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So DS10 just finished 5th grade and was in 6th grade math. He was given the chance to take the end-of-seventh grade (seventh grade is prealgebra)test and scored 13 out of 20 on it, missing the last seven problems. The school is recommending he take prealgebra next year rather than algebra, partly because of the scores and partly because the schedule just doesn't work for him to be in 6th grade doing 8th grade math. DS had really been wanting to take algebra because he loves math and is tired of sitting in a class where he already knows most of the material.

So, his options are to just do prealgebra next year, which would be what all of his other math classmates will do (no one is being accelerated). Or we could homeschool him just for math and have him work on the prealgebra concepts he doesn't know and transition into algebra for the rest of the year, with an eye toward eventually moving him back into classroom instruction in a year or two when the schedule is conducive to that.

DS is unsure of which he would choose.

What would you do?

Well, I would start by making sure that he is behind whatever choice you go with. That aside, perhaps you could fill in the missing skills over the summer, and ask for them to re-assess him for placement in September.

I agree that most importantly, your DS has to be sure that he wants to accelerate and homeschool math. It is harder to be off the beaten path so it is important that he owns it. If your DS wants to do it. then go for it.

However, unless your DS is gungho about accelerating/homeschooling math, I would be hesitant with a 65% grade on the end-of-year pre-algebra test. Typically, these tests are rather basic compared to what is actually covered in the course and pre-algebra includes a chunk of elementary math review, so that 65% score probably means he knows less than half (even superficially) of the post-elementary math topics.

Thanks aeh and Quantum.

DS has spent the last year not learning any new math and has missed a total of 7 problems all year, including on homework and tests, with almost no effort. Knowing that he had been taught some "seventh grade math" during his fourth grade year at a different school, his teacher gave him the actual final exam that the prealgebra kids are given, and it was actually all algebra concepts (factoring polynomials, solving for x, simplifying expressions, negative exponents, etc.). He has had no real prealgebra instruction.

DS was very excited about the possibility of taking algebra next year. He wanted it so badly that he was really worried that they wouldn't let him. He was a little concerned that he would have to be in a class mostly with people he didn't know, but he had decided it would be worth it to finally get to learn some new stuff. He really does love math.

Now, DS is no longer sure which path he wants to take since Algebra in school is off the table. Coast but stay with friends and in school or homeschool, which would be a new concept for him.

DH and I are now ambivalent about which path he should take. We have full confidence that he would do well in algebra because he learns so quickly and math really is his strong suit. He just seems to "get" math. If we did give him some exposure to it, we feel like he would pick it up easily. We are in no hurry to move him through the curriculum (and finishing the school's curriculum two years early would bring its own challenges), but on the other hand he has never had to learn new concepts in math class or actually work to learn something new.

Because of the schedule issues we were told of today, teaching him over the summer so that he could take algebra in school in the fall is now a non-starter. The decision is really between homeschooling math for a year or two, with this year being what he doesn't know in prealgebra and then algebra, or just continuing to let him coast at school knowing that he won't learn much new for the first half of the year.

Do you know if he has a chance to take the Algebra test again? My district used to allow it to be taken again near the end of the summer, but not anymore. Too many kids being put in tutoring for the summer. Did he just choke because he was so stressed out?

How bored is his the regular math. How much busy work is the homework/classwork? What is the pre-algebra class going to be like. If it's a honors pre-algebra class there is a lot of math that could be done for enrichment to make the class more fun. My son's 6th grade class had a lot of enrichment work. Although the "try to do algebra problems" with this odd drawing pictures method drove my son totally nuts.

DS was the only student that took the end of the year test. He goes to a very small school so there is no honors track and no honors courses. There are a total of 3 kids (including my DD12) who are subject accelerated in math.

The 6th grade math he just finished was Saxon 7/6. One chapter per day. The prealgebra and algebra courses are also Saxon. There is no offered "enrichment." That would be something we would need to come up with on our own. We have had the teacher in the past with DD, and the teacher just doesn't deviate from the book.

I would probably homeschool math using something rigorous like Art of Problem Solving. If he is used to coasting and it is half as challenging as I have heard, it will be an eye opener for him. I have heard it is both very difficult and very rewarding and enjoyable for the truly mathy kid. They have an active online forum so he could find peers to talk to online about the math...

My understanding of pre-algebra is that it's just algebra-lite rather than a discrete subject that's different from algebra. I've looked at a few pre-algebra books (including the new Saxon books, which BTW, I find to be scattered and not too great), and they confirm this idea.

The problem with pre-algebra and HG+ kids is that it draws algebra out over two years, and year 2 repeats a lot of year 1.

I suggest that you consider homeschooling him in algebra. He's very young, and I wouldn't worry about what might happen six years from now. You have no idea how the school will change or if you'll be sending him to that school or if there will be more online or community college options...etc.

If you do homeschool, I recommend either the 2000 edition of Algebra: Structure and Method or a version of that book dating back to the 1960s. The first editions of these books were written by Mary Dolciani. The books are focused and offer a variety of problems ranging in difficulty from easy (oral exercises) to challenging (C-level exercises). You might also want to pick up a teacher's edition for yourself. If you find a California TE, it's the same as the other TEs. It just has some extra text about California standards at the beginning.

If they insist that you use an accredited online or other system, you might consider something that will let him just take the tests online. The Uni. of Missouri ["Mizzou"] Online High School is cheap, provides no instruction, and may let him just click through the tests as necessary. that way, you can teach him yourself out of the Brown/Dolciani books (or whatever you choose). I wouldn't recommend the Mizzou OHS otherwise, though.

I emailed talked with the APos people. When I emailed to ask what book to help my son who is in Algebra II. Their Algebra I book is actually what is normally two classes, Algebra I and 3/4 quarters of Algebra II. (No trig. in APos Algebra I) As I have the book & my son's Algebra II book, I can confirm that this is correct.