Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Help with CA Education code/ law

Our family just moved from Northern VA to the high desert of CA (military move).

This means our boys are moving from the traditional math pathway to the "Integrated" pathway. Both boys took "Pre AP Algebra 1" last year- one in a 7th grade double accelerated class, the other in 8th grade accelerated. The "Pre AP" is an accreditation label- it's the equivalent of an honors/ advanced high school Algebra 1 course. They both passed and got high school credit and would have moved onto Geometry this year if we hadn't moved. 7th grader actually did better than his older brother, passing with an final A. (this is part of the problem we are facing)

As our 9th grader registered, he was placed into Integrated Math 2. Anticipating an issue because I knew that our receiving Junior High did not have that available, I started months ahead trying to get answers about how to accommodate our rising 8th grader if the highest level offered was Integrated Math 1.

I was told they would "look into it" but of course when we received his schedule, it was Integrated Math 1. When I began to press, and even offered to drive him to the high school each day to take Integrated Math 2, they eventually came up with the answer that "CA Education Code does not allow for a student in Junior High to receive high school credit for course work taken at a high school. We can only place your son into Integrated Math 1."

To me, that sounded incorrect but I thought I would throw out this situation to the minds of this forum. Part of me wants to fight this on principle alone- it's ridiculous that they would allow my older son to advance but punish the younger one simply because he worked hard and participated in an accelerated program in VA.

I suggested independent study but never hear back from them on that. School starts tomorrow so I'm not surprised they waited till last Friday to call me and explain they would not do anything to accommodate placement other than Integrated 1.

A few references:
High school requirements.
https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/cefhsgradreq.asp

DOE guidance on math acceleration.
https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/documents/jul14item13slides.pdf

Note that it is not that schools are not allowed to advance middle schoolers beyond algebra I, but that they must have at least two years of math in high school (three for UC entrance). Those two years must include at least one course at the algebra I level or higher. I expect the school is concerned that they will "run out of" math courses for him before graduation (but that's where dual enrollment comes in).

Also, depending on how the HS and MS schedules are put together, private transport from one campus to the other may cause him to fall below state-mandated time-on-learning, which might be another obstacle to appropriate placement, in the school's view.

Thank you- good information.