No, not for my child.
He's not a fast kid. His processing speed is on the high end of average. He needs time. AoPS doesn't give much time. So if he is to take AoPS classes that offer critical thinking that I think DS8 needs and would enjoy--if he is able to keep up--then I need to find ways to support his particular learning bottleneck.
It's a tricky balance, because he does need challenge and he doesn't need loads of repetition to understand concepts. But I feel confident that he is not going to be ready for calculus in 3 or 4 years. He'll be 11 or 12, and his processing speed won't be sufficient to keep up with any calculus class. His speed is improving as he gets older, just as it does for all kids, but he is not gifted in terms of speed. That's not going to change. He will need to be older to be able to process the problems fast enough to keep up.
Giving him "the basics" of algebra and geometry first will hopefully give him a leg up on the critical thinking needed for the AoPS classes. I think of it as his doing the one-digit addition problems before he does the 2-digit problems.
I have considered buying the AoPS book and just moving more slowly through it on our own, but I think this way is better for my particular child.
With that said, I am always second-guessing myself! But I think I know my child well enough to have a pretty good handle on his needs.
