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Redondo Beach board approves new middle‑school math pathway, shifts acceleration to end of sixth grade
Summary
The Redondo Beach Unified board approved two new middle‑school courses — Math 6 Plus and Math 7‑8 — that delay formal acceleration to the end of sixth grade and use objective readiness indicators (CAST, MAP, grades, MDTP) to guide placement. Board members said Algebra 1 remains available and the change will be phased in for incoming sixth graders.
The Redondo Beach Unified School District board on Feb. 25 approved new middle‑school courses that change how students are accelerated in math.
Dr. Lisonbee Garland, assistant superintendent of educational services, presented the proposal to make Math 6 Plus the universal sixth‑grade course and to offer Math 7‑8 as an accelerated option with a goal of students reaching Algebra 1 by the end of middle school. "We are shifting the acceleration decision later than fifth grade," Garland said, explaining the committee’s recommendation to use objective readiness indicators rather than early, opt‑in compacting.
Two sixth‑grade teachers who helped design the courses described classroom goals. Tayah Turnbull, a sixth‑grade math and science teacher, said Math 6 Plus will cover sixth‑grade standards while introducing essential seventh‑grade concepts to build conceptual depth and procedural fluency. Melissa Rummler, a sixth‑grade teacher at Adams, said the course aims to give all students a strong foundation so they are prepared for multiple pathways.
The district will use four readiness indicators — the CAST assessment, MAP scores, course grades and the MDTP readiness test — when considering acceleration. "These indicators will be applied when students would like to look at accelerating," Garland said, noting that an administrative review process and parent meetings will provide additional context for placement decisions.
Board members and parents pressed for clarity on how the indicators will be weighted, how transfer students will be handled and whether students already in compacted tracks would be affected. Garland and board members said current students already on compacted tracks will remain on their existing paths; the change will be phased in for incoming sixth graders. "Algebra 1 remains," Garland added, emphasizing that the end goal and accelerated options continue to exist.
The board unanimously approved the course adoptions (item 12.13) after discussion. Trustees asked the district to provide clear communications to families, including the specific score cutoffs and documentation that will guide placement decisions and to return with recommendations about eighth‑grade acceleration and how high‑school pathways might be adjusted.
The board’s approval starts the process for implementing the Math 6 Plus and Math 7‑8 courses for the 2025–26 school year, with additional committee work planned to refine scope and sequence and to examine acceleration points in eighth grade.
