Twilight Woods Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Technically she is an 8th grader. This coming school year she will be taking all high school level course with the exception of Math. She is not ready for Alg. She will be doing Saxon Pre-Alg. Thoughts? Does it matter? Next year for what would be *9th* she will carry 6 credits for the year b/c she will be adding in ALG and a Foreign language. Her goal is to graduate early so she can start an internship within her desired career field before art school. Here High School courses are: Math: Saxon 1/2 History- World History LA - English I, Lit class thru Co op Science: Physical Science w/lab (Exploration Education Advance) Elective: Digital Media - FLVS PE - Swimming/yoga non credit: She will have a once a week art class for an hour working with and artist. (she wants to be a animator/graphic artist) so in total she will have 4.5 credits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I would not call this high school if she is taking pre-algebra. Does she know what school she wants to go to after she graduates? Have you looked at the recommended high school courses of any colleges she is interested in? Most expect four years of high school level math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I would not call this high school if she is taking pre-algebra. Does she know what school she wants to go to after she graduates? Have you looked at the recommended high school courses of any colleges she is interested in? Most expect four years of high school level math. I (respectfully) disagree. I took Pre-Alg in H.S., my nephew will be taking Pre-Alg in P.S. for 9th grade. No it will not go toward counting for college but as long as you can get through Alg. 2,you should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Woods Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 I would not call this high school if she is taking pre-algebra. Does she know what school she wants to go to after she graduates? Have you looked at the recommended high school courses of any colleges she is interested in? Most expect four years of high school level math. She has a couple that she is looking at. I know one of them require 4 years of math. I was expecting to keep it at 8th b/c of math, then when she reaches her 12th year she will have more flexibility to work in an internship without graduating early bc of the credits earned in 8th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Woods Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 I (respectfully) disagree. I took Pre-Alg in H.S., my nephew will be taking Pre-Alg in P.S. for 9th grade. No it will not go toward counting for college but as long as you can get through Alg. 2,you should be fine. I took Pre Alg in High School as well. I honestly can't see her completing Pre Calc..... I was hoping Alg, Geometry and Alg 2 would be sufficient but she will need 4 years of math to abide by the rules of our umbrella school we are using since they will be issuing a FL High School diploma when all is said and done. . I need to see if consumer math will be allowed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merylvdm Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 If they don't allow consumer math, think about Statistics. My daughter did that instead of Calculus. I have 3 who have already been admitted to college and I have helped countless other students (I teach at a homeschool co op and end up helping many of the seniors) and I do think you should rather assume a college will not accept Pre-Algebra as a math. There may be some less competitive ones that will, but you would need to check up on that. Could she do her final math course the same year she does an internship? Or she could do it in the summer before that. If math isn't her thing she probably won't want to do 2 math courses at any point. Pity all students are now forced to take 4 math credits in high school. So many (like your daughter) do not need it. My daughter went on to study film - so she didn't need it either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I would call her 8, but keep records as if it were 9th. Then you can decide in another year or three what grade it really was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I would call her 8, but keep records as if it were 9th. Then you can decide in another year or three what grade it really was. That's what I'm doing with my dd this year. She's taking pretty much all what could be considered 9th-grade classes, but age-wise is 8th. I'm calling it 8th for now but keeping my options open to "rename" it as 9th if that seems appropriate later in high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 That looks like a pretty standard 8th grade year to me. In addition to the Pre-Algebra, Physical Science is more commonly taken in 8th. 4.5 credits is not enough for a year of high school if she is on a college bound path. Those classes CAN be taken in high school and you could count it, but it is going to look like a strong 8th grade year or a weak 9th grade year. I would not bump her. She isn't ready. ETA: Ds who did Algebra in 9th and isn't a math guy is doing Stats for his senior year. He is really excited about it. He sees it as the first useful math he's had in ages :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Woods Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 If they don't allow consumer math, think about Statistics. My daughter did that instead of Calculus. I have 3 who have already been admitted to college and I have helped countless other students (I teach at a homeschool co op and end up helping many of the seniors) and I do think you should rather assume a college will not accept Pre-Algebra as a math. There may be some less competitive ones that will, but you would need to check up on that. Could she do her final math course the same year she does an internship? Or she could do it in the summer before that. If math isn't her thing she probably won't want to do 2 math courses at any point. Pity all students are now forced to take 4 math credits in high school. So many (like your daughter) do not need it. My daughter went on to study film - so she didn't need it either! I agree. She does not need it but in order for us to qualify for the BrightFutures Scholarship she needs 4 years and they have to be Alg I and higher. I will have to see if the allow Statistics as an option. I think my plan for her is to do that her senior year. She is a young 8th grader b/c of her birthday so I would prefer her to not graduate early and just spend her senior year doing a light school schedule so she can spend that year with the internship and outside art classes to work on her portfolio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 If you are not required by homeschool regulations in your area to declare, then I wouldn't worry about it this year. The only point where you may have to decide what grade is if you decide to have your student take the PSAT test -- students who score very well (98-99%) when taking the test in 11th grade qualify for possible National Merit scholarship money. That still gives you at least 2 full years to see how DD progresses, what her post-high school goals are, and to consider all the pros/cons of early graduation, before having to decide about possible PSAT testing. Some things to discuss and research together: What are the job markets and educational requirements for animation or craft/fine artist? Will post-high school education of some sort (classes, internship, certificate, Associate's degree, Bachelor's degree) help with landing a job, or a better-paying job? And if so, does DD plan to continue her Art education right after high school, or would starting during high school through dual enrollment be an option? Many community colleges have agreements with high schools to provide FREE or reduced rates for dual enrollment for high school students. By NOT graduating early, DD could take advantage of those dual enrollment financial benefits longer, and either complete, or mostly have completed an Associate's Degree in animation or graphic arts by the end of high school. Will finances be a concern for attending a university or community college? By NOT graduating early, there is the possibility of accruing a more impressive portfolio, which can make a student more competitive for scholarships and selective schools and art programs. Not graduating early may also help DD score higher on SAT/ACT test scores, which opens more doors for scholarships and admission to the school of her choice. There are internships available to high school seniors, so DD would not necessarily have to graduate early in order to complete an internship before art school -- by NOT graduating early, she would be able to have a lighter credit load and handle an internship during the senior year. BEST of luck, as your family discusses, researches, and plans for the high school years and beyond! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 If you drop your umbrella school and register with the county, you do not need to meet FL graduation requirements for the Bright Futures Scholarship. (Just an FYI.) You would still need to meet college entrance requirements wherever she wanted to go. Statistics is accepted as a math class above Algebra I. My dd plans to go into theater/film. Her math classes will be Algebra I, Algebra 2, Geometry (.5 credit) at home and then dual enrollment in Intermediate Algebra, (.5 credit) Liberal Arts Math I and Liberal Arts Math 2. So, a total of five credits without Pre-calculus and she won't need any other math in college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Woods Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 If you are not required by homeschool regulations in your area to declare, then I wouldn't worry about it this year. The only point where you may have to decide what grade is if you decide to have your student take the PSAT test -- students who score very well (98-99%) when taking the test in 11th grade qualify for possible National Merit scholarship money. That still gives you at least 2 full years to see how DD progresses, what her post-high school goals are, and to consider all the pros/cons of early graduation, before having to decide about possible PSAT testing. Some things to discuss and research together: What are the job markets and educational requirements for animation or craft/fine artist? Will post-high school education of some sort (classes, internship, certificate, Associate's degree, Bachelor's degree) help with landing a job, or a better-paying job? And if so, does DD plan to continue her Art education right after high school, or would starting during high school through dual enrollment be an option? Many community colleges have agreements with high schools to provide FREE or reduced rates for dual enrollment for high school students. By NOT graduating early, DD could take advantage of those dual enrollment financial benefits longer, and either complete, or mostly have completed an Associate's Degree in animation or graphic arts by the end of high school. Will finances be a concern for attending a university or community college? By NOT graduating early, there is the possibility of accruing a more impressive portfolio, which can make a student more competitive for scholarships and selective schools and art programs. Not graduating early may also help DD score higher on SAT/ACT test scores, which opens more doors for scholarships and admission to the school of her choice. There are internships available to high school seniors, so DD would not necessarily have to graduate early in order to complete an internship before art school -- by NOT graduating early, she would be able to have a lighter credit load and handle an internship during the senior year. BEST of luck, as your family discusses, researches, and plans for the high school years and beyond! Warmest regards, Lori D. Thank you both for your replies. This is very helpful. If you drop your umbrella school and register with the county, you do not need to meet FL graduation requirements for the Bright Futures Scholarship. (Just an FYI.) You would still need to meet college entrance requirements wherever she wanted to go. Statistics is accepted as a math class above Algebra I. My dd plans to go into theater/film. Her math classes will be Algebra I, Algebra 2, Geometry (.5 credit) at home and then dual enrollment in Intermediate Algebra, (.5 credit) Liberal Arts Math I and Liberal Arts Math 2. So, a total of five credits without Pre-calculus and she won't need any other math in college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 I agree with calling it 8th for now but keeping records in case you need them. Stats is a good option for senior-year math for someone who doesn't want to do further math. Another option would be math for liberal arts. If she can dual enroll for this fall semester of senior year, she would have the college math credit completed -- it should transfer wherever she goes and suffice for math as long as she's not in a field that requires a math course -- and she wouldn't have to take math in the spring or risk forgetting what she's learned before she needs to take college math. The same reasoning would apply to DE for stats but there are schools that won't take stats but will take math for lib arts. If there's no local school, Potter's school offers it online and offers credit through Belhaven. http://www.pottersschool.org/course/list/#/?cid=3243 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abdesigns Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 My son took all high school courses in 8th, and I'm not counting it for 9th. In my mind, it just means that he has the chance to go much more in depth in the later years of High School. Also, I'm a Graphic Designer, someone said that she should take that extra time and develop her portfolio. I could not agree more. Most schools have a requirement of a portfolio review to be admitted into their Graphic Design and / or Media Arts programs, and to be honest, they can be brutal... or they can be just another hoop to jump through, either way, she needs to be fully prepared. Giving her the extra year to work on that, is a good idea. Also, look up AIGA, which is the trade organization for Graphic Designers. They often have free portfolio reviews for students. I highly recommend going to one of these, they will guide her in what she needs to do to get her portfolio ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Woods Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 I agree with calling it 8th for now but keeping records in case you need them. Stats is a good option for senior-year math for someone who doesn't want to do further math. Another option would be math for liberal arts. If she can dual enroll for this fall semester of senior year, she would have the college math credit completed -- it should transfer wherever she goes and suffice for math as long as she's not in a field that requires a math course -- and she wouldn't have to take math in the spring or risk forgetting what she's learned before she needs to take college math. The same reasoning would apply to DE for stats but there are schools that won't take stats but will take math for lib arts. If there's no local school, Potter's school offers it online and offers credit through Belhaven. http://www.pottersschool.org/course/list/#/?cid=3243 Thank you both this is good information for me to have. I do have her set up working with a local artist to work on her skills and to start building her portfolio in JR year. I think we are keeping in 8th with the plan for her to focus on her art/portfolio her Jr/Sr year for submission and hopefully securing an internship as well. My son took all high school courses in 8th, and I'm not counting it for 9th. In my mind, it just means that he has the chance to go much more in depth in the later years of High School. Also, I'm a Graphic Designer, someone said that she should take that extra time and develop her portfolio. I could not agree more. Most schools have a requirement of a portfolio review to be admitted into their Graphic Design and / or Media Arts programs, and to be honest, they can be brutal... or they can be just another hoop to jump through, either way, she needs to be fully prepared. Giving her the extra year to work on that, is a good idea. Also, look up AIGA, which is the trade organization for Graphic Designers. They often have free portfolio reviews for students. I highly recommend going to one of these, they will guide her in what she needs to do to get her portfolio ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 I have a friend who says you can always graduate a child early, but it's really hard to hold them back if they "should" have graduated and are not ready. I have an 8th grader who has been doing half high school work for a year now. He will be doing easily all 9th grade work this year. He is still 8th grade. He knows it, but he likes to say 8th sorta 9th grade. It confuses people for sure, but I think it boosts his teen ego. Whatever... Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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