HOw hard is Novarre Chemistry for Accelerated Students?

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My son signed up for TPS Honors which uses Novarre Chem for Accelerated Students and made a few mistake on the placement test.  BEcause she'd rather reserve the seat for a student who plans to take AP Chem (he plans to take AP Physics not Chem)...she is not excited about giving him the seat, but open to my thoughts and input.  She seems really nice and reasonable.

 

So, we have to let her know today what we think.  

 

My son will have a LOT of other challenging courses, including Pre-Calculus with integrated Geometry, SAT Test Prep, AP Macroeconomics...

 

BUT He would really like the way NOvarre writes.  TPS offers regular Chem with Pearson (hideous ugly cluttered text but nice and easy), and Honors using Novarre Accelerated.  THey don't offer a Chemistry using the regular Novarre. 

 

Any thoughts??

[h2bh]

I don't have one in chem yet so I have no btdt advice, but I do know WHA has a regular chem class using the regular Novare text.

[Penguin]

I think Memoria Press also has a class using Novare's regular Chem.

[frogger]

Hard is of course a very relative term.

 

My son is currently taking that class but because he is very good at math and horrible at writing, surprise, surprise he struggled most with lab reports and did fine with the math and in fact found it easy.

 

I think it will really depend on your student though. If they can take a list of requirements and adapt to the teacher's wants with their writing and do well coming up with extra stuff to write about very very simple  experiments it might be easy for him. It certainly is very good to have to write a thorough report and a good experience for him.

 

  They are required to do all the homework for credit though it isn't corrected but it is graded. He has felt the need to do it rather than spend more time on the lab reports because he needs the credit. This was a little frustrating at times when it turned into busy work.  It is the lab reports that he needs to work on though so juggling what one needs to work on versus what gives you a better grade is a struggle if you are pressed for time. If not, do both right? We have rewritten lab reports together that were not resubmitted in hopes that it would help him on the next one. But we don't always have all the time in the world so when the homework part turns into busy work it can be frustrating. 

 

My son wasn't planning on AP and I don't remember anything being mentioned about only reserving seats for those who plan to go AP.  I think he said he "didn't know" if he would take AP Chem. He wants to focus on Physics though he wouldn't mind taking AP Chem but there are only so many things that you can finish in high school. 

 

 

 

Edited for typos.

Edited March 21, 2017 by frogger

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Thanks Frogger!

 

We decided to give up the seat in Honors and take the regular Chemistry class. The text looked pretty difficult.

 

On her new placement test one of the first thing she askss is, if the student plans to take AP Chem, and if the student plans to go into a Science field.  

 

it's my understanding that there's a wait list every year, so she probably hesitates because not only did he say he is not taking AP CHem  or going into a Science field, but he ALSO missed a few questions on the placement test.  If he had said he was very excited about the course, etc. etc. she would have let him take it, but as it was I think we all made the right, informed decision, together.

 

Thanks for your input!  (my son is the opposite. He's great at math but always always making simple errors and hates to check it over....)

[frogger]

Oh, then maybe his wanting to go into a science field offset the other question so there was no more talk of it. 

Glad you figured it out.