Was Ali in middle school? - The Karate Kid (1984) Discussion

uhh..in usa you can be in algebra 1 and be in 11th grade lol..i was in algebra 1 in 9th or 10th grade

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[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

I went to US schools. For average, non math whiz students the progression was Algebra I in 7th grade, Geometry in 8th, Algebra 2 in 9th, Intro Calculus/Trig in 10th, Calculus in 11th and Advanced Calculus or Statistics in 12th. The math whiz kids were ahead of this by 2-3 years because they did algebra in elementary school.

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[–] acidraindrop (3055) 3 years ago

I went to US schools.

Algebra 1 is a standard 9th grade course. You had a good school. Be thankful.

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[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

One would expect Allie to be at a good school since she lived in an upscale community near a major US city. Plus her snooty parents could afford country club membership fees yet sent her to a school that didn’t even prepare her for the SAT math section.

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[–] FilmBuff (6707) 3 years ago

Yeah, it depends on where you go to school, but where I went, Algebra I was for high school freshmen.

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[–] MaximRecoil (4094) 3 years ago

"In one scene she is carrying an Algebra I book."

It says Algebra II - https://i.imgur.com/Vwz3gDr.png

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[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

So she’s a freshman?

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[–] MaximRecoil (4094) 3 years ago

"Students typically learn Algebra II in 11th grade."

https://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum/high-school-algebra-2.html

"The Algebra 2 course, often taught in the 11th grade, covers Polynomials; Complex Numbers; Rational Exponents; Exponential and Logarithmic Functions; ..."

https://www.khanacademy.org/math/algebra2

"Algebra 2 is the third math course in high school"

https://www.mathplanet.com/education/algebra-2

"Algebra II is frequently combined with trigonometry in the third year of high school math."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/algebra-ii-just-doesnt-add-up-when-you-figure-how-little-it-means-to-most-students/2019/12/15/1fabc4e8-1c7f-11ea-8d58-5ac3600967a1_story.html

And so on.

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[–] wrlord (1085) 3 years ago

Ridiculous. Algebra II is for freshmen, geometry is for sophomores, trig is for juniors, and calculus is for seniors. I did it on an accelerated basis.

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[–] MaximRecoil (4094) 3 years ago

>Ridiculous.

Everything I posted was quoted from the sources I linked to, so your laughable assertion of "ridiculous" is dismissed.

>Algebra II is for freshmen, geometry is for sophomores, trig is for juniors, and calculus is for seniors.

Since that's obviously not true in all cases, nor even most cases (see above), this asinine assertion of yours is dismissed as well.

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[–] NGMI (1184) 3 years ago

Good lord. What a colossal waste of time. Did your school ever get computers?! Do they still think mathematician is an occupation or something? lol

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[–] AP (5259) 3 years ago

I took Algebra I in high school. In middle school, we had Pre-Algebra.

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[–] JaqenHgar (685) 3 years ago

Not sure where you went to school, but as others have said, Algebra I is typically taught in freshman year of high school. Some middle schools where I live focus more on certain subjects because they are feeder schools for certain high schools that share that focus. So there are students in those schools that may get Algebra I in 8th grade, so their high school math curriculum would be Geometry in 9th grade, Algebra II in 10th, Trig/Pre-Cal in 11th and Calculus in 12th grade.

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[–] pepetoony (1540) 3 years ago

They actually shot the school scenes at a middle school, so technically...yea, she was.

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[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

There you go, most logical explanation yet. They probably grabbed a book off of a classroom shelf as a prop.

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[–] MaximRecoil (4094) 3 years ago

What are you talking about? As I've already told you, the "book" said Algebra II, not Algebra I, and Algebra II is normally taught in the 11th grade (junior year of high school). In other words, no explanation is needed because there's nothing wrong with the scene.

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[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

Most schools teach advanced math in 11th grade, like calculus or statistics. Ali lived in a wealthy neighborhood which usually means good, college prep schools.

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[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

I'd like to see you cite something that can back this up. I think your above-stated "non math whiz students ... progression" is very aggressive. And I'd like to know what you think the "math whiz kids" are doing in 10-12th grade if what you claim is true.

I'm thinking something simply doesn't add up here. From the source below, most students never get past AII let alone in the 9th grade.

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=97

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[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

Math whiz kids who finish Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and Geometry in middle school are progressing through full year courses pre-Calculus (which you need for SAT subject test math), AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC and Statistics. Some schools offer college level math like Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra or arrange for their students to take those courses at a local community college. Stuyvesant High School in NYC definitely offers college level math because they send lots of their students to MIT and Harvard.

To stay in Allie’s world, check out the courses at Reseda High School.
https://www.resedahs.net/m/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=389953&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=719607

Note that Algebra 1 and 2 are the lowest level offered, meaning they are for 9th and 10th grades, but most students are done with those courses by 11th grade and are doing AP level math or beyond.

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[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

That's good and I thank you for the information but I see you're still skirting the fact that most students never get past Algebra II. You did some serious jackassing by proclaiming above that "For average, non math whiz students the progression was Algebra I in 7th grade, Geometry in 8th, Algebra 2 in 9th, Intro Calculus/Trig in 10th, Calculus in 11th and Advanced Calculus or Statistics in 12th." I've cited you proof that that's simply not true at all.

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[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

I guess Allie was not average then. My point was that most kids like Allie, with her country club membership, snooty parents, and fancy house, are typically on the college track which means AP level classes in 11th grade.

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[–] MaximRecoil (4094) 3 years ago

Ali went to a normal public school, which is why Daniel and Freddy, from a low-rent apartment complex in Reseda, went to the same school. I've already posted several links showing that Algebra II is normally taught in the 11th grade.

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[–] mnphotoguy99 (415) 3 years ago

I went to a pretty big high school in the mid to late 70s. We had Algebra I in 9th grade (the last year of “junior high”), then we moved to the high school for soph, junior, and senior years. The college prep math curriculum was Trigonometry in 10th grade, Algebra II in 11th, and pre-Calculus/Stats in 12th. Since the movie was released in 1984, it probably represents the mid-late 70s or early 80s curriculums of the times.

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[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

I think math has become more competitive since then. Most college prep kids want to take at least one AP math exam and the lowest level for math on those is AP Calculus AB. To get to that course by senior year, you need to have completed two years of algebra, one year of geometry and one year of pre-Calculus by the end of junior year. At some schools Trigonometry is a separate course too, but many schools work it into the geometry or pre-Calculus curriculum.

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[–] mnphotoguy99 (415) 3 years ago

Agreed. That is the type of math curriculum my kids have taken. The original question was why Ali was carrying an Algebra I book if she was supposed to be in high school. My point was that at the time the movie represents, that was possible.

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[–] BensGirl (590) 3 years ago

Yeah, that’s why she had a license and could drive a car...
Of course she wasn’t!

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[–] JohnnyCastle (393) 3 years ago

Algebra was an advanced class in 8th grade. Or you took "pre-Algebra" In high-school Algebra 1 was standard for freshman and then Algebra 2. And then geometry 1 and 2.

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