It is great because the math is less straight forward and requires the kids think about their approach. Most problems have a number of different ways to answer the question and the kids will discuss their answers. And yes, most of the kids in the competition class drop the regular class. They tend to understand that material pretty easily and are looking for a challenge. It is a different approach to math. DS loves it.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 17:56
Subject: Re:math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:RSMs math competition program is great for kids who are ahead in math and really enjoy playing with math. The class teaches number theory, probability, algebra, geometry and a range of other subjects that appear in math competitions. The kids in the class tend to be invested in math. It is a different approach to the regular RSM class but is the only place my kid has been challenged in math. He has also done AoPS, he enjoyed it but it didn’t push him.
Are the RSM Honors class and the RSM Competition class (for example, at Grade 5 and above) complementary to each other, or are they substitutes for one another?
I believe they could. The honor class still introduces the basics and competition class challenges more on problem solving and advanced techniques.
When does competition class start? My son is in 1st grade and there is no ho or class either just accelerated and advanced.
I think competition class starts in 3rd but it might be 4th grade.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 17:55
Subject: Re:math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:RSMs math competition program is great for kids who are ahead in math and really enjoy playing with math. The class teaches number theory, probability, algebra, geometry and a range of other subjects that appear in math competitions. The kids in the class tend to be invested in math. It is a different approach to the regular RSM class but is the only place my kid has been challenged in math. He has also done AoPS, he enjoyed it but it didn’t push him.
Are the RSM Honors class and the RSM Competition class (for example, at Grade 5 and above) complementary to each other, or are they substitutes for one another?
The Math Competition class is very different then the regular class. DS dropped the grade level class after 6th grade because he found it boring but continued with the math competition class. Math competition does not focus on material that would taught at that grade level in school, it is focused on problems that you would see in competition math, which tend to be more complicated word problems that require an understanding of many math disciplines. It exposes kids to a wider variety of math subjects and approaches.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 17:51
Subject: Re:math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:RSMs math competition program is great for kids who are ahead in math and really enjoy playing with math. The class teaches number theory, probability, algebra, geometry and a range of other subjects that appear in math competitions. The kids in the class tend to be invested in math. It is a different approach to the regular RSM class but is the only place my kid has been challenged in math. He has also done AoPS, he enjoyed it but it didn’t push him.
Are the RSM Honors class and the RSM Competition class (for example, at Grade 5 and above) complementary to each other, or are they substitutes for one another?
We did RSM honors last year (3rd), and only doing National Competition class this year (4th) - it's also 2 hours long, but the homework load is much less, only 5 problems or so. Of course, sometimes the problems stump US, the parents, but sometimes they just take 5 min. Honors class had just more worksheets and repetition to get a concept down. Comp class is just fun puzzle math. Here's an example: there are 17 students in the class. Nine of them play basketball and eleven of them play soccer. At least how many of them play both basketball and soccer?
Are the competition classes online-only? I think my elementary school DD would struggle with that for two hours.
yes, online only. I thought mine would struggle, but he is very engaged with it! And loves it much more so than the in person Honors of last year.
Not quiet correct. There are regular math competition classes at many of the campuses. Campuses that have the regular math competition classes have two levels of the class. The national math competition program is online only. There are 200 kids selected for each grade in the national program.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 17:49
Subject: Re:math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:RSMs math competition program is great for kids who are ahead in math and really enjoy playing with math. The class teaches number theory, probability, algebra, geometry and a range of other subjects that appear in math competitions. The kids in the class tend to be invested in math. It is a different approach to the regular RSM class but is the only place my kid has been challenged in math. He has also done AoPS, he enjoyed it but it didn’t push him.
Are the RSM Honors class and the RSM Competition class (for example, at Grade 5 and above) complementary to each other, or are they substitutes for one another?
We did RSM honors last year (3rd), and only doing National Competition class this year (4th) - it's also 2 hours long, but the homework load is much less, only 5 problems or so. Of course, sometimes the problems stump US, the parents, but sometimes they just take 5 min. Honors class had just more worksheets and repetition to get a concept down. Comp class is just fun puzzle math. Here's an example: there are 17 students in the class. Nine of them play basketball and eleven of them play soccer. At least how many of them play both basketball and soccer?
Are the competition classes online-only? I think my elementary school DD would struggle with that for two hours.
They have in person competition classes at the campuses. My kid started there and was recommended to join the national program which is online only.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 17:02
Subject: math supplement in private school
I would supplement until there is real tracking in math at the school. Might be until 7th grade or 9th grade. Math clubs help too.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 16:57
Subject: Re:math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:RSMs math competition program is great for kids who are ahead in math and really enjoy playing with math. The class teaches number theory, probability, algebra, geometry and a range of other subjects that appear in math competitions. The kids in the class tend to be invested in math. It is a different approach to the regular RSM class but is the only place my kid has been challenged in math. He has also done AoPS, he enjoyed it but it didn’t push him.
Are the RSM Honors class and the RSM Competition class (for example, at Grade 5 and above) complementary to each other, or are they substitutes for one another?
We did RSM honors last year (3rd), and only doing National Competition class this year (4th) - it's also 2 hours long, but the homework load is much less, only 5 problems or so. Of course, sometimes the problems stump US, the parents, but sometimes they just take 5 min. Honors class had just more worksheets and repetition to get a concept down. Comp class is just fun puzzle math. Here's an example: there are 17 students in the class. Nine of them play basketball and eleven of them play soccer. At least how many of them play both basketball and soccer?
Are the competition classes online-only? I think my elementary school DD would struggle with that for two hours.
yes, online only. I thought mine would struggle, but he is very engaged with it! And loves it much more so than the in person Honors of last year.
It definitely helps with logistics. And sometimes online learning is more optimal for quiet kids.
However, I think the social aspect of being in an in-person class with peers cannot be ignored.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 16:49
Subject: Re:math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:RSMs math competition program is great for kids who are ahead in math and really enjoy playing with math. The class teaches number theory, probability, algebra, geometry and a range of other subjects that appear in math competitions. The kids in the class tend to be invested in math. It is a different approach to the regular RSM class but is the only place my kid has been challenged in math. He has also done AoPS, he enjoyed it but it didn’t push him.
Are the RSM Honors class and the RSM Competition class (for example, at Grade 5 and above) complementary to each other, or are they substitutes for one another?
We did RSM honors last year (3rd), and only doing National Competition class this year (4th) - it's also 2 hours long, but the homework load is much less, only 5 problems or so. Of course, sometimes the problems stump US, the parents, but sometimes they just take 5 min. Honors class had just more worksheets and repetition to get a concept down. Comp class is just fun puzzle math. Here's an example: there are 17 students in the class. Nine of them play basketball and eleven of them play soccer. At least how many of them play both basketball and soccer?
Are the competition classes online-only? I think my elementary school DD would struggle with that for two hours.
yes, online only. I thought mine would struggle, but he is very engaged with it! And loves it much more so than the in person Honors of last year.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 16:47
Subject: Re:math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:RSMs math competition program is great for kids who are ahead in math and really enjoy playing with math. The class teaches number theory, probability, algebra, geometry and a range of other subjects that appear in math competitions. The kids in the class tend to be invested in math. It is a different approach to the regular RSM class but is the only place my kid has been challenged in math. He has also done AoPS, he enjoyed it but it didn’t push him.
Are the RSM Honors class and the RSM Competition class (for example, at Grade 5 and above) complementary to each other, or are they substitutes for one another?
We did RSM honors last year (3rd), and only doing National Competition class this year (4th) - it's also 2 hours long, but the homework load is much less, only 5 problems or so. Of course, sometimes the problems stump US, the parents, but sometimes they just take 5 min. Honors class had just more worksheets and repetition to get a concept down. Comp class is just fun puzzle math. Here's an example: there are 17 students in the class. Nine of them play basketball and eleven of them play soccer. At least how many of them play both basketball and soccer?
Are the competition classes online-only? I think my elementary school DD would struggle with that for two hours.
You can have this question in the honor class.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 16:21
Subject: Re:math supplement in private school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:RSMs math competition program is great for kids who are ahead in math and really enjoy playing with math. The class teaches number theory, probability, algebra, geometry and a range of other subjects that appear in math competitions. The kids in the class tend to be invested in math. It is a different approach to the regular RSM class but is the only place my kid has been challenged in math. He has also done AoPS, he enjoyed it but it didn’t push him.
Are the RSM Honors class and the RSM Competition class (for example, at Grade 5 and above) complementary to each other, or are they substitutes for one another?
We did RSM honors last year (3rd), and only doing National Competition class this year (4th) - it's also 2 hours long, but the homework load is much less, only 5 problems or so. Of course, sometimes the problems stump US, the parents, but sometimes they just take 5 min. Honors class had just more worksheets and repetition to get a concept down. Comp class is just fun puzzle math. Here's an example: there are 17 students in the class. Nine of them play basketball and eleven of them play soccer. At least how many of them play both basketball and soccer?
Are the competition classes online-only? I think my elementary school DD would struggle with that for two hours.