What is the process for 9th grade math class placement?
Our goal is to place students in an optimal class situation where they can learn, be challenged, and be successful. We have found that the best predictor for appropriate class placement is a student’s demonstrated ability over a long period of time (rather than a single placement test). Consequently, 8th grade class recommendations are based on student performance on chapter tests and performance tasks throughout the year.
The 8th grade classes at Albany Math School are:
*MATH 8: This is the standard 8th grade math course.
*MATH 8 Challenge: This course is paced the same as Math 8 - same curriculum, lessons, schedule, and homework. The difference is that Math 8 Challenge seeks to dig deeper into the concepts and offers more challenging tests. Students who perform exceptionally throughout 7th grade math will be placed in this course. The performance criteria for recommendation into Math 8 Challenge is as follows:
85%+ on Chapter Tests
85%+ on Performance Tasks
90%+ on Homework completion
More information on the difference between Math 8 and Math 8 Challenge:
Math 8 and Math 8 Challenge cover the same curriculum at the same pace. The daily lessons are exactly the same and the homework is the same. The tests in Math 8 Challenge are more challenging in the sense that they push students to apply the mathematical concepts they have learned in creative, out-of-the-box ways to solve problems. Also, in Math 8 Challenge, the class discussions tend to be deeper and more complex as this is what students are ready for and wanting/needing. In Math 8, our discussions tend to be more straightforward and there is more direct instruction to help the students acquire the material.