Next Level Advancement

2021-2022 Success Plan

Beginning with course placements for the 2021-2022 school year, some modifications will be made as it relates to advancement. These changes are being implemented in response to COVID-19’s impact on education, the potential lack of state testing which was normally used to help verify competency toward graduation points along with mastery of content, and feedback from our academic departments related to student success.

Next Level Advancement for World Languages: Students who have already taken the first level of one or more of the courses listed below and who would like to take the advancement test to determine whether they can move to the next level as a freshman should sign up for the spring testing at Bishop Watterson. Students will take a department-created test similar to a semester exam to determine advancement.

Freshmen have the option to take an advancement test for Latin I, Italian I, Spanish I and French I.

Next Level Advancement for Math: Students who are currently enrolled in Algebra I or Geometry I as an 8^th grader or those students who believe they could advance to a higher level will be required to take an Algebra 1- based next level advancement test here at Bishop Watterson. This test will be given in late May and will be a department-created semester exam for Algebra 1. Students must demonstrate mastery of Algebra I (this includes those currently taking Geometry) in order to be placed into higher levels of math. Students not demonstrating mastery of Algebra content will be recommended for placement into Algebra I (for those not previously enrolled in Algebra) or Honors Algebra 1 (for those who have already completed an algebra-based course). Students who complete the traditional 8^th grade course of study will be placed into Algebra I levels based on 8^th grade entrance result/score.

This change is being implemented due to the heavy algebra content required in our advanced courses of Algebra II/Trig, Pre-Calculus, and beyond. Bishop Watterson’s Algebra I curriculum is structured to prepare students for the challenges of higher-level math. Students who advance without a strong algebra foundation often struggle to be successful in these advanced courses. Freshmen students who do not demonstrate mastery will benefit from an additional year of algebra content and will still be able to take upper-level math courses during high school. The math flowchart is available as part of our curriculum guide which can be found on our website.

Level placement for courses such as freshmen science or history are completed based on student entrance test scores as well as feeder school input and any other available test data such as Terra Nova, STAR Reading, etc.

Next Level Advancement Test sign-up: Students wishing to take one of the next level advancement tests should complete the online registration by clicking on the button below.

We look forward to having your child join the Bishop Watterson family and believe strongly in placing students so that they are both challenged and successful.