THURGOOD MARSHALL MIDDLE SCHOOL INCOMING 6TH GRADE MATH PLACEMENT

At Thurgood Marshall Middle School, we strive to provide opportunities for our students that challenge their thinking with rigorous educational experiences.

To that end, we administer a math placement test to ALL 5th graders, approximately six weeks prior to the end of their elementary school year, to identify highly advanced students who are eligible to enroll in our 6th grade Advanced Pre-Algebra class. The placement test allows us to assess our current 5th graders’ understanding and mastery of 6th grade mathematics standards. It is not an expectation for students to have mastery of 6th grade mathematics standards prior to entering the 6th grade. 

However, we know that a small number of students may be ready to advance to higher levels of mathematics. The Placement Test covers the “6th grade California Mathematics Standards,” which can be found on the California State Board of Education website under “Standards and Frameworks” for “Mathematics.” In order for students to qualify for 6th grade Advanced Pre-Algebra, students must meet either of the following criteria:

• Score a 34 out of 40 on the placement test AND score “Advanced” with a raw score of missing three test items or less on the 2010 CST math test

-OR-

• Score a 33 out of 40 on the placement test AND score “Advanced” with a perfect raw score of 600 out of 600, on the 2010 CST math test

We don’t accept teacher recommendations for students who have not completely met our criteria. We expect students to fully know and understand the 6th grade mathematics standards in order to skip a whole year of mathematics. Therefore, we strictly follow the established cut points.

If a student does enroll in our 6th grade Advanced Pre-Algebra class, the student must earn an A or B on the second semester report card and score “Above Expectations” on the End of Course exam, in order to be able to articulate to Advanced Algebra 1-2 in the 7th grade. If a student does not meet these expectations, he/she will need to repeat Advanced Pre-Algebra.

The notion that a student will be “behind” in math if he/she is not allowed to “skip” 6th grade math, is a fallacy. Students who are enrolled in 6th grade math and progress successfully to the next level each year, can still take AP Calculus, AP Statistics, or College Calculus, by their senior year in high school. (The minimum high school graduation / college entrance requirement for mathematics is the completion of Intermediate Algebra, which most students complete by 10th grade.)

Students who are enrolled in 6th grade Advanced Pre-Algebra and progress successfully to the next level each year, will be able to take the above courses by their junior year in high school. They will then have an option to take one additional College Calculus class as a senior.

Our goal is to provide equal access to rigorous opportunities for all our students and to identify the rare individuals who have naturally mastered advanced mathematical concepts, without additional prompting, tutoring or intervention.

We appreciate your understanding and support of our policy.