No one here can tell you what Choate will accept-- you’ll need to speak to someone at Choate.
As someone who loves geometry, and loves teaching geometry, I hate all these “let me teach myself geometry to get it out of the way” threads. Yep, you probably can learn enough to pass a test-- though a 6 week timeline does not sound reasonable to me. But I think you would miss so many of the nuances that make it such a great course.
And Algebra II & Trig, done well, is probably one of the most thorough courses in a high school curriculum. Again, it’s possible to learn enough to get through a test if you push. But there are a lot of nuances in that course too.
Please realize that there’s a reason why these courses are typically taught for a full year.
Thank you so much for your wise words, @bjkmom! I have watched this thread and been increasingly disheartened. I could never teach these courses (let alone assist with a homework problem) but I hate hearing about math, or any other subject for that matter, viewed as the next bump in the road to be over with as quickly as possible in some race to who knows where. There is SO much more to all of this “prep” stuff than just getting a score and moving on and bragging rights. Genuine pursuit of academic challenge improves the mind (i.e. critical thinking skills) the character (i.e. giving it your all even when it is hard) and the brain (i.e. synaptic development). What a shame to miss out on all of that!
P.S. @Golfgr8, I can say from experience with several prep schools (over more years than I care to admit) that there has always been a math placement test for incoming students. I definitely do not know every school’s system, but these tests seem to be a common approach.
I totally agree with the sentiments in various posts regarding geometry being so important. Presented correctly, geometry will be a student’s first introduction to “real” math. For the vast majority of students who will never go on to higher mathematics, a well-presented geometry course will be their only exposure to
“real” math (meaning something other than mere rote application of algorithmic formulas and methods). IMO, it is not the place where you want to skimp.
If there is any course worth rushing, I think it’s precalculus. It’s typically presented as a confusing mish-mash of topics anyway, and is generally not even needed for a bright student tackling calculus. For instance, a basic facility with trigonometry is helpful, but the student won’t even begin to understand trig until she gets to Taylor expansions anyway, typically after an intro calculus course. Ditto for matrix operations, which are presented in precalculus as algorithms but which cannot be truly grasped until linear algebra, as well as for numerous other topics that are either small extensions of topics typically covered in algebra 2 (functions, fraction decomposition, logarithms and exponents, etc.) or are cursory treatments of more advanced concepts that students won’t “get” until much later anyway.
Not sure of my underlying point, except to say don’t shortchange geometry!
@SatchelSF I agree with so much of what you said, with the exception of rushing Precalc. Those foundations are important, even if the students don’t get the applications until a bit later. It’s kind of like the 5 paragraph essay… an intro that you’ll build on later.
I’m so encouraged by the last two posts…so nice to know I’m not alone here.
@Golfgr8, if a school doesn’t do a math placement test, they will at least have detailed forms for the student and his/her current math teacher to fill out, asking for the exact textbooks used, chapters and concepts covered, hours of classwork and homework, and grades. Placement will be made based on that info, and adjustments will be made in the first week or two if necessary. Also, there will be an extensive list of what a student should already be proficient in to enroll in a certain level of math class, with examples.
Several times I’ve posted our son’s experience trying to jump ahead in math at Choate, but will repeat for @applejuice007:
I will emphasize: Do not discount the part about learning how to participate in a Choate math classroom. You will NOT be memorizing formulas. You will be taught first to clearly understand the problem you are trying to solve. You will learn to think mathematically about approaches to solving the problem without delving first into any formulaic toolkit. After that, you will learn some methods for crafting solutions. You will understand and own how to derive formulas so that you will know not only which to apply but also why, the same way a carpenter knows when to use a hammer over a saw. I remember one Parents Weekend watching three kids go to the board and correctly solve the same problem three different ways. The rest of the class time was spent discussing those various approaches and why each worked. Very different from the match-the-equation-pattern-to-the-one-right-formula method I was taught in school.
It’s far more important that you learn to think like this than at what level math course you start or end. There are no prizes for accelerating in math. You can trust Choate to place you into the stream at the right point and expertly guide your progression.