Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments math next year, how would you choose?

So, DD is in 5th grade right now. This year for the first time she was allowed to do accelerated math through the online classes that our district offers in partnership with some online course providers. She was flying through everything. The district told me that they usually would only allow a 5th grader to do 6th grade math. But since September, DD finished 6th grade math, 7th grade math, pre-algebra and algebra, plus additional projects. She wasn't sweating over this, mostly just worked on these things at school during math time, and only very occasionally did math at home. And her exam scores were all really high (she would get 99% or even 100% in the exams).

In the fall she will enter middle school. If she stays with online math, she will do geometry and will probably fly through it as well. If she goes back to the classroom, she will take an advanced geometry course, which is deeper and more rigorous. However, she will need to take this geometry class for a year because it is within a classroom and everyone goes at the same pace.

I'm torn because I want her to go for the advanced geometry. But I also don't think she needs a year to cover this. She was so bored in the past couple of years that she kept begging me to homeschool her. Things got so much better this year with the online option. I just don't want her to be so bored again.

What would you choose? I'm wondering whether I would suggest to the district to let her do the AoPS geometry as an alternative. But thing is AoPS classes are all in the evenings and she still needs to fill the math time at school with something...

Can she do the Advanced Geometry, with an escape plan, that she could go back to the online course if there is a major problem. I think that learning a more rigorous course is more important than going through the courses fast. The teacher could possibly have enrichment ready for your daughter whenever she needed it. But teachers often do not push advanced kids to do the enrichment if the child does not want to do it.

For me, the scheduling of AOPS has kept me from entertaining the idea of using it, because we do activities outside of school. If that is not a problem, that could be an option for you.

Does that help?

This past year our district agreed to allow our boys to take their AOPS classes in the evening (one evening a week at home). During the school day, during what would be math class, the boys go to the school library or computer room and do their AOPS homework. Because some of the AOPS work takes awhile, the 40 minutes isn't always ideal, but overall it's been a workable solution.

Thank you, howdy and igbu. We will talk with the teacher who will teach the advanced geometry and take a look at the textbook. But honestly I don't have a whole lot of trust in the math teachers at our middle school.

DS took advanced algebra at the same middle school but it was not really good anyways. (He did geometry with AoPS after transferring to a private school.) Not sure whether it was just the teacher, or teacher + curriculum.

We might need to supplement with AoPS no matter which way we take. The "escape plan" is a good idea that we will need to talk with the school about.

If your DD was taking AoPS in the evening, could she perhaps do Alcumus assignments, challenge problem homework, and prepare for her next class (reading and videos) during class at school?

Btw, what math program does your school use? I am looking for "at you own pace" options to propose to our school.

Thanks!

Playandlearn, I do think finding out who the teacher is going to be might be helpful. I have seen that teachers that had their degree in math and education seem to be much better math teachers than those that are just Elementary Ed or whatever. I am sure that this varies, but I think it makes a difference in the depth of the subject.

Igbu, how old are your boys. I have been thinking of doing just that, given how badly DD(9) has been reacting to math, but I thought I would have to wait till middle school.

DS flew through quite a few years of math also. We were using EPGY but after having some issues with their Geometry course we began using AoPS and it has been great. For most of their courses we buy the book and have him independently go through the book and work the problems and then he does the online course. It is better to be present during the online course but you still have access to the transcript if you cannot make it. This has also helped ensure he has a solid mastery of the material and served to slow him down a little.

You might also want to have your DD try to work some of the AMC 8 and AMC 10 contest problems and try to enter some math contests. DS has done pretty well overall but it can be eye opening to see how far ahead and how quickly some kids can solve difficult problems.

Thanks for all the recent replies. I have a meeting scheduled with the middle school geometry teacher (They have one geometry class each year for advanced 8th graders). The teacher sounded nice in email, and said that she was also willing to hear my expectations. This is in contrast with the advanced algebra teacher that DS had in middle school, who was down-putting and the teaching was really boring and mechanical.

I think our district is becoming more flexible in the past couple of years. When I tried to advocate for DS a few years back, it was always "this is what we do and that's it".

It's quite possible though that we will supplement with AoPS either way we go.

Update: talked with the advanced geometry teacher, underwhelmed by the curriculum. I don't think it's that advanced. It was consistent with our impression with the advanced algebra that my DS took at the same middle school. It's better than the regular track, but still very basic.

DD wants to maybe try the classroom for a couple of weeks at the beginning of the school year (she has two weeks to switch to online).

I will find out how our district views AoPS courses. I think DD needs this no matter whether she does the online regular geometry, or the in-classroom "slightly better" geometry.