[jlanphear]

We along with many other middle schools with rigorous course offerings offer acceleration to talented students and have for many years. This acceleration has occurred for many, many years and it requires careful development of placement criteria, and curriculum mapping and compression. Things indeed have changed with Common Core, yet the meticulous mapping is similar. In terms of our current procedure, students are identified for initial acceleration at the end of 5th grade using a multi-dimensional and multi-modal analysis of mathematical achievement, algebra readiness/potential and progress in developing the mathematical practices. Those students who are determined as eligible undertake a Pre-Algebra Accelerated course in 6th grade. The curriculum includes the 6th grade CCSS standards as well as 7th and 8th grade CCSS standards pertinent to Pre-Algebra. For these students, the curriculum connects the more concrete concepts in 6th grade with algebraic extensions from Pre-Algebra. We benchmark to follow progress and mediate any gaps. These sixth grade students take the state-mandated 6th grade level assessment, NJASK and soon to be PARCC, as well as local course exams. As seventh graders, these students take Algebra I Accelerated in a similar fashion, and have taken seventh grade level state assessments and course-specific local exams. During the Achieve Algebra I EOC years, they took also took that high-stakes assessments.

Until about 8 or 9 years ago, as eighth graders, these students would have taken Geometry as eighth graders, until our sending district changed their middle school accelerated sequence to Alg I- Alg II- Geometry. Currently, these students undertake Algebra II in eighth grade, with respective state mandated eighth grade level assessments and course-specific local exams; beginning next year, the state has advised us that once students reach Algebra I, they will no longer take assessments by grade level, but by course. We will still ensure that students achieve all the standards, but at least students won’t lose twice the instructional time in standardized testing.

We are not unique in offering middle school mathematics acceleration; it is common at least in our region. It allows competitive NJ students looking to apply to selective schools to reach Calculus I by their junior year. We are considering reverting to the more traditional Algebra I- Geometry- Algebra II sequence for these students– Algebra I in 7th, Geometry in 8th and Algebra II in 9th. It seems more developmentally appropriate to integrate the visual support for complex mathematical ideas earlier, and save the more abstract content of Algebra II for 9th grade. We have been unusual in our Alg I-Alg II- Geometry sequence. We are concerned as to whether being out of the typical sequence will disadvantage our students in achieving the standards or in demonstrating mastery in high-stakes assessment, as part of the larger discussion about the sequence, especially since our sending district will not be changing the sequence this year.

We are planning on examining the frameworks documents in detail, but I was hoping for availability of some additional expertise to take under consideration.

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