Math Advancement Testing

BSD Graduation Requirements. In order to earn a standard high school diploma in BSD (policy IKF-AR) students must enroll in and pass at least three years of math courses while enrolled in 9-12th grade. For a student that accelerates, they would need to successfully complete three courses of math once in high school in order to meet the minimum requirement of three math credits for graduation. 

College Entrance Requirements. Our math courses are designed to prepare a student for entry-level college math courses. Students who continue to pursue math courses have opportunities to engage in college-level work in high school. A 2019 study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling reported that “The top factors in the admission decision were overall high school GPA, grades in college preparatory courses, strength of curriculum, and admission test scores. Among the next most important factors were the essay, a student’s demonstrated interest, counselor and teacher recommendations, class rank, and extracurricular activities.”

Strong foundation in Algebra is more important than enrollment in Calculus. More important than having taken the highest level of math possible, is nurturing your student’s interest, confidence, and strong foundations in mathematics. In a set of recommendations published by the Mathematical Association of America the authors wrote that “[s]tudents are better prepared for post-secondary mathematics when they have developed an understanding of the undergirding principles which, when accompanied by fluent and flexible application of the concepts and procedures of precalculus mathematics, enable them to understand calculus as a coherent and broadly applicable body of knowledge. They continue on to note that “In some sense, the worst preparation a student heading toward a career in science or engineering could receive is one that rushes toward accumulation of problem-solving abilities in calculus while short-changing the broader preparation needed for success beyond calculus.” (Bressoud, Mesa, and Rasmussen, 2015).

All BSD students have the opportunity to build foundational skills and content required for success in quantitative careers and college majors. Students seeking to take a college level course in Calculus would need to accelerate by at least one year either in 5th - 7th grade Advancement Testing or during high school through concurrent or summer coursework.

Update as of 12/17/2025: Beginning 26/27 school year, BSD will offer Algebra 1 and Geometry courses instead of Alg/Geo/Stats (“AGS”) 1 and 2 courses. The following year BSD will begin offering Algebra 2 instead of AGS 3.

All students will progress through a common sequence of courses through high school Geometry. In the spring of their 5th, 6th and 7th grade year, students may request to skip a course in the sequence and enroll in the following course in 6th,7th, and 8th grade. Students who advance through testing or additional coursework have the opportunity to take college level math courses while in high school.

As a reminder, for a student that enrolls in a more advanced course in middle school, they would still need to successfully complete three courses of math once in high school in order to meet the minimum requirement of three math credits for graduation.

Grades 6 - 12 Math Course Sequences

The following sequence of courses describes the math pathways in Beaverton

• Grade 6: Math 6
• Grade 7: Math 7
• Grade 8: Math 8
• Grade 9: Algebra 1
• Grade 10: Geometry

HS Math Pathways (courses after Geometry)

Course offerings differ between IB and AP schools and large and small schools. BSD high schools will offer up to three course pathway options (1) calculus, (2) data science, (3) quantitative mathematics (see Toolkit p. 23). 

Calculus Pathway

• Algebra 2
• Pre-Calculus
• Calculus (AP/IB/Dual Credit options)

Data Pathway

• Data Science & Stats
• Statistics (AP/IB/Dual Credit options)

Quantitative Pathway: Grade 11 and Grade 12 offerings are not yet available district wide.

Note: pathways can be flexible; students could mix choices across years (e.g., taking a Data Science & Stats course in 11th grade, and then Algebra 2 in 12th).

Yes, it is important to consider the implications of skipping courses. Skipping a math course will require students to have a strong understanding of the mathematics that has been skipped. Skipping may increase the chance that the student will experience frustration, stress, anxiety, poor grades, or end up repeating math courses later. With course advancement, moving forward is much easier than moving backward.

The math we teach in our 6th, 7th and 8th grade level math courses provides an essential foundation for Algebra and other HS concepts and should not be rushed through or skipped. 

From NCTM’s Catalyzing Change in MS Math: 

Lack of preparation can demotivate, reduce achievement and drive students away from math that they are seeking through accelerated placements. Again from Catalyzing Change in MS Math:

Please fill out the Math Advancement Test Request form. The form can be found in multiple languages in the Test Request Forms section above. 

This process is offered once each year.

Please note: This year, all testing must take place in April.

Students entering the district are placed into math courses using academic records from their previous school. Your child’s school will seek to enroll your student in the next logical course offered. 

If you are seeking a more advanced course, you may request advancement testing using the same request form and deadlines as current students. We will provide testing opportunities for out-of-district students. Testing for out-of-district students will be offered at the district office on a given date each spring.

It is recommended that current 5th grade students entering the Summa program take a math advancement test to help ensure the most appropriate math placement. 

Any current 5th grade student qualified for Summa who does not take an advancement test will be scheduled for Math 7 next year.

Current 6th and 7th grade Summa students do not need to take a test unless they are seeking a different math placement next year.
 

Because testing may impact students’ middle school schedules and it is important to have results in a timely manner we are unable to offer tests after May. If you know of a conflict with your school’s testing date ahead of time we can set up a time to test before testing starts this year. 

Submit a Testing Absence Form.

The tests will be given in paper/pencil format with a scantron sheet for students to mark their answers. All tests are "End of Year" (EOY) exams that are designed to assess student proficiency on the learning targets of that course. The tests are designed to be completed in one sitting and typically take about one hour for each test. Students should plan to work steadily and complete the assessment during that window. Students will be provided accommodations or modifications if present on an IEP or 504 plan. 

Please have your student bring a calculator and pencil with them to the testing session if possible. We will have some extra calculators available but we may not be able to provide one for every student in some larger test sessions. 

These are the calculators needed for the different tests,

BSD Math Advancement Tests are designed to assess the student's proficiency on the next BSD math course in their sequence. Students will be tested on the math of the course they are trying to skip, not the targets of their current course.

This is different from most other tests students are used to taking. BSD Math advancement Tests cover future content and not the math students are learning in their current BSD math class. State Standardized testing and classroom testing are based on a student's current grade level and course. A student who exceeds the state standards and earns highly proficient scores in their course may still not meet criteria for acceleration on these advancement tests because the tests target content from the next course.

BSD does not provide test prep materials.

Students and families can access the Math 6, Math 7, & Math 8 Targets, Rubrics, and Resources via the BSD website on the Secondary Math page. Students may be able to check out a CPM Core Connections textbook from their middle school library. Students can also use ALEKS (grades 6 - 8) or DreamBox (Grades K-5) for adaptive math practice.

District communications to families and caregivers will acknowledge which test was taken and what the resulting placement will be. Scores and other details about results will not be shared. 

All BSD math courses are built around the major topics students need to learn. Your student’s advancement test result may indicate that your student still has valuable learning to do in their upcoming course without adjustment. This is the most common outcome of our advancement tests and we feel confident that it is best for the vast majority of our students.

Beaverton School District’s Intensive Summer Version (ISV) courses are not available to students entering 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. ISV courses are for students entering 9th grade and above (see here for information on ISV courses).

No. The district will not accept outside courses for credit/advancement for students in grades 6, 7 or 8.
 

No. The BSD math advancement tests are only available to students currently in 5th - 7th grade. For students in 8th grade and above seeking to change their math placement for next year, they must complete coursework either through the Intensive Summer Version (ISV) courses offered through BSD Flex (see here for more information) or through an accredited and pre-approved course* outside of the district.

*Students seeking to enroll in an out-of-district course should contact their middle and high school counseling department to ensure that the course is accredited, aligns to the courses offered in BSD, and for more information.

All schools receive student advancement recommendations from the advancement tests and work over the summer to finalize schedules for the fall.

Students may only take one Advancement Test in a year. There will be another opportunity next year to request a test (5th, 6th, and 7th graders) or to pursue additional acceleration at the high school level through ISV (see related FAQ: "My Student is a current 8th, 9th, 10th, or 11th grader, can they take an advancement test to change their math placement for next year?")

Yes. A student or family may decline to skip a class. Contact an administrator at your next school if you wish to decline additional acceleration and instead take the next course in your students math pathway without skipping.

Some students received a note that ended with the following paragraph: 

"Your student will be enrolled in a higher level math class next year. If you still would like to proceed with this placement, then there is nothing you need to do. If you would like to decline further acceleration for your student please communicate with an administrator at ___ Middle by mid-June."

The purpose of this note was to notify you of evidence that may be important when considering your options for next year. If the note mentioned a Summary Judgment, that information was based on your student’s January Report card. Your child’s June report card may be more helpful.

If you are trying to evaluate whether or not to decline acceleration your current teacher cannot make that decision for you. Your child’s teacher may be able to share information like “Your student has improved since January and I am confident that they have reached a high level of proficiency on 5th grade math” or “This note is still accurate and it appears to me that your student has reached a proficient but not highly proficient level on 5th grade math.” 

The role of your child’s current math teacher is not to assess their proficiency in future content and they may not be able to guide you fully in making this decision.

No. 
 

5th graders who take the EOY Math 6 and EOY Math 7 and place in Math 8 are already skipping two years of Oregon State Math Standards. Although they are not able to take further tests in the same year, they will have an opportunity to take another math advancement test the following spring when they are in 6th grade.

6th and 7th graders testing may only take one test each spring.

Course offerings that are more advanced than the grade level course may be offered in a variety of formats depending on enrollment and staffing specific to each school. A course offered one year in a building may not be able to be offered the next year due to changes in enrollment and staffing and may only be available online (through FLEX) or may be only available if the student takes math with older students. 

Whether a course is offered in person, with same-age or older students, or at a neighboring high school is dependent upon student enrollment and the school staff in each school.

District communications to families will acknowledge which test was taken and what the resulting math course will be next year. Your student’s score, and the specific criteria/cut-scores used for the test will not be shared.

The decision to only share recommended placements was a collective decision by district leaders to improve consistency across the district. An important consideration in making this decision was to ensure that all students would have to meet the same standard in order to skip a year or more of Oregon math standards and enroll in a higher level course. 

No. Students must meet proficiency criteria on their math advancement test in order to be enrolled in a higher level course.