Pip Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 When I was in school, I took Algebra 1 in 9th, geometry in 10th, Algebra 2 in 11th and Trig in 12th, and some of my friends opted for calculus. I did fine on my colege boards. My dd, a rising 8th grader, will be doing pre-algebra (saxon 87). Now I hear all these people on the homeschooling boards saying their dc are taking Algebra in 8th or even 7th. Has the order changed on me? Is there something about the SAT or ACT that makes it more desirable to have more math done by the time the students take them? Assuming one would take them in the spring of junior year, is almost completing Algebra 2 enough for the college boards? Personally, I would rather make sure my dc really know the basics and not try to hurry them through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kRenee Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 I agree with you. Your kids should know the basics and not be hurried through. Some kids are just ready for Pre-algebra earlier than others and thus are on an earlier schedule. My dd did Horizons and Singapore through 6th grade and then was ready for pre-algebra in 7th. If I had tried to slow her down she would have been bored and fustrated. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveswife Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 When I was in school (graduated 1992), the math sequence was Alg I in 8th, Alg II in 9th, Geometry in 10th, Trig in 11th, and Calc in 12th. Now, that's well and good should you need/want to take calc (it turned out I didn't need it for college at all, but mistakenly thought I did), but many students will not need or want to take it. In that case, I see no reason to start algebra before 9th grade, since trig/pre-calc will be plenty for college admission. My daughter is slated to start Alg I in 8th (she'll be in 7th in the fall, doing pre-algebra), but I'm considering having her work through Lial's Basic College Math for the 8th grade, instead. I know in my heart that she's a liberal arts type of kid, and most likely will not need calculus in high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pip Posted July 9, 2009 Author Share Posted July 9, 2009 When I was in school (graduated 1992), the math sequence was Alg I in 8th, Alg II in 9th, Geometry in 10th, Trig in 11th, and Calc in 12th. Now, that's well and good should you need/want to take calc (it turned out I didn't need it for college at all, but mistakenly thought I did), but many students will not need or want to take it. In that case, I see no reason to start algebra before 9th grade, since trig/pre-calc will be plenty for college admission. My daughter is slated to start Alg I in 8th (she'll be in 7th in the fall, doing pre-algebra), but I'm considering having her work through Lial's Basic College Math for the 8th grade, instead. I know in my heart that she's a liberal arts type of kid, and most likely will not need calculus in high school. It is funny that you say that. I have a friend who is an aerospace engineer and she does not understand the rush to get calculus done before college. Another friend who was the headmaster at a classical school with a math degree concurred. He felt the non-science/non-math people felt it was necessary because it sounded good but a good solid foundation was better than a lot of advanced math courses. I know a co-op we were looking at would not take students for Algebra below 9th grade unless they tested into it, even if they had taken pre-algebra. Well, I guess I won't worry. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveswife Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 He felt the non-science/non-math people felt it was necessary because it sounded good but a good solid foundation was better than a lot of advanced math courses. Absolutely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in WI Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 My experience was the same as dave'swife -- we began Algebra I in 8th grade. FWIW, the college my son wants to attend recommends this: Mathematics: Four years of math courses, including a strong foundation in geometry, algebra, and trigonometry. Experience in pre-calculus or calculus is also very valuable, if it does not interfere with the aforementioned courses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpupg Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 He felt the non-science/non-math people felt it was necessary because it sounded good but a good solid foundation was better than a lot of advanced math courses. As a Purdue engineer, :iagree: As a home school mom, I have to add: some kids are ready younger than others, so why hold those kids back? FWIW, my high school experience (back in the stone age) was just like yours. Some schools still use that as the standard track. Others not. For your home school students, you get to decide :) Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 When I was in school (graduated 1992), the math sequence was Alg I in 8th, Alg II in 9th, Geometry in 10th, Trig in 11th, and Calc in 12th. . That was the advanced math program at my high school. I took Algebra 2 in the 9th grade....and it did not in any way resemble the Algebra 2 I did with my son a few years ago..... his was MUCH harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 At our local public school talented math kids took Alg 1 in 7th, average math kids started it in 8th, and slow math kids took it in 9th. We stuck with what the public school does when we figured out our own schedule... The thought with starting early is Alg 1 in 7th, Geom in 8th, Alg 2 in 9th, Pre-Calc in 10th, Advanced Math in 11th (essentially college Algebra), and Stats or Calc in 12th. It didn't work as well as they thought, so two years ago they quit having anyone take Alg 1 in 7th and drifted back a year for all... I had already done that for my youngest. Alg 1 in 8th is now the norm for math talented kids - even for better 'average' kids. We've also switched to block scheduling, so students can still take the full cycle of math if they want to. With regards to Calc, the students that return to high school to talk about their college days that have the best experience in college take Calc in high school, but DON'T test out of it for college credit. Then they retake it (if needed) in college. This way they adjust better to college life AND a hard class (for many). When I ran our thoughts of doing this past admissions folks at colleges we visited they fully agreed that this was the most sound plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 There isn't one right way of doing it. Algebra ought to be started when your dc is ready, and that varies due to when your dc's logic centre develops (different for different kids) and also due to your dc's "brain wiring" ie if they're more math oriented or not. In the ps system here, the honours students in ps due Algebra 1 in gr 8; everyone else does it in gr 9. In our house, we start it when our dc are ready. They happen to be ready early. I made my eldest do it twice even though she had a 90 percent average because I thought she could benefit in a couple of areas of it. She not only benefited there, but she also understands the theory and thinking behind it (in part due to the curricula we used.) She' finishing it up at 14, so will probably be taking Calculus in hs. Each of my dc is different, so we'll have to see what transpires. So far it looks like they'll all be doing this, but I can't say for sure until each one gets there. My dc and I are fairly mathy, and I have to say that while my eldest may have been ready for Algebra at 11, she is behind in her expository writing skills. This area is devleloping more slowly, due in part to her vehement dislike of expository writing. This is the subject in which I now ask, what's the rush? She has to be able to write well in all necessary areas by the time she graduates (actually, by the time she writes her SATs and begins her college applications for essays & letters.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeekingSimplicity Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 I graduated in 95. I took Algebra 1 in 8th because I was in honors/GT classes and that's what 8th grade math was for the advanced classes. In 9th I took Geometry, but failed it because I completely did not get it. So in 10th I took informal geometry, then 11 I think was Algebra II? then my senior year was Advanced Math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pip Posted July 9, 2009 Author Share Posted July 9, 2009 I hear more people tell me that mental maturity is a problem in Geometry than in Algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Ann, almost everywhere I have ever lived the sequence and timeline you had in school is still the sequence and time line. Almost everywhere I have ever lived has had a class or two who was a year ahead and less than a handful of students who were two years ahead. But in a few areas, this is no longer the case. 8th grade Algebra is more common in those areas. And homeschoolers tend to push ahead whether kids are ready or not. If schools are doing 8th grade, they want to do 6th and 7th grades. And yet, if you read the boards, there are MANY more posts about what is not working, is giving a family trouble, and which curriculum would work better than there are about successes of acceleration for MOST students. I agree with you that it would make more sense to solidify the basics an extra year or two rather than push ahead, especially when pushing ends up meaning the kid is pushing through with an 80 average throughout high school math or needing 4 different math programs over 2.5 years of Algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 The local classical school that my husband wants my son to go to does it like this... 8th Algebra 9th Geometry 10th Alg 2 11th Trig 12th Calculus or Statistics or College Algebra ...and it frustrates me because I am definitely of the slow-and-steady mindset. And so is our curriculum spine (BJUP). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I hear more people tell me that mental maturity is a problem in Geometry than in Algebra. Yes. Also, many students take Algebra and appear to do fine, but simply learn to solve problems without learning the logic and thinking skills they really ought to be developing along with it. My db has had students who can do Algebra inside out and backward, but who get to Calculus and can't see when to factor, for eg, because they never learned why they needed to factor. This is one of the reasons we use a more rigourous, theory based Algebra set up; one that involves proofs, etc. But I have to also add that my 14 yo has a lot more maturity in her math thinking than she does in some other areas of her life!!! Not everyone reaches the same places at the same time, so do what is best for your dc and don't worry about what others are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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