Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Had meeting re: Algebra in grade 7

Came back from meeting. Present were principal, guidance counselor, K-12 math instructional coordinator, and the teacher for Accelerated 7/8 class. Honors Algebra teacher had a class she could not get out of.

They went over the logistics of his schedule for the next couple of years, if he were to do Honors Integrated Algebra as a 7th grader. One concern they brought up is to make sure my son is okay with the fact that once he is in 8th grade/2015, he will be taking Honors Geometry in the HS building in a class with 9th graders. They made a point of saying they've never had a middle school student go to the high school building for a class. They're totally willing to do it, though.

They got the district's approval to give my son "summer school" to cover all the 8th grade gaps that he needs to understand before starting Algebra. He would have his own certified teacher. The usual schedule is 2 hours a day, 4x week for six weeks. He would be assessed regularly as he goes, and he would retain the option of dropping down to accelerated 7/8 next year. But I doubt he would want to, after studying 8th grade math all summer.

I will talk to my son today with the details I have, to make sure he is on board, and that he knows that in 8th grade he will go to the high school for a geometry class. Fortunately the buildings connect and he can just walk over.

I am really grateful to the district for offering this, but I am a tiny bit nervous, almost like "be careful what you wish for". I hope that he enjoys this accelerated math experience. Have any gifted children in a similar situation wished they didn't do this after starting, or is it always a positive choice?

DS11 is on a similar track, multiply accelerated, and he has always been happy about the acceleration. He's often not been challenged enough, but it's kept things livable.

We are working on a transition/support plan to make work at the high school feasible from a social/emotional and practical point of view.

DeeDee I would love to hear what the plan is to make his HS transition workable on the social emotional levels! That's been one of my concerns that I keep kind of quiet so as not to influence what the school district offers me. I want to hear all options they have and then I decide.

They want me to be aware that in 2015, when he is 12 years old, he would be taking a class in the high school building and that no one else has done it before. So there is probably no guidance curriculum (not the best word) to support younger kids taking HS classes.

Have you had conversations and specific ideas discussed with son's school about social aspects?

Cee, will PM you.

Funny!

One third of your 7th graders taking Algebra? I think the people that I met with today would fall on the floor if they heard that.

Another good thing to come of this: if my son embraces summer, and does well in Algebra next year, it would encourage more outside of the box thinking, and more readiness to accelerate for my son and any other child coming into their schools.

I think our district has 10 to 20% of 7th graders taking Algebra I. And there are always a few 5th graders bussed to the middle school for math, always a few middle school kids bussed to the HS for math, and always at least a couple of 8th/9th graders who ran out of math and take courses at a nearby university.

If they bus him to the HS for math, make sure it is for the honors (or highest level) of that course. You need to be in the highest math track in our district for the bussing thing to happen. This also ensures that the HS kids don't pick on him - other gifted/high achiever kids typically won't make him feel uncomfortable.

Hi...been following this thread.

My 5th grader will be taking honors algebra next year as a 6th grader... She will also have to head over to the HS in 8th grade after she takes Geometry in 7th (the schools are right next to each other). She is one of the very youngest in her grade (makes the cutoff by a day... plus there are lots of kids with summer birthday that are held back). So she is going to be with kids that will be 2-3 years older than her!

Would love to hear back from others who had a child take algebra in 6th grade!

Thanks.

Sounds like a good plan. Not sure why they have never had a student do this before. Check with him. Worst thing that can happen is he will have to take the 7th/8th grade math next year.

My district was transporting kids to take Geometry to the H.S. (required a bus) for years. And only a few years ago finally go smart and brought the H.S. teacher to the junior high instead.

Things are definitely changing, and districts are also quite different. In our district, only a few years ago there would be few 7th graders taking algebra (probably less than 5%). Right now about 10-15% 7th graders take accelerated algebra. There used to be a few 8th graders who go to HS for math. Now the number of 8th graders taking HS math is large enough that there are HS math classes taught at the middle school. What I heard is that this trend is continuing in the district.

Lots of districts are actually making 8th grade algebra the "norm" and the advanced kids take it in 7th grade. In fact the NCTM (National Council for Teachers of Mathematics) is having a number of conferences this summer about how to gear the math curriculum in middle and elementary school so that all kids are algebra ready by 8th grade. This implies that it is a growing trend in the nation that it will be the normal course of things soon. So, it really shouldn't be too much of a stretch to them allow younger kids to take it.

My DD took algebra at age 9 with 8th graders and since the teacher had an accepting mindset and understood that there could be social issues between her and the other kids in class she was very well taken care of and accepted. In terms of having kids go to high school for classes early, I would just be sure to talk to the teacher of the math class before it starts and ensure that they are aware of the characteristics of gifted kids (other than the obvious one of being really smart).
I would also be skeptical as to whether or not all of extra math in the summer will be needed. You will probably find that he will need much less time than that to fill in the gaps.