If your child is advanced in math, but school cannot accommodate that, what are some outside resources that you have used?
Background: My DC is currently in 7th grade, but is advanced in math. His current school ends in 8th grade, and is very small (therefore, no resources to provide math beyond 8th grade).
We’re pretty sure my DC is proficient in 8th grade math (he scored 730 on SAT MATH), and is currently working with the school to get permission to skip in-person math class, and looking for how he can do 9th grade math on his own - whether that’s via local high school (unlikely, due to scheduling conflicts), or online classes (something structured like a normal math class would be?).
Suggestions on where / how to find out what options we have?
Any other suggestions / advice will be much appreciated too!
If your school district doesn’t have its own online classes, take a look at Florida Virtual School (FLVS) flex program.
I don’t know the quality of their Algebra 1 course, specifically (we have only taken world language courses through them), but there are reviews out there. The courses are asynchronous, but students need to have scheduled meetings/assessments with the teacher over the phone.
Just make sure to coordinate with your school district ahead of time that, whatever online course he takes, they will accept it toward his requirements.
@splash1 Unless OP is a florida resident they would have to pay for the FLVS Global School. Algebra 1 as an example is $950 dollars ($475 per semester).
Does your middle school or high school have a Study Edge membership for their students? It used to go by the names Algebra Nation and Math Nation. I think that would be your best bet. They have a ton of math courses(alg 1/2, pre-calc, geometry, stats…). Schools with Study edge get a bunch of math textbooks and access to a website with real math teachers guiding them through the course. My school had it and while I did have a teacher with me, I think this would be most helpful for you. Don’t know if your school will count it as credit, but it would be a good way to self-study with a structure similar to a normal math class.
BYU Independent Study markets its classes for compatibility with most high schools and colleges (including courses that are UC A-G approved), and they’re more affordable than most other options. My daughter took geometry this way and found the class cumbersome and uninspiring, but it did the job. AoPS Online costs only incrementally more and may be worth the difference, but both are solid options.
Yeah, we do not live in FL. Also, my son goes to a parochial school, so we’re not in the public school system - hence, I’m at a loss on where to even start looking.
Thank you @aquapt - I will look into both. Does AoPS offer structured classes (with tests / finals and such)? I’ve heard of it before, but always thought it was just an enrichment type of program.
Even if it isn’t, I think there is a way to buy the materials. It’s around $50 a month for their books/websites/videos so if you can find it at your middle school or nearby high school that would be better.
Of course you could always go to Khan Academy, it’s free and is really high quality, but it’s less structured and I don’t think it counts as credits. Still a good option if your son wants to learn some advanced topics early on.
AoPS is a very good choice if he wants to be challenged.
My D also had a 730 math SAT in 7th and the AoPS courses presented her a challenge for the first time. She enjoyed the classes and instructors, ending up taking 5 of their courses.
AoPs is accredited and say they can provide grades/transcript if needed, though we did not do that.
Wanted to note that we were told our school district stopped accepting credits from BYU for some reason, so whatever things you’re looking at, OP, make sure you double check with your school and whatever high school he will be attending.
Yes, it does cost a bit and that’s prohibitive for a lot of people. My kid did FLVS through our district’s online program (they contract through FLVS for some world languages) so we only paid the price of the district’s online program which was much lower.
Kiddo’s experience was that he was much better prepared for the bs problem-based learning than most of the more advanced students, because of the AoPS approach.
AoPS. You really can’t go wrong with their classes (although they really only go up to single variable calculus with a smattering of advanced topics usually relevant for the higher level high school competitions).
I have heard good things about EMF, but do not have any personal experience with it. Might be worth a look.