Looking ahead and planning, would love to know what is the accelerated Math course sequence in your high school?
Thanks!
Back when I was in high school:
Grade Regular Accelerated
9th Algebra 1 Geometry*
10th Geometry Algebra 2*
11th Algebra 2 Precalc/trig*
12th Precalc/trig Calculus BC
*Most students in accelerated math took the honors courses, although students in regular level math courses sometimes took the honors courses as well. Calculus BC was considered an honors course.
At that time, about a third of graduates from the high school went to four year colleges; many others went to community college.
8th: Algebra 2
9th: Geometry
10th: Precalc
11th: Calc 1
12th: Calc 2
Algebra 2 is normally in 9th grade and most people don’t get to Calc 2, or take Stats instead of Calc 1.
Calculus 3/Differential Equations is the last math course offered at the high school.
Our local high school is a typical large suburban high school that serves a diverse population (not particularly affluent). Six or seven years ago, the accelerated sequence in @ucbalumnus post was what most of the kids interested in STEM took (and the one my daughter took even though she’s not particularly “mathy”). Recently, they’ve officially added an accelerated-accelerated sequence that starts with Algebra 2 and concludes with multivariable calculus (for students who get 4-5 on the AP CalcBC exam). And they do make accommodations for the increasing number of kids who are ready for precalc/trig freshman year.
Our small high school offers “advanced calculus” as the highest math available. It’s equivalent to AP Calc AB (the kids take the AP test at the end of the year).
Our high school takes in about half of the freshman class from outside of the district’s boundaries, so kids are often at different levels of math - it’s very dependent on the school district they attended in 8th grade. We’ve lived in this district since my oldest was in Kindergarten and the district allowed him to go to the high school in 7th and 8th grade for math. He ended up taking the advanced calc class his freshman year. My youngest didn’t take it until his sophomore year.
There is a nearby LAC that they can take classes at when they top out.
The regular math sequence is Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2,Precalculus starting in 9th grade. There are college prep and honors sections of each class. Some students take Geometry and Algebra 2 simultaneously and then take Calculus or Statistics as seniors. The school offers college prep, honors and AP in both classes.
Some students start the sequence in 8th grade, others start it in 7th grade. The sequence is accelerated for those students and their junior/senior year their coursework depends on their interests.
The normal sequence is Algebra 1 --> Geometry H or S --> Algebra 2 H or S --> fourth math course. The accelerated sequence is Geometry H or S --> Algebra 2 H or S --> Precalculus H or S OR other math class --> Honors Calculus, Calculus AB (with (I think)less than a 96 in precalc), Calculus BC (with 96+ in precalculus), or other math class. The accelerated accelerated sequence is Algebra 2 H --> Precalculus H --> Calculus AB or BC --> Calculus BC or AP Statistics or, in rare cases, DE.
I go to a fairly affluent public school, and we have two accelerated course progressions, one culminating in Calc AB and the other in Calc BC. Generally, folks who don’t place into algebra in seventh grade can move up into the Calc AB track, but not BC. I chose to drop from the Calc BC track to the Calc AB track.
Regular option:
7th: Pre-algebra
8th: Algebra
9th: Geometry CPA (ie. not honors)
10th: Algebra 2 CPA
11th: Precalculus CPA
12th: Calculus CPA
Accelerated option 1:
7th: Algebra
8th: Advanced Algebra
9th: Geometry Honors
10th: Algebra 2 Honors
11th: Trig/Precalculus Honors
12th: AP Calc AB
Accelerated option 2:
7th: Algebra
8th: Advanced Algebra
9th: Geometry Honors
10th: Algebra 2/Trig Honors
11th: Precalculus/Intro to Calculus Honors
12th: AP Calc BC
We have other math electives one can take in place of some of these classes but these are the standard tracks. No one is required to take calculus, but most do.
The “normal” is
9: Algebra I
10: Geometry
11: Algebra II <-end of specific course math requirement
12: something further (usually Analysis, Calculus or Stats, there are easier/harder levels of all 3)
Most bright kids track a year ahead of that and a (growing) handful two years ahead.
HS students have access to dual enrollment at a LAC and 3 state schools for more if they want/need it.
Regular
9: Algebra I
10: Geometry
11: Algebra II <-end of specific course math requirement
12: Pre-Calc
Accelerated
8: Algebra I
9: Geometry
10: Algebra II <-end of specific course math requirement
11: Pre-Calc
12: AP Calc either AB or BC or AP Stats
A handful of kids get accelerated either by starting Algebra 1 in 7th grade or by doing pre-calc in the summer. I had to kick and scream to get my son in Algebra in 7th grade - in reality he should have done it in 6th. The high school is much friendlier about accelerating. They started offering a Linear Algebra course the year my son went through high school as they had 5 or 6 double-accelerated kids and a teacher who wanted to teach it.
The track called “Accelerated” at our high school is:
8 - Algebra 1
9 - Algebra 2 Accelerated
10 - Geometry Accelerated
11 - Precalculus
12 - Calc AB or AP Stats
That is not the highest track, though. Our highest honors track is:
7 - Algebra 1
8 - Honors Algebra 2/Trig
9 - Honors Geometry
10 - Honors Precalculus
11 - Calc BC
12 - Multivariable Calculus/Linear Algebra
The highest math track at my school is
9th: Geometry Honors
10th: Algebra 2 Honors
11th: Precalculus honors (sometimes paired with AP Stats)
12th: AP Calculus
However we have a lot of international students who take BC Calculus in 10th or 11th
regular:
9 - algebra 1
10- geometry
11 - algebra 2
12 - trig/pre-calc
accelerated:
8 - algebra 1
9- algebra 2
10 - geometry
11 - trig/pre-calc
12 - AB calc (covers calc 1 and most of calc 2)
double accelerated:
7 - algebra 1
8 - algebra 2
9 - geometry
10 - trig/pre-calc
11 - AB calc
12 BC calc (covers the rest of calc 2, multivariable calc, and a few topics beyond)
The school also offers AP stats and AP compsci.
A few students are even further accelerated than that and take additional courses as dual enrollment students.
The demand for the double accelerated track has increased over the past fifteen years or so, and students who do not begin in this can catch up by taking a class over the summer or doubling up with geometry and algebra 2.
Regular:
9 - Algebra 1
10 - Geometry
11 - Algebra 2
12 - trig/pre-calc or statistics
Accelerated: (starts in middle school)
7 - Algebra 1
8 - Geometry
9 - Honors Algebra 2
10 - Analysis (Honors trig/pre-calc)
11 - AP Calc AB
12 - AP Calc BC
I go to a small magnet high school, and it seems that every year people are pushing the boundary on what math can be taken. The current highest math track is:
9th: AP Calc AB
10th: AP Calc BC
11th: Multivariable Calc/Linear Algebra/Linear Programming
12th: Calculus Based Mathematical Modeling/Differential Equations
Our accelerated was exactly what ucbalumnus posted upstream.
We were the first parents ever in our school who declined having our kid accelerated. They were appalled. We opined that it would,open the door for someone else.
We never regretted it…and neither did our kid (who never took calculus in HS and somehow managed to get a BS in engineering on the four year plan).
ETA…the kid was an excellent math student. But DH felt very strongly that a good foundation in math was more imoortant that acceleration. YMMV depending on your school…and your kid.
Students take placement test at end of 6th grade for placement on the appropriate track in middle school. Highest track/path offered is:
7 - Algebra 1
8 - Algebra 2/Trig Honors
9 - Geometry Honors
10 - Precalculus Honors
11 - AP Calc BC
12 - Multivariable Calculus Honors
Apparently, they like to use the word Honors. One of my students was able to bypass Calc I, II, and III in college, so the accelerated path was great for him, but he is also one of those math kids that thinks it is fun (got that from dad, not me). Another one barely got through pre-calc (may have got that from me). Kids are different!
At a 2500 student Chicago suburban public HS, there are probably 20-30 students following through on this sequence.
9 - Geometry Honors
10 - Precalculus Honors
11 - AP Calc BC
12 - UIUC Netmath 241 - Calculus III (for direct college credit).
I think the first formal class of HS seniors to take Netmath was about 2010.
The Netmath class meets during the school day in a classroom with a HS math teacher that also teaches AP Calc, but its technically an online course through UIUC using Netmath homework and tests as the local HS math teachers cannot teach this class for college credit. IL has very strong HS teacher’s unions and I also have to believe it was not an option to have a certified college teacher come on campus to teach one class.
Having the enrollment in a UIUC math class during the normal school day and meeting on campus is probably the best outcome, though, as a fair number of students attend UIUC and this class then counts in their GPA.There are two 90-minute mid term tests, and a 3-hour final exam over the 9 month HS school year (although Math 241 is a semester course on campus), so the midterm scores are available during the UIUC admissions process. For IL residents tuition is $1104 and is a separate cost outside standard school fees.
7th Algebra I
8th Algebra 2
9th Accelerated Geometry
Over the summer teach yourself precalc and test out of it (alternatively, take Geometry before 9th grade and take district test to place out then prelacy in 9th grade)
10th Calc BC
11th Multivariable
12th Princeton University