If you feel that your student is ready for an "Honors" level challenge, we offer Honors Math Placement! Honors Math indicates that the math is one level above the student's current grade level. For example, our Honors 7 Math course teaches the Math 8 content, while reviewing the most important Math 7 concepts. Our Honors Math courses are designed with a quicker pacing, heavier work load, and deeper conceptual understanding than our Standard level courses.
For Honors Math Placement, your student must meet the requirements of a rubric that includes meeting specific criteria for:
Math Placement Screener
Most recent EOG Math Score
iReady Score
Math Course Average
Teacher Recommendation
If you are a parent trying to decide if Honors Math is the right course for your student, here are some things to consider:
This is really important. Students have to want to rise to the occasion and accept the challenge. If your child is sure they are ready to do the work, Honors Math should be considered an option.
Honors math has a drastically different pace, workload, and conceptual lens that our standard level math. If your student had difficulty keeping up with their work in their previous grade and rarely made As on their test, the Standard level is the best placement for your child. If your student found the (standard) workload to be easy and almost always made As on formal assignments, Honors Math should be considered an option.
Making the switch from standard to honors has a set of social and emotional challenges for both parents and students. Parents have to be understanding that their child who has always made As, may initially struggle, and make Bs, or even Cs in their first year of Honors math. Students have to be understanding that their role in the classroom will shift. They will transition from understanding all content with ease as a top performer in the class to not understanding a concept that everyone in the room has already been taught. Students have to understand that their peers will be ahead of them, but they will catch up! The transition from standard to honors requires students to believe in themselves and be accepting of the discomfort that occurs when more time is required to obtain specific concepts.