Sometimes it can be difficult to determine if acceleration is the right decision for students. Parents who believe their child might benefit by accelerating to a more rigorous pathway should discuss these readiness questions with their child.
- Does my child have a natural affinity for math? Or does my child have to work hard to understand math?
- Does my child want to accelerate? What are my child’s reasons?
- Does my child take ownership for his/her learning? Does my child do homework without teacher or parent prompting?
- Does my child turn work in on time without reminders?
- Does my child have good time management skills?
- Is my child organized?
- Can my child balance schoolwork and extra-curricular activities while caring for physical and emotional health?
- Does my child use effective coping skills when frustrated?
- What additional demands for time might my child face in high school that might impact a decision to accelerate in middle school (work, sports, community involvement)?
- Does my child consistently score well on assignments and assessments without retakes or extraordinary effort?
- Does my child have excellent attendance?
- Is my child able to complete math homework and prepare for tests with minimal help outside of school?
- For the Exceptional Pathway: Are my student and family willing to spend time during summer vacation to learn and master skills/concepts that will be skipped due to accelerating?
Other Considerations:
The authors of the Common Core Mathematics standards recommend that students should be accelerated using compacted (faster paced) curriculum rather than skipping content. The District agrees there is risk to student learning when content is skipped and strongly encourages parents to help students overcome any deficits before school starts. Parents should be mindful of the timing for high school courses when making choices about middle school courses. For example, pre-calculus is an option for students on all pathways, but would be taken as a senior for a student in the Core Pathway, as a junior for a student in the Accelerated Pathway, and as a sophomore for a student in the Exceptional Pathway (see the Pathways Map on page 3 of the SVSD Middle & High School Math Pathways Guidebook).
The Snoqualmie Valley School District provides multiple pathways for students to complete the mathematics courses that will prepare them for college and career.