Advise Please: 7th/8th graders taking Highschool Credits

[StillStanding]

:001_huh: Hello Ladies,

My oldest child is only in the 7th grade but I have been reading your post for a while now. I have learned a lot! Thank you.

My 12th old daughter is taking Algebra 1 this year (Jacobs Elementary Algebra), and I wanted it to count towards her Highschool credits, so I contacted my Umbrella School (Homelife Academy) and this is what they had to say:

…use care that you are not moving too quickly. The student will still need math in high school and if you move too quickly, this can cause problems later when taking the ACT/SAT tests for college admissions because the student can forget a lot of the material if it is taken too early. However, we don't want to hold a student back so if you decide the course needs to be repeated in high school, you can just delete the credit value given in the 7th grade and issue it later if necessary. Please let me know if you have additional questions.

 

DD is not having any problems with Algebra I and I was planning to have her take Geometry (Jacobs again) next year in the 8th grade and also count it towards Highschool credit. She will be taking Biology I or Chemistry I next year for Highschool credit too. Should I slow down ? Will it really mess up her ACT/SAT scores if she takes these courses now?? Does anybody have any experience with this?… I thought with some ACT/SAT preparation course before the actual test when the time comes she should be O.K, but now I don’t know. She is very smart and I never thought it twice about holding her back before. Advice please. Thank you. Monica

[Jane in NC]

Hello.

 

It is not unusual for students to take Algebra I in 7th or 8th grade. But whether you will be able to include it on your student's transcript depends on a number of things. Some parents organize transcripts by subject--not date--and include certain courses taken in 7th or 8th. Be forewarned, however, that some colleges are not interested in your child's course of study in middle school. My son, for example, has four years of high school math beginning with Geometry (followed by Algebra II/Trig, Precalculus, Calculus). There is no need to include Algebra I since the assumption is that he had the course previously; further, four math credits is plenty.

 

You may want to look at the admissions websites of some colleges to which your student may apply. In some states, high school credit is not granted for courses taken in middle school. Essentially there is an expectation that competitive students begin their math sequence, possibly foreign language, early.

 

Best,

Jane

[EKS]

My son is in 8th grade and just finishing geometry now. I intend to have him do practice SAT/ACT problems/tests regularly between now and when he finally takes the exam. He also has a 0.5 credit from the physics part (a semester) of Conceptual Physical Science from last year and this year is using Conceptual Chemistry with the Teaching Company lectures and Labpaq labs. I will decide when we finish if it was enough for a stand alone high school chemistry credit or if I want to lump it in with the physics and call it physical science.

 

I don't see any reason why you should slow her down.

[Brigid in NC]

If you plan for your kids to take math in 9th-12th grade, I would not be concerned with an accelerated math track, and with the "forgetting factor." If your kids are that good at math, I would assume that you might have them continue right through Calc 2 and 3.

 

At our house, I have math/science guys, so we have been "ahead of schedule" in those areas for a long time. It has worked super-well for us, with my oldest taking math up through Calc 3 at the CC before starting as a freshman in college this year. He also took Apologia Bio/Chem/Physics in 8th/9th/10th, and then went on to take college Chem in 11th and Calc-based Physics in 12th at the CC.

 

If you have a community college option available to you (or if you are a math/science person -- I'm not!), it may be a great way for your kids to stay on the track they are on, and take math and science classes all way through high school.

 

I would not worry about ACT/SAT lag if your kids are in a math class each year in high school. Algebra 1 and Geometry will be so easy for them when they get to the upper levels of math. And so easy to refresh.

 

I hope this helps. If I were you I'd let your kids rise to the level of their interest and abilities. Especially if they are happy campers.

 

Good luck!

~Brigid

Edited January 10, 2010 by Brigid in NC

[StillStanding]

Thank you for all your encouragement. I am not concerned with teaching science because I have a masters in Biological Science, so both Biology and Chemistry should be O.K. I did well in Physics but it was not my favorite…

I am quite capable to teach math up to a point. I took collage calculus, and I did well, but it was a long time ago. I am planning to use a local Tech Collage that is close enough to us to help with the upper math courses. DD was planning to take math and science every year from now until the end! DD is a science/math oriented person, she keeps changing her mind on what she wants to do in collage but she has never mention an “English Literature Major.“ It has always been science or math for her. I am happy to hear that if we keep up with math until the end, she should do well with the ACT/SATs. I am not familiar with these test because I came to the States after my collage years, but I have heard they are heavy on Algebra and Geometry??

Should she take some SAT II for the different science courses to prove to potential collages that she was not too young and did learn the subject matter?? Thank you for all your help! Monica

[Photo Ninja]

If she is wanting to pursue a science or math related college major, it would be very good for her to take SAT II tests. Many colleges require these, especially in science majors. It can't hurt to take them. Most students take them after they complete a second year of the same science, so don't have her take one after completing Chemistry, for ex. Have her take the SAT II after she finishes Chemistry 2, unless you find that she is scoring very well on the practice SAT II tests after just one year.

[Brigid in NC]

Most students take them after they complete a second year of the same science, so don't have her take one after completing Chemistry, for ex. Have her take the SAT II after she finishes Chemistry 2, unless you find that she is scoring very well on the practice SAT II tests after just one year.

 

I completely agree. The SAT II curves are brutal. A 650 on the Chemistry SAT II is only the 50th percentile. In our experience, a second year of the same science (advanced, AP, or CC) made all the difference.

~Brigid

[StillStanding]

:001_smile:Thank you for the infromation on SAT II. Monica

[Kissy]

Public schools here list courses that are taken in 7th and 8th if they are traditionally taken in high school and of a high school level. However they do not allow them to affect GPA and the student still has to continue with the required number of courses needed in the subject in high school to get a diploma. Ex: using your kids taking alg. 1 and geometry in middle school, if their diploma said they needed 3 high school maths then those courses would not be counted towards diploma they would still have to take 3 math courses in high school. So I guess they add it just as a point of reference so no one thinks they skipped a class. That is what I plan to do for my son.

[TravelingChris]

Is there any reason not to accelerate her at some point if that is what you need to do. My youngest may or may not be accelerated next year. We will decide either this summer or next year. I am already planning to count her Algebra I for high school credit. I don't know if she will finish by May and I will probably slow her down a tiny bit so it goes on 8th grade if we do that. I know she really wants to go to college as an nearly 18 yo rather than a nearly 19 yo and it would help us with financial aid too so it is a lot to consider.

[AnitaMcC]

:001_huh: Hello Ladies,

DD is not having any problems with Algebra I and I was planning to have her take Geometry (Jacobs again) next year in the 8th grade and also count it towards Highschool credit. She will be taking Biology I or Chemistry I next year for Highschool credit too. Should I slow down ? Will it really mess up her ACT/SAT scores if she takes these courses now?? Does anybody have any experience with this?… I thought with some ACT/SAT preparation course before the actual test when the time comes she should be O.K, but now I don’t know. She is very smart and I never thought it twice about holding her back before. Advice please. Thank you. Monica

 

IMO don't slow her down. It is fairly easy to review for ACT/SAT. Nothing says she can't take the test early either (in 9th or 10th grade).

 

I just don't agree about slowing a student down just because they are doing something that isn't the norm. Ds 14yr old has been "slowed" down all his life and he has gotten so very frustrated and angry about it (attended ps through 8th grade). He just wants to learn and learn and learn. He is advanced in math and science and I figure he can just take the rest of his math and sciences at CC.

 

We don't want him bored and frustrated anymore.... this is one of the main reasons we are homeschooling for high school. No reason says that they can't take CC level math/science in high school. He looks forward to taking CC calculus in 11th grade.