Below is a sample of the registration form sent home mid-May for students and families to select their 7th grade math class.

Date: _______ Teacher Name: _________________ Student Name: _______________________

7th Grade Math Registration Form

6th Grade Teacher Input for Students and Parents

Parent Name: ____________________________________ Contact Info:______________________

We are registering my child for the following 7th grade math course,

Math 7A Math 7

(Please circle one choice)

as the best placement for my child’s need for both challenge and success in math for his or her 7th grade math course for the 2016-17 school year.

Thank you! Please return this form to your child’s math teacher by date: ________________.

Parent/Guardian Signature(s)__________________________________________

Dear Parents,

The teacher input on the previous page will help you and your child determine which level of challenge and success is appropriate for your child in the student’s grade 7 math course.

There are two levels of mathematics available to students, Math 7A and Math 7.

Math 7 is a grade-level California Common Core State Standard Math course. It meets all of the state’s expectations for the course. Students who are enrolled in Math 7 generally take Math 8 in their 8th grade year, but a few may do some summer work in order to take Algebra 8 during 8th grade.

Math 7A is the first half of an accelerated two-year sequence that completes three years of math in two years: namely, Math 7, Math 8, and Algebra 1. During the Math 7A year, the students learn the topics from the California Common Core State Standards in Math for Math 7 and 2/3 to 3/4 of the standards for Math 8. In the second year, called Alg 8, the students complete their Common Core Math 8 topics and learn Algebra 1 at an advanced level, moving into the introductory Algebra 2-level for some topics (such as, exponents, roots, and quadratics).

We know that there is deep interest in the PAUSD community for our students to reach a calculus course by their senior year of high school. Because students mature academically at different rates, there are a variety of paths for students to reach the calculus goal while maintaining a solid level of success and joy in their math courses. If you are interested in such a goal, some possible paths to calculus are given in the table below (these are samples of the variety of pathways).

There is no reason to hurry the process of working toward 12th-grade calculus if your student is unhappy or turned off in their math course. There are plenty of opportunities to create the path. Be sure to find out what is in your child’s heart as you and your child determine which 7th grade math course to register in. Historically, if a student earned 6 to 9 Xs in the Math 7 column, Math 7 was a good placement. For 6 to 9 Xs in the Math 7A column, Math 7A was a good placement. There are always exceptions for each of these generalities, but exceptions are rare. Success and happiness in a math course, given the teacher’s input about the child’s 6th grade experience, depends on the attitude and actions of the student. The more committed and determined the child is, the more likely that, with support, the child will succeed.

Please contact your child’s teacher, the Math IL, or the district’s Math TOSA if you would like more information.