[cngp90]

Whats up with kids having to do algebra 1 before highschool? What do you guys think about it? What are the pros and cons? Is it wise?


Cause my bro is going into 8th grade this year homeschooled and my mom is trying to figure out if he should do pre-algebra or algebra this year...

[rock_show_host]

If the student is up to it, why not? Plenty of kids are advanced enough to handle Algebra 1 in 8th grade. They certainly shouldn't be pressured to if it's not their thing though.

[monkeysmile]

Is it odd to be going to trig in 10th?

[rock_show_host]

Originally Posted by monkeysmile

Is it odd to be going to trig in 10th?

Again, in my opinion not if the kid is smart enough to handle it. I went to high school with several kids who were taking college math in 11th grade.

[Cam42]

I'm doing algebra 1 in 8th grade.

[monkeysmile]

Originally Posted by rock_show_host

Again, in my opinion not if the kid is smart enough to handle it. I went to high school with several kids who were taking college math in 11th grade.

Of course not if they can handle it, but I just haven't heard of it before.

[rock_show_host]

Originally Posted by monkeysmile

Of course not if they can handle it, but I just haven't heard of it before.

It definitely happens. I know several who've done it.

[monkeysmile]

Originally Posted by rock_show_host

It definitely happens. I know several who've done it.

Alright then. I only know one.

[bobthecockroach]

By 9th grade, I was scoring post-highschool on all standardized tests.

There are absolutely no cons to doing advanced material if you can handle it. Doing material at a lower level than you can handle is simply a waste of time.

[rock_show_host]

Originally Posted by bobthecockroach

By 9th grade, I was scoring post-highschool on all standardized tests.

There are absolutely no cons to doing advanced material if you can handle it. Doing material at a lower level than you can handle is simply a waste of time.

Case in point:

http://www.voanews.com/english/archi...TOKEN=91041646

[bobthecockroach]

Originally Posted by rock_show_host

Case in point:

http://www.voanews.com/english/archi...TOKEN=91041646

Seriously. There are plenty of cases like that.

And to answer the follow-up question before it's asked, NO, she does not have some extraordinary ability to learn which makes her accomplishment unattainable by most people. Talent is just another word for the benefits of accumulated hard work.

[Fandrew]

My school system was whack. I never took pre-Algebra, took Algebra 1 in 8th grade, got a B, and since I didn't get an A, I was forced to take it again in 9th Grade. Got a B again, then took Geometry in 10th (Got a B), then Algebra 2 in 11th (Yep, another B), then I had to take College Algebra my freshman year. This time, I got an A, not because I learned how to do algebra, but because I had memorized all the answers.

[taykey]

I think we started doing variables in grade 7... i know we did algebra in grade 8.

[bobthecockroach]

Originally Posted by taykey

I think we started doing variables in grade 7... i know we did algebra in grade 8.

You probably started doing variables a lot earlier and just didn't know it.

Problems like this are common before 7th grade:

3 * __ = 15

Really, that's a variable problem. The variable just doesn't have a name. Or you could call the variable blank.

3 * blank = 15, solve for blank (fill in the blank). Yep, variables.

[TunerSteve]

In my local school district, that's not odd at all. I would guess about 20% of the 8th grade students are taking high school algebra. Kansas now requires 3 math and 3 science courses to graduate high school. By the time many high school students graduate here, they already have college math credits.