AOPS online class reviews

[Esse Quam Videri]

Would love to hear about your experience. We are loving AOPS but kiddos are nervous about the schedule/format/"pressure" of enrolling online.

 

Edited to take out irrelevant rambling... 

Edited September 21, 2016 by Esse Quam Videri

[Arcadia]

My kids use the AoPS online class for social reasons and not for high school math credits so no pressure there. What class are you looking at? My kids have done between them Intro to Algebra B, Intermediate algebra, precalculus, AMC8/MathCounts, Intro to Python, Intermediate Python.

[Esse Quam Videri]

We are looking at Pre-A 1 and Intro to Algebra 1 for spring semester. What have your kids enjoyed about the social aspect? If you aren't taking it for HS credit does that change the grading process? We had considered using Algebra for credit because our homeschool charter is being weird about it...

[Arcadia]

I don't remember if you are in California like me, if you are the AoPS classes are now a-g certified and can be used to fulfill a-g requirements.

 

What I mean about HS credits is that my 7th grader took the AoPS classes before they were a-g certified. So whatever grades he get from AoPS, whether it is an A or a B doesn't go anywhere on any official transcript. In other words he can make mistakes and not worry about not making an A. I don't know how your homeschool charter would use the grades AoPS gives so you have to ask them about it. AoPS did ask what I need a grade for when you request for grades. I told them it is for my own personal record.

 

My kids like chatting with their classmates outside of class times. They make their own "play dates" in the online classroom. The classroom is only moderated during class time. Outside of class time kids in the same class can access the classroom and chat about Minecraft. RPG, sports and anything else.

[Esse Quam Videri]

Can I ask how you are handling grades/credits? We are in California as well. Do you file as a private school? If you come up with your own credits/grades for the math courses, do you other assessments to figure those? I guess I don't know if pushing for the online class where they may have to go faster and earn a B is a the best route, or if a better option would be to stick with AoPS on our own, go slower and "score" higher. Does AoPS have a typical grading scale, or is it similar to Singapore where different percentages match up to grades? We've never done any "grading" with it, but my Pre-A now has an 85% accuracy on Alcumus... Would she earn a standard B?

[Roadrunner]

Classes move insanely fast, a chapter a week. Just be aware of it.

[Arcadia]

Can I ask how you are handling grades/credits? We are in California as well. Do you file as a private school? If you come up with your own credits/grades for the math courses, do you other assessments to figure those? I guess I don't know if pushing for the online class where they may have to go faster and earn a B is a the best route, or if a better option would be to stick with AoPS on our own, go slower and "score" higher.

My kids have As and Bs and I have no idea how AoPS grade because my kids didn't put in more effort for the As.

 

We file the PSA. My 7th grader has ACT and SAT scores. He would likely be doing the SAT Math 2 subject tests in June 2017, and the AP Calculus in 2017 or 2018. I am comfortable with giving him a mommy grade for 7th grade because the private high schools we visited would care more about his SAT math 2 score. They aren't going to give any attention to my mommy grade for math.

 

What we do is choose a class start date which allows for 2-3 months head start to read and do some problems in the book. Classes are fast speed. My kids tend to have hay fever in Jan/Feb and Apr/May so the headstart/buffer is a need to have for them.

 

Middle school grades aren't use for UC/CSU GPA calculations so I won't worry about an A or B. I think B in algebra 1 is what my school district needs for a child to take honors geometry according to their student handbook.