MathCurriculum

Middle School Mathematics

Placement Information

These links will provide you with information about the adopted criteria for entering PreAlgebra in the seventh grade and for entering Algebra in the eighth grade.

Last year, the middle school mathematics faculty met with parents and administrators to revise the criteria by which we would recommend students to their seventh and eighth grade mathematics classes and you were provided with this information with the fall of this school year. As a reminder, students in seventh grade are placed in either Math 7 or Pre-Algebra and the eighth grade students are placed in either Math 8 or Algebra I (which is the equivalent of an Honors Algebra course).

As the mathematics teachers and administration make a decision about your child’s mathematics placement, many factors are weighed very carefully. Students who are ready to take Pre-Algebra and Algebra in seventh grade and eighth grade respectively, must be prepared to have material introduced and learned at an accelerated pace, have excellent study habits, be a self-advocate when necessary, and be self-motivated. Cognitively, students who are ready for these courses must have strong arithmetic skills (i.e. a thorough understanding of fractions, decimals, and percents). Research has shown that students who are ready to study algebra concepts have developed habits of mind that allow them to move from thinking of mathematics as arithmetic to a more abstract way of thinking that involves the concept of variables and equality.

We are very committed to preparing all of our middle school students for their study of Algebra in the years ahead and are quite pleased that our Math 7 and Math 8 programs incorporate a good deal of algebraic thinking. However, we do recognize that students are developmentally ready for the rigors and academic challenges of a complete Pre-Algebra and Algebra course at different points in their academic careers. Therefore, students who do not take Pre-Algebra in seventh grade will still be eligible to take Algebra in grade eight provided they meet the necessary qualifications to do so. As well, students who do not take Algebra in eighth grade will be eligible to take Algebra in the ninth grade, again, if they meet the necessary qualifications.

All students, regardless of their middle school mathematics coursework will be given the opportunity to fulfill a full mathematics curriculum at the high school level that includes the study of calculus if he/she so desires and meets the necessary qualifications.

The criteria for placement into seventh and eighth grade mathematics courses is outlined on the second page of this document, in addition to the timeline by which the criteria will be reviewed and students are informed as to their mathematics placements for next year.

Spring: Students will be taking the Pre-Algebra Readiness test in sixth grade and the Orleans-Hanna Algebra Prognosis Test in seventh grade. These are both standardized tests that are timed and are completed without a calculator.

Late spring : You will be sent a letter informing you and your child of the decision that has been made regarding his/her mathematics placement for next year. Included in this letter will be individualized information regarding how your child was placed into his/her mathematics class.

If you have any questions regarding your child’s placement, please do not hesitate to call Mrs. Karen Gartland, Middle School Mathematics Coordinator at 978/448-6155, Ext. 1371.

The placement test (which is one aspect of the criteria) will be given: