Best online Pre-Algebra after Beast Academy. Help!

[tammyw]

My son is 3/4 of the way through Beast Academy 5 (we're on 5C and just waiting for the last book to come out 5D). He has done very well (there are some things that are SOOOO hard and that frustrates him, but on the whole he has done very well).

 

We've always known he is naturally good at math, but he does have to work at it too. We are part of a charter here in California this year (to keep me on track) so he had to do MAPS testing (standardized testing) and he got a REALLY high score in math (higher than any I've seen). So he's clearly learning math.

 

I cannot teach him Pre-Algebra. I taught my daughter and it was too challenging for us both. But the main issue is that he needs someone great at math and I've decided this is the end of the road with me for teaching him math. I want better for him.

 

So - is AOPS the best choice or is there another? And which online class would be best to support him through the challenges? I see TWTM has a class offered. I know we'll need to probably decide soon because these things sell out quickly I believe. TIA!

[sweetpea3829]

You might consider checking out Elements of Mathematics: Foundations.  

 

It's online, advertised as targeting accelerated math kiddos and it says they should have all of their high school math up to Calculus by the time they finish 8th grade...if I understood correctly.

 

I'm considering it for my own DS, who sounds quite similar to yours, lol.  He scored 99th percentile on his math standardized test last year (we are in NY and the school administers testing for homeschooled students).  

 

Unlike yours, I kept mine a year behind in Beast, from where he is in Singapore...so he'll be finishing Singapore 5 this year, and will be starting Beast 5 just as soon as they finish 5D.  

 

From there, I'm likely going to go the AoPS route for pre-al, and then I'll sign him up for Elements of Mathematics.  At least, that's the plan for now.  

[tammyw]

You might consider checking out Elements of Mathematics: Foundations.  

 

It's online, advertised as targeting accelerated math kiddos and it says they should have all of their high school math up to Calculus by the time they finish 8th grade...if I understood correctly.

 

I'm considering it for my own DS, who sounds quite similar to yours, lol.  He scored 99th percentile on his math standardized test last year (we are in NY and the school administers testing for homeschooled students).  

 

Unlike yours, I kept mine a year behind in Beast, from where he is in Singapore...so he'll be finishing Singapore 5 this year, and will be starting Beast 5 just as soon as they finish 5D.  

 

From there, I'm likely going to go the AoPS route for pre-al, and then I'll sign him up for Elements of Mathematics.  At least, that's the plan for now.  

 

Whoa! That is a crazy claim!! So what do they do for the rest of their high school years if they finish Calculus by grade 8, and can it all be done online? The reason I ask is because he will definitely be going to a more regular school setting for high school (I know I can't do it).

Edited February 24, 2017 by tammyw

[sweetpea3829]

No, he won't have Calculus completed...he'll have the courses UP TO Calculus completed.  

 

I'm assuming they would complete Calc I and Calc II in high school, if available.  AP Calc, or other advanced mathematics, or perhaps even a course at the local Community College.  

 

So in middle school, they will complete Pre-Al, Alg. I and II, Geometry and I *think* Trig?  Maybe not Trig.  Not sure.  

 

You have to administer a placement test to see if he's "ready" for their program.  It's a test, not really of math, but more of thinking abilities. DS scored a 37, which was high enough to be strongly recommended for the program, but because he had not completed all of his Primary math, I opted to wait a year for Elements.  

 

But, I can say, I generally have found reviews of it to be quite favorable.  And yet, I don't see it mentioned here hardly at all.  

[tammyw]

Okay thanks. I'll have him do the placement test at least, to see what it says.

[tammyw]

So the educational specialist had the following to say. Thoughts? Seems insane that a kid should be "held back" because of standardized testing - the joys of playing the game?

 

"So I think he would be fine moving into the next level of math that you are planning on for next year. He obviously is very knowledgable in math and it is good to keep challenging him each year. You will want to be careful in not getting him too ahead in math because by the time he takes the SAT in high school he will have done the math on that so very long ago that it will be a struggle for him to recall everything with accuracy. "

[ondreeuh]

That sounds like kind of a dumb reason to hold a kid back! There are plenty of SAT prep materials if he needs to review, but hopefully he is using all that math so it will seem super easy.

[tammyw]

That sounds like kind of a dumb reason to hold a kid back! There are plenty of SAT prep materials if he needs to review, but hopefully he is using all that math so it will seem super easy.

That's what I thought! So everyone is supposed to stay at the same level for the sake of the SAT? Seems kind of backwards to me, especially for a kid who wants to be an engineer.

[kiana]

Oh heck no, although I would do some targeted test prep shortly before the SAT to make sure he hasn't forgotten any specific techniques he hasn't used recently. I mean he sounds bright enough to figure them out anyway but a few weeks of test prep certainly wouldn't be amiss. 

[daijobu]

So the educational specialist had the following to say. Thoughts? Seems insane that a kid should be "held back" because of standardized testing - the joys of playing the game?

 

"So I think he would be fine moving into the next level of math that you are planning on for next year. He obviously is very knowledgable in math and it is good to keep challenging him each year. You will want to be careful in not getting him too ahead in math because by the time he takes the SAT in high school he will have done the math on that so very long ago that it will be a struggle for him to recall everything with accuracy. "

 

Does the ES really think that math ends at geometry?  That your student won't study any math in high school?  I think you know now how much weight to give to this person's future opinions.  

[tammyw]

Well I had him do the assessment for Elements of Mathematics Foundations. He got 50%. Yikes!

 

Then I had him do the pre-readiness for AOPS, he got 96% (one wrong) and was able to fix the last problem once I showed him one tiny thing he had forgotten.

 

I think that shows that AOPS is the direction we should go. He has done REALLY well under Beast Academy, and they are the same company, so it does make sense to continue on with this path for him. Seeing the two test results really helped solidify that, I think.

[Farrar]

I have no personal experience but I have heard that sometimes kids who are really accelerated at math don't score quite as high on the SAT math as you might think just because they're slightly out of practice with a few of the concepts - things that maybe they don't see as often in calculus and differential equations and whatever other higher maths they might be doing in the moment. But surely the thing to do is to build in some time specifically to prep for the SAT and brush up on those problems. And it's not like most of it doesn't just build on itself in math. Good grief.