Class placement question

Just to be clear - I was pushing for the move because my son wants to be moved. Literally every single day I get a story about what was too easy in math, how he accidentally worked ahead several lessons and it was easy. I was the one who said maybe it’s better to start out with two easy classes and he said no, one class that was below his level was enough. He has already figured out he will not need to study for his language class, I am not excited for him to figure out he doesn’t need to study for his math class. He does not test at his level in standardized tests hence the lower placements in both language and math.

I also am fully aware that not everyone’s kid is as smart as they think they are. I have been reading CC long enough to know that it’s practically the mantra around here. I am not expecting my kid to get an A++ in every subject. But to me being able to work ahead and not thinking it’s challenging is a warning sign about level.

Also, is it only me who thinks it’s strange to have a system where the number of honors math classes quadruple from one year to the next?

@one1ofeach, I hear you. It’s hard when you feel like you know your kid best and you know that whatever the school is using to make judgements about your kid (like placement tests) may not be completely reflective of your child’s abilities and/or the full picture.

Is your child interested in getting a math challenge outside of school since he is not getting it through his classes? My child is also a mathy kid and has really enjoyed the Art of Problem Solving classes online. They are quite challenging and are intended for mathy kids.

It’s too bad when your kid has to resort to that type of online class to get a challenge, especially when you are paying to send him to BS where you expected him to get the math challenge from the school, but at this point, maybe that is what you need to do to get your kid the level of challenge he needs and maybe it will also help him be placed into a higher level class next year.

@1ofeach – your situation is lousy. No other way to put it.

Can your son join the math team? Just wondering if he couldn’t showcase his ability that way and get a challenge.

I am updating here, mostly so that other parents down the line will have a picture of things that can happen…

Math is still slow and boring. My son said they were spending so long on things he learned in 8th grade in a day. There are some drop downs from the honors section now in his math class and he has been tasked with helping them because they are “clueless” and he’s always done with work early.

I am planning to speak to the math teacher during conferences. At this point, I think the dean is a dead end but I am hoping the math teacher might let him work ahead or at least provide more challenging problems for homework. He said the other day while polishing off his homework in the car “I have literally done this SAME problem a million times.”

I continue to be confused as to why in all the other classes he has they are going at lightning pace and jamming the kids so full of memorized info but in math, the comment I always get is “the first part of the year is always review, the pace will pick up.”

@1ofeach , thanks for the update. I am crossing my fingers for you. Conference and kids having dropped down might create the opportunity to change classes.

Midterm grades are out - he currently has a 100 in math - with little/no effort. Crickets from the dean. Am I wrong that getting a 100 in a class without studying for a single quiz or test seems unreasonable?

^certainly a reason to ssee if he can take a space vacated by a kid who is moving down!

My oldest was placed in a class that was too easy for him during his freshman year. It was repetitive and unsurprisingly he was at the top of his class without really trying. During parents weekend the teacher brought up the possibility of his moving up a class but cautioned that he would end up missing some material that his current class addressed later in the year that he had never seen before. So he stayed in that class, got straight As. Our worry was that he would not get to calculus as a result however the school allowed him to take a summer course to cover a requirement and then allowed him to take two math courses the following year which put him a year ahead of our expectations. Having an easy A in math during your freshman year when a child is just getting used to boarding school can be a good thing.

My kid took the easy A Freshman year in math. As a Freshman, tested out of the second year math program but wanted to make sure that they knew the entire foundation. So took it anyway. This year math is still pretty easy. It’s not a bad thing. My kid knows they will not go into pure math. Reaching BC Calc plus one is enough in high school( and kiddo realizes that it will get increasingly more difficult in Years 3& 4). If your kid is a math kid, then I would advocate. But you should know the path your kid is on. Can they reach the math they are likely to need for their career? If not, then speak to the Dean. Getting 100 indicates mastery.
I’m surprised the teacher isn’t asking your kid to solve the problem in a couple of ways or using your kid to explain deeper contexts. Last year, the math teacher did this so my kid wasn’t bored. Often math teachers have also given my kids really tough conceptual problems to teach the same thing. Math kids love challenges.

Yes, mine craves a challenge in math at the moment. He is being asked to tutor the kids who dropped down from honors and “don’t have any idea what is going on.” I am also surprised that the math teacher hasn’t said something to him. It seems odd at a school that expects kids to get B’s to have a kid getting such a high grade with no comment. We shall see. I must say a high grade is nice to have considering he also has the WORST history teacher there is (interim with no clue what’s going on). I suppose it balances out. My only concern is loosing his love of the subject.