September 15, 2020
Dear CRLS Students & Families/Caretakers,
I hope that you and your family have managed to stay safe during these unprecedented times. As we all know, this year has posed unforeseen challenges which require adjustments in policies, procedure, and communication to address these changes across many platforms.
Personally, my goal is to mitigate the impact of these horrific times on our students while preserving the districts’ commitment to equitable practices and access. Hence, after careful consideration and in an attempt to equitably offer the “place out” opportunity offered in previous years to all students at CRLS, there will be NO Math Placement Tests administered at CRLS this year. Instead, we will focus on a more holistic approach to evaluating each student's readiness to place out of a particular CRLS math course by asking for the following:
A. Proof of successful completion of a relevant summer program covering the content of the class student is requesting to place out of.
OR
B. Recommendation (see options below)
- Teacher Recommendation - A recommendation from the student's last year's math teacher indicating their belief that the student can successfully complete a specific math class based on previous performance, grades, and effort.
- Summer Program Recommendation - A recommendation from the instructor of a summer program, covering prerequisite course content, taken by the student.
- Family Recommendation - A recommendation from the student's family requesting that student place out of their current scheduled math course, attesting to the student's preparation and readiness for the next level in the standard CRLS math course sequence.
- Self Recommendation - A recommendation from the student on their behalf, requesting that they place out of their current scheduled math course, attesting to self preparation and readiness for the next level in the standard CRLS math course sequence.
AND
Supporting Document(s)/Evidence
- Final grade or progress report received from last year's math class
- Final grade or progress report received from summer program
- Description of student's preparation from an adult family member and/or adult mentor based on observation
- Progress/growth report from online course comparing "pre" and "post" assessment
- Portfolio of notes and individual work from self-preparation
To initiate this request, please
After reviewing the request and supporting documents, the dean, guidance counselor or a math teacher may contact the student and or family for more information. Students deemed ready to place out will be notified either via email, phone, or a direct schedule change.
Please note that all students placed will be in a “probationary” period, allowing teachers to assess if this is the right placement for them to be successful.
Thank you and we look forward to your child having a successful math career during their time at CRLS.
Respectfully,
Siobahn Mulligan
Julie Ward