Secondary Math: Considerations for Placement

By Jill Kalb

“Should this Math 7th student be in Algebra 1? The body of evidence is strong!”  “ Did this student opt out of Algebra 1 credit in MS?  If so, what math do they take as a freshman?” These are questions and discussions that are happening at this time of the year. Knowing that accurate placement is imperative to a student’s future plans and academic pathway, we need to be extremely considerate of our process of placing students in math courses.  When having these collaborative conversations in your buildings and with your teams, consider the following reflective questions:

Step 1: Establishing Communication

• Who will be your contact person to communicate with families, schools, or colleagues?
• What does your common and consistent teacher recommendation process include?
• What might be your timeline to share information? For example, with parents, feeder schools, etc.

Step 2:  Gathering the Data

• What student information in the body of evidence will you strongly consider, in addition to MAP or CMAS scores?
• What information about student proficiency with grade level content standards will be considered in the body of evidence?
• How will you collect and calibrate teacher recommendations?

Step 3: Determining Placement

• Does the student meet the prerequisites for the intended course? (See the suggested prerequisites on the MS and HS documents.)
• How does the course placement for the student impact their overall math pathway, including Jeffco Graduation Requirements?  

Step 4:  Skipping Content - Demonstration of Grade Level Standards (This step is used for determination of placement on a student by student basis.)

• What evidence is there that the student has received equitable access to ALL grade level standards?
• What evidence is there that the student has mastered ALL grade level standards in order to be accelerated?

Step 5:  Final Confirmation of Math Placement

• How is final course placement being communicated with all stakeholders?

According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ position on Access and Equity in Mathematics Education , “Achieving access and equity requires that all stakeholders:

• ensure that all students have access to a challenging mathematics curriculum, taught by skilled and effective teachers who differentiate instruction as needed;
• monitor student progress and make needed accommodations; and
• offer remediation or additional challenges when appropriate.”

Please refer to the Student Placement and Math Pathways page on the Jeffco Math Website for additional information and resources, or click on the links below:

MS Placement doc
HS Placement doc
5-12 Math Pathways
Jeffco Math Acceleration Process

Please reach out to the Secondary Math team (Jill Kalb, Lindsey Kjoller and Ali Tanner)  with questions or if you would like a thought partner around math course placement and scheduling. 

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