Middle School Education In The Us

In addition to what BB and jskls said:

No problems. Middle school is a good time to try out band/orchestra. Child and parent can decide if child will continue it in high school. Some also change instrument after a semester or year. Taking band/orchestra in high school means they cannot take another elective (in most schools). Typically, in HS, band/orchestra continues for 4 years. So, one period each day is taken up by that. And sometimes, that can mean child cannot take an AP subject that requires two periods daily. Varies from school to school.

Around the start of 8th grade, it is better to take stock of where child stands in writing. If needed, get outside help, and continue that year long, regularly. For reading, check around March/April of 8th grade.. ask the teacher how child is doing. Check what kind of help, if any, child needs. Teachers can suggest good resources. For my child, who is not a very voracious reader, I use two websites: ReadWorks.org | The Solution to Reading Comprehension ,
Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events These are to improve reading comprehension, and to have him accumulate examples, events, and some opinions, that will be needed later when writing essays. If we had time, I would have liked him to also work on a vocab book -- 10-20 words each week.

SAT/ACT score can be needed for some summer camps in the summer after 8th, 9th (such as those offered by JHU-CTY and top universities). It can also be a good practice without the pressure of having to score well. IMO, unless planning to use the score for something like a summer program application, it is overkill to take that exam in middle school. Prep work - the reading, writing work mentioned above covers it. For math, doing good in school math is sufficient.

Nothing. If foreign language is offered in the middle school, take it. Either they can skip a year of FL in HS, or they get a headstart. If child struggles in foreign language, only then external help need be taken. When choosing tutor, choose one who will help child master the FL as it is taught in school. And to score well in school. Learning a language is a vast ocean. Child cannot master everything. For example, excellent spoken fluency or being extremely good in conversational Spanish/French/Mandarin/Korean/etc is not needed.

In most school districts, there are set paths and exams for child to be placed in accelerated/honors math or to skip a year of math. Find out that criteria. Follow that and help child prepare child for that exam/test. Being in Gifted Math program might or might not mean being placed in the appropriate math level. Here is one school's process for accelerated math: Testing/Assessment / Middle School Math Credit by Exam for Acceleration (without prior instruction) If your school's is something similar, then it is a math test worth considering. Typically, the later you test, the harder it gets. That being said, if child is sufficiently challenged and not bored with regular grade level math, stick with it.

General disclaimer: If parent or child is very keen on child getting into a top-10 or top-5 college, then, maybe a little more rigor and prep is needed starting from 7th grade itself.

 

@IL_Admin, this is a very useful thread BhumiBabe has started, and it is getting good questions and responses that will be help many parents. Can it be made a sticky thread? Thanks.

 

@Rihana - Thanks for the tag. You've so much to share yourself. I generally get information from you. I don't think I have any new inputs when you are around

@Induslady - I teach my daughter math so I can answer your math question. Now this is completely TX based. I'm not sure how other states work. Getting into honors math usually happens when they transition from 5th to 6th. It's usually recommended by the teacher and has to be based on MAP scores and class grade.
If the child gets recommended it's one grade level ahead. So yes some kids do Algebra 1 (pre Algebra)in the 8th grade.
Now some parents choose to have their kids CBE(Credit by exam) a math class. If the child is already in honors math, end of 7th grade they write an exam equivalent of Algebra 1 finals (regular not honors) and skip Algebra 1 in 8th. They start off with Honors Geometry 1. According to me CBE is a bad idea. I could never teach an entire year's Honors Algebra 1 curriculum with daily assignments/tests etc the way it's done in class. I could teach someone to pass the CBE exam with emphasis on passing the exam but then the high school math teacher tells me they have a hard time in the Pre Calculus class because they haven't sat through an honors Algebra 1 class. If the kids CBE they are essentially learning two grade levels ahead and according to me it is not necessary. My pet peeve is not having integrated math. So many things overlap between branches, it makes no sense to do it one at a time. Private schools have integrated math/science and was one of the reasons I wanted my DD to switch to a private school in HS. She decided against it and is happy where she is.

IB vs AP - We let her decide. She was very clear on why she chose IB. I prefer the regular AP HS but in our state the AP workload is much higher than IB. It's the reverse in NJ and a couple of others. The schools do offer sessions on both and kids and parents get an opportunity to visit both schools and then make a decision.

From a middle school perspective, our focus was to make her as independent as possible. We worked towards self advocacy and diplomacy. A lot of honors courses etc are based on teacher recommendations and I feel the kids have to learn to be street smart and build some kind of rapport with the teachers.
Regarding advocating for the kids, each child is different. I'm sure my son will need me to go do it for him. In her case, we just got her to resolve issues with coaches and teachers herself. We just gave her tips on how to talk to the teacher and what to tell them etc. She is very impulsive and impatient and we are hoping by the time she gets to college these skills are honed.

Foreign language is a must to graduate HS in TX. They need three yrs of it in HS. If they do it in middle school, they have Spanish 1 splint between 7th and 8th grade. They will require only two more years of language to graduate. They always have the option of doing all three years in HS.

Band/Orchestra/Choir and moving between these are all possible in MS. If they find their true calling they can even continue it in HS.

Debate/theater are good ones to try in MS. It's a nice way of knowing if you want to pursue it in HS.

Athletics - Mine played two sports in MS and is now playing one in HS. If the kids are athletically inclined then it's a good option to use to try out the various sports. HS sports teams are competitive so the recommendation is to play with a private club to maintain endurance and get into a HS team. I'm not a fan of these coaches but my kid lives for their approval and so she does what she has to in order to stay in the team. If kids aren't playing sports they do need two years of PE in MS and a year of PE in HS.