Math Progression Advice

[mmcharter]

Greetings all - I am a long-time lurker, first time poster. 

 

DD9 (4th grade) and DD11 (5th grade) both attend a Parochial school that has great academics.  The only subject I have observed to be lacking in relation to their abilities is math.  The school uses a Singapore curriculum by Holt - not a bad curriculum but both kids are way ahead of the rest of their classes and have both indicated extreme boredom with math.

 

Last year, they both tested into the EPGY tutor-supported classes last year and we have been using it since.  We stayed with EPGY after the switch to giftedandtalented.com (G&T), but switched over to the independent study courses. 

 

DD11 is finishing up EPGY 7th grade math, so I am looking for options for the next step.  We are not going to stick with G&T past the K-7 course for a few reasons: 1) cost and 2) even though the content/structure of the courses is the same, the "any customer with a valid credit card" feel of G&T is a little off-putting. 

 

I was thinking of switching to a few different options - AOPs online courses or taking the talent search route and taking math courses through Northwestern CTD/JHU CTY/etc.  I am working with their school to potentially replace school math with our selected option in 6th grade, but it would need to be an accredited curriculum from a recognized gifted provider for them to accept my plan.      

 

For the AOPs folks - I am unsure which level to start with - would EPGY K-7 place DD11 into PreA or Algebra?  Is the AOPs approach different enough that we should retackle PreA even though EPGY indicates their 7th grade course is PreA?   I think the Algebra course would be the next logical step, but I am a little leery of the pace and workload in the compressed time frame.

 

Does anyone have experiences with the Northwestern CTD or JHU CTY math?  Any other suggestions? 

 

Thanks in advance for any input. 

[horsellian]

I haven't any help to offer, but you might want to post this is the Accelerated Forum, where you'll probably find more users of AoPS, than you would here.

[mmcharter]

Thank you - I will try the Accelerated Forum.

[kiwik]

There are 'are you ready?' And 'do you need it?' Tests for each course on their site. I have heard the ready tests are a bit easy though. Or you could just get a free alcamus account and have a play with the pre algebra stuff.

[MBM]

My youngest worked through the AoPS books and a few classes (which move at a quick pace) as supplements to his school's math curriculum. AoPS helped him to understand math deeply. My son started with the Intro to Algebra text because at that time, they did not offer Prealgebra. Disclaimer: not saying AoPS is the end all, be all, but it was an excellent fit for my son.

 

Some advice: Don't worry too much about pace. Some chapters will take longer than others. Expect frustration -- it will happen. Have your daughters attempt the challenge problems but if they don't get them right away, that's okay. Let the problems percolate in their heads and come back to them later. My son would sometimes solve a challenge problem weeks later. AoPS can be tough at times so just bite off and chew well.

 

My daughter taught a few science classes for children at NU CTD while she was a student at Northwestern. There have been some changes since she taught so I can't say much about specific programs offered currently. Back then, some of the math courses were taught by a man who's considered very good in the Chicago area. He was a teacher who was involved with math circles and contests. If you go that route, you would want to learn a little about who is teaching.