I agree that exchanging an A for a P is a bad deal. I've also heard from other homeschooling parents that some colleges treat a Pass as a "C" but I don't personally believe that to be true. (Call the admissions departments of colleges that you are interested in and ask them.) OTOH, I've heard high schools can be very conservative when it comes to acceptance credits from other schools. I think I heard some time ago about a high school that didn't accept any credits from another high school, and expected a student to begin again as a freshman. So there's that.

Now it could be that 0.08 may apply to the entire applicant pool. It could be that your own particular student is more impressive than average, so may actually have a higher probability of acceptance, say 0.25. If you student is admitted to Harvard for example, I might argue that with this new information, his probability of acceptance at other competitive colleges is greater than 0.08. Actually getting in to Harvard doesn't make him a stronger candidate. The fact that he did get in tells me that his probability is higher than my original estimate.

Let's say you are only considering schools with a prob(acceptance) = 0.08. Prob(rejection) = 0.92. And we assume that each acceptance is independent of the others. (Admissions committees from different schools aren't comparing notes.) If you apply to 1 school P(acceptance) = 0.08 If you apply to 2 schools P(acceptance) = 1 - P(rejected both schools) = 1 - (0.92)^2 = 0.15 if you apply to 3 schools P(acceptance) = 1 - P(rejected all 3 schools) = 1 - (0.92)^3 = 0.22

I agree the sample sentences were cringey indeed. At the time I had assumed they were a starting point for further editing, but now I'm wondering.

I love this idea, and what a lovely article. I wish someone had mentioned this to me years ago because I rarely notice good writing, although I immediately recognize bad writing. Instead we are more inclined to read a NY Times article and pick out something that doesn't make sense or is not logical and complain about it.

1. I recorded on the transcript algebra and geometry taken in middle school in case there were any box-checkers out there who wanted to see that it was completed. However, I made it clear in the transcript that the units and grades were not counted for graduation or used to calculate GPA. 2. We didn't do very many AoPS online classes, and not for "core" math classes like algebra and geometry. I awarded A's for their classes because they had mastered the material. Also their AMC scores went up every year. I would use AMC scores to back up your grades. 3. My course titles were the same as the textbooks, but with Honors. Introduction to Algebra, Introduction to Counting and Probability, etc., because it made more sense to me. She took Intro to Algebra all at once, so it made sense to call it one class. And it's honors because it's more challenging than a typical high school class. For course descriptions, I did a quick copy/paste of the book blurb or corresponding online course description. I didn't worry too much about editing. Once I had most of the descriptions put together I lightly edited it, so everything seemed cohesive. 4. I would keep track of any online classes he takes, and also his MathCounts and AMC scores. You never know if he'll want to attend regular high school, so it's a good idea to track this stuff, and it will build good habits in high school when things start to count. For a high school transcript (and applying to colleges), you don't need to record these scores. However, if he does exceptionally well, there are ways you can work them into high college application. You can start one of your essays: "I was inspired to pursue math competitions after winning my state MathCounts championship in middle school." Subtle, no? It's a great idea to plan ahead and when in doubt, record everything. No need to make everything look perfect, but you will thank yourself later if you record your student's activities and accomplishments as you go. If you need a scaffold, I can recommend MyHomeschoolTranscripts because all you need to do is copy paste into their fields. It certainly isn't necessary, but it made my life a bit easier.

That might work as haiku! 😉

I guess technically you could say that the earth and sun revolve around each other? Or actually all the planets AND THE SUN are revolving around the center of mass of the solar system. Which happens to be very close to the center of the sun, which is just wobbling around apparently. And really, isn't all motion relative? But much kudos to your dd!

These MathCounts minis combine a problem set, solutions and a lecture Richard Rusczyk. It's all free.

How about: "Thou shalt not buy high school textbooks when your student is in elementary, because they are used and a bargain, expecting to use them in a few years. You won't. It will sit on a shelf for 10 years and then you will donate it to the library."

I just came across this article in the Stanford Daily, and I was impressed by it's frank nature. And saddened.

My MathCounts team last year had a few students who couldn't attend our regular meetings so they were meeting the other teammates at chapter competition for the first time. There is a lot of down time while they are grading the tests, and being middle schoolers, they were also unsure and a bit shy. Fortunately I had a gamer on my MathCounts team, who was more than happy to "deal them in" to a round of some card game as he explained the rules. My shy newbies, holding their cards and listening, suddenly felt like they were part of the in group. Soon students from other teams were coming to our team's table and asking to be dealt in. It was wonderful, and it's a story I wrote about in my recommendation letter for him. (He's brilliant at math, but it also gave me an opportunity to highlight his sweet, inclusive nature.)

I guess my point is, his interest and success in this game could make for an interesting story about his life, one that would be intriguing to competitive colleges. I don't know your ds's test scores and grades, but I wouldn't write him off. He sounds like a great guy.

It's certainly a crazy, messed-up world we live in when a student who isn't an athlete thinks he has nothing of value to offer an institution whose mission is teaching and research. I'm assuming by Magic you mean the card game, not pulling out rabbits? I for one would be highly intrigued by an essay on how exactly he is able to win with cheap cards. What does it even mean to have inexpensive cards? While the state schools tend to rely more on stats, I bet a college with holistic admission will care a lot about how he came to be so good at what he does, and what that says about him as a person. Nice kids get admitted too.

Edhesive and PAH offer this AP CS A.

I agree, he will improve if he works through the AoPS Algebra, Geometry, and Counting & Probability. He can also work through old Sprint Rounds and Target Rounds, and study the problems he missed. The MathCounts website has the most recent chapter level exams, and they sell old exams at their store. Or you can use google to find old exams that others have posted online. For example, google: "2015 mathcounts chapter sprint pdf" The most important thing is to study and understand the problems he couldn't solve. He'll improve most quickly that way, but he may need guidance.

Wow, that hasn't been our experience at all. My DH got his PhD in CS, in machine learning specifically, back before ML was cool, in the 90s. For awhile his thesis was the most cited paper in machine learning because the field was so young. Because it was CS, he could do a lot of his work from our apartment, and it was fun for him. He got to travel to conferences, and met many, many people who went on to become very rich and famous. Like top executives at companies you've heard of. I'll read about someone in his field in the WSJ, and guaranteed he will know him/her personally. He made a fair amount of money from teaching classes and working at companies in the summer. Back before the internet was widespread he was paid a premium for classes that were broadcast via closed circuit TV to nearby companies. So not miserable (if you enjoy the work), not financially ruinous (remember: you get paid to go to grad school, plus you make valuable contacts at conferences), not unending (only 4 years for dh), but actually really quite awesome career trajectory for him. Tell your students to go for it.

Thank you. I'll PM you.

Advanced high school student in a university level modern physics class would like some extra help with space-time diagrams and how they can be used to explain and predict various phenomena and paradoxes such as the pole and barn paradox. Can be remote with sykpe, etc. and web whiteboard We would like to find someone with fresh understanding of the subject matter who is prepared to teach, versus someone who will spend a lot of a tutoring session puzzling through the material. Ideally we would like to find someone available for a session this saturday, and possibly weekly thereafter. Thanks!

I've been asked to mentor a homeschooled Vex robotics team. I know almost nothing about this, and I strongly suspect this is outside my wheelhouse. But I thought I'd do some due diligence anyway. Years ago I coached an FLL team for one year, and decided it was too much for me. I know a bit of python. I generally enjoy competitions. How much of a learning curve is involved? How much homework can I expect (for me)? How many hours a week should students meet? Is a mentor the same as the coach or is it a different role? Is it fun? Is it homeschool-friendly? Any details are much appreciated! Thank you!

What has been your experience with Science Bowl? How do you prepare? How often do your students meet? Was it a positive experience? I appreciate any details and insights. Thanks!

If you are looking for BC calculus online, your options are PAH and AoPS.

It appears JJM's early alert is confirmed in the new AMC Policies: Competition Administration: The MAA AMC is a school-based competition. The competition is administered by a competition manager. This person must be a teacher, faculty member, or administrator affiliated with the school and must use a valid school email address for registration. They must be an adult who is not related to any of the participants. Under no circumstances may a parent or guardian of a student taking the AMC be involved in the administration of the competition. The competition must take place at the school or institution that has registered for the competition. *Effective 2019 - 2020 competition cycle, only accredited schools and institutions will be allowed to administer MAA AMC competitions.

I've been asked to give a math workshop at a local homeschooling conference. I'm wondering if you could share either a workshop you attended or one you wish you could attend. What would you like to hear about homeschooling math? Thanks!

What are "clicker requirements?"