The Board of Directors (“Board”) of Desert Sands Charter High School (“Charter School”) adopts this policy to establish a fair, objective, and transparent protocol for placement in mathematics courses for students entering 9th grade, in order to ensure the success of every student and to meet the legislative intent of the California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015.

  1. In determining the mathematics course placement for entering 9th grade students, the Charter School systematically takes multiple objective academic measures of student performance into consideration, including two (2) or more of the following:
    1. Statewide mathematics assessments, including interim and summative assessments through the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (“CAASPP”).
    2. Placement tests that are aligned to state-adopted content standards in mathematics;
    3. Recommendation, if available, of each student’s 8th and/or 9th grade mathematics teacher based on classroom assignment and grades.
    4. Final grade in mathematics on the student’s official, end of the year 8th and/or 9th grade report card.
    5. Results from all placement checkpoints, including at least one (1) placement checkpoint within the first month of the school year as described in Section 2, below.
  2. The Charter School will provide at least one (1) placement checkpoint within the first month of the school year to ensure accurate placement and permit reevaluation of individual student progress. All mathematics teachers responsible for teaching 9th grade students will assess the mathematics placements for each 9th grade student assigned to the teacher’s mathematics class. The teacher’s assessment will take into consideration factors which may include, but are not limited to, the student’s classroom assignments, quizzes, tests, exams, and grades, classroom participation, and any comments provided by the student, the student’s parent/legal guardian, and/or the student’s other teachers regarding the student’s mathematics placement. Based on the assessment, the teacher will then recommend that the student remain in the current mathematics placement or be transferred to another mathematics placement, in which case the teacher shall specify the mathematics course or level recommended for the student.
  3. The Charter School Area Superintendent, or designee, shall examine aggregate student placement data annually to ensure that students who are qualified to progress in mathematics courses based on their performance on objective academic measures included in Section 1 of this policy are not held back in a disproportionate manner on the basis of their race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic background. The Charter School shall annually report the aggregate results of this examination to the Charter School Board.
  4. The Charter School offers clear and timely recourse for each student and the student’s parent or legal guardian who questions the student’s placement, as follows:
    1. A parent/legal guardian of any 9th grade student may submit a written request to the Charter School Principal, or Principal’s designee, that:
      1. Requests information regarding how the student’s mathematics placement was determined. Within ten (10) days of receipt, the Principal or designee shall respond in writing to the parent/legal guardian’s request by providing the information, including the objective academic measures that the Charter School relied upon in determining the student’s mathematics placement.
      2. Requests that the student retake the placement test, in which case the Principal or designee will attempt to facilitate the retest within two (2) weeks.
      3. Requests reconsideration of the student’s mathematics placement based on objective academic measures. Within ten (10) school days of receipt, the Principal or designee shall respond in writing to the parent/legal guardian’s request. The Principal or designee and the student’s mathematics teacher must assess the objective academic measures provided by the parent in conjunction with the objective academic measures identified in Section 1 and 2 of this policy. Based on this assessment, the Principal or designee must determine whether the most appropriate mathematics placement for the student is the student’s current placement or another placement, in which case the Principal or designee shall specify the mathematics course or level recommended for the student. The Principal’s or designee’s response must provide the determination as well as the objective academic measures that the Principal or designee relied upon in making that determination.
    2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Principal or designee requires additional time to respond to a parent/legal guardian’s request, the Principal or designee will provide a written response indicating that additional time is needed. In no event shall the Principal ’s or designee’s response time exceed one (1) month.
    3. If, after reconsideration of the student’s mathematics placement by the Principal or designee, the parent/legal guardian is dissatisfied with the student’s mathematics placement, the parent/legal guardian may choose to sign a voluntary waiver requesting that the student be placed in another mathematics course against the professional recommendation of the Principal or designee, acknowledging and accepting responsibility for this placement.
  5. The Charter School shall ensure that this mathematics placement policy is posted on its website.
  6. This policy is adopted pursuant to the Mathematics Placement Act of 2015, enacted as Education Code Section 51224.7.
Written By:
Abi Lawrence