Rich Cordaway, the district’s preK–12 math director, told the Middletown Board of Education curriculum committee on Sept. 4 that precalculus enrollment has risen and that the district is pursuing a Calc BC course that could grant college credit through UConn.

The uptick in higher-level math comes after changes to enrollment criteria and a districtwide move to de-level courses, officials said, and the district plans a parent Q&A during a math game night on Oct. 29 to share details and gather input.

District math leaders said the changes aim to increase students’ access to higher-level mathematics and to address a drop-off observed in advanced math pathways among earlier cohorts. The committee’s presentation included data on an accelerated eighth-grade cohort from 2018 and updates on current enrollment and AP offerings.

“We looked at a cohort of students from 2018 ... there was a 110 students in that 2018 cohort of eighth grade accelerated. And when that group of students became seniors, 20 of those 110 students were enrolled in AP Calculus,” Cordaway said, summarizing past pathway attrition. “That is 1 of the reasons why, a student would wanna accelerate in eighth grade is so they could have the option to take a calculus.”

Board member Liz Crooks raised concerns about instruction after de-leveling: “I’m concerned ... if they’re taking algebra 1 in eighth grade and qualify for algebra 1 in eighth grade, to then go into a ninth grade course that is de leveled with students that may be struggling, how are we really supporting them on their way?”

Yvonne Daniels, the district’s 6–12 math supervisor, said de-leveling is applied K–12 and that teachers differentiate instruction: “Our teachers are really good at differentiating instruction. That’s something that is just an ongoing thing that we are always striving to get better at.” Daniels also pointed to current student performance: “If we look at our data, our students are actually more successful this year than they’ve been ever in the past.”

Leaders provided these specific data points from the meeting: the 2018 accelerated-eighth cohort contained 110 students and 20 later enrolled in AP Calculus; last year 31 of 335 seventh graders achieved Level 4 on Smarter Balanced and many of those students are enrolled in algebra this year; the district reported precalculus enrollment increased 26% to 132 students this year and cited historic enrollments of 106 and 105 in prior years. The presenters noted some internal inconsistencies in counts for subgroups (for example, the reported breakdown of sophomores and juniors in the 132 figure was incomplete in the presentation) and said they will continue to monitor and refine reporting.

On advanced placement and college-credit pathways, Cordaway said the district is pursuing a Calc BC offering that would allow students to receive Calc 1 and Calc 2 credit from UConn if the teacher’s application and program approvals proceed: “She is doing her application right now. We should have an update on that soon.” The district will present details to teachers and hold the parent session on Oct. 29; officials said the Calc BC course will be the course submitted for the program of studies timeline and that AP precalculus is not currently in the three-year plan.

Questions about physics sequence and prerequisites were raised. Board members and staff discussed College Board guidance for AP Physics C and whether students may take calculus concurrently; a district representative said the science department had previously recommended scheduling calculus before physics but that College Board guidance allows concurrent enrollment in calculus for physics courses.

The math team said next steps include finalizing the teacher application for Calc BC, sharing details with staff and parents at the Oct. 29 math night (with a Q&A pullout session), starting a monthly math newsletter, and continuing to monitor student achievement data. Officials emphasized that offering new courses depends on teacher qualifications, program approvals and placement in the district program of studies.

The committee did not take a formal vote; it presented data and plans and requested board members’ input and review prior to any course additions being adopted into the program of studies.

The discussion ran from the math department’s presentation beginning at the committee meeting through a series of questions from board members and staff before the agenda moved to a separate item on artificial intelligence policy development.

Officials asked the board to review the math updates and said they would return with further details and formal course proposals in keeping with district timelines.