I was wondering if anybody had a suggestions as to which programs I would be able to use over the summer, in order to skip Algebra 2. If these programs are cheap, or offer some type of financial aid, that would be amazing! TIA!
I know someone who was very happy with a program at Peddie. He attended as a day student – not sure if there was a boarding option. Probably not cheap!
@futurereject37 - If you are strong in mathematics, it is very easy to skip over Algebra 2, so long as you put the work in. My child did it using a combination of old textbooks and the www.ixl.com program early in elementary school.
However, based on what we know now, using courses from www.artofproblemsolving.com would have been by far the better choice. Courses at that level generally last about 4 months. The textbooks and exercises as well as the students involved (all online through their forum) are at a different level from any school. And I mean any school.
I would suggest Intro to Algebra B as the appropriate course. Check out the syllabus and “Are You Ready?” worksheets here: https://data.artofproblemsolving.com/course-docs/descriptions/algebra-b-description.pdf and https://data.artofproblemsolving.com/course-docs/diagnostics/algebra-b-pretest.pdf.
You can check here if you already know the material by trying this worksheet (if you do, I suggest AOPS “Intermediate Algebra”): https://data.artofproblemsolving.com/course-docs/diagnostics/algebra-b-posttest.pdf.
AOPS is awesome. The smartest math kids in the entire world are right here in the United States, but up until fairly recently they couldn’t find each other. Two out of the last three International Olympiads have been won by US teams and it’s all thanks to AOPS. Check it out, and good luck!
We have had good results with the Johns Hopkins CTY online math programs. They include videos, a weekly support group session and an instructor that is available via email and phone, as necessary.
One thing to consider - you may want to ask the head of your school’s math department as there may be specific classes that they recommend and will approve for credit/acknowledgement of your ability to advance.
Definitely check with your school on what they will accept or if you can take a placement exam/final to prove mastery of Algebra 2.
AOPS is a great program (not cheap, but they do have summer programs - specific times for lectures/questions each week). CTY has self-paced and fixed time classes - you need to qualify for the program with a standardized test. ALEKS was used at my son’s school and he was able to complete Algebra 2 & Geometry in one year working at his own pace.
I second (third?) AOPS! As an aside, ds and a BS friend realized that they had been in the same AOPS class in middle school and had played some after-class rounds of on-line chess against each other.
Thanks for the helpful suggestions everyone! I’m definitely going to look into AOPS and John Hopkins CTY.
I second Johns Hopkins CTY. They have several good self-paced courses, as well as summer instructor based courses that would work.
My son really loved the summer Algebra II class at NMH. He received a generous amount of financial aid too.
I should add that my son is now a student at Peddie. He really loves it there and thinks all his teachers are great. I don’t think they offer a boarding option for the summer though. NMH offers a boarding option for the summer.
I would suggest mapping courses against each other if you are going to skip a year. Would be unfortunate to skip then the student finds they have holes later. Also, some kids can skip multiple courses. Not sure it’s always a good idea. Like most things, it depends on the student.
Cheapest way, if you are willing to do the work is studying on Khan academy and then taking CBA. Worked well for me. Good luck!
I always say this but I wish people would NOT skip a year of math. What’s the rush!? Concepts and skills learned up to Calc are so critical and you never know what might be missed or not properly sink in and bite you down the road OK… am stepping off my soapbox now. Best of luck. 