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Algebra 1 task force lays out pathways to ensure all students can complete Algebra 1 and geometry by 10th grade
Summary
The district's math task force presented pathway options, data showing substantial midyear student growth on i-Ready, and plans for vertical alignment to provide accelerated options while preserving interventions.
The Burlington School Committee heard an update from the Algebra 1 task force outlining a multi-pathway plan designed to let every student complete Algebra 1 and geometry by 10th grade through Burlington Public Schools courses.
Presenters said the task force has developed course descriptions, identified power standards via an Understanding by Design process, and is finalizing middle-school pathways that allow students to accelerate or slow down without leaving district classrooms. "We need to make sure that every student had the opportunity not to take Algebra 1 from another facility, but to take it from us," a presenter said during the update.
The task force cited i-Ready diagnostic data showing growing numbers of students performing above grade level during the year. Presenters gave numeric examples from sixth- through eighth-grade assessments, reporting dozens of students already above grade level midyear and increases from beginning- to midyear counts. The district also correlated these findings with MCAS and course grades to identify students likely ready for accelerated pathways.
The task force recommended several pathway options for grade 6'8, including a Grade 8 offering that blends grade-8 standards with Algebra 1 content for students ready to accelerate, plus alternative slower tracks for students who need more time. The presenters said the work next will include setting cutoff criteria, writing common formative assessments, and aligning I-Ready and classroom grading to the pathway standards.
At the high school level, presenters reported grade distributions for algebra and geometry classes and said the data did not show a widespread failure problem; instead, many students earn A and B grades. The task force has commissioned a second review from an outside math consultant to double-check alignment and will share further recommendations after that review.
No formal policy change was enacted at the meeting; the work was presented as an update and planning step. The task force said it will continue to develop schedules, prerequisites, and intervention supports to allow students to move between tracks when appropriate.
