Grade retention in 8th grade

<p>First of all, it’s quite unusual to get to even a first course of physics before 11th grade. Most STEM students will take bio, then chem, then physics. Second of all your comment about SAT1 is just wrong. There’s no reason you cannot learn physics as a junior because of the SAT. That’s ridiculous. My daughter took her first physics class as a junior and she took the SAT also. No problem. Those were far from the most difficult things she did that year. Also, you aren’t going to find more than 2 years of physics in US high schools. There is no 4 year physics program. Also, it’s probably good to take physics and differential calculus at the same time. Taking calculus first requires a certain amount of self-teaching of physics which made calculus harder than it had to be for my daughter as she finished it before starting physics.</p>

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It may not take a huge pile of money to send your son to a highly competitive prep school-- just a medium pile of money. For families earning less than 85k, prep school could be free.</p>

<p>These schools have endowments rivaling those of top colleges and give VERY generous financial aid:
<a href=“At Elite Prep Schools, College-Size Endowments - The New York Times”>At Elite Prep Schools, College-Size Endowments - The New York Times;

<p>Hey, it’s just an option to add to your other options.</p>

<p>I also wonder why you can’t take physics and the SAT both junior year. I’m guessing OP is thinking of test prep classes. I know those are common in some circles but really? This kid got a 670 as a 7th grader for goodness sake. Is this a kid who needs lots if prep or a kid for whom the SAT is a big deal?</p>

<p>I find it telling that the OP says her son is a good kid because he follows his parents’ direction…</p>

<p>There’s our answer about who is driving this bus.</p>

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<p>I don’t see the problem with taking physics in 11th grade. It is not like a student who is good at physics and math needs to spend 24 hours per day to cram-study physics and SAT reasoning test taking skills.</p>

<p>Yes, some students may need to study SAT reasoning test taking skills, but I don’t see why that should be too big a deal for a smart student who can do such studying efficiently, and who is already getting high scores on the SAT reasoning test in 7th grade.</p>

<p>Said it before, I’ll say it again- making sure a 7th or 8th grader goes to the library, reads for pleasure, occasionally reads a challenging magazine article (New Yorker, Economist, Atlantic) is the best test prep in the world. It’s free. No need to ruin a kids life in 11th grade by cramming a bunch of random vocabulary words into his brain if he’s been reading challenging and fun literature for the last few years.</p>

<p>OP- you may not believe me, but thousands of kids are accepted into highly competitive colleges every year without ever taking a single SAT prep course. They’ve taken the PSAT sophomore year; like your son, they may have taken it in middle school so they know what the test is all about. Your son is likely to do very well on the math section with zero prep based on his current score.</p>

<p>For gods sake, take him to the public library and find some fun books he wants to read. You’ve just added 200 points to his verbal SAT score 4 years from now with no expense, no stress, and no time-consuming prep.</p>

<p>My kids weren’t geniuses, but they loved to read and their standardized test results showed it.</p>

<p>Just get a test prep book and spend some time working in it during the summer(s). No need to waste time and money on test prep classes. No reason the SAT has to impact junior year academics at all.</p>

<p>OP, it’s clear your native language isn’t English, and I’m wondering if you misunderstand the school district’s policy for your son. It still seems very unusual to me that they would deny him placement if he’s mastered the material and can demonstrate this by taking one of their tests or a state standardized test, or with a grade from a reputable online source such as Stanford. Surely they must offer placement to transfer students, so why not some of their own who have studied elsewhere. Is it possible they said he would not get credit, and you interpreted this as meaning he would have to take the class?</p>

<p>Wow his while high school life planned out…how lucky is he.</p>

<p>And 4 years from now the kid will come on here and ask for ways to talk to his parents because they’re screaming at him for “only” studying 5 hours a day for the SAT, or how to tell them he doesn’t actually WANT to take every AP course his HS offers, or how to explain that he wants to major in music…</p>

<p>^ Or how to convince his parents he has no interest in HYPSM, but wants to apply to quirky LACs all ranked below 25. :eek:</p>

<p>This site needs a “like” button. ^^</p>

<p>Or maybe he might want to study literature or art history…Or become a plumber, baker or candlestick maker…either way it would be nice if he had some say.</p>

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<p>If he likes physics, he’d better like math (I don’t mean you said he disliked math). Most problems in physics are solved by representing the problem in math, solving the math problem, then interpreting the math result.</p>

<p>I don’t see anything wrong with planning his high school classes as long as the plan reflects the boy’s interests. Interesting that people who go on a site where people spend so much time obsessing about planning for college would think it’s weird to make any plan at all for high school. But I do have to wonder, if he’s doing so well in math, why are you asking him to do extra math work? Classes like algebra 1 usually have more than enough practice for a bright student to master the material.</p>

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<p>How about something more fun & dramatic like</p>

<p>Vikings:</p>

<p>[Horrible</a> Histories - Literally: The Viking Song - YouTube](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qSkaAwKMD4]Horrible”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qSkaAwKMD4) </p>

<p>:D</p>

<p>1) extra math work: e.g. math Olympiad/Mathleague/Mathcount/AMC. Mathcount team members spend more time than him on it.
2) Yes, I like the idea to combine math and physics together.
3) He likes reading very much.</p>

<p>“I don’t see anything wrong with planning his high school classes as long as the plan reflects the boy’s interests.”</p>

<p>Except that it DOESN’T. This is OP’s plan for what OP thinks is the magic formula for her son getting into the right college. The KID isn’t asking to take every AP course his future HS will offer, OP is doing the planning for him to do so. I look at my kid’s options too. But we work TOGETHER on her plans and options. Sounds like here OP’s a little fuzzy on the “together” part.</p>

<p>The OP has stated several times that his son loves science, especially physics. Perhaps that is wishful thinking on the part of the OP, but unless we hear directly from the son, I don’t see how you can say the son isn’t interested in science and just being pushed into it. We haven’t heard one way or the other if the kid wanted to take those science AP classes. </p>

<p>As the parent of a kid who also started high school very interested in science, it was obvious to plan to take lots of science APs. What else would you suggest, medieval French literature? Mine is now a senior taking 3 science classes, including AP physics which wasn’t in our original plan (because I didn’t think it would be so useful for her to take 2 years of physics without calculus) but she enjoyed first-year physics so much she decided to add it. Not every kid who takes schedules like this is forced into it by their parents.</p>

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<p>Seems like the library should be one of his favorite places. And there should be science books, as well as books on many other subjects, there for him to read. Let him choose what he reads on his own – this will help him develop his own interests.</p>

<p>And yes, students who are “merely” in calculus as seniors in high school do go on to eventually get PhDs in physics and other sciences at well known top universities. Some even went to not-very-selective state universities for undergraduate (e.g. Arizona State). There is no reason to make your student’s attendance at a US high school into high-stakes super-stressful 24/7 preparation for a gaokao/IITJEE type test.</p>

<p>But being interested in science doesn’t = taking every AP class the school ever offered, nor does it mean taking math a grade or two ahead because somehow that’s seen as the only possible way to study for SAT’s AND take the rest of the classes OP thinks the kid needs. Kid also likes reading-OP isn’t lobbying for kid to move ahead in THAT.</p>