Hi... just wanted to get input from parents whose children did algebra in 6th grade... in our school district this means that my dd would be in AP calculus by 10th grade. Not sure if that is a great idea. She likes math and but is not crazy about it. I worry she will get burned out.

She is one of 3 kids in our entire district that will be taking algebra next year; and she really wants to. Right now I fully believe it is the right course for her but I worry about the math progression a few years down the road. Her interests currently are in the language/performance arts areas, and if that does not change she may feel burdened with difficult math courses.

Thoughts?

I took AP Calculus in 9th grade - it was a breeze. She will be fine.

My daughter is in 6th grade and just had Algebra. Our high school district has 5 semesters of Calculus classes. Calculus A for her is 2nd semester 9th grade, Calculus BC is 10th grade. They do offer a college Calculus two semester course which isn't AP but can get college credit. The previous poster may be right that it could be a breeze but who knows. A better question may be is that you may run out of math classes to take by senior year.

I'd say: place her where she belongs now.

If she "runs out" of math at the high school, there are always other things to do. She might take Statistics or another mathematics course that's not always taken in HS. She might look at concurrent-enrollment options at a local college. She might look at online courses.

Cross that bridge when you get there.

Same boat here. 6th grade DS taking Honors Algebra. We are living in the now for the next few years.

You might check into what math options are available after Calculus in your area. My son took Algebra in 7th and will take Calculus in 11th grade, but I do know one or two kids who have taken Algebra in 6th, on the track to take Calculus in 10th. The district recommends AP Stats and/or AP Computer Science, but some of these students take courses at local universities. There really aren't good options and the district really discourages taking it this early because of that problem. I know one kid who went to a private prep school to solve that problem.

Yesterday in browsing about math universities, I ran into a thread discussing how people getting into top math PhD programs were ones who were taking Linear Algebra their freshman year of college and beginning graduate math courses by their junior year. So, if that's a door to keep open wider; sooner seems like a good idea.

Yeah, I am going to have to look at the potential impact 5 years down the road myself to see whether it will be worth having DD doing Algebra I next year in 5th grade or not. Having read the Rusczyk talk transcripts and 'the calculus trap' I am not in a frantic hurry anymore to get DD the other side of AP Calculus. But... If she can cope with AoPS rigour and she can do it 'early' without external driving the so be it. She needs to be kept in her ZPD

Trying out doing the AoPS pre-alg this year during 'school hours' in the 'quiet work' time and will speak with the teacher next week to assess her feelings on how that is going. Preliminary feedback is good so far...

We are taking responsibility for our DD's Maths education and do not realistically expect nor demand that her teachers keep up with her before HS. We will provide the curriculum but would just prefer to have her do it as much as possible during school hours and not after school.

I am also wondering about whether or not to 'put the brakes on' a bit by having DD do the AoPs intro to programming with Python instead of an overt Maths course...

We are in a very rural (for NJ) area with regional high schools and I plan to meet with a friend of a friend that happens to be a former superintendent for the regional high school over the summer to get a pulse on how supportive of a mathematically gifted girl the HS is likely to be.

Worst case, my DD will not graduate HS but go to a Uni where such trivia will be an irrelevance, I suppose.

Two thoughts:

1) You can always choose to repeat a math in 9th grade if you decide later to slow the progression.

2) A lot of schools offer AP Statistics so you could always use that as a math filler if you want to slow down the path to calculus, and it is a good math to take.

I know in school it may be hard to avoid one-course-per-year, but do bear in mind that if you can, it may be better to. DS10 did Algebra 1 aged 7 (in under a month, i.e. already basically knew it) but has still not learned everything in AP Calculus, not because he's slowed down in any meaningful sense, but because more mathematical maturity means it's easier to go broad and spend time on problems. Yet at various stages I have been worried about the future in a way that, so far, has proved unnecessary. So I'm firmly in the "do what's optimal this year, and worry about next year when it comes" camp.

I'm also with "do the right level now, and cross future bridges later". You do need some forward planning, but don't let future possibilities scare you out getting the right placement now.

And if MIT doesn't worry about high school diplomas, then neither will I.

One thing, though, is I don't think it's good to have a "gap year" in maths. You need to keep your maths thinking cap on to stay sharp. For someone finishing Calc BC in grade 10, while Stats and Comp Sci are perfectly decent courses to takes the next 2 years, it's still better to continue with actual maths courses. If you can get access to courses in Multivar Calc, Diff Eq, or Lin Alg (local uni or a rare high school) that is a good option. Or maybe instead then would be a good time to take those AoPS (or whoever) courses in Counting & Probability or Number Theory that you hadn't got to yet.

Thanks everyone... We are going to stick with doing what is right for her now (and that is definitely algebra) and just see how it goes. Her high school offers AP calculus AB and BC, which she would complete by 11th grade. For her senior year she would have to take AP statistics or take a college course, I guess.

Just for your information. One usually takes Calculus AB or Calculus BC. You can take AB first and then BC, but then there is a lot of repetition the 2nd year. Of course that depends on how the school teaches it.

"The Calculus BC exam covers the same differential and integral calculus topics that are included in the Calculus AB exam, plus additional topics in differential and integral calculus, and polynomial approximations and series. This is material that would be included in a two-semester calculus sequence at the college level. " -- quoted from the AP website.

I do agree taking Algebra now is probably the right decision.

By way of analogy, taking AP calculus AB in grade 10, and then taking AP calculus BC in grade 11, would be like taking the first half of Algebra I in grade 6, and then going back to the beginning again and taking all of Algebra I in grade 7.

Just wanted to add that the AP Calculus exams are offered as version AB and version BC in part to allow more students to participate. How a school district sets up their calculus curriculum can vary substantially. In my day (decades ago), Calculus AB was a one-semester course and Calculus BC was a two-semester course with the AB and BC courses set up sequentially so that there was no overlap (BC picks up where AB ended). At my children's school district, Calculus AB and Calculus BC are still sequential courses with no overlap but both courses are full one-year courses.

It is possible to cover varying numbers of topics in varying depths.

I know that MIT doesn't require a HS diploma, but I would be careful. If you have some great hook, then you are probably okay without the diploma. But absent national academic awards, published research, or something of equal worth, I would make sure my kid had a HS diploma.

If you are near a four year college, then you should not run out of math courses. Distance learning can also work, as well as taking courses such as AP Statistics and Linear Algebra. Absent those options, perhaps the kid can do an "independent study" project for math. There are always options.

Back to the original poster. DS completed GT Algebra I in 5th grade so similar enough to your situation. You already got really sound advice but ultimately you have to go with what feels right for your DD as well as yourself. I am with the flow of opinion to go with what works now so another vote for Algebra I in 6th grade.

However, I have to admit that I did choose against GT Algebra I in 4th grade even though DS was ready based on multiple assessments partly due to future considerations. My concern was that he may not be optimally ready to cover geometry and trigonometry in the depths that I wanted. It is likely that he would have been fine if we had chosen to accelerate another year but we don't regret holding back a year. His Pre-algebra curriculum was invaluable because it covered many geometry topics as well as basic trigonometry and it really solidified his foundation. Furthermore, his writing and computer skills are more advance now and more equal to the task of geometric proofs and mathematical software.

I'll just mention that I know quite a number of people (myself included) who have been admitted to and completed degrees at competitive four-year institutions, without high school diplomas. That being said, we're planning to transition ours into full-time university with community college coursework first, as a way of both maintaining challenge in strength areas and demonstrating college readiness without requiring a diploma.

Of course, I also don't believe that attending a flagship state university instead of an elite private will necessarily be shortchanging their educations.

Thanks for the info re: AP Calculus AB and BC.. I grew up and went to HS overseas, so all this AP stuff is alien to me!!

I know at the HS she will eventually attend they offer AB and BC sequentially and they are both one year courses... not sure if there is an overlap between the courses content wise.

Thanks for sharing your child's experience. I also worry a bit about some gaps she may have in geometry but was reassured by the middle school that is should not be a problem... I hope so!

Hmmm, that gives something to watch out for.

In some schools, an AP Calculus BC covers the two halves, with the first half being equivalent to AP Calculus AB.

In some schools, an AP Calculus BC covers just the second half, with the first half being covered in AP Calculus AB.

In the first case, it is definitely a mistake to take the two courses in sequence.