<p>I see this thread has been around for a while, but I just found it and thought I would add my 2 cents. My child did Algebra in the 7th grade, and in retrospect I would not have her do it again. She thought math was ok but did not love it. At that time, I did a search on predictors of success in 7th grade Algebra. The one thing that predicted success was ability to do word problems. If a kid seems mature for age, LOVES math, and can do word problems well, then it is a good idea to do Algebra in the 7th grade. My daughter has lost a lot of enjoyment for math and a lot of self-confidence in math over the years, and I think if we had waited, this would not have happened. It’s not that she wasn’t smart enough, it’s just that her brain wasn’t READY. And she could have entered the Honors track in 8th grade and it would have ended up actually being better for her GPA now that she is in HS.</p>
<p>I took Geometry in 7th grade and Alg I in 7th as well, and I have a mixed opinion of it. Both classes were 1 semester each, and I was definitely advanced, but I had mediocre teachers and 18 weeks is not enough for deep understanding. I’m currently a junior and I’ll be done with several post BC calculus courses by the time I graduate, and I’ve loved the accelerated pace, but I wish I could have learned the basics better as a kid.</p>
<p>Be careful with this. I was not able to take an accelerated math because I lived overseas in middle school. As a result I will be taking calc in my senior year. However many of my friends were on the path to taking it as juniors and some have done very well, many of them have stopped along the way and are now either retaking classes like pre-calc or are taking even lower level classes. Just something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>I did algebra in seventh grade. Definitely do it if your son is up to it :)</p>
<p>@tomatoking… at my school 75% of the people were in algebra 1 or higher in 7th grade…</p>
<p>Maybe it wasn’t the material, but the teacher. I remember my friends had a horrible Alg.1 teacher in 7th grade while I had a much better teacher. Even the kids in Alg.1 better were doing better than that of the other Honors class.</p>
<p>Depends on the kid. Depends on the kid. Depends on the kid.</p>
<p>Some love it and do well; some don’t. Depends on the kid.</p>
<p>I personally LOVE math. I skipped Algebra 1 and went through Geometry and Algebra 2. I’ve gone past Calculus AB/BC and I’m taking AP Stats right now as a senior (a new class, otherwise I would have had no math senior year). For me, I loved the thrill of working with older students on intense mathematics. If you/or your child ever has this love of math, I highly recommend it. Any doubt from the kid? DONT. I’ve seen people skip over a year of math and fail miserably, and now they’re trying to get into ‘typical safety schools’.</p>
<p>If he loves it, of course! My sister took AP Calculus in 7th and AP Stats in 8th and is now in Multivariate Calculus in 9th, and this is not considered <em>such</em> a big deal at our school. My other sister is now in 6th, and taking Pre-Calculus, and took AP Psychology last year (5th). No one pushed them into it – if your son loves it, by all means, let him!</p>
<p>^whoa! and your sister’s only a freshman! wow. I hope she’s considering places like MIT…it’s great that she has such a great start! <em>jealous</em> keep this up! xD</p>
<p>My D wishes they had offered Algebra in her 7th grade class. The only problem with that is they would not have allowed her to enroll. We fought to get her into Algebra in 8th grade was told she would not succeed. Long story short she has straight A’s through AP Calc and wishes she could have taken Stat but there was no room in the schedule. She wants to be a secondary education math teacher</p>