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Committee hears algebra 1 pathways plan and parents raise concerns about assessment and classroom support
Summary
The Algebra 1 curriculum task force outlined a plan to teach all Grade 7 and Grade 8 standards plus Algebra 1 standards in an integrated 7/8 course and to create multiple entry/exit pathways; parents raised immediate concerns about current middle- and high-school assessment practices, access to textbooks, and student support.
The school’s Algebra 1 curriculum task force presented a multi-year plan to create multiple pathways to high-level math and to reduce tracking ceilings. The central proposal for 2025–26 is an integrated course that teaches full Grade 7 standards and full Grade 8 standards, and in the same year includes the Algebra 1 standards so students in Grade 8 will have taught the full Algebra 1 content.
Why it matters: task force members said the approach preserves access — allowing students to pursue geometry or Algebra 1 in high school without being locked into a single track — and creates multiple entry points (for acceleration or slowing down) so students can move between pathways without being penalized. Staff emphasized that the new middle-school courses will be built now and taught next year, with summer work to organize units and common formative assessments.
Parents in the public comment portion told the committee they are seeing gaps now: students who do well on in-class checks still fail large unit or midterm assessments; some families hire private tutors at substantial cost; and some parents asked that students be allowed to take classroom textbooks home rather than relying on slide decks. Julie Page, parent of an 11th-grader, said her daughter aces weekly practice with a tutor but earns a low grade on unit exams and cannot review tests with her tutor because the school does not release full assessments immediately.
Committee members and staff agreed the concerns required follow-up. Principal Mark Sullivan and the math team described existing interventions: FlexBlock (three 30-minute support blocks per week), an internal academic center with three tutors and a math instructional assistant, a school adjustment counselor focused on executive functioning support, and a peer tutoring program. They also said teachers use common assessments and collaborate on exam design; committee members asked staff to review assessment-to-teaching alignment and provide recommendations.
Next steps: the task force will continue writing Understanding By Design (UBD) units for the new middle-school courses, align standards vertically with the high school, draft entry/exit criteria (data points to include teacher recommendation, grades, and I-Ready), and continue the textbook review process. The committee requested an action memo that (a) summarizes current supports for struggling students, (b) shows how assessments are developed and reviewed across teachers, and (c) proposes remedies for the immediate cohort of students now affected by grading/assessment mismatches.
