The parents may have had the right intent, but perhaps the kid really needed an intense tutorial environment to teach basic reading/writing/mathematical skills before entering a science class. It was targeted at 9th grade. Presumably, you can read, write and perform basic algebraic equations at that point in life.
I recall Nathaniel Borenstein (inventor of MIME) relating his experience in the university in Tel Aviv. He took all the Hebrew classes growing up as a kid and figured he was ready to dive into college with that level of skill. It was a real struggle for him. He's a very bright guy, but put himself into a situation that was extremely challenging compared to his current ability.
That’s a perfect example of one of the problems with our schools today. They push kids through even though they aren’t qualified.