What matters most is that she is learning at a pace that’s good for her, challenging and yet not so difficult that it presents problems. Who cares what everyone else is doing. In our area, different towns have different courses Freshman year. Some start with Geo, some start with Alg I. I have learned that in CA, many schools differentiate in Middle school so kids can often skip a year or two ahead. If those kids then enter high school they will be several years ahead of the “norm” But, if a kid is strong in math and doesn’t have that option, that doesn’t mean they can’t end up as a math Phd down the road.
Having a strong math foundation is very important. My oldest kid chose the subject level class this year so there would be no gaps. Still has learned a lot. My younger kid skipped a grade level and is also being challenged. Different strokes for different folks. Will they end up in the same place? Who knows. But that’s not what it’s about. It’s about being challenged and having a solid foundation.
Although you qualify for a higher level class ( Alg I instead of Pre-Alg or Pre-Calc instead of Alg II), it doesn’t always mean you should take it. Some kids breeze through math and others need more in depth attention. In the end, they might end up in the same place. Or they might not.
I would look at the curriculum for both classes you are considering, factor in her possible long term interest in math/science and go from there. Remember, if your kid feels they have a gap or wants to accelerate, there are always opportunities to double up or do something online in the Summer. Plus there is a very good chance your daughter will take a major in college that requires very little or no math at all.
I agree that it depends on the child, the school, and the individual situation. Our dd’s school started tracking for math very early (elementary school) so algebra in middle school was pretty standard but the foundation was already there. Benchmark was high to get into the class and stay in.
We switched to a private HS in 9th grade and DD had to test into H geometry. Many students did not pass the placement test and parents were up in arms. The math chair held firm that if they couldn’t pass the placement test, they were missing fundamentals, and refused to move them ahead. The option was to double up on math in 10th grade and then be at the higher level by 11th. None of the kids who didn’t reach calc in 12th grade struggled to get into colleges. Many still got scholarships and some went into STEM fields.
My only caveats:
-A B+ of higher in pre-calc and concurrent enrollment in AP calc were pre-reqs for AP Physics C at DD’s school. There was still a physics option but not C.
My dd's HS was on the smaller side - 225 kids/grade. There was generally only one period per AP course offered. There was an assumption on what other classes students were taking, so scheduling was successful for the majority of students. Some of dd's friends who were not in the advanced math track started having issues junior year getting the AP sciences to fit into their schedules. My daughter had trouble too because she was ahead in Spanish and her entire schedule wouldn't work junior year.
We immigrated to the US just before HS, from a country where math level did not allow honors algebra in 9th to be an option. To get to calculus by senior year GC suggested a summer school, but strongly recommended algebra in class because of the need for a strong foundation (as others have said) and SS geometry. (District offers free SS with different classes for D/F make-up students & first timers like D19 looking to “jump” ahead - I don’t think all districts do this?) D19 reached pre-calc by junior year as planned, but then decided to do statistics rather than calc in senior year as she will be following a social sciences rather than stem track at college. Just got admitted to NYU, her dream school - I was a bit worried that the no-hons math track would be an issue, but it wasn’t for her. Of course, this path wouldn’t have got her into stem at a tippy-top.
@CCtoAlaska The kids who take the three science areas in two years are the honors track kids and they take an AP science or two after that.
@3SailAway This high school has a strict progression in their classes, especially math and science. You are not allowed to take any AP sciences until you finish math, chem, and physics and up through pre-calculus in math.
It’s also possible to drop down from honors but once you start on the regular track you cannot move up to honors. That is part of the reason why I’m taking this decision seriously. Once D starts she may never move up. We went through that with another child. She started out in the regular math/science track but in geometry/biology rather than algebra/physical science. The placement test actually suggested honors algebra 2 but we though geometry was a good enough start. From the beginning, her teachers thought she was in the wrong placement being in the regular track and that she should be in honors, but because she had started that way, there was no changing as it was a very strict policy.
And that would be the minimum for every HS that offers AP Physics C. But that is the only class in a typical HS that would require calc, and AP Physics C is generally populated by the gung-ho STEM kids anyway.
That can be an issue for many kids at smallish high schools who have a mix of on-level vs. higher (or lower) level courses. A kid advanced in a foreign language may similarly find being unable to accommodate APUSH or AP Lang due to scheduling conflicts. No student (or parent) should have any expectation that the dream schedule will always be possible.
Also, a strong showing in Algebra is likely to get her farther than a lower mark in an accelerated course- and hold her back less than not having Calc in HS. IF calc in HS turns out to be important- you will have a better idea in 3 years time, during Jr year, a summer course can solve the problem.
Anecdotally, my physics kid who started Algebra 1 in Grade 9 (same as @SJ2727, school changes limited options) did just fine.
My D took algebra in 8th grade as part of a middle school IB program. Most of the kids in the program were the high achievers. D didn’t feel the teacher was very good. We moved before 9th grade and SHE made the decision to repeat it (and was put in the honors class). Loved it. Best decision ever for her as she got a really strong foundation. Had we stayed in the same school system, I think she would have moved on to geometry in 9th grade and I don’t think her math foundation would have been as solid.
So in hs she had algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2, pre-calc and doubled with statistics. She also took physical science and the teacher said she should move to bio, but it was 3 weeks into the year and she didn’t want to do that. It was fine. She took that physical science, bio, chem and physics. She’s now an engineer, so yes, it was ‘okay.’
That’s how it was in DD’s school as well. There were five math tracks and very easy to move down, but next to impossible to move up. I can understand the dilemma because the decision you make now does have lasting ripple effects.
@momofsenior1 That’s exactly it. Starting in algebra will mean no chance for calculus or statistics (the school requires finishing precalc in order to take statistics) and no AP sciences. If the school allows and she wants to double up, she may get to calculus or statistics, but it might be too late for any AP sciences if she is required to start in physical science because of the algebra.
Our daughter started in regular college bound algebra in 9th grade…which was the regular not accelerated sequence. She never took an honors math course…and believe me…she was plenty able to do so.
@MACmiracle It might be worthwhile to research supplementation options - is tutoring offered at her HS or privately (which might be important if her health issue causes her to miss some classes)? Have you looked at the content on Khan Academy? My kids have used it as a resource for many topics in the math sequence.
I agree with @GloriaVaughn - see how your daughter feels and it’s easier to drop down a level than to move up.
My D did algebra in 9th, geometry in 10th, and then algebra 2. No precal or calculus, no stats, no APs. She didn’t score as high in math on her ACT as her other sections, but she did get into colleges- 5 total and that stopped with her ED acceptance to her first choice school last night. My D is a writer who is interested in languages and linguistics, so I guess the schools accepted that she was a bit lopsided.
Seems like your high school is doing students a disservice by effectively closing off the possibility of moving from the regular to the honors track. That also suggests that regular track students will likely have to take lower level college math in college since they will not be ready for calculus (“college algebra” is usually precalculus without trigonometry).
Similar comment here. Based on this policy, it is probably better for her to start in honors, since starting in regular is an irrevocable decision that closes doors and leads to a weaker foundation for future math (and statistics, physics, economics) courses.
Some high schools around here have a policy that the honors math course prerequisite is either a B in the previous honors math course or an A in the previous regular math course, meaning that students can move between the regular and honors tracks based on how well they actually do in the most recent math course, rather than being fixed into tracks determined by middle school placement.
@MACmiracle by the time my youngest got to middle school at our parochial school, Alg 1 was “the” math for all students. The school had a new Algebra teacher and she just wasn’t as good as the one she was replacing (retirement). He is young for his grade, struggled, had a tutor, but managed to get an 85. So, he moved on to Geometry in HS. I tried to get him to repeat Alg 1 his freshman year but he felt being new to public school that people would think he wasn’t smart if he was in Alg 1 in 9th grade (he now sees how ridiculous that thought was). He was adamant that he would be fine. Well, I wish I had overridden him. He had to work hard in Geometry and Alg 2 because he wasn’t as prepared as he would have been if he repeated Alg 1. He had a tutor all 4 years (Geo-Calc) and earned all B’s, with the exception of a C in Alg 2. There was a lot of angst. In retrospect, he wishes he had repeated Alg 1 in 9th grade because it would have reinforced concepts that he would need in subsequent math classes. Bottom Line: 9th grade Algebra 1 is fine!
However, she should check whether her college has a math or quantitative reasoning requirement that will require her to take precalculus, calculus, or statistics in college. (Statistics may be the most useful option for her interests, even if it is not required.)
@lastone03 I wonder how it being parochial school affected it? I had math to 10th grade in parochial school and learned almost nothing. When I switched to public for Algebra II, all the kids were a couple years ahead of me. I flunked, needless to say. That was awhile back but sometimes school culture sticks around way too long.
They are doing so many disservices to high performing kids.
The school has decided that graduation rate is the school-rating metric they’re most able to move, and “a class called Algebra 2” is a graduation requirement. Passing the state standardized Algebra 2 exam is not a graduation requirement. College Algebra is not considered remedial by our public university system.
Graduation rate is also why the school decided to cancel one of my kid’s year-long core subject AP classes mid-year, and have the teacher supervise students doing online self-paced credit recovery classes.