Curriculum Resources
Our goal is to ensure that all students learn to the best of their abilities. To meet the educational needs of each child, we offer a comprehensive, integrated curriculum focused on the knowledge and processes students need for success in school and life beyond high school.
- Elementary Education (K - 5): An overview of elementary education including curriculum summaries, visual art, music, PE, and library media programs.
- Middle School Education (6 - 8): An overview of middle school education including core and elective courses, visual and performing arts, intramural sports, and school course catalogs.
- High School Education (9 - 12): An overview of high school education including courses, athletics, graduation requirements, and subject entrance requirements for the California university systems.
- Common Core State Standards
- Secondary Math Placement (SB 359): A systems view of math paths through PAUSD from grade 6 through 12 in order to understand the choices and opportunities among the course offerings.
Laning, Tracking, & Ability Grouping
- Hanover Research Report – Course Alignment (Board Agenda Item 9)
- Ability Grouping Research Reviews
- Moving Beyond Tracking
- Taking Race Out Of The Equation
- From Natural Variation To Optimal Policy
- Does Sorting Students Improve Scores
- MATD Final Report
- The Tracking and Ability Grouping Debate by Loveless
- Tracking and Ability Grouping by Viar
Secondary Math Placement (SB 359)
The purpose of Senate Bill 359 is to serve pupils entering grade 9 and students who are transitioning between elementary and middle school. SB 359 requires that before the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, to post the fair, objective, and transparent mathematics placement policy on its Internet Web site.
In the California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015, the State of California documents:
Pupil achievement in mathematics is important to prepare pupils for college and their future careers, especially those careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Placement in appropriate mathematics courses is critically important for a pupil during the middle and high school years. A pupil’s 9th grade math course placement is a crucial crossroads for future educational success. Misplacement in the sequence of mathematics courses creates a number of barriers and results in pupils being less competitive for college admissions, including admissions at the California State University and University of California.
New research shows that it is less common for pupils of color, even high-achieving pupils of color, to reach calculus by grade 12 compared to their white and Asian peers. All pupils, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic background, deserve an equal chance to advance in mathematics. With the shift towards implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, it is particularly important for all pupils to have access to high-quality mathematics programs that meet the goals and expectations of these standards. It is crucial for teachers and guidance personnel to advise pupils and parents on the importance of accurate mathematics course placement and its impact on future college eligibility so pupils may take each course in the mathematics course sequence.
Although only the information about placement of students from grades 8 to 9 and grades 5 to 6 are required by SB 359, in PAUSD, laning begins in 7th grade. Because PAUSD utilizes lanes instead of tracks, below you find a systems view of math paths through PAUSD from grade 6 through 12 in order to understand the choices and opportunities among the course offerings. The documents that you can access below illuminate placement from grades 5 through 12, especially detailing placement considerations throughout the middle school years.
Downloadable documents: