Advanced Math at Whitman MS

Advanced Math Student Contract

• Students in Advanced classes will need to maintain an 80% minimum average “standards” grade; and an 80% minimum homework grade. Students who do not may be moved back to a grade level Math class.
• Students in Advanced classes should need minimal extra support from teachers, because teachers need the time to focus on “struggling” students.

Advanced Math Courses

The Advanced Math program at Whitman offers:

• Math 7 to 6th graders,
• Math 8 to 7th graders, and
• Algebra to 8th graders.

Students are expected to have mastered the standards of all previous grades and not need remediation. We do not offer Math 8 or Algebra to 6th graders and do not offer Geometry to 8th graders.

Incoming 6th grade students will be placed according to the number of standards they were graded on in 5th grade (the number of Math standards on their report card):

• 13 Math 5 standards on the 5th grade report card means they completed Math 5; students will be placed in Math 6.
• 18 Math 6 standards on the 5th grade report card means they completed Math 6; students will be placed in Math 7.
• 15 Math 7 standards on the 5th grade report card means they completed Math 7;
  • We do not offer Math 8 for 6th graders so students will be placed in Math 7.

Attributes of Advanced Math Students

Advanced math students…

• have a high level of math aptitude (able to quickly grasp and apply new concepts)
• show outstanding effort on assignments (timely, neatly done, work shown and/or explained)
• take risks in problem solving (tries newly learned strategies, attempts more than one strategy)
• show enthusiasm for math (engages with the curriculum, asks thoughtful questions, is eager to learn new concepts and strategies)
• pay attention to details (reads and considers questions carefully)
• actively and appropriately participate in small group activities
• actively and appropriately participate in whole class activities
• work independently (self-motivate, re-read directions, will research to find needed information)
• consistently and accurately follow oral and written directions
• complete homework assignments on a daily basis
• show persistence (continues to try even when frustrated, willing to rework a problem from the beginning)

How to Enter Advanced Math

Current “Grade Level Math” Whitman students who wish to enter Advanced Math will need to arrange with their current Math teacher to take a skills assessment.

• Current 6th grade students should be prepared to answer problems on 7th grade concepts and current 7th graders should be prepared to answer problems on the 8th grade concepts.
• Any 6th grade student not currently enrolled Math 7 will be offered the opportunity to take the Math7 Skills Assessment. Calculators are not permitted.
• Any 7th grade student not currently enrolled in Math 8 will be offered the opportunity to take the Math8 Skills Assessment. Non-graphing calculators are permitted.
• Students sign up for the 100-minute exam with their current math teachers.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite skills and knowledge: SPS “Middle School Math Guidelines for Opting-Up and Pathways”. Refer to the district Mathematics page for more details.