Anonymous
Post 04/08/2025 12:03     Subject: How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Anonymous wrote:My kid is 2 grades ahead bc they watered the math program down. I went through the same public school system as my kid and what they are learning as a 3rd grader, I was taught in 1st grade. During covid, when we largely had to teach our own kids, I started my kid on what i thought was on‐level math. Turns out it was 2 grade levels ahead.


FCPS has massively diminished educational standards, in the name of “equity” (DEI).

Hope they make the smart move and disband their 60+ DEIA department, or the school system will lose federal educational funding (and it will be the disadvantaged / FARMS kids who will be harmed the most if FCPS keeps it up with their DEI obsession).
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2025 12:00     Subject: Re:How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
It is not difficult to teach a year’s worth of math in a few weeks over the summer.

CTY has been doing it for decades.

AoPS can accomplish the same thing. Same with Russian Math or Beast. And all offer free scholarships for lesser-resourced/ title 1 kids, so that’s not an issue whatsoever.

Why is this a mystery to anyone?
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2025 09:14     Subject: How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
My kid is 2 grades ahead bc they watered the math program down. I went through the same public school system as my kid and what they are learning as a 3rd grader, I was taught in 1st grade. During covid, when we largely had to teach our own kids, I started my kid on what i thought was on‐level math. Turns out it was 2 grade levels ahead.
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2025 09:04     Subject: How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.


Maybe up through basic multiple and division. But passed that, math does need to be actively taught as there are many formulas, theories and such that need to be learned and memorized for more advanced math.

Yes but some kids see a problem demonstrated or solved and just get it. They don’t need practice or review


Not many like that. Feynman's books make it clear he had to practice math, even the path integral, and Feynman was probably 2nd best (right behind Einstein) in 20th century Physics.


We are talking about kids in early elementary school. My kid at 6 could look at big brother’s HW ask once what the multiplication sign meant and then do 3rd grade level things with it. That doesn’t mean he is smarter than Feynman, it means multiplication is easier than integrals.



Multiplication is a memorization skill isn’t it?


Yes and no. To some kids it’s memorizing. But to others, once they are figure how multiplication (and division works): 3x4 is 3 groups of 4, they can quickly process these problems in their head, they just make sense and it’s innate.

But more advanced math needs to actually be taught. No kid just looks at a triangle and automatically knows the Pythagorean Theorem and how to use it. So once your kid has down the innate basics, a concerted effort needs to made to keep them advancing and learning new material. If not by the school, them by you.
Anonymous
Post 04/07/2025 22:07     Subject: Re:How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Anonymous wrote:This really depends on what age and grade you’re talking about. Mine is in 2nd and is doing 4th grade math. Which sounds impressive sure, until you realize this just means he can add and subtract 3 and 4 digit numbers instead of 1 and 2 digit numbers, and can multiply/divide singles. He knows area, perimeter, and large numbers which are all easily picked up. And he knows about money and how to make change, but only because he actually gets a cash allowance and buys things with cash. He can use a ruler and watch, practical life tools. I’m sure all of the above is normal and expected of average children in many other countries.

It’s more impressive if you talking about a 7th grader completing Algebra and Geometry before 8th. I’m not sure what kids do between 4th-6th to make this happen. Math at our school is mind numbingly slow. 2nd grade math was just a review of 1st grade.


If that is true about second grade not introducing new material, that’s not good. But otherwise, what’s the rush? Slow and steady so nothing is missed. Most parents who complain have kids who are good at math but not phenoms. If they remain excellent math students they will do great in high school without any weak spots.
Anonymous
Post 04/07/2025 21:58     Subject: How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.


Maybe up through basic multiple and division. But passed that, math does need to be actively taught as there are many formulas, theories and such that need to be learned and memorized for more advanced math.

Yes but some kids see a problem demonstrated or solved and just get it. They don’t need practice or review


Not many like that. Feynman's books make it clear he had to practice math, even the path integral, and Feynman was probably 2nd best (right behind Einstein) in 20th century Physics.


We are talking about kids in early elementary school. My kid at 6 could look at big brother’s HW ask once what the multiplication sign meant and then do 3rd grade level things with it. That doesn’t mean he is smarter than Feynman, it means multiplication is easier than integrals.



Multiplication is a memorization skill isn’t it?
Anonymous
Post 04/06/2025 13:51     Subject: How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.


Maybe up through basic multiple and division. But passed that, math does need to be actively taught as there are many formulas, theories and such that need to be learned and memorized for more advanced math.

Yes but some kids see a problem demonstrated or solved and just get it. They don’t need practice or review


Not many like that. Feynman's books make it clear he had to practice math, even the path integral, and Feynman was probably 2nd best (right behind Einstein) in 20th century Physics.


We are talking about kids in early elementary school. My kid at 6 could look at big brother’s HW ask once what the multiplication sign meant and then do 3rd grade level things with it. That doesn’t mean he is smarter than Feynman, it means multiplication is easier than integrals.

Anonymous
Post 04/06/2025 13:32     Subject: How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.


Maybe up through basic multiple and division. But passed that, math does need to be actively taught as there are many formulas, theories and such that need to be learned and memorized for more advanced math.

Yes but some kids see a problem demonstrated or solved and just get it. They don’t need practice or review


Not many like that. Feynman's books make it clear he had to practice math, even the path integral, and Feynman was probably 2nd best (right behind Einstein) in 20th century Physics.
Anonymous
Post 04/06/2025 08:34     Subject: How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.


Maybe up through basic multiple and division. But passed that, math does need to be actively taught as there are many formulas, theories and such that need to be learned and memorized for more advanced math.

Yes but some kids see a problem demonstrated or solved and just get it. They don’t need practice or review
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2025 15:35     Subject: How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Try your school if they have advanced tracks. DCPS schools (some middle schools at least) will let 6th graders in Alg 1, so that they can be done with Alg 2 by 8th (or Alg 1 in 7th and doubling up on Geometry/Alg 2 in 8th). There are a bunch of sophomores in Calc BC at Jackson Reed.
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2025 09:53     Subject: Re:How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
I would like to know this too. And I do think there’s a huge difference between the 1-2 grader that’s “two years ahead” vs the 4-5 grader.
Anonymous
Post 04/03/2025 14:12     Subject: Re:How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This really depends on what age and grade you’re talking about. Mine is in 2nd and is doing 4th grade math. Which sounds impressive sure, until you realize this just means he can add and subtract 3 and 4 digit numbers instead of 1 and 2 digit numbers, and can multiply/divide singles. He knows area, perimeter, and large numbers which are all easily picked up. And he knows about money and how to make change, but only because he actually gets a cash allowance and buys things with cash. He can use a ruler and watch, practical life tools. I’m sure all of the above is normal and expected of average children in many other countries.

It’s more impressive if you talking about a 7th grader completing Algebra and Geometry before 8th. I’m not sure what kids do between 4th-6th to make this happen. Math at our school is mind numbingly slow. 2nd grade math was just a review of 1st grade.


Mine is also and second and way ahead, simply because he can do 3 and 4 digit addition and subtraction and basic multiplication and division. He just seems to "get" math. We don't do any formal supplementation like RSM or AoPS or Mathnasium. All we do is answer the questions he has ("so is division like the opposite of multiplication?") and he takes it from there. Sometimes he wants to practice things like times tables or skip counting by 7s (or whatever number) and we'll do it, but we as parents don't ever push it. We let DA drive the bus, so to speak. Will he remain far ahead, particularly without formal supplementation? Who knows. Math comes easily to him now, so we're comfortable with the path he's on at the moment.


I was actually asking this for parents of older kids…like 5th grade and above. I can imagine most relatively intelligent 2nd graders are ahead in math without any supplementation.


My current 8th grader is taking geometry at our DCPS title 1 MS and going very well. Took the math placement test at the start of 6th grade and that placed him in 7th grade math. Then did Algebra 1 in 7th. We did no supplementing in ES, this is just who he is; hears the lesson and just gets it. Got into Banneker and will take Algebra II next year.
Anonymous
Post 04/03/2025 01:06     Subject: Re:How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Anonymous wrote:My kids are grown now, but when they were little, I started to teach Math to them, way before they began their formal schooling.

I am a SAHM. There was a chance in my DH's work that we would move to another country and if that happened I did not want my kids to be behind in coursework in another country. I had access to curriculum and material from 3-4 different countries, so I could cherry-pick curriculum/textbooks and basically gave them a STEM and Humanities education that they would not get in US. When my kids started school, they were really ahead of their peers by several years and so they breezed through school. They won spots in the magnet programs which was a lot better than the general education they were getting in school, and I continued supplementing them or teaching them subjects not covered at their school/grade in US.

Acceleration, supplementation and enrichment by me actually turbocharged their brain in a way that they could self-learn at a very rapid pace on their own too. My kids are not geniuses by any means but because they have been taught a variety of subjects from a very young age by me, learning has come very easy to them.
which curriculum did you use, specifically?
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 23:12     Subject: How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.


Assuming you have a thing for math.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 16:02     Subject: How is your child 2 grades ahead in math
Anonymous wrote:It’s mostly innate iq and innate math ability. Twin and adoption studies prove this. Either your brain has it or it doesn’t. Pick your breeding partners wisely.


Maybe up through basic multiple and division. But passed that, math does need to be actively taught as there are many formulas, theories and such that need to be learned and memorized for more advanced math.