It seems to me that the top scorers have a combination of things: intelligence, practice, and speed. Speed isn't a significant factor in intelligence, i.e., if I recall correctly, the processing speed portion of IQ tests is not very g-loaded and its inclusion in a full-scale IQ result is at least a little controversial, depending on who you ask. The tight timing of these important college entrance tests has long vexed me. I don't get it at all. Maybe the tight timing is merely a logistical tool to get a sufficient number of questions completed in a realistic timeframe. It would be fascinating to study what a change of, say, ten minutes per section would do to student scores - some would increase, some wouldn't. I'm sure someone must look at this within the context of LDs but I doubt it is considered outside that.

I would work through chapter reviews to make sure there aren't any little weak spots and then I'd move on to algebra, with the idea that it would be nice to have a time cushion for algebra 1 in case that goes slow and/or needs a second round. AoPS Prealgebra is definitely another way to go - I love that text and presumably it wouldn't take super long for a kid who has learned the concepts already. What I would not do is have an easy math *year* (as opposed to an easy math day or chapter). Too long without challenge, IMO.

My kiddo who started the text at 9 y.o. was like this. Handwriting issues, among others. He would do occasional scratch work on the white board on the counter, but mostly would do it in his head such that several minutes would pass between reading the question and shouting out an answer to me a room away. It got to where I thought maybe he was cheating and so I hid the answer key, but he wasn't. The key was for me to not speak to him during those minutes because if I were to interrupt, he would then lose the whole problem in his head. He didn't really write down math until somewhere in the middle of algebra, and it wasn't really until somewhere in the middle of alg 2 that he had to do it properly and officially for a teacher at school. He then learned to do so quickly without issues.

The placement test reflects the prerequisite math skills needed but does not reflect the difficulty of the text. It is *not at all* surprising to me that a kid who completed MM6 would be ready for AoPS Prealgebra, at least as far as math skills. As for the other personal qualities, I don't think there's anything wrong with starting out with AoPS as buddy math on a white board and/or used socratically or whatever other combination works for the two of you. My caution would be that many gifted kids that age are not going to find it a great fit for using independently, but there's no law saying that's the only way to use this fantastic text.

Just my two cents: homeschoolers have so much flexibility, so you can do what you want, but coming from a B&M school perspective, it seems odd to take something literally named a "club" and call it a course. And if it's a course, it would need a grade. I don't imagine that colleges will care much - if they see speech courses under English from schools, it may seem normal to them. My 9th grader is taking a one-semester speech class (Oral Communication) that fulfills a half-credit graduation requirement under the category of Communications. It does not fall under English at his school.

Possibly. However, processes in the body that intersect with the immune system are extremely complex and tinkering with one tiny part may oversimplify things IMO, possibly to our detriment, depending on the person of course. Individual differences come on top of the extreme complexity. FWIW, my kiddo with the autoimmune probably isn't simply autoimmune but rather has problems with the immune system caused by a variety of factors that involve the intersection of genetics, nutritional environment, and infection. He has a polymorphism where he is homozygous for VDR taq, a defect in the vitamin D receptor, according to the usual genetic interpretation websites. But to complicate matters further, one interpretation (Strategene) disagrees with that and says he has a homozygous polymorphism at VDR fok but that the VDR taq is ok. Either way, he has issues at the vitamin D receptor, had low vitamin D and high calcitriol, though now his calcitriol is back into the normal range. In the big picture, I'm a fan of trial-and-error for individuals. With supplementing vitamin D, I'd be aware of this possible angle with magnesium depletion, as mag tends to be low in many people these days.

I have not exhausted anything. I am as confused as ever. Vitamin D supplementation exacerbates my kid's autoimmune issues, so I don't give it to him. I take it once in a while. In the past he has had a high calcitriol (1,25(OH)2D) level along with a low vitamin D level, which kind of explains that - calcitriol is much closer to vitamin D3 than the "vitamin D 25-hydroxy" that most docs test. (I don't know why more don't just test calcitriol. Labcorp does it for us.) A couple of things: - some people say low vitamin D (25-hydroxy) is a symptom of inflammation rather than a cause. - some people say that vitamin D supplementation involves the further depletion of magnesium, as mag is required to process it. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4160567/

Another angle for consideration is the student's math level within the school's middle school math track. The middle school math track often determines what level the student will finish by the end of high school. For a bright kid, I'd want to make sure the student took algebra 1 in "8th grade" or earlier, for a bunch of different reasons. (And when it comes to math placement testing, I *highly* recommend preparing, i.e., review and try to find out what is covered when, is this common core, etc., get appropriate review books if necessary.) Also, some middle schools have honors versions of classes. And consider what types of kids tend to populate this school (e.g., one of my kids attends a charter middle where a third of the kids qualify for gifted programming just by self-selection; with the exception of math, he really doesn't even need the honors option). I'd think ahead to high school and consider whether the student is likely to get top grades and test scores even if advanced a year. All these considerations aside, I don't see any issue with an Oct b-day advancing, generally speaking. (My dh was a Nov b-day, advanced one grade level, and was quite successful at his gifted magnet high school.)

And as for when to eat carbs (even lower carb veggies and stuff), avoid them in the morning. That seemed to be the worst time of the day for me, surefire way to shoot up my blood levels. ETA, see how it goes this morning - experiment a bit. Count the carbs for a few days, and compare to your blood sugar levels, to get a better picture. If I had to do it over again, I'd eat way more fat.

Those reversals are typical for that age. Regression is another matter; consider a vision checkup.

My boys are 14.5. All I can say is it isn't over yet. They tease each other *at school* even (a private school where it doesn't take much to get sent to the Dean's office).

Butter has a better molecular structure for cookies. If you must swap out (as I have done for dairy-free purposes), personally I prefer to use olive oil and mostly/only in cookie recipes that call for oil rather than butter. (I don't even like the earth's balance sticks in baking, but I'm picky!) Fat reduction will change how they turn out. Note that sugar reduction can also change the spread of the cookies, depending on the recipe. More generally, I think lower-calorie in the context of cookies is not a useful goal.

My two cents: I'm of the opinion that, if practice alone didn't help the student score what you believe is the student's potential (e.g. due to speed issues) then I'd at least consider whether alternative test-taking strategies might help. That is how I see my kids in general - we'll see how it pans out in practice. For us, this means an experienced tutor teaching the strategies, though strategies are also available in books, on the internet, etc. Importantly, learning the strategies isn't enough - they then must be practiced extensively until they are automatic. I would prep for, and take, both the ACT and SAT. I would not take either one without prep. Note that the ACT has a reputation for being easier material, much more straightforward, but with less time per question - a good choice for the fast student. In contrast, the SAT continues to have a reputation for being trickier, but allows more time per question. In theory, the smart-but-slower student should go for the SAT, though how this works out in reality is anyone's guess, thus the strategy of taking both. Note that only a few schools request all scores. Check whether this is true for the schools the student is interested in; if it isn't, then it doesn't matter how many times the kid takes it. If it is, then I'd be inclined to take it no more than three times. My impression of the SAT, from everything I've read online and from what my own kid is telling me, is that the math and grammar have been on the easy side but that the reading section has gotten significantly harder since January (the actual January test is available as practice test #8 at Khan). She was emphatic that nothing she has used for practice has approached the difficulty of the real SAT reading sections she has taken this fall - difficult meaning both the passages themselves and the ambiguity between two answer choices. It will also be interesting to see whether extensive SAT prep, with harder material, ends up helping to get through the easier ACT material quicker. ETA, to answer OP's question, aside from reading a lot (including a sampling of older, 19th century stuff) and having taken up through the right level of math (alg 2/trig for the SAT), I don't think I can point to specific things a high school education plan should include.

The reputation of MUS for secondary math (algebra 1 and up) is different from the reputation of MUS for elementary, so perhaps it's best to consider them separately. The secondary levels of MUS have a reputation for being lighter, less challenging, less advanced; that said, what is most important is finding the best fit for the particular student to understand concepts. It sounds like there's a need to review and/or reintroduce fraction concepts. I don't know what the best program is for fraction concepts - it may be worth searching the forum.

This sort of article has come up before. Who knows how the "job openings" in a field are determined - the article's point about the need for expertise that combines some of these fields with a digital/computer/data angle is obvious but it's unclear whether these sorts of jobs are included in the "openings" data. IMO, it might be (slightly) more interesting to look at unemployment rates for certain majors instead, assuming such rates don't include grad students. This also comes on the heels of a news article bemoaning the scarcity of artificial intelligence expertise and advertising super-high salaries that such expertise may command. ETA, and I'm not sure how the Life Sciences category can avoid health care occupations when bio is an extremely common major for those headed to medicine.

Forced folic acid supplementation via fortified foods has turned me into a purchaser of organic options. It is the first thing I'd look to avoid in a multi. Beware of folic acid masquerading under the term folate, as older studies tend to use the terms interchangeably, but options with actual natural folate usually include a descriptor indicating that (5-mthf, etc). Second thing would be type of B12, but that's getting into individual specifics (cyanocobalamin - no thanks; but then methylcobalamin vs hydroxycobalamin vs ad..something..cobalamin, and how much, etc. are open questions)

I agree w/Julie that not all is lost. I don't see anything wrong with hints as needed. Since you feel short on time, trim down or skip the challengers completely, if you aren't already. Warning, a more traditional approach to geometry may drive an AoPS lover crazy. And if you do switch, I would not start from scratch but simply have her do the chapter review for the topics that she has already covered rather than every lesson. While I hadn't learned that back in the old days, the material covered in chapter 13 is definitely covered in Common Core geometry, as is some amount of analytic geometry. (Also a totally unrelated observation: recent SATs have each included one question using the equation for a circle.)

What chapter is he working in? For some kids, nine may be a little young to have a good fit with this text. It can be a tricky age. Working on a white board buddy-style is certainly one good option, if you don't go elsewhere. And/or socratically, with your help, as you describe above (personally, I think it's written perfectly for this). Or go to something else and then come back to it later.

FWIW, I have heard that these types of ties can, in the long run, affect the microbiome (and in turn the immune system) in negative ways due to the effects on swallowing. (ETA, I haven't actually researched it myself.) My kiddo with all sorts of immune issues and a history of "severe" developmental delay and speech delay (in speech therapy till 9 y.o.) had a full tongue tie fixed during a surgery for other things at 8 months old. He is now doing well academically in high school, with his most significant struggle being a B in French. I have occasionally wondered whether the tie was cut back far enough but never got around to having it looked at. I think most of my kids have had a lip tie. Many kids with a lip tie will break it at some point when they accidentally smack their mouth on something hard, as I did when I was a kid. For a child with issues of any kind, I'd be inclined to have the lip and tongue tie fixed without delay.

If any of the schools on the list are *not* need-blind, why not first run the Net Price Calculator to see about the likelihood of financial aid? I thought the NPC should be much more accurate than the FAFSA.

My kiddo had swollen kidneys detected prenatally, unpleasant tests and was tracked for months before having the surgery to fix a UPJ obstruction at 8 months old. That was with the then-chief of urology at Chicago Children's, back before Lurie was added to the name. At the same surgery, an ENT fixed his full tongue tie - I recently noticed in some genetic results that he has a gene mutation for tongue tie/cleft palate though I'm not aware of any actual cleft issues (he did just have sinus surgery, but that's another story... something about teeth going into the sinuses was noted). He also had a tethered spinal cord, surgically-released when he was 5 y.o. - a sacral dimple can sometimes be a marker for tethered cord (diagnosed only by MRI, so if your baby gets MRI for anything, I'd ask for the spinal cord to be imaged just so you don't have to think about it down the road if you run into other symptoms). Congratulations!

Some of the same passages, really?! I thought that wasn't supposed to happen.

There is no February SAT. The next tests are Nov 4, Dec 2, and March 10. https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/dates-deadlines

My July girl started K on time at 5 y.o. in the same Montessori classroom as for preschool. Early in 1st grade, she was a bit behind, to a point where the teacher was ready to call in the school reading specialist. (It's been a couple of years so I can't recall, but she may have actually done so.) Nor did dd know basic math facts, which is rather different from where her math-gifted siblings were in 1st gr. Fortunately her school allows flexibility to work at one's own pace, be at different places in the sequence, etc., which is why we chose the school to begin with - not as custom-fit as homeschooling but as close as one will find in a school setting. As is usual for Montessori, dd has had the same teacher for gr 1-3 and just loves her. Two years later, dd is at least a year ahead in both math and reading. I have been very hands-off compared to her older siblings (who were having 2e-ish issues at that age) and I have no regrets.

https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/212196868-Accessing-and-Downloading-Your-Raw-Data I suggest downloading the data to keep. Most of the other sites like genetic genie can access the data directly from 23andme, once you give permission, rather than use your downloaded copy - I think it might be faster to have them do it directly.