Math Skills Assessments

Introduction

The Grauer School’s Math Department welcomes you to our program. We strive to provide every student an environment that is not only challenging and enriching, but also one that enables the student to feel supported and successful. To that end, we strive to help students identify their own math goals and to help them select the math class that will help them reach those goals. Below you will find specific information about math placement and the opportunity to pick your own math class based upon which grade level you are entering Grauer. Take a look and let us know if you have any questions!

Please note that The Grauer School's main math progression is:

·      Pre-Algebra

·      Introduction to High School Math

·      Algebra 1

·      Geometry

·      Algebra 2 

·      Pre-Calculus 

·      Calculus or Business Math

For the UC-approved, college-preparatory diploma, three years of mathematics is required; four years is recommended.  In addition to the classes listed above, we also offer Statistics and Calculus 2 for students interested in pursuing further higher-level mathematics courses.

Summer Math Packets

As you will see below, some students may opt to take a Math Skills Assessment to help determine their math class placement. If you wish to do this, you are strongly encouraged to look at the corresponding Summer Math Packet which will act as a study guide for that Math Skills Assessment. More information and links to download the Summer Math Packets are available on our math department website, at:  grauerschool.com/math

Students entering The Grauer School in 7th Grade

·       All entering 7th grade students will be enrolled in 7th grade Pre-algebra.  Students wishing for more mathematics challenge are welcome to take Pre-Algebra for Honors credit; Dominique, our 7th grade Pre-Algebra instructor, will share more information as to what Honors entails during the first week of instruction. Students enrolling in Pre-Algebra 7 do not need to take a Math Skills Assessment.

·       Students entering our 7th grade program who have completed Pre-Algebra 7 and who wish to enroll in Algebra 1 (a high school class) may do so by earning an 80% or higher on the Math Skills Assessment – Entering Algebra 1.  Remember to use the Summer Math Packet as a study guide. As Algebra 1 is a high school class, 7th grade students enrolling in Algebra I are assigned more homework than their 7th grade peers; additionally, as a high school class, the grade earned in this class is recorded on a student's high school transcript. 

Students entering The Grauer School in 8th Grade

·       All entering 8th grade students will be enrolled in Introduction to High School Math 8.  This is a great class for students wishing to solidify their fundamental math skills prior to moving onto Algebra 1.  8th grade students enrolling in Introduction to High School Math 8 do not need to take a Math Skills Assessment.

·       With that said, many of our 8th grade students do enroll in Algebra 1. Students entering our 8th grade program who have successfully completed Pre-Algebra may enroll in Algebra 1 by earning an 80% or higher on the Math Skills Assessment – Entering Algebra 1.  Remember to use the Summer Math Packet as a study guide. As Algebra 1 is a high school class, 8th grade students enrolling in Algebra I are assigned more homework than their 8th grade peers enrolled in Introduction to High School Math; additionally, as a high school class, the grade earned in this class is recorded on a student's high school transcript. 

·       Students entering our 8th grade program who have completed Algebra 1 and who wish to enroll in Geometry (a high school class) may do so by earning an 80% or higher on the Math Skills Assessment – Entering Geometry. Remember to use the Summer Math Packet as a study guide. As Geometry is a high school class, 8th grade students enrolling in Geometry are assigned more homework than their 8th grade peers; additionally, as a high school class, the grade earned in this class is recorded on a student's high school transcript. 

Students entering The Grauer School in 9th Grade

·       All entering 9th grade students will be enrolled in in Algebra 1.  This is the first class in our high school math progression.  9th grade students enrolling in Algebra 1 no not need to take a Math Skills Assessment.

·       Students entering our 9th grade program who have completed Algebra 1 and who wish to enroll in Geometry may do so by earning an 80% or higher on the Math Skills Assessment – Entering Geometry. Remember to use the Summer Math Packet as a study guide.

·       Students entering our 9th grade program who have completed Geometry and who wish to enroll in Algebra 2 may do so by earning an 80% or higher on the Math Skills Assessment – Entering Algebra 2. Remember to use the Summer Math Packet as a study guide.

Students entering The Grauer School in 10th-12th Grades

·       The Grauer School will honor academic credit and grades earned in UC-approved, college preparatory mathematics courses taken at other high schools. 

·       With that said, we do often request that students entering The Grauer School in 10th, 11th, or 12th grades take a Math Skills Assessment.  Again, we will honor the academic credit and grades earned from other schools; however, as different schools design their mathematics curricula differently, it is extremely helpful for us to see if a student has any gaps in foundational mathematics skills so that we can make targeted recommendations for additional practice prior to a student entering the next course in our mathematics progression.  Over time, we have found it to be much more compassionate to identify gaps and provide students with practice opportunities over the summer than to find those gaps during the school year when working through the curriculum.