TT PreAlgebra and Algebra I in one year

[mamafox]

I have a 13 year old son who wants desperately to start public high school next year. Is it possible to do TT Pre Algebra and Algebra before then? Is there a better way to prepare him? Math is not his strength but I want him to feel confident. I have thought about swithching to the Pre Algebra text (Prentice Hall) that our county uses. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[AK_Mom4]

Well, there are 139 lessons in the pre-algebra and 142 in the Algebra TT. Plus tests, so figure a good 300 segments between the two.

 

So.... you could definitely finish it in a year if you could do 2-3 lessons a day. That's a lot of math, but could probably be done in a couple of hours.

 

I would let me kid try it and see if they could keep up the pace. If it's just too much, I would plan on them taking Algebra 1 as a 9th grader (lots of kids do that here).

[KJB]

Why rush him? If he is ready for Pre-Algebra, start there now.

 

Algebra should not be rushed. It is critical and foundational for higher math. Unless he is an exceptional math student, I would not try to do two years of important math in one year. Algebra in 9th grade is perfectly acceptable.

 

The Potter's School held an online Algebra Camp last summer. They met twice a week for around 2 hours. They took three tests. You might check and see if you can get in on something like that or maybe a local math camp for this coming summer so your son can make sure he's on par with the local students to start Algebra in 9th. This wouldn't take the place of a credit, but it would give your son some extra practice and possibly confidence.

 

Algebra is usually a required credit, so check to see if the public schools will even recognize an Algebra credit from TT or any other home school program before you invest. He may have to take a test with the school to verify mastery before they place him higher or recognize his credit.

[amtmcm]

My DD completed TT Alg 1 + 2 in 1 year (including a summer). She completed about 5-6 lessons per week (double math one day per week). 6 lessons x 52 weeks = 312. Since Alg 2 started with review of Alg 1, I assigned 2 lessons per day completing every other problem until her test scores dropped and then we slowed down again.

 

Anther poster mentioned doing a summer class with Potter's School? You might check with the publlc school your DS will be attending. When my friend's DD transitioned from private school using Saxon to a public school, she enrolled in an intensive algebra prep summer class at her new school.

 

ETA: I should mention, my DD completed Pre-Alg twice (Saxon Alg 1/2 and CLE 800) so she had a strong foundation going into Alg 1.

Edited September 29, 2011 by amtmcm

[creekland]

As long as he is understanding what he is doing and can prove it via 90% or better on the tests (preferably with just "minor" errors whenever there's an error), then yes, it's possible as he can go at his own speed. TT moves slowly which is an asset to many as it allows the brain to really absorb the concepts. However, not all students need to move that slowly. I would not skip any lesson as each one shows something different. I would be selective with what needs to be done for HW to increase speed ONLY IF he's understanding and getting problems correct.

 

If he's going to start high school in geometry or Alg 2, be certain you also cover the quadratic equation as that's generally an Alg 1 topic, but is left until Alg 2 with TT.

 

At my public school I would encourage any student to have finished Alg 1 before entering ps. The behavior tends to be awful in Alg 1 classes at the high school with oodles of apathy. At my school advanced math students take Alg 1 in 7th, average math students take it in 8th, and not math inclined (or motivated) students take it in 9th.

 

You may need to have him take a placement test, but that's no big deal if he knows what he's doing.

 

The four "normal" math credits in our hs are Geometry, Alg 2, Pre-Calc and either Calc or Statistics. I'd have to check, but Accounting might also be an option for those who don't want Calc or Stats.

[Trilliums]

DS completed Saxon alg 1/2 (prealg) and alg 1 in 8th grade. He did not plan to do this, it was just how it worked out. Prior to this he was not particularly strong in math. He developed a strong motivation to complete alg 1 primarily through watching MIT open course ware classes in physics and chemistry.

 

This year, 9th grade, he wanted to try honors alg 2 at the public school (skipping geometry). He passed the entrance exam to alg 2 without problems but found the class atmosphere stressful. Being a ponderous individual who likes to think things though, the instant answering expected in alg 2 class resulted in a lot of anxiety. Plus, at the same time he took on honors chemistry and an engineering class which has the option of giving college credit. Going right into 3 tough classes overwhelmed him a bit --the whole classroom experience required some getting used to but I sure did admire his gumption! If he had gone into geometry things might have gone better.

 

Anyways, yes I do think your son can do pre alg and alg in 1 year, and then if he goes into geometry as a 9th grader it would probably be a smoother transition. He might need review for alg 2 the following year though. DS was surprised how little review there was of Alg 1 in his class.

 

By the way, DS dropped alg 2 and is starting AoPS geometry. He also is working on Alg 2 via ALEKS and Khan academy, so I am not sure where he will eventually end up in math next year. My son is good at scheduling his work and working on each subject regularly. But, when he was faced with three ps classes all assigning homework and projects, etc. he found it a challenge to keep track of everything. He was able to do it, but the stress was so high we all agreed that dropping one class was the best option. Math was his immediate choice as he thoroughly enjoys the chemistry and engineering classes.

[Stillwood]

You can easily skip to about lesson 68 (Ch. 10) where it begins simple algebaric equations. The prior is all review.