<p>I’m going to try my best…this school is pretty much fanatic I hear into letting students change track. You simply have to have straight A or A+ in every single test and quiz! How is that even possible! What’s more disturbing is to stay in honors track the students need to keep just 83%! I hear so many parents take their children out right before high school only for this reason and all these children I hear are doing excellent just like your daughter! I’m so frustrated!</p>
<p>@saugus - do public schools let students take as many AP/honors courses as they choose?</p>
<p>I’m just a parent and I’m facing a wall!</p>
<p>Restrictions of AP class enrollment has been discussed at our school for as long as I’ve worked there (20+ years). The previous years teacher, in the students subject area, can suggest to the student what level they should take, but in the end if the student wants to take an AP course we let them. As a result, every AP course, every year has a couple of kids who really don’t belong there, however it is there choice. For “class rank” purposes we give an extra 11% to the final grade in AP classes to reflect the added rigor. I’ve always believed that students should be given every opportunity to “rise to the occasion” and test themselves (after being honest with them about how difficult a class may be for them)…if they fail they are the only ones who suffer consequences.</p>
<p>My younger kid was tested into HL IB math and physics, but she decided to take lower level instead because she was taking HL for all of her humanities courses. She didn’t want to have to struggle in math and physics, and have less time for other classes. As a humanities student, by taking lower level math/science courses didn’t hurt her. If your kid wants to take higher level courses, just make sure he/she could still get good grades.</p>
<p>^^^^
It really depends on the public high school. My high school functioned sort of similarly to yours in the streaming process.</p>
<p>In junior high, they selected 30 kids to be in Algebra 1. Everyone else went to Pre-Algebra. If you were “recommended” by the teacher, you would go to Algebra 1 in 8th grade. If you weren’t, then you would go to “Algebra A,” basically a coloring class. That was the vast majority of people. It was a completely idiotic process.</p>
<p>We also linked the math track with the science track. So basically, there were these streams going into ninth:</p>
<p>AP Biology/Honors Algebra 2 Trig</p>
<p>Honors Biology/Honors Geometry</p>
<p>Biology/Geometry</p>
<p>Biology/Algebra BC</p>
<p>Remedial Biology/Algebra A</p>
<p>I took the most AP tests in my school’s history (16), but that was only because I relentlessly bullied everyone in the administration.</p>
<p>@csdad - I feel the exact same way! If the students want to try I don’t think they should be held back! Specially when the student has an A in the course and A average in the tests/quizzes. It simply is not possible to have solid A & A+ in every single test! He has A in his honors English, almost 100% in history, Mandarin and computer science. If a honors student gets lower than 83% in tests/quizzes the school has a policy to move them in lower level. I really don’t see why they would not let him even try! I’m so frustrated!</p>
<p>@oldfort - my son so far is showing interest in computer science. He started his own Computer Game Development Club at his middle school. He loves it! It is very important for him to be in math/science! If he couldn’t keep at least 83% he will be moved to the lower level anyway! Although I do believe he is fully capable of keeping good grades we’ll still find out once he is in the honors track. If he simply couldn’t keep good grades he would come back to his track. He understands it. I really don’t see any problem. There are so many frustrated families that left this school before high school just for this reason!</p>
<p>@saugus - 16 AP courses! wow! very commendable!! :)</p>
<p>My son’s school also has same type of policy with science and math. His science teacher told me before he could recommend him for honors science next year he had to take his math placement in consideration. It really is an idiotic process!!</p>
<p>I looked at all the madness around middle school placement and put my kids in private middle school, a very tracked, very preppy middle school. </p>
<p>The elder is very smart and would have been slowed by classes committed to giving students “a chance to rise.” Bottom line she needed to be challenged to grow to her potential as did all the kids in her classes. The younger is smart, but shy. She never would have competed for senior year calculus in the public school, but in the private school all students are on track for calculus, either AB or BC. She has to work hard, but she will take Algebra 1 in 9th grade.</p>
<p>I don’t know why the public schools seem to be unable to deal with tracking. I’m especially angry–as a tax payer–that certain people can get special placement for their kids. I have a friend who works in the school who strong armed her child into AP history; the child has serious learning issues and was on an IEP for 7 or 8 years. Needless to say the child had to drop down, but whose needs did any of this serve. . .</p>
<p>^^
Well, have your kid take the test. If that doesn’t work out, are you really sure that you can’t just bully the administration into putting her in the honors track? Assuming she can handle the material, of course.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about what your school district is like, but in my area, those people were mostly bums who just wanted to avoid conflict. It was very easy to push them around. Obviously, they resist at first and say “Oh, we can’t do that, sorry” but if you get nasty with them then they quickly shrivel up.</p>
<p>He will apply for challenge test. They will decide if he can take the challenge test or not since he doesn’t have solid A/A+ in every single test/quiz. Although he has an A in the course. </p>
<p>My son’s school is also a very preppy school, middle school tuition is like private universities almost. I don’t see the point of paying so much money to a school that will forcefully hold him back just because he is not meeting their superficial requirement for placement challenge!</p>
<p>Dear Techy,</p>
<p>I can’t see paying for a private school that doesn’t work to maximize a child’s potential either. Is this the first time you’ve had this problem? Do other parents have the same complaints?</p>
<p>I hadn’t realized it was a private school, and knowing this now, I’m a bit surprised their grades are so high, especially in the requirement for placement. One would think that they would want a bit of transparency about how students are doing. So for example in math, they might have really hard tests that spread the kids out so that they can identify who is solid in what concepts and who can manipulate the concepts to solve really advanced problems. My high school girl works hard to stay in B+/A- land, but has a math SAT of 710. She’s been pushed and developed.</p>
<p>I had a typo in my post; my shy middle student will be taking Algebra I in 8th grade. It has been interesting to see her struggle with multi-step Singapore math problems, finally grasping them and developing her math mind in ways that surprised me.</p>
<p>Have you considered summer work? Taking a course over the summer may force their hand.</p>
<p>Dear Mamilion,</p>
<p>It actually has been a problem for some and theses families have taken their children out to a different high school. From current track my son will be in Algebra I (regular) in 8th grade whereas his honors peers will be taking either Algebra II w/Trig or Geometry (honors)in 8th grade. There are some very talented students who cross-grade will take Algebra II w/Trig or Geometry in 7th grade. My son actually is ready to take Algebra I honors in 7th grade and is very capable of handling honors load. It’s the school’s ridiculous policy to keep A/A+ in every single test/quiz that makes it too hard. As if they have already decided not to let these children go a level up!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>So if the definition of passing is being able to progress to the next level – the kid fails the course with an 83?</p>
<p>I am not sure what planet this is coming from. Ran into the same thing with our middle school. And when my child was told he was failing the course with an 81, was it any surprise that three months later he had a 61? This was 7th grade in public school.</p>
<p>By the way, that child is now at Cornell.</p>
<p>… with an A in the course they are saying he is not qualified enough to move to the higher placement. I don’t know what planet are they from either!</p>
<p>You’re paying them money (tuition) and you still can’t force them to put him in the higher track?</p>
<p>My son took all honors except honors geometry in 9th grade. He also didn’t qualify to take it. He switched to honors track in math as a sophomore and I don’t think anyone noticed that one class wasn’t the most challenging available. He got into Cornell. I think your son should try to take it over the summer if he can if he will be totally off track without it. I was told that a kid should be taking calculus as a senior - this was for NYU and Wash U. Not necessarily AP Calc but Calculus.</p>
<p>I was advised also to have him take geometry in summer before 9th grade. I hope he can also at one point can be placed in honors! Thank you.</p>
<p>@Saugus - No, they are very rigid about it! We’ll still fight with the administration…see what happens!</p>