Help with struggling math student's freshman HS course selection

Parents Forum
1

My oldest son will be in 9th grade next year. His math tests come in very low. With a special ed teacher helping him stay on track, he’s doing OK (passing, B or C) in 8th grade math. The high school has three math tracks for 9th graders → algebra 1 (low) geometry (middle) or algebra 2. (high).

The trouble I see is that if he takes algebra 1 his freshman year, he won’t have an opportunity to take algebra 2 in high school. That’s a problem. I’m told that he might be able to get it in a special way, but I don’t feel like we can bank on that option being available.

I have found an algebra tutor and can have him work with this person 2x a week through the summer. Would you enroll this kid in the Geometry track and support with tutoring, or go with the lower Algebra 1 track (and support with tutoring??)

My son may also take a study skills class (40 minutes) and they have a flex time period at his school (30 minutes). I am wondering if he needs 2 study halls. It probably wouldn’t hurt for him to have that extra time at least in the first semester.
There is also a math extension elective available that we could also sign up for.

Thanks for any advice. This kid will likely go to college, or at least, we want to keep his options open while he discovers what he wants to do in the future.

2

What are the high school math sequences, that he wouldn’t get to Algebra 2 in high school? Freshman year Algebra 1 is probably the most common math track to be on; in my kid’s district, you can get all the way to pre-calc from there. Even the kids who struggle with math take Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 1.5, and then Algebra 2 as seniors.

3

The “low” track is laid out like this:
Algebra 1 > Analytic Geometry, and after sophomore year there doesn’t appear to be clear options. They seem to have an integrated math and science 1 and 2 class, and some math electives like intro to statistics, intro to calc, technical math, pre-calc 1 and 2 (these are in the middle track) and quantitative reasoning.

I’ve heard of Algebra 2 as being an indicator of college readiness. I feel like my son should be positioned to take it.

4

At typical high schools, the normal non-accelerated math track is:

9th: algebra 1
10th: geometry
11th: algebra 2
12th: precalculus

What is the math track at your high school?

5

It’s not clear why he couldn’t get up to algebra 2 starting with algebra 1 as a freshman? The typical sequence is Alg 1, Geo, Alg 2, Pre Calc. When I went to high school, I doubled up Alg 1 and Geo the same year to get through Calc because I couldn’t take it sooner.

I’m have a BS math major and I tutor math for high school students. If he is struggling, I would not rely on summer tutoring to push ahead. It’s much better to have the concepts really cemented. Math skills are often developmental and that “click” may happen at different ages for different people. It’s why some adults returning to school suddenly find getting through math at a CC not a problem on their 2nd go around after struggling heavily the first time. Who knows? He might be lighting the world on fire with his math skills in a year or two.

That said, they may not click for others. Has he been evaluated for learning disorders? Dyscalculia is a common diagnosis in kids that struggle with number operations.

I might use some summer tutoring to cement pre-algebra skills. Maybe some out of the box problem solving to really cement the concepts. A tutor that is very hands on with demonstrating concepts visually may be helpful? That seems like a better use of time for a kid barely getting through 8th grade math with special ed teacher helping.

No matter what happens, your child can go to college if he wants and has options.

6

NEVER try to push more advanced math than your child can handle. The normal sequence for HS math is for freshmen to take algebra one. My son’s district found that even some who had done 8th grade algebra (one year ahead of the norm) were best off repeating the course as HS freshmen. It is best to get a solid foundation, not attempting any shortcuts.

Is your son ready for algebra 1? Needing extra help in his math now may mean he should still be in a prealgebra class- but it doesn’t seem as though your district offers that.

The regular sequence for HS would likely be algebra 1, geometry(trig), algebra 2, perhaps advanced math as a senior if a student really wants it. Some students may benefit from more prealgebra before starting the algebra 1 class. This would still get one through algebra 2 if desired.

Mom- will your son still need special ed services in HS? If he is eligible for them take advantage of what your HS offers. It may be that your son is unable to do math as well as most students. It is better to meet his needs than to try to fit him into regular classes. I know of a girl, now grown, who slipped through the cracks because of doing mainstream math and never could learn it like she might have if they had identified her special need in this. The fact that the school is currently helping your son means he should continue to get the help he needs to learn what is useful for adults. Sometimes extra help during the growing years makes a huge difference- consider the various reading problems. Math learning differences may not be as recognized.

Finally- you need that discussion with his guidance counselor and perhaps teachers involved in his math class. They know him like we cannot and they know their system.

7

What were his math skills like in 3rd and 4th grade? I’d start there. As many long time CC’ers know (sorry to bore you all again) I was the poster child for terrible math student. I was always in the lowest track- which I didn’t know at the time, usually meant I got the worst math teachers. I was bad at math and I hated it.

Fast forward to grad school- I was required to pass Calculus to start my program. I gritted my teeth and showed up the first day of summer session and sat in a lecture hall filled with other “terrible at math” people, from a wide variety of grad programs-- all with provisional acceptances- first we needed to pass this class.

The professor was phenomenal- I had never had a great math teacher before. He started with first grade math (literally) and every day we plowed through arithmetic, fractions, percentages, how to calculate the area of a triangle-- all the stuff good math students cover off before high school. We worked through trig, we did algebra-- and by the end of this intense summer of “everything you should have already learned in math”, we completed a semester of college calculus. The class was loud and the professor jumped around to music and was a captivating performer.

It was pretty incredible. I got an A (my first A in math in my entire life) and best of all- I learned I didn’t hate math. Some things came easily once they were explained; some things were difficult but after drills and homework and review sessions I understood. And calculus was phenomenal- just interesting and cool and weird and fun.

So consider that if your son struggled this year in math, his problem may go way back. The incredible math professor had techniques that I had never seen before- for example, an entire module on fractions which didn’t use numbers… I remember him drawing a picture of an elephant on the board to teach numerators and denominators and percentages (trunk- numerator; entire elephant, denominator… and everyone who went to the board to demonstrate a concept had to draw a chunk of elephant. It was ridiculous- there were 30 year olds in this class- but damn- I’m good at fractions!)

Maybe a summertime review class for your son, especially if it can be fun and hands-on and not feel like schoolwork, rather then traditional math?

My own kids were all terrific math students and loved math. I saw the kinds of teachers they had- gifted, fun, out of the box math instruction. I never had that- the “dumb” kids in my schools got the boring teachers who were clocking time until they got their pensions. If I’d built things out of marshmallows and gum drops and straws (to demonstrate angles) I would have loved geometry also!

Try to remember when his difficulty with math started?

8

Neither of mine are great math students. S19 was on a fairly accelerated tract in middle school, but moves and curriculum change (thank you Common Core eye roll ) he ended up re-taking Alg 1 as a frosh and Geometry as a soph in HS. His ACT math splits were never spectacular, but he got into a really great school. Just focus on what he’s best at, and maybe get a little bit of help where needed (sounds like you already are). I wouldn’t push for a tract he may not be ready for.

9

What track does the Resource team at his middle school recommend? Provided that track meets admission requirements at the public universities in your state, your kid is fine.

Completing Algebra 2 is not a magical signal of mental development that shows that a student is ready for college. Algebra 2 is just the level of math skills that is approximately what would be needed to handle the demands of first year college courses in majors other than engineering, physics, or math. Even if it turns out that your kid doesn’t make it through Algebra 2 in high school, but meets the high school’s graduation requirements, and is otherwise capable, there are plenty of colleges and universities that will be happy to admit him, and that will offer a semester or two of remedial math to prepare him for whatever math graduation requirements they have.

10

Thanks for all the replies, I am starting to feel better about having him take Algebra 1 next year. My oldest has ADHD and some mild learning disabilities, with school anxiety and working memory issues, but he’s capable of learning. His math scores in elementary school were average, and he fell to below average in middle school (part of this may be that a different, more rigorous test was adopted). I will check with guidance to make sure that my son has opportunities to progress in math over high school. My son loves science, and he will likely need a lot of math and some math help if he goes in that direction. That said, he does not have defined career plans at this time and that’s OK.

11

I would say to look into two paths:

  1. algebra1, geometry, algebra2, statistics
    Or
  2. algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2a, algebra 2 b (also called 1.5 and 2).
    Path #1 is the regular math path for students aiming for non stem majors. Statistics can be replaced with Precalculus for strong algebra2 students who want to major in economics or business.
12

Those beyond algebra 1 course paths should be left alone until your son reaches branching points. Definitely follow advice of your school teachers, GC because they know your son. I will never forget my gifted son’s problems with memorizing those arithmetic flash cards as a young first grader. He excelled in HS math and went on to an Honors degree in math at a top tier school. However- math is a brutal field (the math GRE has 900, not 800, as the top score) with top students from all over the world vying for top schools. I hated science as a HS freshman and chose chemistry for my undergrad major. A lot of changes in store- getting a solid foundation worthwhile instead of trying to push ahead just to be in the top classes.