Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation. John F. Kennedy U.S. President

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"Should I take advanced math?"   
Some criteria
REMEMBER: We are talking about advancing an additional year ahead of the honors classes.

My personal philosophy is that students should take challenging courses, even when it may mean making a B instead of an A.  I am less enthusiastic when students make C's in advanced classes.

Parents should demand a high level of achievement from their student!

A typical class sequence for the honors classes would be:

7th pre-algebra

8th algebra        

9th geometry             

10th algebra II  

11th pre-calculus      

12th calculus

 A typical class sequence for the advanced classes would be:

7th algebra I            

8th algebra  II   

9th geometry         

10th pre-calculus 

11th 1st calculus     

12th 2nd calculus
OK, now to an answer.   This question is not as easy as it sounds but I'll try to reduce it to a minimum level:  Do you like math, are you good at it, and do you want to work hard to learn more?  If the answers are yes, yes, and yes, then my answer is "maybe."  The advanced program is for those students who want to learn more, who enjoy a challenge, and who are ambitious about their education in math.  Often, this is true for parents but not for the students.  I caution parents not to push the student along. 

Parents should demand a high level of achievement from their student!

 As you can see in the two sequences above, in taking either "honors" or "advanced" a student can meet all college entrance requirements.  There is absolutely no reason that a student needs to take the advanced curriculum.  It is an opportunity, not a necessity.   That said, many students benefit from being challenged.  I seek to let parents and students make the decision with me and with the understanding that it is always easier to fall back than to try and leap forward.

Parents should demand a high level of achievement from their student!

 Students who really like math and think that they want to study math or science may find a benefit from working through more math classes during their public education.

Taking an advanced course in 6th grade is not a lifelong commitment.  There should be an "out" option when and if the work becomes too stressful.  At that point, the student will be repeating the previous year's work.

Ask your friends how many people they know took two years of calculus in high school.

Parents should demand a high level of achievement from their student!  But, almost all students will revisit this decision each year all the way through high school.  They can be excellent students without being in these accelerated classes.

Manning math help