NSCD Math Department Course and Placement Information Course Naming Conventions
Starting in the Academic Year 2024-2025, the MS Math program at North Shore will adopt the naming conventions used for the US Math courses. Most math courses are offered at the (10) and (15) levels. Both levels of classes cover all the same core math content and skills but different modes of instruction and student expectations.
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(10) Level Courses
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(15) Level Courses
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Problem-solving development balanced with the practice of foundational skills, students developing agency
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Require a greater level of agency in problem-solving and comfort with uncertainty
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Instructor-provided scaffolding for students to guide the students through solving a problem
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Student-led explorations of problems without review of previous skills
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Students spend additional time reviewing and revisiting processes of problem-solving during class time
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Students are expected to master basic skills quickly - or to use resources to reteach themselves any algorithms and processes needed in the course
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A student can take a (15) level class one year and a (10) level class the next or vice versa; there is no "track" that students may get locked into for the long term. The goal is to determine the ideal class for any year that suits each child's lifelong math learning skills and prerequisite content knowledge development. All pathways through our middle school program allow students to take our most rigorous upper school courses.
Math Course Recommendations
Course Recommendations are made for students by their current classroom teacher through a combination of criteria:- their academic performance in the classroom
- their demonstrated habits of mind in approaching problem-solving in the classroom
- their results on the ERB standardized test of math reasoning and
- their work on a grade-level specific "readiness test" of problem-solving given during the school day, written by their teachers
The sixth and seventh-grade readiness tests are scheduled each academic year during the spring. For eighth-grade students, their final exam will serve this purpose. ERB testing will also occur in the spring.
No specific preparation is required for these assessments.
Course offerings are as follows.
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Seventh Grade
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Eighth Grade
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Ninth Grade
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Geometry & Prealgebra (10)
Geometry & Prealgebra (15) Algebra 1 (15) |
Prealgebra
Algebra 1 (10)
Algebra 1 (15)
Geometry (15)*
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Algebra 1
Geometry (10) Geometry (15) Algebra II (10) Algebra II (15) |
*Denotes middle school enrollment in an upper school course
If the desired placement and the teacher's recommendation are disagreeable, a discussion involving the teachers, the advisor, and the family will follow. These conversations will focus on a student's previous performance in class, ERBs, and readiness tests.
If the desired placement and the teacher's recommendation are disagreeable, a discussion involving the teachers, the advisor, and the family will follow. These conversations will focus on a student's previous performance in class, ERBs, and readiness tests.
To achieve our school's focus on equity in education, student course registration will not be determined based on a student's willingness and ability to acquire a tutor, complete additional summer work, or their promises of improved work habits. One must first demonstrate one's growth in a (10) level class and then may use those proven skills in a (15) level class later on.
