Middle School Algebra Class

[Bojo]

My DN is going to be in 7th grade next year and has met the criteria to take Algebra 1 as his math class. The problem is that there are too many kids in his grade for one Algebra class and not enough for two. There are four Algebra 1 classes for eighth graders; so, the school wants to make a combined seventh & eighth grade Algebra class. Of course, my DN was selected to be in the mixed class. Would any of you have a problem with this arrangement for Algebra only?

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

My daughter was also accepted into the Alegebra program for the fall, but she will be entering the 8th grade. That is the first year it is offered here where I live. Since the concept is new, and not a review of other skills, I think you will be just fine.
I had my daughter take a 2 week algebra camp already this summer to get familiar with the concepts. A local university was offering the course, and it was worth it!

 

[Cindy B]

My childrens middle school is doing an Algebra I for 7th and 8th graders as well.

My son just finished 8th grade Alg I. I will say, that the concepts he learned in 8th grade Alg I was was I was teaching in a 10th grade Alg II high school course in the same district.

Make sure the teacher doesn't veer too much in the "advanced" area. My sons class (28 kids) had only 3 passing grades and 25 D's or F's because of this overzealous Algebra teacher.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

A Dear Relation of mine was in 6th grade "honors" classes this past year. What the school district meant by this was that she was one of the 6th graders who took 7th grade classes - except for social studies, for whatever reason. I don't know exactly how it works, but she and her BFF were in 6 classes a day together - so I suspect the school made sure that the 6th graders weren't alone in 7th grade classes. She did fine with it, her chief complaint was that "math was hard this year!" (I resisted the urge to tell her "suck it up, Barbie." She made an A in the class, but actually had to work for it for the first time in her life.)

I'm just curious to see how the school handles the 8th graders. Do they shuttle them over (one block) to the high school? Do they offer 9th grade classes at the junior high?

But yeah, she did fine - and she did 7th grade pre-algebra/algebra last year.

 

[minniebeth]

I think it would be fine as long as the 7th and 8th graders combined are learning the same material at the same time and have had the foundation math to make them ready for the algebra they will be learning.

 

[XYSRUS]

My son had Pre Algebra in 6th grade with other 6th graders, then in 7th grade took Algebra I with a mix of 7th and 8th graders. In 8th grade he took Geometry with only 8th graders. So, Yeah, they mix up grade according to skill level. I think it's great. More exposure to different kids....although they all are the "math geeks". Plus he'll always be in a mix of grade levels with math b/c they're advanced. I say don't worry. IMHO.

 

[elgerber]

Both of my kids took 9th grade Algebra in 7th grade, so I would not have a problem with it. In 8th grade, the took 10th grade Geometry which was great, because only 11-12 8th graders were in this class so it was really small and they had lot's of attention and help.

 

[clutter]

Question for those who are taking Algebra I in 7th grade. What do your kids take through high school? My dd qualifies, but then she'd do Geometry in 8th, Algebra II in 9th, Trig in 10th, Calculus in 11th, and ?? in 12th. (We're required to do 4 years of math in highschool.) Since she'll probably be going in to natural sciences, I don't think she'll need math beyond Calculus.

 

[lovetoscrap]

At our school all the high school credit classes (foreign language and math) are mixed 7th and 8th and it is no problem.

Clutter, you will have to see what your school offers. I think here they take Statistics.

 

[elgerber]

Question for those who are taking Algebra I in 7th grade. What do your kids take through high school? My dd qualifies, but then she'd do Geometry in 8th, Algebra II in 9th, Trig in 10th, Calculus in 11th, and ?? in 12th. (We're required to do 4 years of math in highschool.) Since she'll probably be going in to natural sciences, I don't think she'll need math beyond Calculus.

My son did Algebra in 7th, Geometry in 8th, Algebra II in 9th, AP Stats in 10th, he'll do PreCalc this year, and AP Calc his senior year. I don't think a lot of kids take Trig here for some reason.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

I did pre-algebra in 7th grade. There were 50 or so of us who didn't pass/take the algebra test, but we were too...accelerated...for the regular math course, so they divided us into two pre-alegbra classes. The algebra class had 10 kids in it, maybe.

I took algebra I (honors) in 8th grade, algebra II (honors) in 9th grade, and geometry (regular) in 10th. I'll take trig (regular) this year.

On the other hand, my best friend is taking calc I AP this year

 

[XYSRUS]

Question for those who are taking Algebra I in 7th grade. What do your kids take through high school? My dd qualifies, but then she'd do Geometry in 8th, Algebra II in 9th, Trig in 10th, Calculus in 11th, and ?? in 12th. (We're required to do 4 years of math in highschool.) Since she'll probably be going in to natural sciences, I don't think she'll need math beyond Calculus.

12th grade here you start college courses or can take AP high math classes. The accelerated math in middle school (Algebra I and Geometry in 7th and 8th grade) count as credits for high school.(as long as they get an A or B). So going into 9th grade my son had 2 credits of math already. And PS...don't count her out of classes higher than Calculus. These kids are really talented!

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

My son qualified also, and I said no. I believe it can be overkill unless your child leans toward the gifted as opposed to the advanced/high achiever. They are two different things - but that's a whole different thread.

Although the Algebra taken at the MS level does "count" here, kids are still required to take all four years of math, and many colleges would wonder why you stopped. We chose the route of Pre-alg. in 7th, Algebra in 8th, Honors Geometry in 9th, Honors Algebra 2 in 10th, Trig/Pre-Cal in 11th, and then AP Calc (BC - meaning 2nd and 3rd semester as they got Calc A in the second half of their junior year) as a senior. Still get AP credit for Calc. My hubby who is a structural engineer felt this choice was more than sufficient for entering a math related field in college. It has been a good choice for us, and allowed him to take honors and AP in other subjects without feeling overwhelmed. He's a good kid, but doesn't live for his school work, and he is not gifted.

Some of our friends who chose the two year advanced track are starting to regret it. Somewhere around soph/junior year, they are finding themselves in over their heads. Some have even complained that their kids were way past what was tested on the SAT/ACT although I find that hard to believe - you would either know it or not.

 

[Bojo]

Thanks for the replys; not really concerned about what future Math classes he will take - just the idea of mixing grade levels. Of course, I understand that will happen in the future, but that is a few years away.

 

[Aristomommy]

Thanks for the replys; not really concerned about what future Math classes he will take - just the idea of mixing grade levels. Of course, I understand that will happen in the future, but that is a few years away.

In DDs middle school, the 6th graders are always by themselves no matter what level math or other classes they take. In 7th grade, they can be mixed with 8th graders if they take a higher level math class, accelerated language arts, band or choir. This is done to help with the class scheduling and getting the kids used to mixed age groups in high school. Parents I have spoken with have not had any concerns because these kids are usually the academically advanced and in addition to good grades the kids need a teacher recommendation regarding study habits and motivation. I wouldn't have a problem with this type of arrangement as DD prefers "older" girls as friends for some reason.

 

[Bojo]

Thanks for the info Jenn. Its still two months away, so I wou't stress over it all summer!

 

[BrerMom]

Been there, done that. Only I wasn't asked or even notified. If DD hadn't happened to say something that made my radar, I'm not sure when I would have figured it out.

They usually pick the kids that they think are mature enough to handle being put in the same class with 8th graders in addition to being able to handle the material. In that respect, it is a compliment that she was chosen. As a 7th grader, DD was with her best friends in her 8th grade math class, the same friends that received highest honors when they all graduated.

There is also the maturity level of the classes in general. There is usually a huge difference in maturity between an advanced 7th grade class and a regular 8th grade class. (Just one example - an advanced 7th grader that consistently whines about having homework is waving a red flag that he/she is misplaced and should be in regular.)

If they had asked about DD, I would have said no - probably why they didn't ask - just because of the pacing issue. An advanced class of 7th graders will usually cover more material and get asked higher level questions than a regular class of 8th graders. DD covered close to two chapters less in regular 8th than the advanced 7th grade class. If you decide to question the school on this issue, they will say that "of course" the students cover the same information since they will use the same curriculum. If you are truly concerned, ask exactly which chapters were covered for both levels - or what supplemental material/projects the advanced class studied/did that was not part of the regular curriculum.

My friend teaches regular 7th (pre-alg), advanced 7th (algebra), and regular 8th (also algebra, using the same book). Administration considers this three different preps.

The experience didn't seem to hurt DD any. An unintentional benefit was that those 7th graders in that 8th grade class were bonded all through high school.

 

[DisMomme]

My son took Algebra I and Geometry I in Middle School now he's off to HS and will be in Algebra II Honors with 10th & 11th graders. I think he will handle it fine. He is smart and isn't easily swayed by others. He has a good core group of friends and will know a couple others in his class. The best part is that if he continues on this pace, his SR year he will take classes for college credits. I don't push him, heck, I can't even help him with his math anymore If he gets to a point where it is too much for him, academically or socially, we will have him placed in another class.

Hopefully your DN will be mixed with a group of students that are all at his academic level. They will more likely take the class seriously and it won't be a problem. He may even meet some good older kids that will be there for him in HS.