How to keep my 6th grader ahead of the curve in math??

SoCalGal - A very interesting, informative, complete reply! I am going to print it and give it to my daughter! She has 3 children and I believe the insight is terrific! So many parent's believe their children must achieve or rise above a certain level, mostly due to social pressures! To allow a child to find the way to success without pressure may be the most rewarding avenue. We must remember that the spirit is a very delicate part of one's personality and respect the frailty of it. GramiePants

A more important question is: if your son is currently earning a B in his coursework, why is it necessary to stress him out by pushing him to work at a level where he isn't comfortable?

I had a great discussion just last week with my daughter's 7th math teacher about a similar issue:

We got to talking about the 7th grade algebra class (which is essentially an honors class because this usually an 8th grade class here in Calfornia).

He sees students who fall into several groups in this class: the first is the group who receive outside tutoring and have no problem maintaining their grades but who experience problems in college because they're good students but they wind up in programs which are far more demanding then they are truly qualified to be in. He truly worries about these students -- they become stressed and unhappy as a result of the mismatch between their true abilities and the expectations placed upon them.

A second group doesn't get outside help and they find that the class is just too hard for them in the 7th grade, they go back to pre-algebra for the remainder of the year and do very well. They return to algebra in the 8th grade and they do fine. He doesn't worry about these students, the experience of failure followed by success teaches valuable lessons and helps them to learn to go back and try the hard things of life again.

A third group also doesn't get outside support. They don't get stellar grades, certainly not grades that one would expect given their obvious math talent (because its visible) but they lack the discipline at this stage of their lives to push themselves but he doesn't worry about them -- there will come a time when the self-discipline developes and they soar in their chosen careers.

Which group do you want him to be in? Are your expectations of your son's abilities reasonable. Are your goals for him ambitious yet attainable? This bears serious consideration especially if he is already expressing feelings of stress when it comes to academic achievement.

All of that said, if you believe that there is a serious disconnect between your son's academic achievement and his capacity, in other words, that he may have a learning disability, I invite you to join the Learning Differences Group here on Great Schools for further information.

I hope you don't mind my asking, but terminology isn't the same in all school districts. Is the AP in preAP math the same as "Advanced Placement," like high school kids can take to earn college credit for?
What is academic math?

I'm trying to figure out if you're thinking your son might have a learning disability in math, or whether he just is an anxious child who might also feel stressed when taking tests in other subjects.
With regards to math, what kinds of topics is he studying? Is he "solid" in terms of his actual "math facts" like multiplication? It's hard to apply math if his foundation is shaky. Some schools use a "spiraling" math curriculum, like University of Chicago's Everyday Math program, and it touches on a lot of different topics, but some teachers feel the kids don't study one topic for long enough develop mastery. There are many different websites and resources I might be able to direct you to, if you share a bit more about what you're really looking for.