Newington school leaders defend shift to heterogeneous 7th-grade math and ‘bridge to algebra’; parents and students press for reversals

Newington School District administrators on Wednesday laid out a planned restructuring of middle‑school math that eliminates a standalone seventh‑grade accelerated math course, places Algebra I in eighth grade and adds an optional “Bridge to Algebra” enrichment program to prepare students for high‑school math.

The change, presented at a special meeting of the Newington Board of Education, is intended to deepen students’ conceptual understanding under the Common Core sequence and to reduce the number of students who later struggle in high‑school algebra and Algebra II, district officials said. “If we keep doing something that we know is harmful to a group of students, that’s malpractice,” Superintendent Dr. Brummett said, summarizing the administration’s rationale.

District staff told the board they reviewed 10 years of local course pathways and statewide guidance and found the middle‑school acceleration model condensed multiple years of learning into too few years, leaving gaps. Kristen Freeman, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the district will place Algebra I in eighth grade so students who develop later still can access high‑level math and will offer the bridge program…