At the middle school level, we work hard to ensure that each student is placed in the most appropriate math pathway to meet their learning needs. The state learning standards have shifted in approach, resulting in students learning some topics previously taught in high school now being taught in middle school. All students are now experiencing more rigorous math concepts earlier than before as they progress through our program.
Recognizing that some students learn more quickly while others may need additional support, NTPS follows placement guidelines dependent on student need. Recommendation for placement in specific math courses may include:
- Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) scores
- Quizzes, tests, and other curriculum-based assessments
- Success in their current math course
- Teacher recommendation based on classroom performance
- Additional measures, such as highly-capable testing and the district easyCBM and MAP assessments
Core Pathway
- Students will learn the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade common core state math standards that match their grade level.
- Algebra 1 and geometry will be offered in 9th and 10th grade
Accelerated Pathway*
- Students who qualify for early acceleration in 6th grade start with Accelerated 6 Math which compresses all of 6th and 7th grade common core math standard in one year.
- Extremely fast-paced placement for students identified as highly-capable through the gifted assessment process or high achievement on the 5th grade SBA (upper Level 4 score of 2620+), current math teacher recommendation, and a series of assessment, classroom performance, and district benchmark data.
- Students potentially receive credit for high school Algebra 1 in 7th grade and high school geometry in 8th grade, enrolling in Algebra 2 in 9th grade (2 years early).
Advanced Math Pathway*
- Students in Math 6 (core pathway) who demonstrate readiness for more accelerated instruction by 7th grade.
- Compresses Math 7 and half of Math 8 (geometry) in 7th grade and the rest of Math 8 and all of the high school algebra 1 standards in 8th grade.
- Rigorous and fast-paced course pathway recommended for students based on their SBA scores, course grades, performance indicators, and teacher recommendation.
- Students potentially receive credit high school algebra 1 credit by the end of 8th grade and enroll in geometry as a 9th grader (1 year early).
*Students in either pathway are carefully screened with multiple measures to ensure success and should plan to take four years of math in high school (including Advanced Placement level such as Calculus). Students not ready for acceleration during middle school may have opportunities for acceleration once in high school.
