My DD is going into advanced algebra this fall but because she is the only student in her grade in a very small school taking that class, she has run into a scheduling problem. There are two classes that she really wants to take that are incompatible with her math this year. The first is band, which she loves, and the other is Spanish, which she and her friends were excited to take together.
My DD's desire is to take math as an independent study course, teaching herself the math and asking her dad or a teacher for help as needed, still turning in homework and taking tests during her study hall. We (DH and I, DD) think she would have no problem with this although we know having a teacher is ideal. The school is preliminarily unsure that is a good idea because in the past strong math students have found advanced algebra difficult. My DS just took the class last year and so my husband is very familiar with the content and he thinks DD would do well.
Has anyone tried independent study for math before? Is there a way to tell the school that DD is not just a good math student but is a >99.9% kid without it sounding wrong? What do you think of the idea?
