I thought physics was a required course for IB. Maybe I was misinformed.

It would be awesome if they offered physics in elementary school.. Oh well i guess i will just deal with Algebra I in 8th grade...

Physics requires alot of higher mathmatics in it. You at least need a full understanding of geometry and some precalculus will help. Also AP physics uses alot of calculus. I don't see how the course could be taught in elementary school, unless all of the meat and potatoes were cut out, and only the theory was taught...and even then....

Probably right... but they could atleast teach something more interesting than pre-algebra in 7th grade...

I agree. They need to let smart kids get an earlier leap ahead. I could have handled Algebra 1 with ease in 7th grade

Yeah they should, but atleast i will be taking algebra 1 and physical science next year!

OH YEAH! Also, my school made 3rd in the nation on the physical science test! (White Station Middle School)

I could have to. My state wants to make it so that no-one can take Algebra I till freshmen in high-school because they think that people are not trully ready for the concepts of it. BS if you ask me

Absolutely. So they are making an effort to dumb-ify the state. BS if you ask me - what with America's falling education system as it is, they should at least let the few smart ones prosper

Edit: I subconsciously stole that phrase from you...weird, I swear I didn't mean to

The aim of No Child Left Behind is to catch dumb kids up, not advance smart ones.

Which is why I adamently appose it! We should all be free to either succeed or fail on our own. That's like our welfare system. Tax those of us willing to work so that the lazy one's don't have to. (I know that some people who are on welfare simply can't work, but the vast majority can. Get off your asses people!).

true, that is the way it seems. btw, I think you mean oppose

You have it backwards. It's to hold the smart ones back so that it seems like the dumb ones are doing better. Trust me. With all the standardized tests the intermediate kids and lower get, there's no time for accelerated classes. There's only one gifted kid in my old elementary when there were at least a dozen when I went through.

Touche

Isn't that what Jpez was saying...

No. He's saying that the dumber ones are catching up when in reality they are staying the same and the smart ones are being held back.

Is that so for your school? Our school let's you take one of two IB science courses: IB Chemistry or IB Biology. Also consider that my school has had IB for only three years, so they are still working on getting more classes. If only they offered Computer Science and Physics...

Still, both explanations hurt the smart ones. To be honest, I don't give a rats a about the dumb ones. I know that sounds elitist, but if they work hard enough, they should be able to catch up themselves without all of the help or hinderance to us as you say. If they can't catch up even if they try as hard as they can, than no amount of help or hinderance to the smarter ones is going to help.

Still, both explanations hurt the smart ones. To be honest, I don't give a rats a about the dumb ones. I know that sounds elitist, but if they work hard enough, they should be able to catch up themselves without all of the help or hinderance to us as you say. If they can't catch up even if they try as hard as they can, than no amount of help or hinderance to the smarter ones is going to help.

true, I hate that, sometimes I feel classes are so slow, and people sit there and go what? I think if there was more div.ision in the smart vs. not-so-smart, then the smart could reach potential, and the not-so can get the help they need

Hey you know what, I don't think it's the kids you should blame. It's the teachers. The other day, when we had a substitute for Alg 2, this girl asked me for help. It was stuff we had been reviewing for a week. So I explained it and she picked it up quickly. I think she learned more in those 10 minutes than in the week before that.

I agree, but there's this movement in the world that people's feelings and emotions and other, to put it bluntly babyish, things need to be protected. God forbid some kid gets his feelings hurt by not getting into the smart class, or doing bad on a test. Whatever happened to tough-love. I think we're raising a nation of babies. Oh Oh you gonna cry....SHUT UP!

Edit: Post times screwed me up, I was referencing rivereye's post.