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Algebra 2 help... I think I messed up.


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Hi all,

My dd will be going into 11th grade this fall. Our math sequence has been as follows:

 

8th grade: Algebra 1 Saxon

9th grade: Algebra 2 Saxon (total struggle but we made it through)

10th grade: TT Geometry (felt she needed a separate geometry and she did well)

11th grade: We were planning precalculus either with Larson or TT.

 

Here's the problem. I had her take the placement test for TT precalculus and she did horrible. Couldn't remember how to factor, solve systems of equations, use the quadratic formula. I don't know where to go from here. I realized that she was probably too young to do the Saxon Algebra 2 book when we were about half way through it. But we kept plugging along. Now I realize she retained virtually nothing. So..... should I repeat Algebra 2 in 11th grade? How would that look on her transcripts? I want her to have a firm foundation in algebra and right now she does not. I have the Lial's text on the shelf that we could use. I could then have her do precalc in 12th grade or a math at CC.

I am feeling like such a failure at this point for pushing her and now am afraid I really messed things up. :001_unsure: Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

TIA

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Is it that she really doesn't remember any of it or that she might need a refresher considering it has been a yr since she has done it? I haven't taught alg 2 in a while and I was looking through the kids books yesterday reviewing topics myself to help me remember. ;)

 

If you believe she was too young and didn't really learn the material, I would repeat alg 2. If you think she will remember more as you go along, you could try a faster paced alg 2/trig combo for the yr.

 

I don't really know anything about these courses, but this might be a way to review since they have alg 2:

https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_hsbc_epp_order&Itemid=893

 

I have been thinking about using these for pre-cal b/c my ds is in a sort of similar situation. He is a rising senior and did pre-cal the 1st semester last yr and did great (98), but he had a mental crisis and we sent him to a boarding school for the 2nd semester. Academically he was way beyond the school's facilities, so now I'm trying to figure out how to deal with all of the academics he only partially completed.

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I went to start Alg 2 and she did the Saxon placement test and placed into ''Take Alg 1''. AAACK - PANIC... We reviewed Alg. 1 for about 3 weeks, redid the placement test which she barely qualified for Alg. 2 and did Alg. 2 - and she did fine [altho struggling for a high ''B'' as in all her high school math classes].

 

Fastforward to this summer, she took a college math placement test a month ago [after completing geometry - read NO algebra last year - and she flunked it - placing into Alg. 1 again]. This time I wasn't fazed - we did 2-3 weeks of review and I -KNEW- she could pass the test - I knew she had just temporarily forgotten all her algebra. She retook the test [actually a different test that is used in area colleges] and aced it.

 

To make a long story short, I worked so hard on algebra and geometry with her that I KNOW what she knows and what she doesn't. I am not a big TT fan - as we used it for 8 chapters of Alg. 2 before dumping it for Math Relief [which I also don't like - LOL].

 

We have spent a lot of money on math curriculums and I don't want to spend that money again at college.

 

HTH - I would suspect that her 'algebra' is still in her head somewhere...

 

lisaj

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Very Very few students complete Calculus in high school-- and most college majors DO NOT require it either...

 

I'd use your Lial text to review Algebra 2 and to get a FIRM foundation--since your dd has had some exposure it should not take all of 11th grade.. then just move into a Pre-Calc program... there are many good ones to choose from--or take it at the CC in 12th grade.

 

When taking Pre-Calc at a CC (dual enrollment) I recommend taking it over 2 semesters. Ours breaks the course into College Algebra followed by Trig... same book as the one-semester Pre-Calc class (which is better for review than for 1st time takers).

 

If she needs help with factoring I have some lessons that I e-mail out--for factoring trinomials... just ask.

 

You can also feel free to e-mail or pm me any questions--or if you need help re-teaching a concept to suit her learning style.

 

Jann snikrepj @ gmail .com

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Very Very few students complete Calculus in high school-- and most college majors DO NOT require it either...

 

I'd use your Lial text to review Algebra 2 and to get a FIRM foundation--since your dd has had some exposure it should not take all of 11th grade.. then just move into a Pre-Calc program... there are many good ones to choose from--or take it at the CC in 12th grade.

 

 

 

Jann,

I can use the Lial's to review. I think we could do it in a semester. Then I would just move into the Larson text? What would this look like on her transcript for 11th grade? What would I call it? I don't want to cause issues for her when it comes time to apply to college. Thanks so much for your offer of help. I really appreciate it.

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You will still have 4 full math credits in highschool....

 

I've also made our transcripts so that they are organized by subject instead of year...

 

Since you gave her a full credit for Algebra 2--and she did not retain it--the review semester is on her... Now this is a COMMON thing if Geometry is taken AFTER Algebra 2 because only Algebra 1 is used in Geometry (and usually not that much).

 

The first half of most Pre-Calc programs is College Algebra... you could always complete that much and put that on her transcript (it is a one-semester course in high school OR college). Her Sr year she can take the Trig half and then maybe a one-semester CC Pre_Calc course to firm things up again--IF she will need Calc for her prospective college major--if not then look at any math requirements for her major and go from there.

 

My dds used Lial for Algebra 2 (Intermediate Algebra). My oldest dd stopped there but my middle dd will use a Larson Pre-Calc text with Dr Mosley videos (same as Chalkdust but cheaper) her Jr year and continue her math at the CC after that.

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Thank you so much ladies. I am going to have her review her Algebra 2 starting this week. We are going to go through the text at her pace. When it is finished we will move into precalculus (whenever that will be). We can finish it her senior year. She wants to be a labor and delivery nurse and the math requirement for several schools she is looking at is Algebra 2. So we have no need to go beyond precalculus.

 

You would think after 7 years I would be out of the PS mentality of having to finish a subject in a school year. I hope the Algebra 2 is still in her head and we have a lightbulb moment at some point in this process. I feel much better about things today. Thanks again!:001_smile:

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