Instead of graduating high school, getting GED after sophomore year

Thoughts on the idea of getting your GED and instead of going the last two years to high school, use that valuable time to go to the community college?

Any draw backs that you can see? The state I am in allows you to get your GED if you are 16, if you have 16 units of high school and not be enrolled in high school. Which this young adult wouldn't be at that point, it would be between years, in the summer.

The young adult I am talking about, has taken physics and Algebra 1. This year, they will be taking geometry and trig / algebra 2. The idea here is if they can pass both courses with a B+ or higher and do reasonably well in the other classes the transition would be set to take place.

The thought is to take the GED and get a pass, back up plan is to go to high school junior year.

Thoughts?

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joelsfood

FWIW, this whole thread got me thinking, so looked at our local school district (my eldest is only 5, and we're still choosing a kindergarten, so I can only blame high school research on this thread

).

District offered 23 AP courses this year, plus additional college credit programs (Earth Science Honors and Public Service Practicum), as well as classes at our local community college technical center that can earn college credit. AP exam costs $93 and will generally get you out of a 101 level class. Fully possible to attend high school and jump immmediately to a sophomore in a BS upon graduation (or have most of an AS done).

While my child won't be facing the decision any time soon, I certainly would recommend she goes that route, and keeps the social aspects of staying in high school. Sadly, only did one such course myself (but it was a 3 hour credit for aviation technology, which was cool) back when I was in high school. But it's our job as parents not to encourage our children to repeat what we did, but instead encourage and enable them to do better. Just my thoughts on an early saturday morning

DatabaseHead

So...... Just wanted to follow up and once again thank you for the great information I appreciate it.

My daughter and I sat down and discussed some of these very thoughts and ideas. We are leaning towards completing high school for several reason. We were reviewing the potential courses; pre calculus and calculus are available junior and senior year, which she wants to bucket those together her junior year, obviously in their own semesters. They also offer Stats and another math class that she wants to take her senior year, all 4 of those are 4 credits each and are accepted by the Universities she is interested in. 16 hours right there and for one of her electives she and I want her to take personal finance which is another 3 hour finance credits. That would be 19 hours of college credit before she graduates. Not exactly the most aggressive but it's what she is interested in.

There are opportunities for english courses that have college backing and some sciences, but at this moment in time she isn't interest in biology enough to take the college version and believe it or not the advanced physics has her freaked out a little. Physics 1 was tough for her freshman year. 85% of the class received a D or C...........

This "advanced" physics course is for college credit. My question would be would is it better to take the advanced physics course and get a C maybe B or just forgo it. Her end games is a bachelors of science in Math. (She is coming around on the idea of stats as an emphasis). I've influenced that, but I don't want to be to overbearing.

dave330i

@DatabaseHead - pre-calc and calculus aren't full year classes?

HS senior level physics is a lot of Free body diagrams, some basic math and low level calculus. It's worth taking because it'll teach her how to breakdown and organize problems.

Any thought on taking some summer classes at the local community college? I did that between my freshman & sophomore year in college (2 low level required courses). It allowed me to take more electives.

DatabaseHead

dave330i wrote: »

@DatabaseHead - pre-calc and calculus aren't full year classes?

HS senior level physics is a lot of Free body diagrams, some basic math and low level calculus. It's worth taking because it'll teach her how to breakdown and organize problems.

Any thought on taking some summer classes at the local community college? I did that between my freshman & sophomore year in college (2 low level required courses). It allowed me to take more electives.

Here are the university catalog descriptions for those courses (Pre Calc and Calc).

Lindenwood University*-*MTH15200

Lindenwood University*-*MTH27200

They appear to be semester based.

***The way her school is structured, you have 4 courses per semester.....

Here all the school courses from her high school.

These are the two she is taking Soph year. (This year).

Geometry Prerequisite: C or better in Algebra I or Advanced Algebra 1A course involving the study of congruency, proofs (direct and indirect, formal and informal), similar figures, area, volume, construction, scale drawings and models, and Pythagorean theorem, a brief introduction to trigonometry and other topics with emphasis on reasoning and logic as the means of solving problems.

Accelerated Algebra II with Trigonometry Prerequisite: C or better in Geometry This course emphasizes problem solving using skills developed in the following areas: factoring, solving equations, inequalities, irrational and complex numbers, polynomials functions, rational expressions, conic sections, exponential and logarithmic functions, triangle trigonometry and its applications. This course is designed for students planning to take Pre-Calculus and Calculus.

Junior year.....

Pre-Calculus Lindenwood MTH15200 *DC* (3 cr)Prerequisite: B or better in Accelerated Algebra II/Trig.This is a pre-calculus course designed for college bound juniors and seniors who are considering further study in math or science, This course covers functions, graphing, conic sections, advanced trigonometry, sequences, series, limits and an introduction to calculus. This course will help the student make the transition from high school to college mathematics.

AP Calculus AB/BC Lindenwood MTH27100/27200 *DC*(5 cr/5 cr)Prerequisite: B or higher in Pre-Calculus or instructor permissionAP Calculus AB/BC is an Advanced Placement Course for the college bound senior who has completed Pre-Calculus with a B or higher. It is a course designed to earn Math credit for the non Math/Science/Engineering major or help the student with one of those majors have a good start on the rigors of that curriculum. Topics covered include: limits, the derived function (derivative), the integral, and applications of the derivative and the integral. This course is offered under the College Board Advanced Placement Program and students are therefore required to take the Advanced Placement Examination and have their own Graphing Calculator. Students are required to take the AP Calculus exam at their own expense. Students should expect a college-level assignment load.

Senior Year

Probability and Statistics Lindenwood MTH14100 *DC* (3 cr)Prerequisite: C or better in Algebra II or Accelerated Algebra IIThis course is an exploration into the basic concepts of probability and statistics emphasizing measures of central tendency, the normal curve and the probability of compound events. It will provide a foundation for further studies in statistics and future work in a variety of careers. Designed for the business or general studies college student.

The plan is to not have as much rigor her senior year so she can start planning which school she wants to attend. Including ACT / SAT Testing......

She isn't a bad test taker, they did the practice ACT in 8th grade I believe she scored a 24. (Not great but by the time she is a senior she should be able to grab a 27). Not Ivy league, but still able to get into a really good university. (I HOPE)

Of course trying to keep her debt down....... She has a MOST account for ~38,000 current state, clearly not enough to fund a nice University, but hey....... Mom and Dad don't kill it

That's why the effort has turned from me to the kids..... So they can self sustain and have a more fruitful life....

dave330i

@DatabaseHead - Didn't realize she was taking pre-calc & calc at a college. They are 1 semester courses. You'll want her to take Calc BC AP exam. College STEM majors don't accept AB credits (at least mine didn't way back when).

DatabaseHead

dave330i wrote: »

@DatabaseHead - Didn't realize she was taking pre-calc & calc at a college. They are 1 semester courses. You'll want her to take Calc BC AP exam. College STEM majors don't accept AB credits (at least mine didn't way back when).

I'll do some research on that. By chance what's the difference between the two from your perspective? (Bringing this up because you have a strong STEM education).

Don't mean to come off lazy, just prefer your experience on this.....

I found this, as you can tell I have never taken either one.
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-calculus-ab/course/frequently-asked-questions

Just a follow up, BC sounds like it emcompass all of AB with additional, functions, concepts etc.....

dave330i

@DatabaseHead - I remember the STEM classes for STEM majors being harder than other majors. There were more materials to learn and go deeper into each topic. Nothing wrong with learning more and challenging yourself.

[Deleted User]

I would just say stick with getting a high school diploma. It is a lot harder to get your GED than it is to get a HS diploma. Let the kid be a kid like others have said. You only go to high school once.