Thanks for all the advice...it's very helpful and has given plenty to do for the weekend!
DS was just admitted to DYS, so I am hoping that when I talk to the FC I can get additional info as well.
As for the problem solving skills - I agree with you onthegomom...they are essential. I think the problem is that the teacher is relying on those alone to satisfy his need for "acceleration" when that's not what they are achieving. We have started some AoPS and he really enjoys doing this type of work. But he complains that he isn't learning anything new in 5th grade math since it's just a review of 4th, and I have to agree. There are very few new concepts introduced. I get that that is the cyclic nature of Everyday Math, and it makes sense for some types of learners, it just doesn't work for him. So while he is enjoying the brain-teasers and is getting some valuable experience with them, he isn't exactly progressing to new frontiers the way he would like. Make sense? And again, we are capable of doing this at home, but with extracurriculars, play time and the time constraints of a large family, he doesn't have enough time to get to where he wants to be. He took the EPGY test last night so we're looking at the offerings there and trying to decide if he can complete either pre-algebra or algebra before the end of school. I feel like if I had something like that to show the school, they would finally get it. As it is, it's just me saying, "He likes to do his algebra workbooks on the weekend..." They probably envision me sitting next to him, grilling him relentlessly while all his friends play outside.
Thanks for the suggestions and support. So nice to discuss this freely finally!
Sundance
