In accordance with Senate Bill 359 (Chapter 508, Statutes of 2015), known as the California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015, which was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on October 5, 2015, and took effect on January 1, 2016, the Governing Board of Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise hereby adopts this Mathematics Placement Policy. The California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015 requires the governing boards of local educational agencies that serve pupils entering grade nine to adopt fair, objective, and transparent mathematics placement criteria.
Cumulative pupil academic and assessment records will guide mathematics placement for pupils entering ninth grade. If the entering ninth grade pupil was previously enrolled at Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise, teacher feedback will be sought to complement the pupil’s academic and assessment records. Such systematic review accordingly considers multiple objective academic measures of pupil performance.
Students demonstrating mathematics proficiency will progress to the subsequent mathematics course. The mathematics course progression is sequenced as follows: Mathematics 6, Mathematics 7, Mathematics 8, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus. Pupils demonstrating middle school mathematics proficiency may bypass Mathematics 7 and or Mathematics 8 and accordingly commence Algebra I in seventh or eighth grade. Pupils demonstrating advanced mathematics proficiency may concurrently enroll in Algebra I and Geometry OR Geometry and Algebra II. These pupils will continue on the aforementioned sequence contingent upon their continued demonstration of the standards for the mathematics course(s) in which they were enrolled. Pupils demonstrating severe mathematics deficiencies may be concurrently enrolled in a remedial mathematics course. Such concurrent placement will be contingent upon other academic considerations such as the completion of courses required for high school graduation.
Teachers will incorporate the use of Khan Academy, iReady, or other benchmark resources and utilize the reports which it provides to serve as a placement checkpoint within the first month of the school year. If there is an inaccurate pupil placement, the pupil will be reevaluated and accordingly scheduled in the corresponding mathematics course(s). An annual examination of pupil placement data will be conducted to ensure that students are not held back in disproportionate manner on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic background.
Student proficiency reporting to the Governing Board of Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise will include the results of the annually administered Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium assessment and other mathematics progress monitoring assessments, as may be available.
Parents or guardians who question a pupil’s placement are encouraged to meet with the school counselor to better understand the pupil’s mathematics placement. Parents and guardians who remained unsatisfied with the pupil’s placement or have questions about this policy are encouraged to address the same with the principal.
Revised February 20, 2019