Math--Question for AoPS Users

[lamkinmd]

Our family is considering switching to AoPS as a high school math curriculum next year (my son will be in 8th grade).

 

I am trying to get a handle on what order to do the AoPS curriculum. It seems like there are too many books for the number of years we have left in high school (5 years). The website lists 9 books (8 if we begin with Algebra): Pre-algebra, Intro to Algebra, Counting and Probability, Number Theory, Intro to Geometry, Intermediate Algebra, Intermediate Counting & Probability, Precalculus, Calculus. How many lessons on average are in the books? Are these books designed to take a full year or less (assuming that the student moves at a somewhat steady pace)? Does one do all the books?

 

Please share your experience if you have used this curriculum.

 

Thanks!

[StephanieZ]

The books can be done in less than one year. If you browse the courses, you can see how many weeks each book is taught in for the classes. The classes are fast and intense, however. If you are doing them independently, I'd allow about fifty percent more time than they do in the classes. So, for the twelve week classes, plan on eighteen weeks.

 

If one is starting AoPS in eighth grade, there may or may not be enough time for all the AoPS texts. That is ok!

 

Counting and probability, as well as number theory, are not part of the standard sequence. They are very valuable, however. You may want to do some of those books but not all. You may decide to do all those extras and delay calculus until college. If your son loves AoPS, he may voluntarily take math year round, intensively, and thus do allllll the books! This is not as far fetched as it sounds. My dd16 is taking precalc over the summer. Her idea!

 

If you want a traditional high school sequence, just be sure to include:

Algebra 1

Algebra 2 (second half of the introductory algebra book begun in algebra 1)

Geometry

Algebra 3 (intermediate Alg book)

Precalc

Calc (or wait until college)

 

Those classes could each get a year's credit, but most (maybe not calc or geometry) can be done in substantially less than a school year. Add in the other courses for a richer and better education. :)

 

So, try one class or course. See how it goes. Take it a year at a time.

[Arcadia]

Here :) http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/469175-aops-sequence-through-high-school/

[regentrude]

I am not familiar with the prealgebra book.

Intro to Algebra can be done in one year with a very motivated student, but it is a very big book that covers algebra 1 and algebra2, so taking more than one year is perfectly fine. (I have one child who did the entire book in one year, including summer, and another who took 2 years.

C&P and Number theory are short and can each be done in a semester; hose are not part of the material that is traditionally taught in the school sequence and make great fillers or enrichment, but are not prerequisite for any of the standard courses.

Geometry, Intermediate Algebra, Precalc, Calc can all be done in a year each, but it is also possible to cover them in a shorter time/overlapping.

 

The books are not divided into "lessons". Some people do one section per day, others simply work for a certain time and resume. The sections are not created equal in length and difficulty, soi I have never attempted to go by a "schedule".

 

We use just the books, it is not necessary to do the online classes. Those move very fast and will not work for many students.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

My kids came from Saxon Algebra 1/2 to the Intro to Algebra book. They are strong math students but not what I would identify as gifted with math intuitiveness. We have taken a full year for Algebra 1 and a year for Algebra 2.

 

There was a definite learning curve. They got to the end of chapter 2 and realized they didn't know what they were doing, so they started over with chapter 1 again. This time they understood that they couldn't just skim the samples but really needed to work through them in order to understand the concept.

 

We have occasionally switched to a 1965 Dolciani Algebra 1 when I thought they needed more dwell time on a concept (particularly multiplying polynomials).

 

I have the online course schedule printed out as a reference for scope of each course, but they are WAY to fast for us (especially given our other commitments).

[lamkinmd]

Thanks for the scope and sequence input. The responses (and link to other threads) were helpful.

 

Excuse me if this seems a ridiculous question, but no one seems to have mentioned tests. Does the AoPS curriculum include tests? If so, do you feel the tests accurately reflect the student's understanding?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

AoPS does not have tests. Regentrude shared some tests she wrote for Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 over on the logic board. She tends to do a test each semester or at the end of the year.

 

My kids have asked for more frequent tests. I tend to give one every 2-3 chapters. I either pull representative problems from the chapter or from another algebra book. Even if you use items from the review lesson, you can turn the problem around or put it into a word problem in such a way that it doesn't look like one they recognize.

 

Keep the tests rather short. It is easy to load too much into the test.

[Arcadia]

AOPS does not have tests. I am afterschooling so what I do is use the public school textbooks (my library has copies) review exams and my state's standardized tests as quick checks.

[lamkinmd]

If your family has chosen not to create your own tests for AoPS, what method have you used for grading (particularly related to a high school transcript)?

[joannqn]

DS11 and I are working through the prealgebra book together...slowly. We take two days to do each lesson, doing the sample questions before reading through the explanations one day and doing the practice questions the next day. That works out to be about an hour a day, sometimes a bit more sometimes a bit less. Often it almost feels like we are competing to see who can finish first, and it usually isn't me. When we get stumped, we do help each other. He helps me just as often as I help him. We do the review separately, which gives him a chance to prove that he independently knows the material.

 

He doesn't usually want to spend much more than about an hour a day on math, however, he does want to work year round so he can get through all of the books.

 

I'm not writing tests. DS was feeling like a failure because he wasn't getting 100% all of the time. He averages about 80-95% correct. I wrote AoPS to ask about a recommended grading scale and was told that if he was getting 80-95% on the practice problems and review sections and 30-50% on the challenge problems, he'd be getting an A in their online classes. Since he's doing that well or better, I figure he's earned his A.

[jennynd]

 

 

 

I'm not writing tests. DS was feeling like a failure because he wasn't getting 100% all of the time. He averages about 80-95% correct. I wrote AoPS to ask about a recommended grading scale and was told that if he was getting 80-95% on the practice problems and review sections and 30-50% on the challenge problems, he'd be getting an A in their online classes. Since he's doing that well or better, I figure he's earned his A.

 

 

That is good information to know!

[snowbeltmom]

If your family has chosen not to create your own tests for AoPS, what method have you used for grading (particularly related to a high school transcript)?

My kids work to mastery, so they don't move on until they can complete all of the review problems and most of the challenge problems. I keep track of the challenge problems that they can't solve and they revisit them at a later date. I personally feel that letter grades are meaningless in a homeschool setting, but while some colleges agree, others don't. I have no qualms about assigning A's using my approach. The kids also have the standardized test scores and math competition scores to back-up the mommy grade.

[Luckymama]

I wrote AoPS to ask about a recommended grading scale and was told that if he was getting 80-95% on the practice problems and review sections and 30-50% on the challenge problems, he'd be getting an A in their online classes. Since he's doing that well or better, I figure he's earned his A.

 

 

I was told the same thing when I asked about dd's readiness for the online geometry class (as she hasn't completed their algebra 2 yet).

[lamkinmd]

I wrote AoPS to ask about a recommended grading scale and was told that if he was getting 80-95% on the practice problems and review sections and 30-50% on the challenge problems, he'd be getting an A in their online classes.

 

Thanks for sharing AoPS's response about the percentages. That's a good rule of thumb to keep in mind.