Highschool Math Levels

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msp1206

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Jun 23, 2020
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Hello, I am currently a sophomore in high school and I had a few questions regarding honor levels in math courses in high school. I am currently enrolled in Algebra II Honors, however, I am not doing so well and currently hold a C- in the course and my teacher has floated around the idea of dropping down to the standard level of Algebra II to those not scoring well. On the USNA admissions page, it recommends that applicants take Honors, AP, or IB courses and I am sure that would be highly suggested for math courses. Even if I did drop down to the standard level, I would still be on track to take IB Math Analysis I (trigonometry) and II (pre-calculus) in junior and senior year, but I am wondering how that will affect me later down the road as an applicant and if it will reflect badly upon me. Here is a visual of what I mean: 1603752521788.png

I know this kind of question would probably be best directed at my guidance counselor and teacher, but I would like to seek the general advice of those on this forrum before I do speak with my counselor and teacher.

Thanks!
 
Remember that USNA is a STEM-centric school — some might say the most STEM oriented of the three DOD SAs. And as USNA alludes in the website, the advantage will go to candidates who’ve taken honors, AP and IB classes. This helps ensure that the candidate will be prepared for, and successful in, the very rigorous STEM courses.

SAs want to see you take the hardest classes your school has to offer, and to excel at them. So keep plugging away at that honors class and do all you can to elevate your grade. It’s not the end of the world if you drop down a level, but avoid it if you can. Take advantage of all the resources around you to lift that grade.
 
If you are having trouble with Alg 2 and you want to go to a STEM-centric school, you need to ramp up your math. Are you doing everything you can to do well? Here are some ideas.

0) GO TO CLASS, READ THE CHAPTERS, AND DO THE HOMEWORK!

1) Go to Teacher's office hours early in the semester and Ask this question: "I know this is a really difficult class-- what are some of the common mistakes students make and how can I avoid them?"

2) If you have problems with the homework, go to Teacher's office hours. If they have any "help sessions" or "study sessions" or any thing extra, go to them.

3) Form a study group with other kids in your class.

4) Don't do the minimum...for STEM classes do extra problems. You can buy books that just have problems for algebra or calculus or physics or chemistry whatever. Watch online videos (e.g., Khan Academy) about the topic you are studying.

5) If things still are not going well, get a tutor. Your National Honor Society will have some. Or ask a teacher for a referral.

6) Read this book: How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less by Cal Newport. It helps you with things like time management and how to figure out what to write about for a paper, etc.

7) For tests that you didn't do well on, can you evaluate what went wrong? Did you never read that topic? Did you not do the homework for it? Do you kind of remember it but forgot what to do? Then next time change the way you study...there may be a study skill center at your guidance office.

8) How much time outside of class do you spend studying/doing homework? Is it enough?

9) If you run into any social/health/family troubles (you are sick, your parents are sick, someone died, broke up with boy/girlfriend, suddenly depressed/anxiety etcetc) then immediately go to the guidance counselor and talk to them.

10) At the beginning of the semester, read the syllabus for each class. It tells you what you will be doing and when tests/HW/papers are due. Put all of that in your calendar. The teacher may remind you of things, but it is all there for you to see so take initiative and look at it.

11) Make sure you understand how to use your online class system...Login to it, read what there is for your classes, know how to upload assignments (if that is what the teacher wants).

12) If you get an assignment...make sure to read the instructions and do all the tasks on the assignment. Look at the rubric and make sure you have covered everything.

13) If you are not sure what to do, go EARLY to the teacher's office hours...not the day before the assignment is due.

14) Take advantage of any "re-do" tests you may be able to take..your teacher wants you to learn the material. Future material depends on it so you need to have the foundation. By explaining what went wrong you really understand it. Take advantage of this.
 
USNA recommends honors/AP courses for those who can handle them. If you're doing all you can (see above posts) and are still struggling, you may want to take the course at a non-AP level.

You may also want to consider tutoring (recognizing there can be a cost issue) and also taking math during the summer.

If at all possible, you should try to take AB Calculus senior year. Statistics is fine as a 5th course, but does is not considered a core "math" course by USNA. IOW, it won't replace Calculus.
 
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