Newbie question: If you start your 8th grader on high school work, doesn't it look bad to colleges if they still do 4 more yrs?

[HappyGrace]

I know this must have been asked before, sorry-feel free to link me to past threads! But if your 8th grader is ready for high school work and you plan to start some of it then, how does that work later on? We don't want to short dd the full four yrs of high school if she wants it, but we don't want it to look to colleges like she basically took 5 yrs of high school. Plus we don't want it to catch up w/ her where she is forced to keep taking more and more advanced stuff, if later in high school she wants to branch out into interest areas, etc.

 

This yr-8th grade-her English, foreign language, math (algebra I), and science would all be high school credits. All are at co-op with the high schoolers. (She was definitely ready and asking for more challenge.)

 

Or do you just keep going til they have 4 yrs of all the required subjects (we want them to have 4 yrs of each to keep their options open for colleges) and then apply for the letter from the district? (we're in NY) But then that would basically short her a yr of high school. As I said, we're in no rush and are fine w/ letting her have her whole 4 yrs to spread things out to make time for interests, service projects she is into, etc.

 

Thanks so much for any help!

[Brigid in NC]

If your 8th grader is ready for high school work, then you have lots and lots of flexibility as you plan the 9th-12th years.  It opens up possibilities to take additional, more advanced, classes in subjects of interest.  It offers the opportunity for tailored electives, as your student checks off the "core" courses early and then explores areas of passion or curiosity.  It also gives you the chance to spread a "core" subject over two years if you need to (if your student hits a wall/needs to slow down to succeed), without sacrificing a class that was in the original plans.

 

This yr-8th grade-her English, foreign language, math (algebra I), and science would all be high school credits. All are at co-op with the high schoolers. (She was definitely ready and asking for more challenge.)

Even if your 8th grader is taking an English class with high schoolers--or at a high school level--if it were me, I would still include some sort of English in all four years of high school.  I would not list English in 8th on the high school transcript. For STEM-oriented students, beginning "high school" science and math in 8th is a great way to fit in advanced science and math classes in 11th and 12th.  Good luck! ;)

[Candid]

I'm going to give you advice as if you are in my state. I hope some NY residents will point out any problems with the NY law. 

 

One thing to let go is the idea that a students graduates once they have a set of required credits. There are some top notch schools where students would have more credits than the local public school by the end of 10th grade. Those students don't graduate then nor do college dislike them, quite the reverse.

 

For now, keep track of what you are doing. This way if you decide your dd will graduate a year early, you have your records and information for a transcript.

 

If on the other hand she graduates in the normal four years, I would just use the final four years. Colleges like students who take Calculus in 9th grade if they continue to take math for the next four years. Same for other subjects. What colleges want to see is an increasingly challenging course load. 

 

As others will point out, if she chooses to not take something in the final four years that she took in the 8th grade then you could add that to the transcript. 

 

 

[HappyGrace]

Yes, Candid, I am in NY, so this is super helpful, thanks! But a couple issues for us I might see with the "using just the last four yrs" scenario: math especially might be something that screws us up-she isn't very mathy, so may not get through to Calc, But I guess then if we took the final four yrs only, we would just write whatever she does after this yr (after Alg I) and they would assume she did Alg I in middle school? Also for foreign language, are we then not able to put her Spanish I on transcript if she does Spanish 2-4 in grades 9-11, hypothetically? So it would then look like she only had 3 yrs of high school for. lang. rather than 4. How do things like that work? I guess I can see it more in the content subjects, where she can continue to go in w/ more depth in yrs 9-12 (or even a skill subject like writing, which she is good at.

 

So basically it seems then that colleges do look at it badly if you put high school credits in 8th grade on transcript and then continue to do the 4 more yrs. It makes sense what you said about progression of difficulty because that's what we see in public schools-they don't graduate early, they just take honors classes earlier if advanced and continue on that track and that's what shows up on the transcript.

 

I really like your idea of keeping track for now, make sure she is showing progression of difficulty in course load, and then see what happens down the line. Just not sure what that would look like in the scenarios I listed above. Thank you so much for your help; I know it can be wearying answering newbie questions!

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Here is my 2 cents worth:

 

It is up to you which of those course go on her high school transcript.  If you don't intend to graduate her early and plan on including the recommended/required number of courses in each subject area during 9-12th you can do what you wish.  You may wish to include foreign language, math, and science if they support/explain advanced work later.  Keep in mind that in some school systems 2 years of middle school language allow a student to enter year 2 in high school.  It might be normal in some places for a freshman to be taking French 2 for example. 

 

FWIW,  I have one child that will have 2 foreign language credits, 1 math credit and the option to have 1 English and 1 science credit prior to high school.  I probably won't use the English as he will have four years in HS anyway; the same applies to science.  I'll probably use the math as it is a standard for our area to include Algebra 1 on a hs transcript even if taken in ms.  I'll probably include the foreign language as it is most decidedly a high school level course and I'm feeling the need to defend a year three course taken freshman year. 

 

(Sorry-responses are rolling in as I write so if I've repeated what a pp said- ignore this.)

 

And no-I don't think a college admissions office looks badly on a student who completes high school work in 8th grade.  It is about the total package.  If they complete the work early and spend junior/senior year taking "underwater basket weaving" then sure-some admissions folk would be unimpressed.  The standard line is to see a student challenge themselves over those 4 years.  If your dd continues to challenge herself I don't see a problem.

[PeterPan]

Happy, you have a couple questions here.  One is how to handle transcripts.  For that, go to Lee Binz's site.  She's forever doing free teleconferences, free ebooks, etc.  She's a calm voice and she addresses a lot of situations.  Worth your time.  I think the other thing you're confusing is what they actually look at.  Where I worked (and I've read this is true of other places), they only counted (as in numerically tallied) your academic units.  That's things like math, history, etc.  So when they say count, they mean tally, not assess her worth.  Her worth will be obvious by her interview, essays, test scores, recommendations, and overall presentation.  Yes, you want to have enough units/credits showing that she not only enters without deficiencies but is competitive for scholarships, etc.  Whether schools will "count" (as in numerically tally) 8th grade classes and which ones varies.  IF for some reason your dd graduates a year early, then this becomes moot.  At that point this coming year becomes part of her last 4 years of high school and it gets counted/tallied.  No matter what, you can put it on.  The university will decide how they want to tally it.

 

To me your real question is to start thinking through what your options are going to be when she runs out of co-op classes.  

[HappyGrace]

I see, Jumped-so basically you would then put the 8th grade credits on the transcript only as an explanation to support/explain advanced work later. (like my scenario with foreign language)-on the transcript I would put Spanish 2-4 for grades 9-11, and then also add Spanish 1 in 8th grade as a high school credit as a way to explain that the student did take the first yr of the foreign language AND to get credit for it, correct?

 

And another question for you, Jumped--so in your opinion, generally speaking-I realize it differs by college, it wouldn't matter if they see the student NOT do math their senior year (if not going into a decidedly STEM field) as long as they saw other appropriately challenging work in other subjects.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I see, Jumped-so basically you would then put the 8th grade credits on the transcript only as an explanation to support/explain advanced work later. (like my scenario with foreign language)-on the transcript I would put Spanish 2-4 for grades 9-11, and then also add Spanish 1 in 8th grade as a high school credit as a way to explain that the student did take the first yr of the foreign language AND to get credit for it, correct?

 

And another question for you, Jumped--so in your opinion, generally speaking-I realize it differs by college, it wouldn't matter if they see the student NOT do math their senior year (if not going into a decidedly STEM field) as long as they saw other appropriately challenging work in other subjects.

 

I promise I'll get back to this in a bit--I can tell you are watching the thread and I have to run out to pick up a kid from sports. 

[HappyGrace]

Thanks, OhE-that is helpful and I will definitely ck that site. I really have cold feet about this high school stuff-so afraid to screw it up. Your post really helped me see that I will need to take a look at the bigger picture. (My biggest freakout is math-no clue how she'll test and we're both already panicked about SAT math scores.) She will definitely need scholarships, and except for the math, she's always been advanced so I don't see why it wouldn't be possible, so I want to make sure she's set up well for any options.

 

I think we're ok on advanced classes later on-there are a couple co-ops around here or she could do online AP stuff, Potter's School, etc.Or possibly the CC-haven't even thought that far about that yet though.

[HappyGrace]

whoops

[HappyGrace]

Another query: If she does end up counting this yr as 9th grade eventually, is there a way to state it on the transcript that she basically skipped a yr? Wouldn't that be something the colleges would consider-that not only does she have this good transcript, but it was also done a yr younger than most would have done it? It seems that would be relevant to their consideration. I know they probly totally don't look at that---too bad.

 

ETA: I am slowly picking my way through Lori's stickies but so far hadn't seen these questions addressed. Plus I needed to step away from the stickies for awhile-lol-was getting overwhelmed and panicked.

[Jane in NC]

Another query: If she does end up counting this yr as 9th grade eventually, is there a way to state it on the transcript that she basically skipped a yr? Wouldn't that be something the colleges would consider-that not only does she have this good transcript, but it was also done a yr younger than most would have done it? It seems that would be relevant to their consideration. I know they probly totally don't look at that---too bad.

 

ETA: I am slowly picking my way through Lori's stickies but so far hadn't seen these questions addressed. Plus I needed to step away from the stickies for awhile-lol-was getting overwhelmed and panicked.

Many college bound students take Algebra I, foreign language, etc. in 8th grade so this is not at all unusual.

 

I want to give you one bit of a heads up though: Some colleges recommend that accelerated students not graduate early but rather continue on in high school with challenging work. This might include dual enrollment or AP. Of course, this also depends on what kind of college your student might attend.

 

And a word about Math: many young teens grow into abstract thought as they mature. I would not write off your daughter's mathematics ability at this stage of the game. Heretofore she has only done arithmetic--not mathematics! She may blossom!

[regentrude]

Another query: If she does end up counting this yr as 9th grade eventually, is there a way to state it on the transcript that she basically skipped a yr? Wouldn't that be something the colleges would consider-that not only does she have this good transcript, but it was also done a yr younger than most would have done it? It seems that would be relevant to their consideration. I know they probly totally don't look at that---too bad.

 

We were in this situation: DD started 8th grade doing high school level work and completed her first college course, so at the end of the year we decided to make this her 9th grade year. Effectively, she has skipped 8th grade and will graduate one year early.

From all I have read, colleges do NOT care that the student has skipped a year, and the student does not receive any "extra credit" for skipping- she will still be expected to compete with students who graduate at the regular age. Nobody will say "How wonderful, she did algebra in 7th grade" - they will look and see : did this student complete calculus in 12th as the regular students did who are applying for admission. No bonus points for age.

 

ETA: there is no need to make a decision about skipping yet. The only time when you must pinpoint your student's grade level in high school is for the PSAT which must be taken in 11th grade in order to count for National merit scholar. You have time to ponder until then.

[regentrude]

And another question for you, Jumped--so in your opinion, generally speaking-I realize it differs by college, it wouldn't matter if they see the student NOT do math their senior year (if not going into a decidedly STEM field) as long as they saw other appropriately challenging work in other subjects.

 

I would be concerned about no math in senior year, for two reasons:

1. . College want to see that the student progresses to more difficult coursework. A student who rests on her laurels and does no math senior year because she has an algebra credit from 8th grade will still be competing for admission with students who have taken algebra in 8th as well (after all, that is very common), but who have continued with math courses and progressed to higher level coursework. They present a stronger academic transcript.

2. Most students, even if not STEM, will have a math requirement in college. Taking a year off math before college is not advisable,as this will make college math courses much harder.

So I would not advise a student to quit math before senior year.

 

 

 

[Teachin'Mine]

Regarding math, she could always take statistics in 12th if she's not ready for calculus. I wouldn't worry about that at this point.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I see, Jumped-so basically you would then put the 8th grade credits on the transcript only as an explanation to support/explain advanced work later. (like my scenario with foreign language)-on the transcript I would put Spanish 2-4 for grades 9-11, and then also add Spanish 1 in 8th grade as a high school credit as a way to explain that the student did take the first yr of the foreign language AND to get credit for it, correct?

 

And another question for you, Jumped--so in your opinion, generally speaking-I realize it differs by college, it wouldn't matter if they see the student NOT do math their senior year (if not going into a decidedly STEM field) as long as they saw other appropriately challenging work in other subjects.

 

 

I would be concerned about no math in senior year, for two reasons:

1. . College want to see that the student progresses to more difficult coursework. A student who rests on her laurels and does no math senior year because she has an algebra credit from 8th grade will still be competing for admission with students who have taken algebra in 8th as well (after all, that is very common), but who have continued with math courses and progressed to higher level coursework. They present a stronger academic transcript.

2. Most students, even if not STEM, will have a math requirement in college. Taking a year off math before college is not advisable,as this will make college math courses much harder.

So I would not advise a student to quit math before senior year.

 

If 8th grade is going to be 8th and not become 9th I'd not worry about listing everything as a hs credit.  If 8th grade is going to become 9th (with early graduation) you may want to look at adding a social studies and possibly one other course at high school level to give you a full year.  I plan on putting my child's 8th grade credits on the transcript not to fulfill requirements but to shed light on what is happening in high school and because it will truly have been hs level work.  I don't intend on graduating anyone early.

 

I agree with both of regentrude's points about math above.  I would also add that you need to look at the schools your child might attend and see what they recommend or what the typical entering freshman has studied in hs.  I know for my kids to have only 3 years  of math in high school might fulfill any "graduation" requirements and entrance requirements; it would not make them competitive for admissions against their local ps peers.  In our area universities expect 4 years of hs math-taken during hs. Typical college prep kids take Algebra 1 in 8th and then 4 years during high school.  Some take Algebra 1 in 9th and go from there.  If I let my kids off taking any math in 12th grade they might still meet admissions requirements but fail in comparison to the other applicants.  There are many options for 4 years of math-it all depends on the program you use.  As a pp stated you could use statistics senior year rather than calculus, there may also be the opportunity to go deeper into another subject earlier and end with pre-calc/trig in 12th.  In short, I think is does matter if a student doesn't take math in 12th-that would be seen as going against the most common admissions office advice for hs courses-challenging yourself with every course selection and not taking a break senior year or even second semester senior year.

[Wildcat]

There is fabulous advice in this thread. If you look at the top of the High School board, there is a sticky for transcripts.

 

Don't feel bad about asking your questions. We've all been there. I know it's enough to make one's head spin (and spin, and spin, and spin).

 

If your 8th grader is ready for high school work, then you have lots and lots of flexibility as you plan the 9th-12th years.  It opens up possibilities to take additional, more advanced, classes in subjects of interest.  It offers the opportunity for tailored electives, as your student checks off the "core" courses early and then explores areas of passion or curiosity.  It also gives you the chance to spread a "core" subject over two years if you need to (if your student hits a wall/needs to slow down to succeed), without sacrificing a class that was in the original plans.

 

Even if your 8th grader is taking an English class with high schoolers--or at a high school level--if it were me, I would still include some sort of English in all four years of high school.  I would not list English in 8th on the high school transcript. For STEM-oriented students, beginning "high school" science and math in 8th is a great way to fit in advanced science and math classes in 11th and 12th.  Good luck! ;)

 

This. All of this.

 

Yes, Candid, I am in NY, so this is super helpful, thanks! But a couple issues for us I might see with the "using just the last four yrs" scenario: math especially might be something that screws us up-she isn't very mathy, so may not get through to Calc, But I guess then if we took the final four yrs only, we would just write whatever she does after this yr (after Alg I) and they would assume she did Alg I in middle school? Also for foreign language, are we then not able to put her Spanish I on transcript if she does Spanish 2-4 in grades 9-11, hypothetically? So it would then look like she only had 3 yrs of high school for. lang. rather than 4. How do things like that work? I guess I can see it more in the content subjects, where she can continue to go in w/ more depth in yrs 9-12 (or even a skill subject like writing, which she is good at.

 

So basically it seems then that colleges do look at it badly if you put high school credits in 8th grade on transcript and then continue to do the 4 more yrs. It makes sense what you said about progression of difficulty because that's what we see in public schools-they don't graduate early, they just take honors classes earlier if advanced and continue on that track and that's what shows up on the transcript.

 

I really like your idea of keeping track for now, make sure she is showing progression of difficulty in course load, and then see what happens down the line. Just not sure what that would look like in the scenarios I listed above. Thank you so much for your help; I know it can be wearying answering newbie questions!

 

What I did on the advice of others on this board was to list the high school-level courses on the transcript, but NOT count it in the GPA. My kids had/will have high school *credit* for it (not that they needed it, as they both have more than enough credits to graduate), but that way colleges would see the course was completed. I chose to carry forward a language and a math just to show 'completion'. I didn't see the point in carrying forward any others. Honestly, in hindsight, I could have left them off the transcript. I mean, if someone is in an advanced language class, doesn't it stand to reason that they had "language 1" at some point?

 

OP, try not to stress too much. Now that I have graduated one, I am so much more relaxed about my next child. I wish I hadn't stressed so much about transcripts. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and go read the sticky I mentioned above. It might help set your mind at ease. :grouphug:

 

 

[Lori D.]

Great advice from previous posters!

 

I just want to add one quick thought about the math: it's also possible that you may wish to have DD repeat Algebra 1 in 9th grade. I've known quite a few 8th graders locally who took Algebra 1 in 8th grade, but didn't fully "click" with it and so repeated Algebra 1 in 9th grade. They went on to complete 3 more math credits, with the extra year of Algebra 1 giving them a solid foundation -- and a bit more time for those abstract and logic portions of the brain (used in the higher maths, of the brain) to mature. No shame, and no problems if that ends up being the case! :) And if DD excels in the math, wonderful! You now have credit for the high school transcript.

 

Just wanted to mention that this is a perfectly legitimate option, to help you not to stress. :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

[PeterPan]

Thanks, OhE-that is helpful and I will definitely ck that site. I really have cold feet about this high school stuff-so afraid to screw it up. Your post really helped me see that I will need to take a look at the bigger picture. (My biggest freakout is math-no clue how she'll test and we're both already panicked about SAT math scores.) She will definitely need scholarships, and except for the math, she's always been advanced so I don't see why it wouldn't be possible, so I want to make sure she's set up well for any options.

 

I think we're ok on advanced classes later on-there are a couple co-ops around here or she could do online AP stuff, Potter's School, etc.Or possibly the CC-haven't even thought that far about that yet though.

 

Happy, I think you know this if you stop and think about it, but you're really dealing with a spiritual question there, not a math one.  The issue is whether you're going to spend the next 5 years worrying, or whether you're going to believe there IS a place for her, whatever happens WILL be fine (even if it's not the outcome you planned), and just go with it.  

[HappyGrace]

Thanks, OhE-God is so good-I went out to my walk with my head whirling about all this and then decided (before I read your wise post when I got back :)) that God already knows her future and I do not need to "toil and spin" about it. I spent the whole enjoyable walk just placing it in His loving hands, and asking HIM to prepare the way for her and give me wisdom and guidance day by day. He knows the plans He has for her and will show me how to help prepare her for it.

 

I'm just going to be as prepared as possible, but leave the outcome to the Lord, her true "Guidance Counselor".

[HappyGrace]

Thanks, everyone-these posts have helped me figure this out some. At this point we'll just keep track of what we're doing, and plan to get progressively more challenging, including making sure to have math every year. Then down the line we'll see where we are.

 

Regentrude-I had read in Lori's awesome "hs timeline" sticky about the PSAT year-thank you for clarifying that that is the point we would need to declare what yr she is-that was a helpful point to connect with what Lori said.

 

I'm going to plan 15 min/day for "research mode" to read the Hinz stuff and the stickies here so I can get a bit more familiarity with the ins and outs of high school, thanks!

[Barbara H]

Another query: If she does end up counting this yr as 9th grade eventually, is there a way to state it on the transcript that she basically skipped a yr? Wouldn't that be something the colleges would consider-that not only does she have this good transcript, but it was also done a yr younger than most would have done it? It seems that would be relevant to their consideration. I know they probly totally don't look at that---too bad.

 

 

Hello,

You are right, finishing early isn't a help. It is certainly possible to grade skip and do well with college admissions, but students generally need to have a solid four years of high school.

 

I've created a simple chart of homeschool high school requirements that you might find to be helpful. What is important to understand is that it depends a lot on what types of schools she's aiming for and if she needs to be competitive for scholarships. I encourage families to try to start high school with keeping options open when possible. It is easier to fill in more extras at the end than to try to make up years of math. There is much more the expectation now that students complete four years of core subjects.

 

It is very common for public and private school students to have completed high school requirements during middle school. I regularly work with students who have completed two years of foreign language and algebra 1 and geometry before high school.

 

Good luck!

 

[HappyGrace]

Thank you, Barbara-that's a great chart!

[8filltheheart]

A lot of what I do has already been stated in this thread.   One area where I do differ is that I do give credit on their transcripts for coursework prior to 9th grade.   If individual universities want to remove it, that is no biggie b/c they have far more than they need.

 

FWIW, I don't include any English or history credits prior to 9th grade b/c they are not really sequential specific courses, so there is no need to.   My current 9th grader has been doing high school equivalent English courses for the past couple of yrs, but this will be the first English credit on her transcript.   Conversely, she has been taking French and Latin for several yrs as well as alg in 7th and geo in 8th.   Since those courses are sequential in nature and have fairly "standard norms" for what is covered at different levels, I do include them on the transcript.

 

My dd is also not a huge fan of math.   She is an excellent math student.   I still don't know what she will do for 11th and 12th grade math.   We will cross that bridge when we get there.   She can take AP cal BC in 11th and AP stats in 12.   She can dual enroll.   It will really depend on what she decides she wants to do.   She is more than capable of succeeding in the higher levels and yes, she will have to have math on her transcript b/c I will require it.  ;)

 

FWIW, I also do not worry about their transcripts looking "overloaded."   Everything they have managed to do at younger ages is verified by outside sources (like golds on the NLE, private tutors, subsequent As in university courses, letters of recommendations from university professors stating that they are high achievers with excellent academics, etc.)   So, yes, my kids do have things like 10 credits in a single high school yr, etc.

 

FWIW, here is a blank copy of the transcript I used for my ds this yr.   You can see how we incorporate the before high school credits.

 

 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

For courses that most people would agree are high school level, I am listing them in a block for before 9th grade.  They will have a grade listed and will be included in the gpa.  (This is also how my local school district handles high school courses completed in middle school.)  Algebra, foreign language and high school science (physics) are in this category.  My oldest son will have two such credits and his brother will have as many as six.

 

For classes where there is not a definitive agreement on high school level, I'm not listing the coursework.  Thus history and English won't go "above the line" in the same way as other classes.  This means that my two kids who did the same work will have different credit for their courses. 

 

The way I explained this to my middle son was that he had the benefit of having one more year of preparation and strong classes.  But I wasn't going to make his transcript look like he'd had five years of high school.  (Bless his heart, he said he understood, but he was concerned that he'd have to take Intro to Literature again for credit.)

 

 

[HappyGrace]

Thanks, 8-everything you said added to the thoughts that are starting to gel in my mind thanks to this thread. And I GREATLY appreciate you sharing the blank transcript-it will be a great help. It's beautiful!

 

Thanks, Seb! I like the idea of the "extra" year. (and thanks for the "likes" ;)) I will eventually have to figure out if it goes into gpa, etc.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I did tell my youngest that I'd keep track of what he did in 8 th grade just in case at some point we chose to graduate him ahead of schedule.

[HappyGrace]

I'm keeping that idea in reserve too! But w/out a hs social studies this yr, that might not work out. I'm not sure that I'd add one on either, as I don't really want to have her do ALL hs level work this yr. We need time for especially math, plus the other subjects, and she also enjoys quite a bit of service work and other activities, and is starting Journey in Awana for the Citation Award, so we like to keep a nice balance.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I do like the advice to not spend the next several years worrying about where your dd will end up.  I think being alert to opportunities and timelines is good, but being immobilized by fretting isn't helpful to either side (parent or child).  Set aside fears that you're going to ruin your child's chance to be a happy, successful and productive adult.  That isn't something to which there is only one right path (or even a direct path).

 

Instead of thinking of having checked the box for high school work early, leaving holes in high school; think of it as having started engaging with challenging work early on a path of learning that is life long, not terminating in a handful of years.  Or to put it into a non-academic context - if your child were an swimmer or a dancer and was ready for higher level work before some of her peers, you wouldn't worry that she'd run out of room for improvement in 12th grade.  Instead you'd be grateful that she would have an extra year to develop good skills and abilities before the time when adult demands would be placed on her (in college swimming or professional dance).  That's how I look at our academics.  If my kids do master a topic (like algebra or beginning German) in middle school, that's great.  I'll list it with a grade and let them move to higher levels of math and language.  In subjects that aren't based on a ladder of skills, they get to engage deeply with challenging works at an earlier age and for a longer time.  Neither instance means that they won't have 4 years of math, science, or English in their 4 high school years.  And unless the foreign language study is detrimental to other goals (because they need to put time in on something else) they will also have 4 years of language study in high school regardless of how much they studied and learned in middle school.  [The language study is a bit of a personal hobby horse, since we've lived outside the US so often and I've had so many occasions to use language abilities.  It is a golden key to opportunities and imho makes you a better person too.]

[HappyGrace]

Sebastian-awesome food for thought. I had actually done some chewing on this subject while out walking today (when I do my best pondering-lol), and what you said here really gels with what I was thinking. I was realizing that for those of us brought up in the ps system of checking boxes, all this really is a new way of thinking. I was able to understand this and do our own thing during the elementary years. It is interesting how the pressure of college, scholarships, etc, brings all those old ingrained ways of thinking to the forefront again.

 

I am trying to get back in the mindset I was able to have during elementary years-more out of the box thinking that somehow naturally led to lots of acceleration, etc., anyway.