Anonymous
09/24/2025 13:37
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
That's an extremely misleading statement. There are PLENTY of colleges that aren't selective or only mildly selective. And currently, the college enrollment rate in the US is the lowest it's been in 20 years.
DP. Both can be true at once. For the top 30-ish schools it's never been more cutthroat. Everyone else is getting easier.
But do you think that having your kids 2+ years advanced in math is the key to get into a top school? My oldest got into a couple Ivies while taking AB calculus senior year of high school
Highly unlikely to get into top school for STEM major with only calc AB anymore
Um, not everyone is going into STEM majors. You realize AI is going to do everything now anyway, right?
Anonymous
09/24/2025 13:09
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
That's an extremely misleading statement. There are PLENTY of colleges that aren't selective or only mildly selective. And currently, the college enrollment rate in the US is the lowest it's been in 20 years.
DP. Both can be true at once. For the top 30-ish schools it's never been more cutthroat. Everyone else is getting easier.
But do you think that having your kids 2+ years advanced in math is the key to get into a top school? My oldest got into a couple Ivies while taking AB calculus senior year of high school
Highly unlikely to get into top school for STEM major with only calc AB anymore
Anonymous
09/24/2025 12:43
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:At our school most students take Algebra in 8th, geometry in 9th, algebra 2 in 10th, pre calculus in 11, and calculus AB or BC in 12th.
Initially I found this annoying when I realized my kids could be a year farther ahead if they went to our local public school but our school had strong reasoning behind it. Some reasons: the SAT and ACT only cover through algebra 2 so you don’t want to be years beyond that when you take those tests. Most people never need calculus let alone something beyond and the few who do should take that in college. Focusing on math acceleration leaves less time for other academic and non-academic interests and they would rather push everyone to be extremely well read, play sports, and do some arts. Colleges ask if you’ve taken the highest classes offered and pretty much everyone can say yes.
Judging by the selective college admissions at our school it seems their sequence doesn’t stop anyone from being admitted to top schools and I know of several grads who have gone successfully into STEM. You could say we’re “behind public schools” but it seems like we’re just on a different path.
My kid is in accelerated path in MCPS, and is also extremely well read, plays sports, does art and music, participates in and wins science/scholastic competitions, does research internships, publishes co-authored papers and does volunteer work.
Most kids with normal brains and good upbringing can do it all. They have young and have robust Telomeres. Look it up. Old sperm leads to faulty children.
Yeah, I know your type. Surrounded by you people in my neighborhood. One of the best things about deciding against sending my kids to our W MCPS school is not having to be around people like you on a daily basis. Now all I have to do is pass by you and wave when I am walking the dog.
Anonymous
09/24/2025 12:33
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
This is an ignorant comment. Arms race? Seriously? Maybe for pubic school students, and if so, I feel sorry for them. In our private, it doesn't matter if you take Calc as a sophomore or a senior. Students are matriculating into top 20 schools in both scenarios. Mine took Calc AB as a senior and he matriculated to a top 20 as a math major.
Anonymous
09/24/2025 12:25
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
For MD publics, it's also for HS magnet admissions--the main standardized test used (MAP) for magnet selection is a test of exposure, not of cognitive ability. So if your kid is covering material 3 years ahead of the math standard for their grade (ex: those who start Algebra in grade 6), it also gives them a big boost in their math MAP scores.
which is incredibly stupid
Anonymous
09/24/2025 12:22
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
My student did Algebra 1 in 7th and is now doing AP Calc as a junior in HS. Looking back, I would have been fine if she tracked with most of the class and did Algebra 1 in 8th grade. She is not going to go to engineering school or anything like that and I would have been fine if she had an easier track in math for HS. What we also found was that she had to go back and review algebra to prep for the SAT/ACT. This was a disadvantage as there are very few Pre-Calc questions on those tests. She would have been better off if she had Algebra II in her sophomore year so that those concepts were more fresh in her mind for SAT/ACT prep.
Anonymous
09/24/2025 11:50
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
That's an extremely misleading statement. There are PLENTY of colleges that aren't selective or only mildly selective. And currently, the college enrollment rate in the US is the lowest it's been in 20 years.
DP. Both can be true at once. For the top 30-ish schools it's never been more cutthroat. Everyone else is getting easier.
But do you think that having your kids 2+ years advanced in math is the key to get into a top school? My oldest got into a couple Ivies while taking AB calculus senior year of high school
I don't personally care. My kids are going to take the math that appropriately challenges them at every age, go to the colleges that fit them AND they get into, and that's that. I'm not really in the college admissions arms race. Doing just fine as a non-T100 grad myself.
I agree, our school feels strongly that it is rarely appropriate to have kids that far ahead in math and they can be challenged with material that goes in depth. This has worked very well for our kids who love math.
Anonymous
09/24/2025 11:09
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
That's an extremely misleading statement. There are PLENTY of colleges that aren't selective or only mildly selective. And currently, the college enrollment rate in the US is the lowest it's been in 20 years.
DP. Both can be true at once. For the top 30-ish schools it's never been more cutthroat. Everyone else is getting easier.
But do you think that having your kids 2+ years advanced in math is the key to get into a top school? My oldest got into a couple Ivies while taking AB calculus senior year of high school
I don't personally care. My kids are going to take the math that appropriately challenges them at every age, go to the colleges that fit them AND they get into, and that's that. I'm not really in the college admissions arms race. Doing just fine as a non-T100 grad myself.
Anonymous
09/24/2025 11:05
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
That's an extremely misleading statement. There are PLENTY of colleges that aren't selective or only mildly selective. And currently, the college enrollment rate in the US is the lowest it's been in 20 years.
DP. Both can be true at once. For the top 30-ish schools it's never been more cutthroat. Everyone else is getting easier.
But do you think that having your kids 2+ years advanced in math is the key to get into a top school? My oldest got into a couple Ivies while taking AB calculus senior year of high school
Anonymous
09/24/2025 10:57
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
You are the one who doesn't get it. College admissions see right through the nonsense of taking "Multivariable Calculus" or "Differential Equations" taught by a computer or a high school math teacher.
My kid's "high school math teachers" all have either masters or Ph.Ds.
Why would anyone take Calc 3 or Diff. Eq. not dual enrolled at 4 year college or university anyway?
Anonymous
09/24/2025 10:55
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
That's an extremely misleading statement. There are PLENTY of colleges that aren't selective or only mildly selective. And currently, the college enrollment rate in the US is the lowest it's been in 20 years.
DP. Both can be true at once. For the top 30-ish schools it's never been more cutthroat. Everyone else is getting easier.
Anonymous
09/24/2025 10:45
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
You are the one who doesn't get it. College admissions see right through the nonsense of taking "Multivariable Calculus" or "Differential Equations" taught by a computer or a high school math teacher.
My kid's "high school math teachers" all have either masters or Ph.Ds.
Anonymous
09/24/2025 10:39
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
That's an extremely misleading statement. There are PLENTY of colleges that aren't selective or only mildly selective. And currently, the college enrollment rate in the US is the lowest it's been in 20 years.
Absolutely true that there are options available at a range of schools and not everyone should be focused on the T20 schools that seem to get more selective every year. Also those schools won’t admit most applicants who are 2+ years ahead in math anyways so why torture yourself.
Anonymous
09/24/2025 10:33
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:At our school most students take Algebra in 8th, geometry in 9th, algebra 2 in 10th, pre calculus in 11, and calculus AB or BC in 12th.
Initially I found this annoying when I realized my kids could be a year farther ahead if they went to our local public school but our school had strong reasoning behind it. Some reasons: the SAT and ACT only cover through algebra 2 so you don’t want to be years beyond that when you take those tests. Most people never need calculus let alone something beyond and the few who do should take that in college. Focusing on math acceleration leaves less time for other academic and non-academic interests and they would rather push everyone to be extremely well read, play sports, and do some arts. Colleges ask if you’ve taken the highest classes offered and pretty much everyone can say yes.
Judging by the selective college admissions at our school it seems their sequence doesn’t stop anyone from being admitted to top schools and I know of several grads who have gone successfully into STEM. You could say we’re “behind public schools” but it seems like we’re just on a different path.
My kid is in accelerated path in MCPS, and is also extremely well read, plays sports, does art and music, participates in and wins science/scholastic competitions, does research internships, publishes co-authored papers and does volunteer work.
Most kids with normal brains and good upbringing can do it all. They have young and have robust Telomeres. Look it up. Old sperm leads to faulty children.
It’s great that your child is exceptional in every way and also had a young father with young sperm? This is a very odd statement from someone who clearly isn’t from around here based on your writing.
For most people the more time they spend on one thing the less time they have available for other things given the finite number of hours we have in a day. Our school has chosen to prioritize lots of other pursuits rather than being more than one year accelerated in math and this has worked out well for us. The great thing about private schools is they are transparent about their curriculum and priorities and if that doesn’t work for your family you should go elsewhere.
Anonymous
09/24/2025 09:45
Subject: Can someone explain the "behind in math" thing?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The standard in private school is Algebra 1 in 8th. A few are accelerated to A1 in 7th, but almost none in 6th. Some public school systems are willing to accelerate much more routinely. I'm not sure what the point is -- anyone who needs post-calculus would benefit from taking a more in depth class in college.
The obsession with doing post calculus work in HS is silly—I’d argue that’s true even if your kid will likely be a math major (and you’d have to start thinking about that at a very young age which I also think is silly). You will get more in depth post calculus classes in college.
You don't get it. It's for college admissions. The arms race for college admissions has never been more cutthroat.
That's an extremely misleading statement. There are PLENTY of colleges that aren't selective or only mildly selective. And currently, the college enrollment rate in the US is the lowest it's been in 20 years.