Finish Alg 1 in 9th Grade-Transcript Question

[alisha]

My 8th grader has been doing Alg 1 all year, and my initial goal was to go as slowly as he needed and finish it at the end of 9th grade-essentially taking 2 years to do it. However, I am realizing that he'll probably finish it mid-year in 9th grade, and am not sure how I would record that. Is it as simple as saying Alg 1 half a credit and Geometry half a credit for the 9th grade year (if that is how it pans out.)? (We are currently halfway through and have 2 months to go.

Or, should I push as far as we can go in the book this year, and start Geometry at the start of the 9th grade year, whether or not we finished the Alg 1 book (Jacobs if that info is needed).? I have no problem leaving books unfinished in elementary, but not sure how I feel about it in the MS/HS years. Doing that would be easy to transcript, but not sure it's the best option.

Is there another option or information I need to think about?

Thanks!

[daijobu]

We schooled year round and often didn't adhere to Sept-May school year.  If we finished algebra on Tuesday, we started geometry on Wednesday.  

So we pushed the course into the year where it made the most sense, generally where most of the learning happened.  Or if it made more sense, in the year where the class was completed.  Whatever looked most "normal" for our transcript.   

[Lori D.]

30 minutes ago, alisha said:

My 8th grader has been doing Alg 1 all year...  I am realizing that he'll probably finish it mid-year in 9th grade, and am not sure how I would record that. Is it as simple as saying Alg 1 half a credit and Geometry half a credit for the 9th grade year (if that is how it pans out.)? ...

Yes, that option works great.

Another option is to just wait and award the full 1.0 credit in the year it is completed. So if Algebra 1 is done over 8th/9th grade and Geometry is done over 9th/10th, then award the Algebra 1 credit in 9th and the Geometry credit in 10th.
 

30 minutes ago, alisha said:

...Or, should I push as far as we can go in the book this year, and start Geometry at the start of the 9th grade year, whether or not we finished the Alg 1 book (Jacobs if that info is needed).? I have no problem leaving books unfinished in elementary, but not sure how I feel about it in the MS/HS years. Doing that would be easy to transcript, but not sure it's the best option.

No, I would NOT recommend leaving Algebra 1 unfinished. It is foundational to future higher maths.

Also colleges require a completed 1.0 credit each of Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 (and often a 4th math above Alg. 2) for the student to be eligible for admission. So a partial credit of Algebra 1 could cause you future problems.

If you continue at this same rate, you'll complete Algebra 2 in 10th/11th, and Pre-Calc. in 11th/12th, with some time left over at the end, OR extra time during the years for those higher maths. So you're on-schedule to a little ahead of schedule for the typical high school student, who completes Alg. 1 / Geom. / Alg. 2 / Pre. Calc. in the 4 years of high school -- and that opens the doors for admission to most colleges (competitive / non-selective / non-top-tier excluded).

Looking good! Warmest regards, Lori D. 

[klmama]

I would award the full Algebra 1 credit in 9th when the course is complete.  I would award the full geometry credit in 10th when the course is complete, even if that's in October.  If he also earns a full credit for Algebra 2 in 10th, that's fine, but he'll still be in good shape if he finishes the Algebra 2 credit in 11th.  If he finishes that halfway through 11th, that will still leave him a year and a half to complete pre-calculus. 

[lewelma]

I awarded credit in the year the majority of the work was done. 

[8filltheheart]

If doable with this particular student, you could do alg 1 and geo simultaneously.   Then you could award credit either way.

[regentrude]

Give the algebra credit in the year the course was completed. Nobody will care that you started it in 8th grade.

[SKL]

My kids' public school gives a credit for Algebra 1 even if completed in the 8th grade.  That said, I'd award a full credit for algebra regardless of when it is finished.

[Farrar]

Please don't confuse college admissions by awarding what are really traditionally accepted one credit high school courses with a half credit. It will just make them wonder what was wrong with your geometry class that you only gave a half credit. Likewise, giving a credit or a half credit for Algebra I part II or Algebra Ib will not be to your kid's benefit. Just give it a credit whenever it's finished.

[stripe]

I don’t think it’s a crisis if your timing doesn’t neatly match up with semesters, but I did want to say that my local public school runs two types of Algebra in middle schools: one that is a full year of Alg 1A and then a full year of Alg 1B, which can be taken in high school, OR the normal single year type. If you are in that situation (half/half) and you really want to reflect it, then put one semester in 8th and one in 9th. I would definitely NOT skip the end of Algebra I. You can overlap with Geometry, or just wait to start that when you finish Algebra.