Math Pathways

We recommend students take the pathway recommended to them. Our data suggests an increased likelihood of math success when students take our pathway recommendations that are based on student data. However, your child’s pathway readiness can depend on many factors beyond mathematical ability and work habits, like social-emotional readiness and extra-curricular commitments. Please review the Social and Emotional Readiness to Accelerate Checklist and consider the pros and cons of each pathway and some other factors to consider when deciding whether to request or decline an advancement.

We use the most comprehensive assessment of students ability to meet grade level math standards with is the 4th grade Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) for math AND the CogAT which measures students’ reasoning and problem-solving skills. We balance both sets of data to determine our best data driven recommendation that weighs students’ grade level math skills and overall aptitude. You can view your students’ scores on both the Math SBA and CogAT in Family Access. 

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 Pathway B, as a junior for a student Pathway C, and as a sophomore for a student in Pathway D (see the Pathways Map)

• Students in Pathway A can advance to Pathway B at any grade level when they meet their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) math goals and are ready to take math at or above grade level standard. 
• Students in Pathway B can advance to Pathway C at three different points: 
  • In 7th grade they can join Pathway C if they receive a Level 4 on the 6th grade Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) in math AND earn a B or higher in Math 1
  • In 10th grade, students can shift to Pathway C AFTER they successfully enroll in and complete Online Geometry outside the school day for a fee. Online Geometry is recommended to be taken in the Spring and Summer if taken in this format. Geometry Semester 1 content would be taken outside the school day in the Spring of 9th grade year. Geometry Semester 2 would be taken online during the Summer between 9th and 10th grade.
  • In 11th grade AFTER they successfully complete Geometry at MSHS taken concurrently with Algebra 2 during 10th grade. 
• Students in Pathway C can advance to Pathway D at three different points: 
  • In 6th grade if they qualify for and successfully complete Online Summer Math 1 with a B or higher in the summer between 5th and 6th grade 
  • In 9th grade students can shift to Pathway C AFTER they successfully enroll in and complete Online Geometry outside the school day for a fee. Online Geometry is recommended to be taken in the Spring and Summer if taken in this format. Geometry Semester 1 content would be taken outside the school day in the Spring of 8th grade year. Geometry Semester 2 would be taken online during the Summer between 8th and 9th grade.
  • In 10th grade AFTER they successfully complete Geometry at MSHS taken concurrently with Algebra 2 during 9th grade. 

If you have further questions, you might want to talk to one of our Secondary Math Specialists, Holli Dexheimer (dexheimerh@svsd410.org) and Joel Raff (raffj@svsd410.org). They can answer any of your questions about changing pathways.

The Math Pathways Placement Letter is a recommendation from the school district based on data that indicates where your child will be most successful. We want students to have the appropriate level of challenge while also still feeling like they are “good at math”! If you feel that your student would like to take a less challenging pathway, the student can email their middle school counselor at any time to opt for a less challenging pathway.

If you feel a more advanced pathway is a better fit for your child, please see the above FAQ “Are students able to change Pathways at any point?” to learn about how they can accelerate. It is worth noting that a change in pathways will likely result in a revised class schedule, requiring changes to your child’s other classes. 

*   For content details, see the Common Core State Standards for Math.
**   Pathway B and C cover the same content. Pathway C does so at a faster pace in 7th grade, allowing for Algebra 1 in middle school.
***   Pathway D skips content (Math 1 Common Core 6th Standards). Students and families are responsible for learning skipped content. Please note that anytime content is skipped, there exists the potential for gaps in mathematical understanding.

Yes, Pathway B provides students with the opportunity to take Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Pre-Calculus while in high school.  Algebra 2 covers all of the content and skills the SAT evaluates. The district has completed a detailed analysis of the standards included on the SAT and aligned these with math courses taught in high school to ensure that students in Algebra 2 are prepared for the SAT. In addition to all SAT standards being taught throughout Pathway B, students have access to Math Nation, a free resource in ClassLink that has SAT prep available 24/7.

• Students going into Pathway D from STREAM do not need to prepare as they have already completed CC6 Math Standards while in 5th grade STREAM. 
   
• Students going into Pathway D who were recommended to take Pathway D based on their math data do not need to do anything formal to prepare. These students and families are responsible for learning skipped content. However, several free and paid courses are available online. Here are a few resources to get you started: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Achieve the Core (achievethecore.org), Mathematics: Focus Grade Level, and the Coherence Map – Grade 6 (includes sample tasks). Students may also opt to take our SVSD Summer Math 1 course that is mostly online with some in person testing dates. SVSD Online Summer Math 1 Information can be found on this flyer.  Registration for Online SVSD Summer Math 1 is OPEN until June 1.
   

• Students wanting to go into Pathway D who were recommended to take Pathway C are required to register for the SVSD Summer Online Math 1 and receive a B or higher in the course. Only students who qualify with a Level 4 on the Math SBA and a CogAT of 88 or higher are eligible to do this. SVSD Online Summer Math 1 Information can be found on this flyer.  Registration for Online SVSD Summer Math 1 is OPEN until June 1.

*This assessment does NOT measure a student’s effort, attention, motivation, or work habits

There are four primary reasons Pathway D is the most rigorous offer we have: 

• Students in Pathway D have the ability to access the highest level of math we offer at Mount Si High School. There is not enough student demand to offer anything beyond AP Calculus BC. 
• Students who go at a faster pace will run out of math courses offered in the SVSD before senior year. And, competitive colleges like to see students take rigorous math courses all 4 years of high school and Pathway D provides this on a high school transcript. 
• If students complete the highest course offering prior to senior year (AP Calculus BC) there may be a gap in them taking math between high school and college which could contribute to a decline in performance. 
• There are many rigorous ways for students to be challenged in our system: students can engage in math in ways that apply mathematical critical thinking like through other STEM offerings (AP Computer Science, etc.) and extracurricular activities (Robotics, etc.)

The best way to address this early is to contact your child’s middle school counselor to discuss possible options. Additionally, contact your child’s middle school math teacher at the beginning of the year so that supports can be implemented as early as possible.

The following math supports are available for all middle school students at any point they need support:

• Math Nation is a free online resource linked in ClassLink that is available 24/7 and has support for all middle school math content/courses 
• The math curriculum we use in our middle schools (HMH) has reteach videos that all students can access for each lesson. We encourage families to work with their teachers to make sure they know how to access these support videos throughout the school year.
• Students can get support from their math teacher during Check & Connect time at each middle school  

In partnership with the family, we use the sending school district’s math pathway to make the best determination for the recommended math course for a student. If the decision is not obvious, our Math Coaches (see contact info list above) can use other tools to support the best decision (for example: review additional data or administer a math placement test) to help aid in a decision.

Students can advance to a faster pathway by taking a Geometry class at the same time as an Algebra course.   To access this option, students must have successfully completed 1st semester Algebra 1. There are several different configurations of this option (see below). Families must contact school counselors to learn about the different options, choose the most appropriate one, and get prior permission to take the course online.  Any online coursework needs to be provided by an OSPI-approved provider.

We assigned Domain Points to students' scaled scores based on their most recent (4th grade) comprehensive State Math assessment and a current aptitude test (CogAT). Your students' scores were in their Math Pathway recommendation later and can be found in Family Access.

• Students who earned 10-14 Domain Points were recommended for Pathway D
• Students who earned 4-9 Domain Points were recommended for Pathway C
• Students who earned 0-3 Domain Points were recommended for Pathway B unless they earned a Level 4 on the SBA, then they default to Pathway C. 

Below are the Domain Points we gave based on the corresponding scores: 

We use the CogAT composite score. Students get 3 scores (Quantitative, Non-Verbal, and Composite). The quantitative is a student's numerical reasoning and problem solving. The non-verbal is a students' ability to understand and analyze visual information. The composite is an overall comprehensive view of students' cognitive aptitude. 

These families need to do nothing until the end of 6^th grade.  Because both Pathway B & C students take Math 1 in 6th grade, no action is needed until Spring of 6th grade. At the end of 6th grade, SVSD will make an updated recommendation with additional data (5th and 6th grade SBA scores + Math 1 class grades). At that time, we will provide a link for families to request a move to Pathway C. 

We did not get rid of the Accelerated Pathway. The Accelerated Pathway is Pathway C. The change is that it goes a little slower in 6th grade and a little faster in 7th grade.