One may ask what an accelerated math path means. To understand math acceleration, one must first understand the regular math path. The regular path for math is Algebra I in 9th grade, Geometry in 10th grade, Algebra II in 11th grade, and Precalculus in 12th.
Students desiring to attend competitive colleges or receive college scholarships take an accelerated math path. Those students who are usually focused on math-related subject areas such as engineering, computer science, research sciences, medical sciences, or finance need opportunities to take more challenging math classes in their early years so they may take advanced calculus courses and even statistics in high school.
These advanced math courses prepare students to take Advanced Placement (AP) exams, earn college credits in high school, become eligible to enroll in highly competitive colleges, and receive more scholarships.
To offer this challenging path, SDA, unlike other schools, does not use any special selective process other than the student’s commitment to work hard and the ability to get good grades and do well in the subject. This egalitarian approach enables more students to participate in the accelerated path if they are willing to perform well at two to three grade levels higher.
ACCELERATED MATH IN ELEMENTARY
Normally, in most schools, it is difficult for elementary school students to progress into an accelerated math track. Only a select group of students qualify for accelerated math. However, at SDA, we pay special attention to students’ interests and abilities in math as well as other subject areas.
This fall we have a class full of about 20 students in fifth grade who are accelerated in both math and language arts. These fifth-grade students are taking courses offered to SDA’s middle school students, which include preAlgebra, ninth-grade literature, and advanced science.
Fifth-grade students in the accelerated program are excited about taking middle school courses that are challenging. Students excitedly share that they love the idea of a five-minute break after each 55-minute period. They love having different teachers come to their classroom and teach different subjects. As fifth graders, they take electives, and that, they say is cool.
This fifth-grade accelerated track enables the SDA students to take pre-Algebra in fifth grade, Algebra I in sixth grade, and Geometry and Algebra II in seventh and eighth grades, respectively.
TWO TO THREE GRADE LEVELS HIGHER ACCELERATION
This fall we have almost 15 students in eighth grade scheduled to take Algebra II. Remember, Algebra II in a regular track is taken in 11th grade. A significant number of students have been accelerated to take the course as eighth graders, three years ahead of their regular schedule.
When students take higher level math in middle school, they are able to take higher level and more honors and AP math classes in high school. This option opens many doors to take advanced sciences and literature courses as well. Not only will the students be graduating with a more rigorous curriculum, but also with a higher grade-point average. This enables them to graduate with a higher ranking in their senior class and have more opportunities for scholarships and admissions to more competitive programs at the college level.
The curriculum at SDA progresses at an accelerated pace. Although each student is unique, some students who start SDA in early grades — grade one or two — are ready to take the accelerated path of being two to three grade levels higher. If students start in first or second grades at SDA, some take Algebra I in seventh grade, which is two grade levels higher, while others are ready to take Algebra I as early as sixth grade, directing them to an acceleration path of three grade levels higher.
To learn more about SDA accelerated programs, please contact Self Development Academy at (480) 641-2640, and for the preschool program contact Self Development Preschool at (480) 396-3522.