<p>Our freshman son is in Algebra II Honors and doing very well. In his school, kids take Algebra I first, then II, then geometry. The top math students double up in math, taking Algebra II and geometry freshman year. Our son said he wanted to this year, but we discouraged him, thinking he wouldn't be up to it. However, he is getting an A+, is doing extra credit, and sometimes in his spare time is doing math stuff on his own "for fun". We as parents feel we have missed the boat here....He is an ADHD kid who struggled with multiplication facts in elementary school, so we thought he wasn't "good" at math. He has pleasantly surprised us now. So, I don't know if he can double up next year, or if I should suggest he take a summer class in geometry. Or just let it go? Any suggestions here?</p>
<p>Would he be taking geometry and pre-calculus if he decides to double next year?</p>
<p>If he does want to accelerate in math more than he is now, you may want to consider the options you mentioned. If he’s the type of person who doesn’t mind doing work in the summer, taking a summer math class may be preferable (my idea is that he may feel like there’s too much taking two classes at the same time).</p>
<p>Many kids at DS’s school take geometry in the summer. It’s considered relatively easy and can be mastered in the short summer session. Then would your son do precalc in 10th grade? That is a much more difficult course and it might be tough to double up. Of course depends on your school and who teaches each course–YMMV.</p>
<p>Thanks for your replies, redshoes & SaintSaens. Yes, he is due to talke precalc next year. I don’t even know if kids can double up in geometry & precalc. I think Precalc requires geometry as a prerequisite. I will talk with our son about taking geometry this summer…if he doesn’t want to, then so be it. Thanks. Partly I am just kicking myself for not listening to him…</p>
<p>If you plan to fast track him, you may want to make sure your high school offers enough math classes for his senior year. My son is taking pre-calc this year as a freshman but will have to attend the college his senior year for a math class.</p>
<p>^I was going to say what happygal said! </p>
<p>Please don’t kick yourself too hard! You made a decision as a parent with the best of intentions given the information you had at the time.</p>
<p>Here is another alternative to trying to double up geometry and pre-calc in the same year: See if your son can take AP Stat or AP Computer Science next year in addition to the normal math class. That way, he would keep a normal progression for your school (apparently Alg. II, Geometry, Precalc, Calc) but could still be challenged by, and get credit for, some additional math-related AP classes.</p>
<p>I suspect you would need to do Geometry before Pre-calc which usually includes a lot of trigonometry. Running out of math at the high school shouldn’t be an issue. You either take math on line, find a CC college or get lucky and discover they offer more advanced math by the time senior year comes around. (That’s what happened to my older son, who was a year ahead of the normal accelerated schedule. There were three of them to start with, but several kids caught up with them by doing pre-calc in the summer so they had enough kids to offer a post calculus class.)</p>
<p>To what end? In other words, what do you hope to accomplish by fast-tracking the math? </p>
<p>My oldest is on the track your ds is on. As a senior, she’s in calculus. The course transfers to the colleges she’s considering as her math credit. Would getting to the course as a junior rather than a senior had any benefit? No, not really. </p>
<p>My youngest will hit calc by junior year. We’re going to have to find senior math somewhere (a minor hassle). I’m also more than a little concerned about college. I really believe it’s better to take courses in your area of interest at the college you attend. Sometimes, if you don’t, there are gaps, which are not fun for anybody. Will she benefit by getting done “faster”? Only if I think faster=better. And I’m not sure I do.</p>
<p>Now, I’m sure there may be good reasons to charge ahead. In my case, there weren’t. I think it’s best to move ahead with a goal in mind rather than to move ahead just because.</p>
<p>
I see no reason why you need Geometry before pre-calculus. As for doubling up, I don’t see a reason for doing that. If he doesn’t take both at once, what would he take instead - Geometry and what?</p>
<p>I was fast-tracked and was done with calc my junior year. That opened me up to double in literature my senior year. So he could double in science? Thats what my brother who was also fast tracked did.</p>
<p>You have all given me a lot to think about and to gradually to talk with my son about. I think I will sit down with him when the time comes with the high school program of studies and look ahead to what he might be interested in. Our school does offer AP calc & BC calc & AP statistics, so there are plenty of advanced math cloasses to choose from. We had thought he was a humanities kid…he is creative: good at writing & music. We shall see. Thank you all for your help. I appreciate this web site.</p>
<p>My D took algebra 2 & trig/pre calc at the same time so that she could take calc senior year. It worked out well for her.</p>
<p>Hi kelsmom, that sounds like a heavy load…she must be a very good math student</p>
<p>She’s very good at math, but it was relatively common at her school to do that. She went to a public middle school that had fuzzy math … theoretically, the 3 year middle school sequence covered the same topics as a high school algebra 1 course, but she did not pass the placement test at her private high school. The honors algebra 1 class she took in 9th grade was really good, so she had a strong algebra background by the time she doubled up. She also took physics that semester, which may have helped her understand the concepts in math that year from a practical point of view.</p>
<p>“Doubling up” with geometry and Algebra II during his freshman year was the best decision my son made. He completed BC Calc junior year and for his senior year has taken Multivariable, Ordinary Diff. Equations and now Linear Algebra for his final semester. These courses have complemented all of his physics courses. He is SO happy he fast-tracked.</p>
<p>If your son loves math and you can find a summer or online geometry course, and assuming he actually wants to take Pre-cal next fall, I would encourage him to do so.</p>
<p>In our son’s case, it has opened up doors that we never even knew to look for and has served him very well.</p>
<p>Geometry could be paired up nicely with physics, which is pretty much an applied math class. Precalc could be combined with AP Stats junior year, and BC Calc could be taken senior year. There’s little point in taking AB Calc if you’re good at math, because BC Calc includes the AB portion, which is taught the first semester.</p>
<p>He could start now with something like Jacobs Geometry and just work through the book. A student solutions manual would be useful for someone to check his work. Jacobs Geometry takes the old fashioned approach and includes constructions and lots and lots and lots of proofs.</p>
<p>My first S was accelerated in math and we slowed him down junior year (he took AP Stat instead of AP calc) , it was a good decision for him. S2 is very advanced in math and we actually tried to slow him down in 7th grade (after seeing what happened to big brother). The school said there was no other option as he passed the course final with a 100% on the first day. This is a kid we did not work with or give any extra tutoring in math–it just has always seemed to make a lot of sense to him.</p>
<p>S2 is now a senior and having to go to the local college for math (did get a 5 in BC junior year) and is miserable! Professors are great, students are great, but he is in high school. He has had to give up sports because he cannot attend practice because his college classes are in the way. This is killing him! He feels he belongs nowhere this year. If your child has any inkling to play sports or is interested in being part of his high school, think about how that will look senior year. On the other hand, if he attends a large school where moving kids ahead is very common then that is a different story.</p>
<p>Please consider the social implications of advancing your child. He will always be smart but he only has a limited amount of time to be a kid–just my $ 0.02.</p>
<p>I know colleges prefer to see 4 years of math in HS. But would they look askance at a kid with only 3 years, if the third year was AP CalcBC?</p>
<p>Our HS doesn’t offer 2nd year Calculus, and local college options are difficult schedule-wise. If it makes any difference the kid is probably looking at applying to Chemistry or Engineering programs.</p>
<p>What does your son have to give up to double up in Math? My daughter gets A+ in math without put in a lot of effort. However, I doubt that I will let her double in math( nor science) because I want her to end up taking BC Calculus in her senior year. Her HS discourages taking Math elsewhere.</p>