susanah4 Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Degree program requires College Algebra OR Math for Liberal Arts, PLUS Statistics. I do not think she will take College Algebra, but I realize she will have to take placement test and place high enough to be able to take it. Math skills are average, but Algebra is just throwing her for a loop. If we can successfully grasp Algebra 1 will that be enough? Or strong Alg 1, weak Alg 2? Or is it necessary to really grasp Alg 2 to pass these tests? Thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 I'd call the math department at the college she hopes to attend and ask them what preparation they recommend for both tracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Check if your local community college offers the STATWAY sequence. It takes college statistics, integrates it with the algebra 2 necessary to do the stats, and spreads it out over 2 semesters. The 1st semester doesn't give college credit but the 2nd semester does. STATWAY satisfies the associate's degree general ed math requirement as well as the bachelor's degree requirement for non-STEM majors for my state's 4 year public colleges. My daughter is dual enrolled and has gone from hating math to loving it. I was getting all kinds of pushback from her about, "When am I ever going to USE this in real life?" when the answer was truthfully, "Never, unless you go into a STEM field." But with STATWAY they really try to tie the math to the "real world" applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Yes, you're really going to need to get through Algebra 2, with understanding, to be able to test into College Algebra or above (and Statistics is "above"). While College Algebra courses vary, and some have some Algebra 2 review built into it, College Algebra it not just an accelerated version, or a re-hash, of Algebra 2. While it's not optimal, if DD does not test into College Algebra, the placement test will show what pre-requisite level she is ready for, and she'll just end up having to take 1-2 additional math courses while in college before being eligible for the requisite College Algebra. Just curious: what age/grade is your DD right now? How much time do you have before high school graduation to work on Math? I ask because if she still has 2-3 years before graduation, you have plenty of time to get through the Math, and maybe even try for a DE College Algebra course or do the CLEP test to try and get it out of the way before even starting college... Or, going the other direction, if she still has some time before graduation, that just means she has more time for the math portions of her brain to develop, which means taking the College Algebra while IN college may actually not be so hard, especially if you make sure to get all the way through Algebra 2 in high school with a program that she "gets"... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanah4 Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 (edited) Yes, you're really going to need to get through Algebra 2, with understanding, to be able to test into College Algebra or above (and Statistics is "above"). While College Algebra courses vary, and some have some Algebra 2 review built into it, College Algebra it not just an accelerated version, or a re-hash, of Algebra 2. While it's not optimal, if DD does not test into College Algebra, the placement test will show what pre-requisite level she is ready for, and she'll just end up having to take 1-2 additional math courses while in college before being eligible for the requisite College Algebra. Just curious: what age/grade is your DD right now? How much time do you have before high school graduation to work on Math? I ask because if she still has 2-3 years before graduation, you have plenty of time to get through the Math, and maybe even try for a DE College Algebra course or do the CLEP test to try and get it out of the way before even starting college... Or, going the other direction, if she still has some time before graduation, that just means she has more time for the math portions of her brain to develop, which means taking the College Algebra while IN college may actually not be so hard, especially if you make sure to get all the way through Algebra 2 in high school with a program that she "gets"... She is in 10th grade, but we are still working on Algebra 1 as she just struggled too much last year. Edited November 21, 2016 by susanah4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanah4 Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 (edited) * Edited November 21, 2016 by susanah4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 She is in 10th grade, but we are still working on Algebra 1 as she just struggled too much last year. Just to encourage you: Our DS#2 struggled with Math all through the years. He is a very visual-spatial learner, and the abstract concepts of Algebra 1 and 2 were SO difficult for him. He did Algebra 1 in 9th grade, and we had him repeat Algebra 1 in 10th grade with a different program to make sure he had a solid foundation. Absolutely needed that. And then Algebra 2 took 1.5 years, and a lot of backing up and repeating -- and we were using the most visual and gentle program out there, of Math-U-See. However, right after he completed Algebra 2, he took the community college placement test so he could take his Foreign Language there as dual enrollment -- he placed into College Algebra! I absolutely did NOT expect that! I think it was the result of having JUST completed the Algebra 2, but that he used a program that clicked for HIM, so he grasped the foundational concepts. While he has not ended up taking any college level Math (he attended the community college for 2 years, but left before completing the AAS degree to pursue other interests, so he never got to the required math class), I shared that so that you can see that working at the student's pace and with a program that they "get" is huge for preparing the student for that College Algebra. I'd also like to encourage you that Statistics is very different from Algebra, and "clicks" for many students, when Algebra does not. So if your DD ends up needing to take a Statistics course in college, it may not be that bad -- the key will be that "slow and steady" pace with what is working for her, and to keep taking that math (or reviewing that math), esp. Algebra 1 and 2, right up to the time of taking the placement test. BEST of luck in the Math journey, both now, and in college! Warmest regards, Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 In my experience, College Algebra builds on Algebra 2 and continues on to some Trig. It doesn't replace Algebra 2, though from what I've read, College Algebra does not look the same at every college. Dd took math through Algebra 2 in high school before dual enrolling in College Algebra. She didn't find the DE class difficult, but it did cover different material than she had had before. She also took Stats DE and was thrilled to get all of her college math out of the way while still in high school. My middle child has struggled with Algebra. We slugged through Algebra 1 and are now in Geometry, which is going much better. I plan on a summer review through Algebra 1 before beginning Algebra 2 next fall, both with Math U See. Hopefully by then he will be able to test into College Algebra. If not, Intermediate Algebra is the step before it, though in most cases it does not count for college credit. If he needs that, so be it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 College algebra is definitely a higher level than high school level algebra and I agree basically it builds on Algebra 2. I do believe if your student is strong enough in Algebra 1 she could probably still place into college algebra. Depends on how the individual school does it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in SA Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Count on taking algebra 2, or a good beginning & intermediate algebra course (basically algebra 1 and 2 in a single course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 A strong algebra 1 student could probably place into college algebra, but whether they could succeed or not is a different story. A strong algebra 1 student could definitely have handled the math for liberal arts at my grad school, but this class varies so much by institution it would not be possible to generalize. But frankly, susanah, what I'd do is keep plugging away at math at the speed she can "get", not worrying about how far you need to get but just that what you DO do, she understands, and let the chips fall where they may. If she needs to take a semester of remedial math, it really isn't the end of the world -- it's an extra class that, if she can't add extra to a semester, she can make up over a summer (not by taking math in the summer, this is ill-advised for most students, but by taking something that comes more naturally over a summer and thus clearing space for math during term-time). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 With a 10th grader, I'd consider stretching out the math studies as necessary to finish Algebra 2 by the end of 12th grade. IMHO getting it down is more important than the transcript if you aren't looking at a competitive college. We used Saxon at the time, and one of mine got a "B" in Algebra I and then failed Algebra 2. I'm a STEM professor and very strong in math, and I partially blamed myself. We didn't click on math, and she got to the point that she didn't feel that she could ask for help. Saxon was just not working for her at all either. We took a deep breath, and I put her into an outside geometry class with another teacher. She got an "A." Then this year (12th) grade, I put her with another outside teacher for Algebra II, and she has a high "A" now. Her older brother loves the local community college, and it has a direct transfer program into the nationally-ranked program she wants at a 4-year, so that's where she'll be in the fall. For that school, completion of Algebra II with a "C" or better and her SAT score will put her right into their Math for Liberal Arts I with no placement testing. That class includes statistics and is the one the 4-year wants. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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