Cookie - I like the idea of looking at the skills side by side. I hadn't thought of that. It might give me more of an idea of what would be best. All the students will take a readiness test of sorts, but it's not standardized and still in it's trial phase (common core)
Bluemagic - Public school/common core which is part of my struggle to decide. So many changes to the curriculum.
Ok then.. let try to explain the changes to common core. A LOT of kids who are currently in junior high math right now are getting caught in these changes. I've been involved as a parents in trying to fix the mess of this our district made this past year.
Common Core Math officially doesn't spiral, and this means the official line is that no skipping should ever occur. The plan is for smarter/faster math students to take "compressed" classes. The official line is that students shouldn't be compressed to junior high. (I don't agree with this.) 7th & 8th grade math are integrated math and that means they include a bit of pre-algebra & pre-geometry. I use the term pre to mean material to get you ready to take what used to the the H.S. algebra & geometry class for lack of a better word.
CC 7th grade math - pre-algebra, pre-gemoetry, other topics..
CC 8th grade math -- pre-algebra & pre-geomentry topics, ~4 chapters Algebra, ~2 Chapters of geometry. This includes algebra topics up through solving systems of equations in two variables.
CC Algebra - Assumes you have had 8th grade CC, includes a few chapters from what used to be Algebra II. -- starts assuming students can already do some basic algebra.
This web-page on Kahn Accademy site shows a good break down on what is covered each grade level of Common Core Math through 8th grade. It's a bit confusing for High School though.
https://www.khanacademy.org/commoncore/mapBefore Common Core the push was for all 8th grades to take Algebra, so this is actually a push for the average student to start Algebra topics a semester later.
This begs the question of what topics are in this "Pre-Algebra" class the school is recommending to you. (I am very frustrated with all these names.) If your son is in a 7th/8th grade class right now this is probably an compacted common core class trying to fit 2 years of math topics in one year. One possibility is your school district is having similar "transition" problems that ours is having and it's possible this pre-algebra class is a temporary one because they have identified a whole cohort of kids that don't appear ready to take next years Algebra class. I would ask questions. Who else will be in this class? Will they finish the topics from the CC 8th grade class this year. What grades will he have to get in this "pre-algebra" class to get into algebra the next year.
Is he bored in math right now or challenged? What is keeping his grade down?
I hope this helps.
