Northshore School District Revamps Accelerated Academic Program for Junior High

 In an effort to equalize accelerated academic programs across the district, the Northshore School District has revamped the high achieving academic programs in junior high.

Dubbed the Junior High Challenge Program and set to go into effect for the 2011-2012 school year, the new scheme will replace the current honors programs at the middle school level throughout the district, according to Gretchen Schaefer, director of secondary education at the district.

“We have a wide variety of what is offered across the district, we really needed more alignment over all the schools,” she said.

The idea is to offer students who are capable of more rigorous academic study the opportunity to take courses in social studies and English that will put them on the path towards the Advance Placement or International Baccalaureate high school programs. The accelerated math program was already standardized across the district, Schaefer said.

Here is the way the new program will work, according to the district’s website: The sequence of accelerated junior high course alignment and student selection information for English, math and social studies is outlined below. 

The ITBS will be administered to district 6th graders the week of March 14-18, 2011. 

Challenge placement notification letters for the 2011-12 school year will be sent to students and parents no later than June 30, 2011.

For more information, please contact the counseling office at the junior high school. The main phone number for each of the junior high schools is provided below:

Canyon Park Junior High - 425.408.6300

Northshore Junior High - 425.408.6700

Kenmore Junior High - 425.408.6400

Skyview Junior High - 425.408.6800

Leota Junior High - 425.408.6500

Timbercrest Junior High - 425.408.6900

Course Sequence

7th Grade Challenge English
8th Grade Challenge English
9th Grade Pre AP/IB English   

Selection Process

Current 6th graders to be considered for 7th grade Challenge English  

Student data review 
Grade 5 MSP Reading
Grade 6 ITBS Reading, Language Arts 

Analysis of student work 
Students who score above Level 4 or high Level 3 on the MSP and above 80th percentile on the ITBS will be invited by parent letter to participate in two on-demand writing assessments on a Saturday in May at their local junior high school. Student essays will be scored by a team of junior high challenge English teachers using MSP-like scoring procedures.

Compilation of student data 
Because each of the four measures is on a different scale, each measure will be transformed to a standardized score so that the values are comparable and can be aggregated to create a total score. Students who score above the cut score on the total will be selected for the JH Challenge English classes.

Challenge placement notification letters will be mailed from each junior high school no later than June 30, 2011.

7th Grade Challenge English students will be assigned a required summer reading and will have an in-class writing assignment on the text during the first week of school.

Current 7th graders to be considered for 8th grade Challenge English  

Student data review
Grade 6 MSP Reading
Grade 6 ITBS Reading, Language Arts
1st Semester English grade

Analysis of student work
7th grade in-class writing prompts:  Persuasive essay, Literary Analysis essay

Student essays will be scored by a team of junior high challenge English teachers using MSP-like scoring procedures.

Compilation of student data
Because each of the four measures is on a different scale, each measure will be transformed to a standardized score so that the values are comparable and can be aggregated to create a total score. Students who score above the cut score on the total will be selected for the JH Challenge English classes.

Challenge placement notification letters will be mailed from each junior high school no later than June 30, 2011.

8th Grade Challenge English students will be assigned a required summer reading and will have an in-class writing assignment on the text during the first week of school.

urrent 8th graders interested in registering for 9th grade Pre AP/IB English

9th grade Pre AP/IB English is a self-select class. Students can request placement in 9th grade Pre AP/IB English through the 2011-12 course selection and registration process. Please refer to the junior high registration booklet for additional information about selecting Pre AP/IB English. 

9th Grade Pre AP/IB English students will be assigned a required summer reading and will have an in-class writing assignment on the text during the first week of school.

Course Sequence

7th Grade Challenge Math
8th Grade Algebra
9th Grade Geometry

Selection Process

Current 6th graders to be considered for 7th grade Challenge Math  

Student data review 
Grade 5 MSP Math
Grade 6 ITBS Math 

The Northshore School District Assessment Department will create a composite score using students' 6th grade math ITBS and 5th grade MSP. Junior high principals, the Director of Secondary Education and the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education will collaboratively determine the cut-score for 7th grade Challenge Math.

Current 6th graders to be considered for "Double Jump" math placement

Course Sequence 
7th Grade Algebra
8th Grade Geometry
9th Grade Algebra II Trig (at the pathway high school)

Current sixth grade students who believe they are ready and eligible for 8th Grade Challenge Math: Algebra I, must have the following in order to be eligible for the Algebra I entry tests (double jump):
1.  ITBS percentile ranking ≥ 98
2.  5th grade MSP Math L4 Scale Score > 420

Eligible students will be offered the opportunity to take the Algebra I entry tests in May. A letter will be sent to families in late April/early May.  Students must earn the following in order to "double jump" in math:
1.  Orleans Hanna entry test Part I: 84% and
2.  Basic Skills entry test Part II:  80%

Current 6th grade EAP students

Students in 6th grade EAP who have successfully completed Holt Mathematics Course 2 will go directly into 7th grade Challenge Math. EAP students may elect to take the double jump math test (see above) with the recommendation of their 6th grade EAP teacher.

Students in 6th grade EAP who have successfully completed Holt Mathematics Course 3 may be placed in Algebra I upon completion of the Orleans Hanna Algebra readiness predictor test and with the recommendation of their EAP teacher and the junior high math department head.

Challenge placement notification letters will be mailed from each junior high school no later than June 30, 2011.

Current 7th graders interested in placement for 8th grade Algebra

Current 7th grade students in grade level math who want to be considered for Algebra I will be tested in Spring 2011.  Students must earn the following:
1.  Orleans Hanna entry test Part I:  84%
2.  Basic Skills entry test Part II:  75%

Students who qualify will receive guided summer math practice to help address any learning gaps between the 7th grade regular math and 7th grade Challenge Math experience. This learning packet will be due to their algebra teacher the first week of the school year. 

Current 8th graders interested in placement in Geometry for 9th grade

Current 8th grade students in regular math who want to be eligible for 9th Grade Geometry must complete an accredited Algebra I or equivalent course. The Northshore School District will recommend local and on-line courses that are based on the state math standards and that will prepare students for subsequent levels of rigorous Northshore School District math courses. Information will be available on the district Web site by April 15. 

Course Sequence

8th Grade Challenge US History
9th Grade Pre AP/IB World History 

Selection Process

Current 7th graders to be considered for 8th grade Challenge US History  

Student data review
Grade 6 MSP Reading
Grade 6 ITBS Reading, Language Arts
1st Semester social studies grade

Analysis of student work 
7th grade in-class writing prompt:  Document Based Question

Student essays will be scored by a team of junior high challenge social studies teachers using MSP-like scoring procedures.

Compilation of student data 
Because each of the four measures is on a different scale, each measure will be transformed to a standardized score so that the values are comparable and can be aggregated to create a total score. Students who score above the cut score on the total will be selected for the JH Challenge US History classes.

Challenge placement notification letters will be mailed from each junior high school no later than June 30, 2011.

Challenge US History students will be assigned a required summer reading and will have an in-class assignment on the text during the first week of school.

Current 8th graders interested in registering for 9th grade Pre AP/IB World History

9th grade Pre AP/IB World History is a self-select class. Students can request placement in 9th grade Pre AP/IB World History through the 2011-12 course selection and registration process. Please refer to the junior high registration booklet for additional information about selecting Pre AP/IB World History.

Pre AP/IB World History students will be assigned a required summer reading and will have an in-class assignment on the test during the first week of school.