2024 Advanced Math Placement Process
The district has made a meaningful effort to make the math and science selection process more transparent. The programs were described in Ms. Tallarine's email dated February 28, 2024. For 2024 and beyond, the placement process for the double accelerated math program in 6th grade will remain similar to how it was intended to be for the 2023 cohort with some modifications.
Still, many of the problems with the program and the selection process remain unaddressed. In the absence of a committee to share those issues, these are noted below.
Statement 1
According to the letter, "a very small number of students who have mastered 6th grade learning standards before entering 6th grade, accelerate in grade 6. These students have sometimes been exposed to the 6th grade math curriculum through outside private/extra-curricular mathematics experiences."
Response 1
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"A very small number..." - 56 students (or 23% of the class) were invited into advanced math for the 2023 cohort.
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"These students have sometimes been exposed..." - Selected students are required to have mastered NYS learning standards (see below) for an entire year of material that they have not been taught in Manhasset schools. They MUST have been tutored or taught this material outside of Manhasset schools. Math content from grade 6 (i.e., absolute value, volume, etc) is not learned without instruction.
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Maintaining this selection philosophy deliberately supports the tutoring culture that is required for selection into advanced placement programs in math and science.
Statement 2
The email states that "The small number of students who accelerate in grade 6, skip 6th grade content.... Therefore this course is only appropriate for those students who have already demonstrated matery of grade 6 learning standards."
Response 2
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A student with a 51% on the secure exam was admitted in 2023. (The secure exam measures knowledge of 5th and 6th grade content.) Assuming about 1/2 of the test of 5th grade math and 1/2 of the test was 6th grade content, this student demonstrated no mastery of 6th grade content.
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The Manhasset rubric assumes that students who earn above 80% on the secure exam are automatically eligible due to "mastery" of content knowledge. In 2023, the district admitted 33 students based on teacher rating with almost no regard to lack of "mastery". These 33 students accounted for 58% of the people chosen for advanced math.
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11 students who got below a 65% on the secure exam (considered failing by traditional academic measures) were admitted.
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If masterly is a requirement, then a concrete threshold must be established and articulated publicly.
Statement 3
The email states that "Acceleration in grade 6 is for a very small number of students who must successfully progress through a multi-pronged selection process."
Response 3
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In 2023, after the CogAT threshold is met, there were only 2 criteria considered: secure exam score and teacher rating. The work sample criteria was neutered when administrators gave all student submissions the same score.
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The proposed process eliminates the parent submitted work sample entirely. The process has been changed to classroom work samples that teachers choose in line with original Board approved policy.
Statement 4
The email states that "First, students must score in at least the 98th national percentile on the Quantitative/Non-Verbal combined batteries on the CogAT examination."
Response 4
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Students who scored in the 97th percentile were invited into the process in 2021 and 2023. Click here for the statement from the District Clerk about adding the 97th percentile students AFTER the 98th percentile stuents were invited and tested.
Statement 5
The email states that "a committee made up of the Director of Mathematics, two of the students teachers, math specialists and out Administrator for Assessment and Data Analysis is then convened to review classwork samples and gather teacher feedback on observable behaviors as defined in the mathematics portion of the Renzulli-Hartman scale.
Response 5
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In 2023 the committee as required by Board policy did not exist. It was replaced by a rubric that tallied to 16 or 20 points (two rubrics were created to accommodate the policy violation of adding the 97th percentile on CogAT).
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The problem remains that a committee can not distinguish between two candidates that were not observed by the same person. The benefit of multiple people involved is that no one can be held accountable.
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Based on research available through Brown University, teacher ratings using the Renzulli-Hartman scale are fundamentally flawed. There is no explanation for why we would continue to use them.
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The district has stated it would not use NWEA scores for placement, but involving the Administrator for Assessment and Data Analysis raises questions about that claim.
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This committee keeps the door open for subjective judgement so that no parent can appeal a decision in the future.
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Transparency remains a problem. There is no mention in the letter about how parents will be informed about what factors caused their child to be given or denied placement.
Statement 6
The letter presumes that there was significant attrition in the early acceleration math pathway that caused emotional difficulty. The revisions to the identification process were done to reduce the likelihood of attrition.
Response 6
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The attrition described in the letter relates only to the math pathway, not to the advanced science pathway, which has almost no attrition. The letter assumes that attrition is due to lack of performance. Our findings suggest that attrition in the math pathway relate to difficult teacher experiences in Algebra 2 and diverse interests that lead a student to pursue alternative electives (Project Lead the Way, AP Statistics, etc.)
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The district must look at the student as a whole. We must recognize that if a student leaves the math pathway, this may NOT be a failure of the program if the student redirects his efforts to other subjects. If a student is able to access the advanced science program BECAUSE of early math acceleration but drops the math pathway, that is STILL A SUCCESS for the student and the district.
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Socio-emotional issues should be dealt with individually and with the guidance of parents. Students should not be selected out of advanced math at the age of 10 or 11 because administrators and/or teachers think they can predict how a student will feel emotionally in the future. They should be selected based on skill and will at the moment. Decisions to leave the program should be made when issues arise, not in anticipation of potential issues.
Statement 7
The letter indicates that students have access to many APs without fully acknowledging that many of the pre-requisites prevent students from accessing APs until grade 11. Since students often apply to college by Nov of their senior year, the most impactful APs must be taken by the end of the junior year.
Response 7
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This commentary is designed to make parents feel that their child will have access to many APs outside of math and science in order to compensate for being denied advanced math. But if access is delayed, then much of the benefit in terms of college applications is lost.
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Lack of access to advanced math in grade 6 puts a student at a significant disadvantage relative to those admitted in terms of course rigor and access in the hard sciences. Click here for an explanation. Students who get into advanced math and advanced science reach 4 APs in the hard sciences by the time they finish their junior year. Those who do not get into advanced math and who are single accelerated in math are able to reach 2 APs in the hard sciences in the same time period.
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The difference in AP access results in a significant GPA differential due to course weightings for AP classes. Therefore, those denied advanced math are essentially boxed out of the top 10% of the class at graduation at the end of 5th grade.
Changes in Roles
This email was the first of its kind in terms of its discussion about math, science and general course options throughout high school. This contrasts with prior representations over the summer of 2023 when Ms. Tallarine claimed she could not speak to the science impact of the math decisions.
As of March 8th, Terry McGrath, the District Coordinator for Science , has resigned. Given the breadth of this email, Lauren Tallarine may be tapped to run both the math and science programs. Therefore, the science selection model is replicating the math model. Unfortunately, doing that without addressing the many issues that exist in the math selection process and placement rubric first is problematic.
About Manhasset Excellence
Manhasset Excellence aspires to ensure excellence in Manhasset Schools by promoting flexibility and transparency in advanced placement programs. We are educating the Manhasset community about the selection process for the 6th grade advanced math program in hopes that a complete understanding about the policy and its implementation will allow parents and administrators to work together to establish better placement processes for all subjects in the future. Information presented is estimated based on available information from the Board, administrators, the math department and parent feedback.