Strath Haven Middle/High School

Advanced Course Placement Criteria 7th – 9th Grade

English/Language Arts

In the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, our goal is to provide an appropriate learning environment for each student. Placement is a careful consideration for all students with the intent of maintaining the integrity and rigor of the advanced level courses and providing appropriate challenge for students. In response to the standards-based initiative in Pennsylvania, the English/Language Arts department, along with building and district administration, has established criteria for placement into the advanced level English/Language Arts course in seventh through ninth grade. The criteria reflect the rigor of the Pennsylvania Common Core State Standards with respect to the critical reading and writing skills necessary for success in these challenging courses.

Teachers will submit the placement in late January and continue to monitor students for potential shifts in essential reading and writing skills. In cases where it is deemed appropriate, changes may be made to the initial placement. The following data sources will be used for placement into the advanced level courses indicated for each grade. A listing of specific skill expectations in reading and writing can be found on the middle school Language Arts webpage as well as the Curriculum webpage.

6th grade to 7th grade Enriched:

  • Benchmark Assessment Data
  • Writing portfolio of common assessments (see skill expectation document)
  • Student choice in his/her independent reading and reading logs (see skill expectation document)
  • Minimum of 90% score on all Black Diamond level writing assignments
  • Two consecutive marking periods with a minimum A- grade average

7th grade to 8th grade Enriched:

  • Benchmark Assessment Data
  • Writing portfolio of common assessments (see skill expectation document)
  • Student choice in his/her independent reading and reading logs (see skill expectation document)
  • Students must take ALL Black Diamond level writing assignments and earn a minimum of 90% on the assignments for two consecutive marking periods
  • Two consecutive marking periods with a minimum A- grade average

7th grade Enriched to 8th grade Enriched:

  • Benchmark Assessment Data
  • Writing portfolio of common assessments (see skill expectation document)
  • Student choice in his/her independent reading and reading logs (see skill expectation document)
  • Minimum of88% score on all writing assignments
  • Two consecutive marking periods with a minimum B+ grade average

8th grade to 9th grade Honors:

  • Writing portfolio of common assessments (see skill expectation document)
  • Student choice in his/her independent reading and reading logs (see skill expectation document)
  • Students must take ALL Black Diamond level writing assignments and earn aminimum of 90% on the assignments for two consecutive marking periods
  • Two consecutive marking periods with a minimum A- grade average
  • Successful score on the Writing Placement test given at the end of the first semester. (This score alone does not preclude a student from being placed into the Honors level course.)

8th grade Enriched to 9th grade Honors:

  • Writing portfolio of common assessments (see skill expectation document)
  • Student choice in his/her independent reading and reading logs (see skill expectation document)
  • Minimum of 88% score on all writing assignments
  • Two consecutive marking periods with a minimum B+ grade average
  • Successful score on the Writing Placement test given at the end of the first semester. (This score alone does not preclude or include a student into the Honors level course.)

FAQ’s for Placement into English/Language Arts

Enriched/Honors Courses

What is the difference between an Enriched class at the middle school and an Honors class at the high school?

  • Enriched LA-7 and Enriched LA-8 increase the pace, expectation, and challenge of the Language Arts curriculum, which allows teachers to evaluate students’ success with the increased rigor. Student choice for tiered assessments is eliminated in this course unlike LA-7 and LA-8 where students have choice in level of difficulty on select assignments/assessments. It should be noted that placement into Enriched classes is not a guarantee of placement into English 9 Honors; rather, it is an opportunity for students to test their emerging skills in a rigorous environment.
  • Honors courses at the high school are designed with the assumption that students are already strong, independent readers and academic writers. As such, there is less writing and reading instruction and more interaction with difficult texts and academic writing. Creative writing is not a core component of the course.

How do I know if my child is ready for English 9 Honors Level work?

  • Students ready for this course have exhibited strong academic writing skills in literary analysis, argument, persuasion, and research. Students should be able to read well and have depth of understanding in a variety of genres, including canonical works of fiction and non-fiction. Teachers design instruction and assessment with the expectation that students need little remediation in these areas. As such, students who are not ready for the pace of more intense reading and writing may struggle.

If my child has not been placed in Enriched/Honors Language Arts, is there an opportunity for advanced work in subsequent years?

  • There are pathways for students to reach the Enriched/Honors level courses throughout 7th – 10th grade. Eligibility for advanced courses is available each year regardless of the prior year’s placement. Placement is made based on a variety of data points including reading comprehension, strong academic writing, district-level assessments and grades. PSSA scores are not a part of the placement criteria.
  • In LA-7 and LA-8, options for greater challenge in content, assignments, and assessments may be selected by interested students. The challenge-by-choice selections become part of the criteria for placement in subsequent years. Students who wish to be considered for advanced course placement should pay particular attention to the criteria related to the tieredassignments/assessments. LA 7 students who do not choose “Black Diamond” (the highest challenge option) for two consecutive marking periods will not be eligible for placement into Enriched LA8. Parents should contact their child’s teacher to discuss a potential override of the student’s choice of assessment level.
  • Students placed in English 9 College Prep have an opportunity to move to English 10 Honors at the end of the year. Ninth grade teachers recommend that students, who are not quite ready for English 9 Honors, take English 9 College Prep to sure up their skills for success as English 10 Honors students. The College Prep pace allows for individualized attention and richer one-to-one feedback while maintaining challenge and rigor.

What do the placement data over time and post-graduate research indicate?

  • Data collection and analysis is ongoing in the area of placement and student success. Over several years’ time, placement data and student success have shown that it is better for a student to receive skill-specific attention in a level appropriate to his/her current ability to strengthen skills. This attention provides students the best chance of success in higher level classes in the future.
  • A student who is not ready for the pace of more intense reading and writing in English 9 Honors may struggle and require a move to English 10 College Prep the following year. College admissions offices indicate that it is a better narrative for colleges to see a progression from English 9 College Prep to English 10 Honors on a transcript rather than an English 9 Honors to English 10 College Prep.

Please sign below, detach the bottom portion and return to your teacher by September 16, 2016.

STUDENT:

I have read the WSSD placement information for English/Language Arts 7th – 9th grade.

______

Student SignatureDate

PARENT/GUARDIAN:

  1. I have read the WSSD placement information for English/Language Arts 7th – 9th grade.
  1. Please indicate one of the following:

I am willing to allow my child to make challenge-by-choice level decisions for his/her assessments.

I would like to discuss a potential override of my child’s challenge-by-choice decisions for his/her assessments. Include contact information: ______

______

Parent SignatureDate