During the week of in-service at the end of May, all Middle School math teachers and Mrs. Kramer meet to confer about next year’s math placement for students. All incoming fifth graders are placed in the same level class. However, we do offer enriched sections of math in grades six, seven, and eight, and also a concrete-approach section in eighth grade. Students in these enriched sections follow the same curriculum as the other students in their grade; however, the pace is quicker and the scope and depth of concepts is broader. Our concrete approach offers a more comprehensive, detailed approach when introducing new concepts. Movement into the enriched sections is reviewed at the end of each school year so that the enrollment usually grows by eighth grade. In the meetings, we analyze a wide variety of criteria:   the results of each child’s end-of-year math inventory, report card marks, ERB scores, ability to comprehend new and more abstract concepts quickly and confidently, frequency and accuracy of work on enrichment/bonus (higher level) problems, and comfort with taking risks in class. Most students are placed in our regular sections of math (which are actually advanced in comparison to other math programs). If your daughter appears to be well-placed in an enriched section or the concrete section in eighth grade, Mrs. Kramer will call you to talk about that opportunity. Again, please note that math placement for any given year is based on your daughter’s current cognitive development in this area; her growth is repeatedly analyzed by our math teachers, and through differentiated instruction and the fluidity of our program, we fully expect to meet her math needs.