Algebra Regents Coursework in 8th Grade

Hi all. Hopefully someone can help me or has had the same problem. My 8th grade son attends a small catholic school in NYC. He is very advanced and has always scored in the top 99%ile of all standardized tests (NYS Math/ELA, Terranova, recent SSAT). His school does not allow 8th graders to take the math regents (9th grade Algebra). He is working independently in math on Khan academy (he things trig is fun:). Is there a way for him to receive the course credits other than through his school? There are local schools that do administer the math regents in 8th grade, so I would be able to get the test. Just not sure about the class credit. Thank you!

I’m not sure about class credit but I would check with the NYC DOE to see how they manage the Regents regarding homeschoolers. It sort of is like your child is homeschooling himself in math and so may be able to take the Regents in the manner that it’s given to homeschoolers.

Are you aware BTW of the practice Regents tests available online? Just google for them. They have several years’ worth available and your son can practice those before taking the “real” one. Also I think that there was a change in how they were graded and/or the content. My kids were going through school as the change was filtering through and so sometimes had to take both the “old” and the “new” tests, sort of thing. Just be aware when he’s practicing that there may be a difference in earlier years compared with later years.

It seems you are asking about course credits that the school awards and the school cares about to fulfill graduation requirements. You need to go to the school for your answer. Be prepared for pushback but have evidence of what other schools do to assist your case.

I suppose the reason you might want to take the Algebra regents in 8th grade would be to test out of 9th grade Algebra and place into a higher level class, either Geometry or Algebra II. New York public schools typically hold regents in June and again in August, where the summer exam date is mostly for kids that did not pass the first time around and took summer school. If you intend to send your son to a public high school in 9th grade. I would check with the high school if they let him sit this school year for either the 2019 June or August regents and what the requirement would be in order to place into the higher level high school class in 9th grade next year. A strong math student might even consider sitting for both Algebra and Geometry and directly placing into 9th grade Algebra II, check out the EdX.org GeometryX and AlgebraX courses for preparation. The advantage of math accelerating at this point would be the ability to take Calculus either at 11th or 12th grade.

There’s also a January Regents.

Thank you for your response. We are unsure of high school at this time. My problem is not in finding somewhere for him to take the exam, it’s how he can get course credit. It seems that he needs both the course hours and exam for high school credit.

@CJMX2MOM : I would not worry about high school credit as long as your student manages to get placed into the appropriate advanced level course in 9th grade.

For example, if getting an acceptable high score in the Algebra I regents end of 8th grade, the high school sequence would be Geometry, AlgII/Trig, Pre-Calc, AP-Calc, which are four years of math credits. Taking both regents and placing directly into AlgII for 9th grade potentially opens up multi variable calculus for senior year.

My understanding is that NY requires passing one to three math regents test for graduation, however the actual high school class credits can come from different math courses. One might want to double check this for NYC, however taking the NY regents test for math placement when transferring from private middle to public high school worked for us exactly as described above. We are in a school district outside NYC, so it might depend on the individual schools districts policy. Also, the NY state graduation policy might have changed since then.

I would agree with this. Placement to the next level in the sequence should be the focus. Particularly is he will be attending a Catholic HS (or any non-public), the credit will likely be meaningless as the school will probably still require X units to receive a diploma. And if they require 4 units of math, chances are that he would still need 4 units of math, which he should still have even if not the HS requirement.

NYC DOE Academic Policy For Middle School (page 17) or NYSED (Part 100.4 for middle school) Part 100.5 (high school)

If the school does not teach an accelerated course, and Op’s son takes the regents, son will have fulfilled the regents requirement, but will not receive credit for the course and most likely will not accelerate to the next course.

In addition, because student is sitting for Algebra, even if he takes the regents, the student is not eligible for credit by exam . (NYSED part 100.5)

Homeschoolers are not required to take NYS regents exam. Any credit awarded would be at the high school’s discretion

My suggestion is to take the Regents exam and if he does well, approach your high school about giving him the credit and advancing him to Geometry. Remember you are the consumer. Catholic high schools around the country generally need their consumers. If your son’s stats are so high he could probably get a scholarship to another private high school. They should work with you and individualize his program. One of the things small schools sell is the ability to individualize and work with student’s specific needs. This not only means for students who need help but for those on the high end too.

If the high school doesn’t offer the A.P. and advanced classes he will need when he gets older he will have to take them at the college level. Perhaps you are at a high school that isn’t a fit for your son? I really can’t imagine in this day and age any school wouldn’t offer algebra in 8th grade. Every public school in NYS does this for accelerated students.

He’s an 8th grader… will he be attending a different school next year? If so, then I imagine that a passing grade on the Algebra I Regents this June would transfer.

And are you sure that 8th graders are “not allowed” to take the Regents-- as opposed to a policy that simply doesn’t prepare them to take it? I would start by making an appointment with the principal or Asst. Principal to discuss it.

As a NYS resident you are allowed to take any regents via your public school. Simply call the public school guidance office and set this up. Be sure to have an i.d. to enter the exam.

I suppose the open questions are:

  1. Is passing the algebra regents in 8th grade without having taken the class sufficient to get placed into 9th grade geometry?
  2. Is credit for algebra class work in combination with the passed regents exam necessary for graduation from high school or can the class work credit hour requirement substituted with another high school level class, like pre-calc for example?

Not necessarily; a private school may have its own placement exam.

Usually the HS graduation requirements will be for X units of math, without specifying what the components of X needs to be. Some private schools may specify X units through a certain level. As I said upthread, if a student took Algebra in 8th grade, the HS requirement will likely not become X-1.

Separate from HS graduation requirements are college admissions requirements. UC in particular, is a little tricky; they require 2 years of courses in algebra and a year of geometry, but that seems to be beyond the scope of the OP’s question.

No, it is not. For NYC public schools he must enrolled in an accelerated 8th grade Algebra class that culminates in the regents and pass the exam.

IF Op’s school does not offer the course, son cannot pick up the credit elsewhere. If Op’s son comes to NYC doe, in order to receive credit, it would have to happen through a transcript upgrade where the high school will need the transcript from middle school stating that it is an accelerated math course and having the regents grade on the transcript.

The math requirement for graduation in NYS and NYC is 6 credits (3 units/3 years) math. At least one year must be above algebra.

https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/rules-for-students/graduation-requirements

The traditional math sequence is Algebra, Geometry and Alg2/ trig. Right now Op’s son will not be able to accelerate math because his current school does not offer accelerated math. If Op’s son stays at current school, and passes the regents, he will simply go to high school with a passed regents. He will not go to high school with math credit. If Op wants his/her son to take accelerated math and receive regents credit, is s/he willing to transfer son to a NYC public school that offers 8th grade accelerated math.

Maybe you should move to the suburbs. We did not find our high school to be so rigid. Our son took a summer Chemistry course in 3 weeks. When he passed the Regents our school was fine with placing him in AP Chemistry. With math A friend of his was placed in the appropriate level of math. I agree with others
Placement is more important than credit. Your kid will take four years of math.

I agree with @mathmom . By the way, I believe credit and placement for science classes tend to be more difficult to get approved because of the required laboratory time.