My son is in 8th grade and is taking high school Algebra. He received a c in a marking period and may end up either a B- or C for the class. We are receiving forms on how to expunge this course. He would have to retake in 9th, which would replace his Geometry class. Which is more important for college admissions, having the higher GPA or taking higher level courses in high school? For various reasons, summer school is not an option.
This would work better in the parents forum instead of the cafe. Does anyone know hot to switch it?
Oops. New here. Sorry if I posted incorrectly. I can always repost to the other forum it can’t be moved.
Many schools don’t factor middle school classes into high school GPA. Does yours for sure? Do you think your child would benefit from retaking algebra? You could also ask if it is possible to change the class to pass fail.
They specifically indicate that it will be included in the high school GPA. We have until Aug 1, so we can see the final grade.
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I moved it
Colleges will still disregard, or greatly minimize.
The more critical question is whether your child can improve in geometry and (more importantly) Algebra 2 if he struggled in Algebra I and what resources you are willing to provide to aid improvement
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I am less concerned about the grade and more with if your son has the foundation in algebra to move on. If it were my student, I would encourage the retake in 9th.
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Thanks for the feedback. This is really the first class that has truly challenged him, as he was always able to just do the work and get A’s. I think it was a bit of a wakeup call that he has to actually put some effort into the class. This next marking period will be important, and I agree that we need to ensure he has a good foundation so he can succeed in Geometry/AII.
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My S changed schools in 8th grade and repeated algebra, it was the best decision we made even though he had an A in the old school (major difference in grading philosophy!). He did not have the foundation and was not ready for Geometry let alone Algebra 2. He is so much more confident a math student and now excels. Totally agree on repeating if he is challenged.
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I think the grade is less important than the foundation in math. Colleges will see that the grade was from 8th grade, and if there’s an upward trajectory, that’s all that will matter. That said, if he starts with Algebra I in 9th grade, he won’t be able to get past Pre-Calc in high school, which isn’t ideal. One option would be to work with a tutor from the very beginning in Geometry to make sure he’s on track. Maybe even start with the tutor a couple of weeks before school begins and brush up on the weak spots from this year’s math class.
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Depends on the school. Many in our neck of the woods doubled up on math in 10th grade so they could reach calc by senior year. And if a student doesn’t plan on studying a STEM field, it won’t matter either way.
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My biggest regret is not retaking Algebra I in 9th grade. I had an A first semester but was struggling second semester and then Covid happened so I really didn’t have a chance to catch up. I was given the option of retaking but I pushed ahead to geometry and math has been a struggle ever since.
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It won’t be ideal for a small number of colleges that require or recommend calculus while in high school, but the vast majority of colleges do not.
A somewhat related issue is that a student taking calculus the first time in college may be competing for grades with grade grubbers repeating their AP credit.
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My daughter finished up 8th grade Algebra in 2020, under Covid, and got an A, but without a lot of substantive instruction the last couple months. She did ok on the math placement test for high school but not great. She ended up retaking Honors Algebra AND Honors Geometry at the same time (honors classes on a 5 point GPA scale). She had to give up an elective, but she got an easy honors class in a retake and get a good foundation in algebra, but since there wasn’t a lot of substantive crossover with geometry, it wasn’t a problem.
She’s a senior next year and didn’t have to take a math at all since she had 4 credits, but is doing AP statistics since that is more relevant to her major and career path than calculus.
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Totally agree that a kid doesn’t have to have Calc in high school. I was thinking in terms of leaving options open to move beyond Pre-calc, either to Stats or some other kind of math. You’re right that it depends on the colleges he’ll apply to, which we can’t really know at this point.
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I would be concerned that his grasp of Algebra is not strong enough to help him do well in Algebra2 and that’d weaken his entire prospects. He could try and take Algebra2 and Geometry together in 10th grade if he still wants to accelerate.
Does the HS offer Honors Algebra1?
Is 4th quarter just starting or is the school year almost over? What is the root cause of the lower than expect grades? High test scores but student has low grades due to not turning in assignments in a timely manner? Student making careless errors on exams? Or, student not grasping the concepts?
If the student has time to raise his grade to a solid B and the low grade is due to not turning assignments or carelessness, I’d be inclined to let the course grade stand. The student may need some scaffolding to help with executive functioning, but does not need a repeat of Algebra I.
If the student is struggling with concepts, I’d lean toward a repeat of Algebra I. This time around, as the parent, I would be closely monitoring my son’s grades. At the first sign of difficulty, I would intervene. My first step would be to require the student to complete the unit on Khan Academy (or other online resource), if that wasn’t enough, next step would be peer tutoring. Still struggling, hire a tutor.
One thing I was going to mention is I have a BS Math (and comp sci). When I was in high school algebra in middle school was just coming into the picture and wasn’t an option at my small private school. So my sophomore year, I actually doubled up and took geometry and algebra 2 the same year. This wasn’t uncommon at that time for academically motivated college bound high school students.
I would also worry less about the grade and more about foundational grounding for higher level math as someone who has tutored/taught math. I think a lot of students who are good at jumping hoops and getting good grade get in this trap of math acceleration when they may have been better served by branching out to problem solving, etc to get a deeper grounding in those foundational concepts. I’d do a deep dive into why this class is hard and why this grade is lower. One thing is I think math clicking with you can be developmental. Another year or two of brain development can make a big difference and doesn’t mean a kid isn’t mathy if it isn’t clicking yet.
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I totally agree and experienced this as a kid. I struggled in Algebra in 8th grade—just felt generally lost and confused in class. Re-took it in 9th grade with no changes, and it suddenly made sense and I enjoyed it!
My son took Algebra I in 9th grade, which was unfortunately hybrid all year. Although his grades were fine, he did not have a great grasp of the concepts, which came back to haunt us this year in Algebra II.
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Note that high school statistics (AP or otherwise) and introductory non-calculus-based statistics in college typically has a prerequisite of algebra 2, not precalculus. So a student on the +0 math track (starting algebra 1 in 9th grade) can take statistics in 12th grade, preferably alongside (not instead of) precalculus.