If your student is choosing between +2 and +3 acceleration, the decision should mainly be based on student interest. +2 is already advanced enough that further acceleration is likely to be valuable only to students with a strong interest in math – i.e. those who want to learn as much math as fast as possible so that they can have more time to learn even more math after finishing off the high school math sequence.
1 Like
I am confused by this. So are you saying no one that you know of gets accelerated past +0 without these things? past +1? +2? Our schools (public and private) figure all that out by teacher assessment or in -school testing, there are no outside classes needed to make it happen. I have never heard of that until much later on, to add to enrichment of already accelerated kids who just like math for fun. Even my +3 was due to the 4th grade teacher and elementary math specialist calling us in for a meeting–she and the other couple of kids never did anything other than go to school. Maybe it is because acceleration is done young here, typically before entering 5th? I am not saying there is anything wrong with it, I am just surprised?!
No, we switched earlier after middle school. The biggest pushes we saw were in math classes in the public school where parents saw the value of getting their kids into the honors/advanced track but the kids weren’t capable.
By high school, my kids were in a school where no amount of signing or dancing was going to get you into a math class you weren’t suited for. And they don’t do a Calc sequence. Kids take Calc AB or BC. Never both. We looked carefully at math programs and asked a lot of questions. Kids will end up +3 and +4. One could have advanced more but had no interest, the other had an interest but also takes many other tough classes so it wouldn’t be wise.
I would go off-line to get more specific.
Right. Before my child enters middle school and before I discovered CC 
I didn’t know acceleration or gifted program all that.
Not only there was no one in my kid’s elementary school doing acceleration or AoPS or anything it was not allowed. I remember my child was so bored that I asked teachers to provide challenging materials but teachers simply told us, my child should just study from Khan Academy. At that point, we realized school is failing us. We moved after pandemic, and it is completely different world. And now we were surrounded by lot of families pushing their children really hard…
2 Likes
The 4 sending districts of my son’s large public regional high school each tested kids in 5th grade to select kids to be on the +2 track ending in multivariable calculus. My son is just a college freshman now, but has seen many benefits from the advanced math placement already.
-his summer freshman seminar which emphasized mathematical writing was recommended for “students who have already taken calculus and are interested in pursuing the mathematics major”. The class was a fast-paced calc 2 class with an emphasis on writing proofs, which provided him a relaxed quick review of Calculus BC. But, about half of the class did end up dropping the course. Learning mathematical writing prior to the start of college gave him a big advantage with linear algebra and discrete math this first year.
-he was well prepared to start his freshman year with a linear algebra course which led to him being selected this second semester for a guided reading independent project where he was paired with a graduate school mentor to learn knot theory, an advanced math topic.
-he was able to start freshman year in upper level physics courses, which required calculus 1&2 as prerequisites, when he placed out of the general physics mechanics class.
-he is registering for both abstract algebra and real analysis next year as a first semester sophomore which will allow him to take more advanced courses and be involved in more advanced research earlier, and possibly take graduate math courses as an undergraduate.
-having placed out of Calculus, and other gateway courses from his high school AP scores, has provided him more open schedule time to be able to consider double or even triple majoring.
-the smaller high school advanced math environment taught him great study habits, the importance of attending office hours, the importance of study groups for problem sets, and has made him excited to learn as much math as he can.
-completing discrete math as a freshman allows him to start taking the upper level computer science courses, with calculus & discrete math prerequisites, sophomore year.
1 Like
Saw this graph of the percentage of HS graduates who have taken calculus:
https://twitter.com/james_s_murphy/status/1491840573233405959?s=21
1 Like
For children who are fluent in Math. Is it really beneficial to accelerate (i.e. finish Calculus BC in 10th, so this would be +3 track). What if they don’t plan to study Math or CS? Some college credits were discussed here but as I understand not all the AP credits will be considered (such as AP Statistics).
So what are the benefits besides satisfying intellectual needs?
- Does acceleration save time for other subjects in HS?
- Is it helpful/important for math competitions?
- Or is it more competitive to show acceleration on college applications?
Does not save time – you need to show 4 years of math.
Not helpful for math competitions
Could make you more competitive for college – this really depends.
Helpful if you are going into physical STEM or Math or maybe even Econ in college.
2 Likes
For choosing between +2 and +3, probably not much difference – the student should choose based on strength of interest in math.
Going from +0 to +1 has the largest benefits (beyond satisfying intellectual needs) for the largest subset of college-bound high school students. Each step of acceleration beyond that tends to give diminishing returns on benefits and shrinks the subset of students who benefit.
2 Likes
In Minnesota we have the UMTYMP program at the University of Minnesota which kids can test into in middle school. It provides opportunity for very accelerated math beyond what any public or private schools offer. We chose not to go that route because my kid had many other activities, and getting them to the U of M after school several days a week would have meant quitting so many other activities, including competitive dance.
Also it’s for the student truly seeking course rigor, similar to high school kids who participate in PSEO at the U. Because our high school gives zero bump for PSEO/dual enrollment, kids including UMPTYMP which they stay in through high school, with the most advanced math in the state for their age, all other things being equal, will always rank lower in class rank and have a lower GPA than someone who maxed out at AP calc BC or even AP calc AB in high school. They truly need to be in it for the learning and course rigor because even with all As they could be top 5-7 percent in class but not top 1 -3 percent. Such is the weirdness in MN. Will some colleges see this and recognize it regarding admissions and/or scholarships? Some will, some won’t.
1 Like
I don’t believe +2 is the norm anywhere.
1 Like
Since both our kids showed interest in physical STEM, and since I’ve come to believe that math plays a strong role in at least three of the most lucrative professions (engg/tech, finance, possibly consulting, and possibly more if you simply think of math as analytical skills), we just didn’t pull back either of the kids. They did whatever they could. This strategizing between a slow path and a fast past was not even a thought. They asked us each year to sign the course enrollment form, and we did. The only things I discouraged were summer courses to skip classes. Math majors also do well on the LSAT 
2 Likes
I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Some kids are bored by repeating things they already learned. So whether they go into math or go into something else, they shouldn’t have to sit through repeat material because the curriculum is too slow. Likewise, for kids who struggle math can be slowed down to a pace that works for them.
1 Like
That was the main one in our family. But it also makes sciences easier, can be beneficial for specialized research/Summer math programs, math team etc. I’m not sure pursuing the path is useful to “impress” colleges. Colleges look at what was available and what the student took. Calc is enough for college purposes.
And there are many, many majors beyond CS and math where a strong math background is beneficial.
The answers are no, no, and no.
Taking calculus is considered by colleges to signal rigor. Anything beyond that is not of much use for college admissions.
I am not sure we really know that. At least this is not obvious to me.
3 Likes
I agree; it may depend on the school/curriculum. For ours, +2 opens the door for more AP stem classes, allowing a path to the hardest courses for those who want them. +1 can take them, or most, but not until later, so in theory it could make a difference. In practice I suspect the difference is small. +3 provides (here) negligible increase in flexibility/opportunities and likely makes zero difference for admissions partly because it is rare and not available every year, so it isn’t seen as “more” rigor at all. We are still glad we did because the small increase in flexibility allowed 2 extra math electives in the first half of HS that wouldn’t have been allowed early without the extra year ahead.
1 Like
I don’t know how it works in other schools. But, let me make an argument and see what you think of that. Our 140 sized class (private) produces about 50ish T20 admissions. I haven’t even counted GTech CS and things like that in the mix. I did not count UMich – technically those are not T20. That is 35%. I would contend that is above the national mean. Maybe above the surrounding public school mean. I would attribute that squarely to course rigor. More is better. We may not like it. But that’s what it is.
1 Like
I’d attribute that to being a specific kind of private school.
2 Likes