I'm an incredibly mathy person, and to be honest, I would go nuts with that schedule. Algebra II and Geometry are two different subjects altogether, but they are both math. I think ping-ponging back and forth with a class one in one subject, then the other subject the next etc would be just simply annoying. I think that for kids who are very good at math and catch on to the concepts quickly, compacting Algebra II into one semester and Geometry into the next semester would be an a-ok way to accomplish this.
My other hesitation would be simply - why uber-accelerate in math unless you are seeking higher levels earlier in other subjects? I think math is always one of the first areas schools grab when looking for ways to accelerate because it's extremely quantifiable and easy to see that students go from point A to point B to point C so there's not much to think through in terms of acceleration. OTOH, those same bright kids who are being uber-accelerated in math might really be better served if they are offered the same level of acceleration in other areas of academics if they aren't kids showing an interest in math/science as a career. Several of the kids I know in high school here have taken AP Calc early... and it's always bewildered me *why* because they are kids who have no earthly desire to ever step foot in a math or science class again.
OTOH, my ds is all about science - that's his area of passion. He's taking a high school science class this semester (outside of his regular school) for fun. He's wanting to take AP and/or college science when he enters his first year of high school in 9th grade - and he's got the brains for it. Right now he's in Algebra 1 in 7th grade, and there is one kid in his school who is taking Algebra 2 in 8th grade... so ds saw that and, on his own, asked us if he could take Geometry this summer so that he could take Algebra 2 next year in 8th. I don't have a problem with that type of acceleration - he's capable, he asked for it, and... being ahead in math *will* help because it feeds into the accelerated science classes he wants to take. But if he was a kid who was more interested in art/history/etc and his school told us they wanted to accelerate him another year in math simply because he was capable, I wouldn't jump into it. Especially if it meant giving up an elective!
polarbear
