<p>Oh, the online/virtual summer program is very well established at the school. In fact, they offer enrollment to surrounding school districts, and it’s extremely popular. Except they only offer two kinds of courses: 1) credit recovery (for kids who fail a basic course) or 2) a limited number of “for-credit” options which only include one-semester, half-credit remedial math and remedial reading, health and art history. And amazingly, “iPhone, iTouch, iPad Programming.”</p>
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<p>Considered this, but I don’t think I’d want him to try to test out of an entire year’s geometry classroom work, since the SAT is heavily weighted toward geometry and algebra.</p>
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<p>Yes, it’s a scheduling issue. They block the whole morning for those two plus an Honors Interdisciplinary course. Only an option for 10th graders.</p>
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<p>Except for this rigidity in the math curriculum, his school district is actually quite outstanding. Consistently one of the best in the area, in the top 15% of the state, and they have an impressive commitment to incorporating technology in the classroom. Anyway, I am not too keen on home schooling, and it’s not a viable alternative for our situation. </p>
<p>I think the options are starting to crystallize a bit:
Take an Honors Geometry or Geometry course over summer between 9-10, somewhere else (CTY, Community College, other school) and make sure it counts for credit.
Take Geometry and Algebra II (honors or plain) concurrently in 10th grade.
Get the prerequisite waived every time he wants to take an honors science course.
Take less advanced science courses or put them off until 11th and 12 grade.</p>
<p>I think #2 might be the most realistic, based on others’ experiences. I agree with everyone who says that it would have to be accompanied by a huge dose of self-motivation by my son. I plan to point out the problem a few months before next year’s scheduling window and let him mull it over on his own.</p>
<p>I didn’t read all of the posts, but whether it counts for credit or not shouldn’t matter if your son keeps taking math classes. You just want to make sure it counts as a pre-requisite. Most kids I know take summer classes at community colleges to move up.</p>
<p>“whether it counts for credit or not shouldn’t matter if your son keeps taking math classes. You just want to make sure it counts as a pre-requisite”</p>
<p>This is a very good point. I will keep this in mind when discussing options with the school. Thanks!</p>
<p>Check out Florida Virtual School. You can take almost any honors or AP (or regular for that matter) course, although languages are limited. In state it is free. Out of state the tuition is not horrible. You can start a class year round at any time, although once started there is a timetable that one must meet to consistently do the work and stay on task. He can add a class in addition to current classes or complete over the summer. The credit associated with FVS is accepted by any college as high school credit, and I can’t imagine a district in another state not accepting this. If he takes geometry, which he can take concurrent with Alg I or II, and they don’t accept credit, they still have to let him go on to trig/precalc or calc. And if he needs 4 Math credits he will still get them. </p>
<p>FVS has quite a reputation, and if he takes geometry, you just appeal to the school board. They really can’t NOT give him credit. Check out flvs.net. Check out their accreditation. They offers any and all courses but they do not grant diplomas. That is why other school districts out of state generally accept their credit. They are legit. My daughters used flvs to get ahead. Even their AP classes have good reps.</p>
<p>Even if planning a math-ish career, not having calc in high school may not be an issue. My friend’s S attended a hs with no AP classes. As an engineering major, he took calc 1 first semester, and lo and behold, the class was in the regular engineering sequence. He wasn’t starting out at a disadvantage. I guess that puts me in the “don’t sweat it” camp. I’d never encourage a kid to double up on math unless he just loves it. Wouldn’t want that year to be known forever after as “hell year”.</p>
<p>True. But I think we’re both less concerned about reaching Calc in Sr. year for the sake of admissions or for a math career, and more concerned about its limiting effects on options in science.</p>
<p>Thanks for the link to FVS. Interesting information. I did look at the geometry option as that is what my son is considering through virtual summer school here. At FVS, Alg 1 is indeed a pre-req for Geometry, it can not be taken co-currently. It is a 32-36 week based course.</p>
<p>I think a meeting with the guidance councilor and the head of the science department is in order. You might find that they do make exceptions for situations like your sons. In that case, there is really nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>You might also want to consider going a bit out of order, and seeing if your son could take Algebra 2 over the summer. This is more likely to be taught in community college classes, and should be more doable in a short period of time as a fairly large portion of Algebra 2 is just a review of Algebra 1, so that part should be easier to get through. And Geometry isn’t necessary for Algebra 2 anyways. Also, you might want to check out EPGY - they structure their classes so that it’s self-paced. They’re kind of expensive, but since you only pay for every 3-months you take, shouldn’t be too bad if you’re planning on doing this during the summer.</p>
<p>But if your son is planning on doing a major that requires Calculus, I would strongly encourage getting him some type of exposure to Calculus before entering college. A lot of people take Calculus in college even after taking it in high school, and especially if the class is graded on a curve, your son would be at a great disadvantage with just a pre-calculus background.</p>
<p>It is not always possible to take Geometry and Algebra 2 simultaneously.</p>
<p>In the schools that my kids attended, the Geometry course included a substantial introduction to trigonometry, and a knowledge of this material was assumed in Algebra 2. So Geometry really was a prerequisite for Algebra 2.</p>
<p>The simplest answer, in my opinion, is for the student to stay in the math track he is in and take the courses in the regular sequence. Then, if there is some reason why it would be a problem for him to wait until his freshman year of college to take calculus, he could take it in the summer session at a local college during the summer after high school graduation.</p>
<p>We used an online math course to correct a poor placement for our S between 7th and 8th grades. The school allowed him to retest at the beginning of the school year, and he was placed in the correct class–where he proceeded to get As, so it was indeed the right place.</p>
<p>I agree with others that doubling geometry with algebra seems like the easiest solution. You are lucky you don’t have an integrated math program, then you really would only have summer school as an option.</p>
<p>I had Algebra 2 back in the early 70s, so as far as I know it’s been pretty standard curriculum for a long time.</p>
<p>This happened to me in middle school too. This enabled me to buy the math books and work on them by myself just for fun through the highschool, although I could not master most of the topics (I could not take heavy math classes because my HS program was on the humanities track).</p>
<p>I have a bold proposal: Buy one or both of these books and let your son work on them by himself (if and only if he really wants to do it). If he can get through the basics and some easy problems in the books then it’s worth a lot more than taking algebra I/II and geometry in HS. I can also take the online classes that use books starting in March. The books are cheap, so it’s OK if it does not work out with him.</p>
<p>If he’s not that keen on the math and wants to take honors or AP chem, how about following the school plan for the math and taking the honors or AP chem on line (or taking general chem at a local college)?</p>