San Francisco Unified School District and County Office of Education
Board Policy 6152.1
Math Placement Policy
This Board Policy applies to the San Francisco Unified School District and the County Office of Education.
Statement of Purpose
The Mathematics Placement Act of 2015 (SB 359) provides that “[a]ll pupils, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic background, deserve an equal chance to advance in mathematics. With the shift towards implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, it is particularly important for all pupils to have access to high-quality mathematics programs that meet the goals and expectations of these standards. It is crucial for teachers and guidance personnel to advise pupils and parents on the importance of accurate mathematics course placement and its impact on future college eligibility so pupils may take each course in the mathematics course sequence.”
The Mathematics Placement Act requires a fair, objective, and transparent mathematics placement policy for pupils entering grade 9 that does the following:
- Systematically takes multiple objective academic measures of pupil performance into consideration. For purposes of this policy, “objective academic measures” means measures such as statewide mathematics assessments, placement tests that are aligned to state-adopted content standards in mathematics, classroom assignment and grades, and report cards.
- Includes at least one placement checkpoint within the first month of the school year to ensure accurate placement and permit reevaluation of individual pupil progress. The policy shall offer clear and timely redress for parents and pupils that question placement.
- Offer clear and timely redress for each pupil and their parent and legal guardian who questions the pupil’s placement.
- Requires examination of aggregate pupil placement data annually to ensure that pupils who are qualified to progress in mathematics courses based on the objective academic measures are not held back in a disproportionate manner on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic background.
The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Mathematics Course Sequence is designed to give all pupils an equal opportunity to take the courses necessary for college admissions, including admissions at the California State University and University of California.
SFUSD Course Sequence
The SFUSD 4-year course sequence for high school mathematics provides an opportunity for all pupils to complete the courses necessary to be eligible for UC/CSU admissions. In alignment with these requirements, SFUSD has committed to providing all students with access to Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and Pre-Calculus as a 4-year course sequence. Further, the District will provide all SFUSD students with the opportunity to accelerate completion of this sequence.
8th Grade Math
All middle and K-8 schools will offer students the opportunity to take Algebra 1 in 8th grade.
Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year:
- Common Core Math 8 will be offered at all middle and K-8 schools.
- Algebra 1 will be offered in eighth grade as a course that can be taken concurrently with Math 8. Students may be exempted from and therefore skip Math 8 if they meet academic eligibility criteria and have a meeting with their counselor. The student’s parent/guardian must provide a signed parent/guardian consent.
- Any student shall be eligible for the Math 8 exemption who, on a standardized assessment offered district-wide as part of the regular school year, demonstrates proficiency in Math 7 predictive of being able to take Algebra 1 without being concurrently enrolled in Math 8 in eighth grade, and not likely to repeat Algebra 1 in ninth grade. The district shall determine what the minimum STAR Assessment and SBAC scores are that demonstrate the required proficiency level, based on past student data. Proficiency can be demonstrated by a student’s performance on either the last-administered STAR Assessment or last-administered SBAC in seventh grade. Students and parents/guardians must then meet with their counselor to obtain signed parent/guardian consent for the exemption and may do so before entering eighth grade.
- For students who are entering SFUSD in eighth grade and did not take the STAR Assessment or SBAC in seventh grade, the district shall select and administer a uniform assessment to determine whether they meet comparable academic eligibility criteria to be exempted from Math 8.
- This policy shall be interpreted and implemented in a manner that expands, rather than restricts, access to Algebra 1 without taking Math 8 for students who seek an exemption..
- A 6-8 Grade Braided Compression Pilot that covers Math 6-8 and Algebra 1 over three years will be provided at at least 2 schools.
(Please See District for SFUSD Math Course Sequence in District Office)
9th Grade Math Placement
Ninth grade mathematics course placement takes multiple objective academic measures of pupil performance into consideration:
- Success in current math course(s): classroom assignments and grades, formative and summative assessments and overall grade on report card
- Readiness for the next level course as measured by the critical levels met in end-of year-assessments
Students who have taken coursework covering all of the standards taught in CCSS Math 8 in 8th grade will be enrolled in CCSS Algebra 1 in 9th grade, unless they meet the criteria below.
Students who have taken SFUSD coursework covering all of the standards taught in CCSS Algebra 1 before 9th grade and received a grade of C or higher in that Algebra I course will be enrolled in CCSS Geometry in 9th grade.
Students who have taken Algebra 1 outside of SFUSD will be placed in Geometry in 9th grade if they earned a C or higher in their Algebra 1 course, and have submitted a course syllabus, or equivalent, originating from the school or teacher where coursework was completed to verify that they have covered the standards taught in CCSS Algebra 1. In addition, if the student took the content through an online course, the online course must be from an accredited institution and must be a-g eligible.
Students who have taken coursework covering all of the standards taught in CCSS Geometry before 9th grade (in addition to completing and passing Algebra 1 before 9th grade as described above) and received a grade of C or higher in that Geometry course will be eligible to take CCSS Algebra 2 in 9th grade. To verify that the student has already learned the standards required for CCSS Geometry, the student must submit a course syllabus, or equivalent, originating from the school or teacher where coursework was completed. In addition, if the student took the content through an online course, the online course must be from an accredited institution and must be a-g eligible.
Placement Checkpoint
Within the first month of 9th grade, students will be administered the STAR Math assessment as a district interim assessment, as well as to ensure accurate placement and permit reevaluation of individual pupil progress.
Challenging Placement
A student who completed a CCSS Algebra 1 course in 8th grade covering all required CCSS Algebra 1 standards but did not earn a C or better in the course can challenge their placement in CCSS Algebra 1 in 9th grade by:
- Requesting an opportunity to take the STAR Math Assessment no later than the first week of 9th grade by contacting their school counselor to schedule the test. If the student’s STAR score report shows proficiency in all CCSS Algebra 1 standards as defined by the California Math Standards (Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Statistics and Probability and Interpreting Categorical and Quantitative Data), they will be permitted to be transferred to a Geometry course. To the extent practicable, such transfer should occur within 7 days. OR
- Students who earn proficient scores in all CCSS Algebra 1 standards (listed above) on the STAR Math Assessment during the one-month checkpoint may be transferred to Geometry within 7 days of receiving their score report, and after a meeting with the school counselor, student and parent/guardian to explain the challenges of a late transfer into the course.
- Submitting proof of completion of an accredited CCSS Algebra 1 summer or online course before 9th grade with a C or better to be enrolled in CCSS Geometry at the beginning of 9th grade. The student should provide this information to the school counselor no later than the first week of school to accommodate timely transfer. To the extent practicable, such transfer should occur within 7 days.
A student who completed a CCSS Geometry course in 8th grade covering all required CCSS Geometry standards but did not earn a C or better in the course can challenge their placement in CCSS Geometry in 9th grade by:
- Requesting an opportunity to take the STAR Math Assessment no later than the first week of 9th grade by contacting their school counselor to schedule the test. If the student’s STAR score report shows proficiency in all CCSS Geometry standards as defined by the California Math Standards (Congruence, Similarity, Right Triangles and Trigonometry, Circles, Expressing Geometric Properties with Equations, Geometric Measurement and Dimension, Modeling with Geometry, Conditional Probability and the Rules of Probability and Using Probability to Make Decisions), they will be permitted to be transferred to an Algebra 2 course. To the extent practicable, such transfer should occur within 7 days. OR
- Students who earn proficient scores in all CCSS Geometry standards (listed above) on the STAR Math Assessment during the one-month checkpoint may be transferred to Algebra 2 within 7 days of receiving their score report, and after a meeting with the school counselor, student and parent/guardian to explain the challenges of a late transfer into the course. OR
- Submitting proof of completion of an accredited CCSS Geometry summer or online course before 9th grade with a C or better to be enrolled in CCSS Algebra 2 at the beginning of 9th grade. The student should provide this information to the school counselor no later than the first week of school to accommodate timely transfer. To the extent practicable, such transfer should occur within 7 days.
This process will be posted on the SFUSD website on the Math Department page.
Data Collection and Review
Annually, the Board will review aggregate pupil placement data to ensure that pupils who are qualified to progress in mathematics courses based on the objective academic measures are not held back in a disproportionate manner on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic background. The Superintendent or designee shall also report on the percentage of District students who have successfully completed mathematics courses that satisfy the requirements for entrance to the University of California and the California State University (Education Code 52060). This report will be provided as described in Administrative Regulation.
Notice
This Math Placement Policy shall be posted on the SFUSD website.
Please note that compare references, or “cf”, refer to CSBA model policies and do not necessarily indicate that the San Francisco Unified School District has adopted the referenced policy.