• AS students matriculate to Cary Academy's Upper School from the Middle School, each student will be placed into the appropriate course as determined by the Middle School faculty in consultation with the Chair Mathematics Department.
• Students entering Cary Academy's Upper School from another school will be placed based on their transcript and an interview with the Assistant Head of Upper School and/or the Chair of the Mathematics Department.
• Each year, students who successfully complete their math class will be placed in the next course based on the Pathways.
  • For non-Honors or non-Advanced courses successful completion is earning a passing grade; however students earning a grade below a C- may choose to retake a course.
  • For Honors and Advanced courses, students must earn a grade of B or 85% to automatically be placed in the next honors-level or Advanced course.
• The Department of Mathematics strongly

Effort Grade Policy

The effort grade measures personal responsibility, motivation, and initiative. The following descriptions are general measures of these qualities and not necessarily intended as a checklist for assigning grades.

• Four - Superior Effort
  The student makes a sincere effort to extend his or her understanding of mathematical processes and concepts. The student has an excellent record on daily homework assignments. The student comes to class on time with appropriate materials and a positive attitude. The student is an active, constructive participant in class discussions and activities. The strong student investigates problems beyond those required and willingly helps classmates. The struggling student takes the initiative to get extra help when needed and goes the extra mile to learn the material.
• Three - Good Effort
  The student makes an effort to understand mathematical processes and concepts. The student has a good record on daily homework assignments. The student comes to class with appropriate materials and a cooperative attitude. The student is an active, constructive participant in class discussions and activities. The student works cooperatively with peers and the teacher.
• Two - Marginal Effort
  The student shows sporadic effort to understand mathematical processes and concepts. The student has poor to fair record on daily homework assignments. The student often disrupts the learning environment by not following instructions, socializing inappropriately, or generally displaying a negative attitude. The student makes little or no effort to work cooperatively with classmates.
• One - Poor Effort
  The student fails to accept responsibility for his or her own learning of mathematics.